Just moved onto acres with sheep or alpacas: the first 90 days
Sheep and alpacas get grouped together because they're both the animal people buy to keep the grass down and both need shearing once a year. Beyond that, they're different: an alpaca will guard a paddock and hate the heat; a sheep will follow the others into trouble and hide being sick until it's serious. Both need a shearer booked before you need one, and both need a fence that keeps dogs out more than it keeps them in.
The first week — fence, water, shade, and never one alone
The fence is against dogs, not against them
Sheep and alpacas mostly respect a fence. Foxes, wild dogs and the neighbour's dog don't. Mesh to the ground, no gaps under gates, and a paddock near the house for nights if dogs are a known problem in your district.
Shade for alpacas is not optional
Alpacas come from cold, dry, high country and suffer in Australian heat. They need real shade at the hot end of the day and will stand in a trough or a wet patch if you give them one. On a very hot day, a hose on the legs and belly is what they want.
Two is the minimum
Neither animal should be kept alone. A single alpaca or a single sheep is a stressed animal, and a stressed animal gets sick. If you've inherited one, the first job is a companion.
Water they can reach and you can see
A trough at the right height, refilling faster than they drink on a hot day, in a spot you walk past. Same as every other animal on this site, and for the same reason.
The first month — book the shearer, start the record
Book the shearer now
Both need shearing once a year — usually spring for alpacas, and before the hot weather for sheep. A shearer who'll come for a handful of animals is worth finding early; ask the person you bought them from, or the local produce store.
Worms: egg counts, not the calendar
In warm, wet districts, barber's pole worm can kill a sheep or an alpaca in weeks, and the first sign is pale lower eyelids and a soft swelling under the jaw. A vet or produce store can run an egg count. Ask what the local pattern is and write down every treatment.
Feet and toenails
Sheep get footrot in wet weather; alpacas' toenails grow long on soft ground and need trimming every couple of months. Both are jobs you can learn to do with the animal held.
In Australia: PIC and tags
A Property Identification Code is required, and sheep and goats now carry electronic tags in most states, with the rules changing by state and year. Ask your state department of agriculture what applies to you now, rather than trusting a page that may be out of date.
Find a vet who sees them
Ask specifically about alpacas if you have them; not every practice does. Ask about vaccinations for your district, and for alpacas, about vitamin D over winter for young ones.
The first season — the calendar
Warm and wet means flystrike
Blowflies lay eggs in damp, soiled wool, and the maggots eat the sheep alive. A sheep standing oddly, stamping, or with a dark, wet patch of wool in warm humid weather needs the wool parted and looked at today. Crutching — shearing the back end — before the warm wet season is the prevention.
Ryegrass staggers and other pasture surprises
Some pastures in some seasons cause staggering and trembling, especially in alpacas. An animal that's wobbly on its feet gets moved off that paddock and gets a vet.
Lambing and cria, if it's coming
If ewes or females came to you pregnant, ask the vet now what normal looks like. Straining for a long time without progress is an emergency for both.
Fire danger days
Know the safest paddock and the way to it. The official rating for your district is on the page linked below.
Ring a vet now if
Ring a vet straight away if an animal is down and can't rise; is staggering or trembling; has pale or white lower eyelids; is straining to give birth without result; has wool that's wet and dark with a smell; or is breathing hard at rest. A sheep or alpaca that is off by itself and not eating is already a phone call.
Write down today: the shearer's number, the vet who sees them, and the date of the last worming. Then go and check the fence for the gap under the gate.
The rest of this list turns up by itself
The farrier date, the worming record, the trough check on the hot day, the fire rating on the bad one — the app builds the week for your place and your animals from your own weather, and puts each of these on the right day. Nothing waits on you remembering a guide.
General guidance for someone new to keeping animals on acreage, written to be careful rather than complete. It is not veterinary advice, and nothing here replaces a vet who has seen your animal. Rules about identification codes and tags vary by state and change; check with your state department of agriculture.