Yurt as alpaca shelter

[McGinley]

Hello all,

I live on 11 acres in Ohio and have recently purchased two elderly alpacas. Presently, the animals are splitting their time between a 12 by 12 barn stall and a pasture. My problem is the walk between the pasture and the barn is a long one and requires wrangling the alpacas every night. I was in the middle of planning a small pasture shelter (where they would go of their own accord when feeding time rolls around) when a friend suggested building a yurt instead. The idea intrigues, but begs a number of questions:

1. Is anyone out there aware of yurts being used for keeping animals sheltered? Any stories to tell?
2. What would be the drawbacks of using a yurt this way? (I welcome speculation, not just straight up stories from experience). Alpacas don't challenge fencing like horses do, so the issue of the animals bumping against walls is moot. As for size, I'm thinking at least an 18' diameter, which would give them more room than they have now, and also leave space for a sectioned-off tack area. Natural lighting is sufficient and a water source is close-by.
3. I'd like the floor to be a combination of packed sand and gravel. Is this possible, or does yurt architecture require floor joists for structural integrity?
4. Is it possible to build a yurt without sinking posts very deeply into the ground? Is it possible to build without establishing other in-ground footings?

Any and all ideas, suggestions, and observations are welcome! Thanks in advance.

[Drunken hobbit]

To be honest, you'd be crazy to build a yurt for two elderly farm animals.
Building a yurt takes a lot of work, at least five or six or ten times longer than a simple shelter made of roofing iron and wooden poles. I could throw one of those up in half a day, but a simple yurt would take me maybe a week full time. Maybe less, but not much less.

[Bob Rowlands]

Good point hobbit. A simple inexpensive corral or open sided shed is trad for critters. A 16' yurt is a solid week of work for a skilled guy that knows how to get after it.

[Surely Yurts - Steve]

Agreed.

A lean-to or even a small barn is more practical... much easier to build and less expensive than a yurt.

[James]

Hello, Yes a Yurt would make a wonderful structure for you Llama, it should take only a couple of days to build if you have tools, I make yurt for me (And My Famely When They Borrow Them And I Never See Them Again, The Yurt Not Famely Dam It), it only takes a couple of days put 3 poles in the ground get a pvc pipe that will hold your stick, a tea pot a fire and you have a steamer hevy gloves those stick are hot and floppy when they come out weave them between your pool two on one side of the center pole and two on the other side of center pole so you have matching pole, but I would worry about the splashes of the Llama on the stick and cover, but other than that I do not see why it would not make a wonderful structure, just regulate the temp , and yes your floor can be anything you want bear ground if you do not want to do alot of work,

[James]

a Yurt does not have post to sink in the ground the cover will hold it down or you can stake the frame

[Bob Rowlands]

Would a yurt work as an alpaca shelter? Sure it would, for a short time before it got covered with fecal material and all manner of filth. Spending time and money building a yurt to stable any animal is foolish, imo. Animals are filthy, that includes domestic dogs and cats. Anyone that owns pets or livestock knows just how dirty and destructive they are. Barn animals belong in barns, away from the house. Building a yurt to shelter barn animals isn't a good idea.

[Jafo]

I think you could do it, but I wouldn't build an expensive nice one, just a simple one, covered with cheap tarps, etc..

[Bob Rowlands]

Some of our neighbors here have barn animals. One family has -get this- chickens, geese, pig, sheep, llama. All in one wood barn. You know it would crack me up big time if I saw him erecting a yurt in the fenced area. :me: "Hey buddy, where'd you get the idea about the yurt?" :him: "Read about it online. Place called the 'yurt forum'." lol