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Alpaca Care Tips from Neville Lake Alpacas
HALTER TRAINING
Attach a six to eight foot lead rope to the halter, then tie this to the bicycle tube. The alpaca will fight it and as it is doing so there will be constant pressure on the back of their head. They become familiar with this uncomfortable situation and once they realize that when they give the rope some slack and that it feels much better, they will not fight it as much. This may take several attempts, just be patient. Once they are giving the rope some slack, try leading your animal. Stand to their side and pull the rope slightly, causing pressure on the back of the head. When they take a step, reward them by giving some slack. They will soon realize that it is better to follow you than to fight you, as it feels much better. While you are in the process of halter training your alpaca, at the same time you can be desensitizing him. A short "stock-whip" is a help to desensitize the alpaca’s legs and feet. Running the whip along the length of it’s legs occasionally will first be uncomfortable for the animal, but over a short number of sessions he will not mind anymore and will become more "touchable" on his legs and feet. By having your alpacas halter trained and desensitized, they are much easier to manage for trailering, pen breeding, showing, shearing and treatments for injuries and illness. Patience is the key to being successful with your halter training and the end product is very rewarding, being able to casually walk about with your alpaca. FENCINGHOUSING Alpaca’s dense luxurious coats of fiber protect them from the rain and cold, but they do need extra protection from our extreme Canadian winters. We provide them with shelters for protection from the cold winds and snow. These shelters also provide a common feeding area and the feed is kept out of the rain and snow. During our summers, we usually have some very hot days. The shelters, again, provide the alpacas protection from the sun. Always have shaded areas available for the animals or they may suffer heat stroke. FENCING There are many types of suitable fencing available to chose from. Alpacas do not challenge fences so the choice depends on what predators you have in your area. Dogs will jump and coyotes will dig, so the height of your perimeter fence should be at least six feet. At the bottom of your fence you should lay some type of predator fence or an electric fence to discourage the coyotes from digging. The cross fencing for separate pens can be made of either wood or posts with a no climb wire. Do not use barbed wire or fencing with large openings in it. This type of wire is dangerous as the alpaca may become caught up in it. There is no fencing that is guaranteed to be one hundred percent safe. Build the safest fence possible, within your budget, for the alpacas protection. BREEDING & REPRODUCTIONThe female Alpaca can be bred at a minimum age of 12 months to 16 months and preferably at about 100 pounds. Since females can become pregnant as young as 8 months of age, it is advisable to keep young females separate from intact males. The female Alpaca usually produces one cria per year. The gestation period is approximately 330 to 350 days and they seldom give birth to twins. The average productive life of females is about 20 years.  Male Alpacas generally become sexually mature between two and three years of age. Selectively breeding for confirmation and fibre quality is the fastest way to improve your herd. By carefully selecting quality stud males and breeding them to top quality females, you will produce genetically superb cria and derive great satisfaction from your breeding program. There are two basic methods of breeding. In selective breeding, the male is put with one female in a small enclosure. The male will pursue her and if she will not submit to the male it is an indication that she may be pregnant. If the female decides to sit and allow herself to be mated, coitus usually lasts 15 – 20 minutes. The male will usually warble and nibble on the females ears gently and is oblivious to other activity around him. The second method, field breeding, is also popular and many Alpaca breeders will pasture a male with a group of females. The problem with this method is to determine whether breeding actually occurred and if so, on what date. The female will start rejecting the male once she is pregnant. Most breeders will then ultrasound or progesterone test the female to prove pregnancy. Mature females do not come into heat and are induced ovulators which means the breeding process induces the female to ovulate. As a result there is no specific breeding season although most Alpaca ranchers prefer to have their cria born from April through October in colder areas. Alpacas almost always have their crias during the warmest part of the day. Birthing usually is quick and problem free. Alpaca babies come in a variety of colors and breeders will require several generations of selective breeding to better predict colors. As a result the newborn baby’s color is always a surprise and a delight. The female will be ready to be breed in 10 to 14 days after birthing. As a result she will spend most of her productive life pregnant. Alpacas are gentle and protective mothers. The baby Alpaca will usually suckle its mother within one hour after birth. Weaning age is five to six months and usually by this age the baby Alpaca will weigh 70 to 85 pounds. ALPACA MAINTENANCEFEET: Alpacas seldom have problems associated with their feet. Alpacas normally walk on their middle and distal (furthest out) bones in their feet, called phalanges. These are anatomically equivalent to the bones of the middle part and tip of our fingers. The toenail surrounds and protrudes from the tip of each distal phalanx. The pad on the bottom of the foot resembles a dog’s footpad, but is much tougher. Lameness or limping is an indication of pain or mechanical problems in an Alpaca’s legs. Among the most common causes of lameness are foot problems. Either the nails are too long or damaged, or bruises, cracks, cuts, or infection of footpad. Other causes may be ankle sprain or an injury higher up the leg. TOENAIL TRIMMING: Alpaca’s toenails grow continuously throughout their lives. Alpacas that reside in hard rocky ground in the mountains of Peru, Chili and Bolivia will naturally wear their toenails short. Alpacas in North America generally are more sedentary and have less area to exercise, or live on soft ground. As a result their toenails tend to grow longer. Long toenails may curve causing the toe to twist. This will pinch the pad and eventually it will break off painfully. This will cause lameness, and in order to avoid such problems, toenail trimming should be a part of routine care.
Start at the back edges of each nail and work forward towards the point. Be careful not to cut in the edge of the pad since cuts will bleed and expose the Alpaca to the risk of infection. If you are a beginner, be conservative and leave more toenail as a margin for error. As you become more experienced you will find it very easy to trim your Alpaca’s nails short without hurting them. When trimming the inside of the toenail, it helps to spread the toes apart with you fingers to allow more space for your nail clippers. Once you have trimmed both sides of the nail, remove the point with one final cut perpendicular to the line of the nail. Long curved nails may cause the Alpaca’s entire toe to twist uncomfortably. One trimming may not be enough to allow the toe and nail to grow straight. It will be important to trim this animal's nails regularly, at least once a month until the toes and the nails remain straight. When the edge of a toenail has folded under to press on the pad, do not try to simply unfold it and cut it off. Trim the surrounding nail; gently unfold the folded part of the nail as far as possible without causing the nail to break off. Trim the nail back with several cuts in order to avoid cutting into the quick. Trim this toenail every 2 – 3 weeks until it returns to normal. If you accidentally cut into the quick and cause some bleeding, finish trimming the nail, then if it has not stopped bleeding, apply direct pressure to the area until it does. Pouring some 7% Iodine over the area will also help to stop the bleeding and will act as a disinfectant. Watch the Alpaca over the next few days in case an infection or lameness develops. SHEARING
Preparation for Shearing
The Shearing Shed
Alpaca Shearing Goal
Alpaca Shearing There are 2 basic methods. Lying down Position - Using restraints. Removal of the fleece should be sectionalized and kept separate in the following order.
Standing position - maybe used when alpacas are halter trained. Removal of fleece should be sectionalized and kept separate as follows.
NOTE: Use snow comb when shearing in summer (especially on white alpacas) in order to leave short stubble so they do not sunburn. © Copyright, NEVILLE LAKE ALPACAS, All rights reserved. |
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We start halter training our alpacas once they are weaned from their mother. First, secure a bicycle tube to a post. Then place a well fitting halter on the animal. This is very important, because you do not want the halter to slip down over the soft part of the nose, cutting off their air supply.
