Alpaca Spring 2020

Alpaca British Alpaca Society quarterly magazine

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

www.bas-uk.com

KELSEYmedia

FEBRUARY 2020 SPRING 2020 £2.95 £5.99

KELSEYmedia

ISSUE 79 | SPRING 2020

£

Feed as Nature Intended 100% natural forage feeds.

Grow. Mow. Bag. Nag. www.emeraldgreenfeeds.co.uk

Alpaca www.bas-uk.com THE BRITISH ALPACA SOCIETY c/o Grassroots Systems Ltd, PO Box 251, Exeter EX2 8WX. Tel (within UK): 0845 3312468 Tel (Overseas): +44(0)1392 437788 Fax: +44(0)1392 437788 Email: info@bas-uk.com BAS CHIEF EXECUTIVE Dr Duncan Pullar Tel: 07496 578781 Email: ceo@bas-uk.com

CONTENTS

6 Covid-19 advice 10 Selecting a stud male

BAS judge and breeder Rob Bettinson offers an expert two part guide to stud selection to drive herd improvement and realise the full potential of your alpacas.

EDITORIAL Editor: Liz Mason alpaca.ed@kelsey.co.uk Studio Manager: Jo Legg jo.legg@kelsey.co.uk

Orders for alpaca rugs are keeping the spinning wheels and weaving looms busy on a remote croft in the Outer Hebrides.

14 The “normal” unpacking 16 Quirky – a tale of survival

KELSEY MEDIA The Granary, Downs Court Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 6AL 01959 541444 MANAGEMENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Steve Wright CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Phil Weeden MANAGING DIRECTOR: Kevin McCormick PUBLISHER: Jamie McGrorty RETAIL DIRECTOR: Steve Brown RENEWALS AND PROJECTS MANAGER: Andy Cotton SENIOR SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGER: Nick McIntosh SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING DIRECTOR: Gill Lambert SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGER: Kate Chamberlain PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER: Georgina Harris PRINT PRODUCTION CONTROLLER: Kelly Orriss DISTRIBUTION Distribution in Great Britain: Marketforce (UK) 2nd Floor, 5 Churchill Place Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU Tel: 020 3787 9001

38 Practical biosecurity

Good biosecurity to prevent disease is an essential part of routine herd management.

20 Adoption saves baby Pearl 22 Birthing workshop

Eastern Alpaca Group members and local owners make sure they are prepared for birthing this season.

Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously. For more information of our privacy policy, please visit Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously. For more information of our privacy policy, please visit https://www.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy/ . If at any point you have any queries regarding Kelsey’s data policy you can email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@kelsey.co.uk.

www.kelsey.co.uk

40 Alpacas offer respite

Sarah Saunders, Low Sunbrick Alpacas, has a smallholding and holiday let business on the edge of the Lake District.

24 Management matters

Paul Wills, Limestone Alpacas discusses his waste management regime in the context of herd size, welfare and limited land.

28 Windproof shelters

Dave Bearman, Apple Vale Alpacas, offers some expert advice to ensure field shelters remain upright and resist wind.

42 Breeding elite alpacas

Ken Hibbits US Alpaca Owners Association certified judge offers an insight into breeding elite alpacas in an exclusive two part question and answer interview.

44 Alpacas cast a spell

PRINTING Precision Colour Print Kelsey Media 2020 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be the original work of the author and not previously published. Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner of the copyright. The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to all letters and emails received. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties.

Alpaca owner Sue Rymer welcomes green shoots in her paddocks after some of the hottest and driest summer days on record.

36 Blossoming market for rugs

ADVERTISEMENT SALES Wendy King 01233 555735 wendy@tandemmedia.co.uk ADVERTISEMENT PRODUCTION Tandem Media Ltd Ad Production Manager: Andy Welch Alpaca@tandemmedia.co.uk 01233 220245

34 Letter from Australia

First time owner Anna Lawrence is captivated by the behaviour of her two boys and spends some time studying their antics..

32 Paddock management

Fred Ellis offers some sound advice gleaned from many years of working the land to keep paddocks in good condition and weed free after a difficult winter.

46 You only live once

Nigel and Lindsey Hunt decided to buy a starter herd. Within a week they were offered the breeder’s entire herd of 26 alpacas and Pemberley Alpacas began its journey.

Cover photo: Carita Saarinen, Art Of Fibre, with her alpaca Carlos

Alpaca Spring 2020

3

FROM THE EDITOR

W

T: 01959 541444 E: alpaca.ed@kelsey.co.uk facebook-f @BritishAlpacaMagazine

elcome to Spring! This is generally the busiest and best time of the year as owners prepare for shearing and look forward to the safe arrival of this season’s cria.

But this year we are living and working in lockdown. This issue would normally include a full report from the BAS National Show but after all the hard work and preparation that goes on behind the scenes this flagship event, which welcomes almost 100 exhibitors, was cancelled. And as we continue under restrictions to prevent the spread of the global pandemic that is Covid-19 a summer show season seems increasingly unlikely.

But alpacas still need to be cared for and shearing must still takes place to ensure their welfare is safeguarded as temperatures rise. BAS has put together a set of guidelines to help ensure shearing take place as safely as possible without contributing to the spread of Covid-19 – see our news report and advice from DEFRA. Our contributors have also made sure we have an interesting magazine including worthwhile practical advice – a big thank you to all of you for your

welcome articles and your help in producing the magazine under such difficult circumstances.

Long standing breeder and BAS judge Rob Bettinson has contributed a two-part guide to sire selection which is a must read as we move into the breeding season. Rob has more than 25 years experience as a breeder and is passionate about producing top quality alpacas that realise their full potential (more next issue).

Although international judge and US breeder Ken Hibbits was unable fulfil his invitation to judge this year’s National he agreed to be interviewed for the magazine and has provided some expert thoughts on breeding elite alpacas which we will also run in two parts.

We also have some practical guidance on constructing wind resistant field shelters from chartered structural engineer Dave Bearman, Apple Vale Alpacas and a detailed look at waste management from Paul Wills, Limestone Alpacas.

Fred Ellis, who has many years’ experience in the field, also takes a look at paddock management following an extremely wet winter.

Our regular diarist gets grumpy over rats and the health threat from lanterns, while new owner Anna

Lawrence takes a close look at alpaca behaviour.

We have stories of cria survival from Celia Berry and Naomi Fenell and valuable birthing advice from vet Ami Sawran.

Sarah Saunders also tells us how her alpacas are providing light relief for NHS nurses working on the coronavirus frontline. I hope your alpacas are also providing a much needed distraction and you stay safe and well.

› Liz Mason

CEO NOTES...

L

Duncan Pullar

ike everyone else I have been coming to terms with the new ways of doing things as we experience coronavirus lockdown.

Alpaca owners will all be doing the normal husbandry tasks on a day to day basis, but I suspect that the alpacas might be wondering why they are getting all the extra attention.

Shearing is certainly throwing up some issues because travel bans mean overseas shearers are struggling to get to the UK. Shearing is an essential piece of work for animal welfare and therefore any travel, within the UK, associated with shearing is essential. There are the practicalities of how to work with an outside contractor and maintain suitable social distancing to consider. The BAS has published some guidelines on safe shearing from a

coronavirus point of view.

Moving alpacas to new pastures is certainly allowed because you are managing animal welfare. Taking alpacas to and from off-site matings is probably not going to be considered essential travel. This will be frustrating for many members, but forewarned is forearmed, so thinking about an alternative approach is worthwhile.

Hopefully by the time this magazine is published the worst difficulties of managing in a Covid-19 world will be over. The positive thing I have seen is that, generally speaking, BAS members are looking forward to better times and planning their shows and activities for 2021.

Stay positive and stay safe!

Become a BAS member www.bas-uk.com

4

Alpaca Spring 2020

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

COVID-19 ADVICE A lpaca owners will need to take decisions on a case by case basis in terms of travelling for shearing or breeding as the country battles to contain the spread of Covid-19, says DEFRA. The Government has issued clear advice on people staying at home, avoiding all non-essential travel and maintaining social distancing to stop the spread of coronavirus.

“Our priority is public safety and our message is clear – people should stay at home if possible. This will save lives, protect the vulnerable and support the NHS,” DEFRA said.

There is no evidence of Covid-19 (coronavirus) circulating in pets or other animals in the UK. There is nothing to suggest pets may transmit the disease to humans. However, in line with the general advice, you should still continue to wash your hands regularly including before and after you come into contact with animals DEFRA said.

“We recognise that livestock sectors rely heavily on people, their expertise and skills and there will be human impact of the current situation. As alpacas do not shed their fleece shearing must continue, owners should make specific arrangements to minimise any risk of possible virus transmission,” a statement said.

“It is more important than ever that we work together to ensure risks of the consequences of this emergency are mitigated as much as possible.”

The BAS has issued its own guidelines for safe shearing. Vets have also issued guidance to practices to keep staff safe.

“If your animals are injured, sick or need to receive routine treatment for an ongoing condition please phone the vet to arrange the best approach to meet your pet’s needs. Do not visit the vet without checking with them in advance.

You’ll need to ask whether the vet can do a home visit or if there is a way to safely transport the animal,” DEFRA said.

Where journeys are deemed necessary; transporters must plan all journeys carefully, ensuring that the proposed journey is realistic and complies with all relevant legislation and that they have robust contingency plans in place.

As businessess are forced to close Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced “unprecedented support for workers and businesses affected – including government grants of 80% of workers’ salaries and £330bn worth of government backed loans.

“There are strong measures in place to protect businesses, jobs and incomes as part of the national effort in response to coronavirus. Non-essential retailers and their workers will be eligible for different schemes to support them through this time,” DEFRA said.

Further advice for pet owners and livestock keepers on maintaining the welfare of their animals during the Covid-19 pandemic has been published at: www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-people-with-animals

BAS GUIDANCE FOR SAFE SHEARING A lpaca shearing is important for animal welfare reasons and should be done this year but keeping people safe from potential Covid-19 infection now needs to be considered.

Alpaca shearing is seen as an essential task for animal welfare and therefore journeys associated with shearing are essential travel.

• Plan for a slower process.

Being more careful will probably mean shearing takes longer. Don’t fight that – better to be careful than quick.

• Keep your distance from you co-workers.

• Set up a system that means one person can move alpacas into the holding area before

6

Alpaca Spring 2020

shearing.

• Generally, two people lift the alpaca off its feet and lie the alpaca on its side. This can be done on the floor or on a table. As shearers are generally contractors, work out a way of restraining the alpaca with only farm labour or only the contracting team so that you don’t need to get too close to each other.

• The shearer and handler will be closer than 2m as they handle the alpaca. If these two people are someone from the farm and someone from the contracting team they should both wear masks. Masks reduce the risk of an infected person spreading virus.

• Think about your system for skirting and storing fleeces so that you can keep a safe

distance from each other.

• Plan where your shearing contractor is going to stay if they need accommodation • Finding accommodation in hotels might be tricky so consider using any form of accommodation that is separate from you e.g. caravan, tent or motorhome.

• Be particularly careful at mealtimes by planning how you are going to serve food and maintain distance.

• Make sure appropriate facilities are available • Hand washing facilities need to be available with hot water and soap for everyone.

• Each worker should have their own towel or use disposable towels.

T

UPDATE FROM ART OF FIBRE

here is a saying in the business world, “what was good enough yesterday is not good enough today”, writes Paul Vallely. This is particularly the case for fibre testing laboratory AAFT, as we now find ourselves in a very changed operating environment with many new demands on how we carry out our services and the types of services we provide.

As some readers would be aware AAFT – Fibre Testing Laboratories, has moved from its sunburnt birthplace of Australia, to now solely operating in the northern hemisphere although AAFT- Australia has been sold to a previous employee based in Tasmania. As a consequence, we felt it was time for a name change to coincide with our new home.

We felt the new name should reflect our long-held belief (based on experience) that producing quality fibre requires a creative skill combined with an aesthetic appreciation rather than just a process driven commercial exercise. Hence, the word ‘Art’ came to mind. Our new name therefore is Art of Fibre.

Art of Fibre is certainly not an “off the shelf” business name, however, we regard ourselves as certainly not an “off the shelf” business, as we love breaking barriers in order to provide an innovative, leading-edge service.

To accompany the new name we have a new logo, with both coming into effect on March 1st 2020. Apart from name changing, we also see the need to take advantage of e-commerce systems of payment. Consequently, our customers will be able to make payments online using the payments page on our new website www.artoffibre.com.

We have made sure it is easy to make a payment, but for those who would prefer, we can make arrangements to pay by cheque or money order. The cost savings to us by using an E-commerce system are being passed on in the form of free testing for fleece competitions hosted by associations and their regions, although we need to apply conditions on how we provide this free service.

As AAFT was in the past, Art of Fibre will be a participator in fibre producing communities and industries. As an example of this, we will be making available findings on three trials we have been involved in over the past two years.

Feeding for Fibre Trial

This trial looked at the beneficial aspect of prenatal and postnatal nutrition and its impact on increasing secondary fibre density as has been proven with the Australian merino industry. While the preliminary findings of this trial will be released later in 2020, I can say that due to some issues with the project plan, we did not see the disparity in feeding regimes between the control and trial groups as expected. We are now planning a second phase to the trial to fully evaluate the ‘Feeding for Fibre’ feed regimes.

In saying that, the preliminary findings did support the concept, but not to the degree we expected. Further, a number of studs that have implemented an enhanced prenatal/postnatal feeding system are reporting a noticeable increase in the density of fleeces while enhancing their soft handle.

Use of ‘Trim High’

Recently, I have witnessed some ill-informed discussion on the use of ‘Trim High’ settings with fibre testing and its relevance for testing of guard hair. Given the infinite degree of variation in fibre diameter along fibres, between fibres and between sample sites on any one fleece, the very best fibre testing can do is to give a calculated estimate of the likely fibre attributes on a fleece.

I should stress it is very effective at giving indications for fleece characteristics,

8

Alpaca Spring 2020

› Carita Saarinen,

the new manager and technician at Art Of Fibre European based service in Finland, with her alpaca Carlos

but it has its limits – and accounting for the presence of a very small number of very coarse guard hairs is outside the capacity of a normal fibre test. For the past three years, we have crunched the numbers to come up with an effective way of identifying the presence of these problematic fibres. While very few in number, there is no doubt they can do a lot of damage.

We will release our findings that support the use of testing a number of sub-samples while using the trait of ‘Coarse Edge Micron’ without the use of the Trim High setting as an effective indicator for guard hairs. As the old saying goes – ‘watch this space’.

The third report we will release is the comparative analysis to show the difference between OFDA2000 equipment and the OFDA100. We asked an independent fibre professional to be involved in the analysis as we have become concerned at the differences with fibre test results between the 2 forms of technology. Of particular concern was the fact that manufacture of the OFDA100’s ceased many years ago, and there remains the question as to their accuracy and precision. I suspect breeders will also be asking that question when they read the trial’s findings.

Armed with the information from these three projects 2020 will see Art of Fibre in an advantaged position to support breeders who wish to increase fibre density, decrease the incidence of coarse fibres and effectively identify breeding stock with “across fleece” uniformity.

The above-mentioned reports/papers will be provided to relevant publishers as well as having technicians available for face to face presentations at industry seminars and workshops.

If anyone is interested in having Art of Fibre present these findings to their members/ grower network, or your association/region would like to discuss free competition fleece testing, please contact Paul Vallely at info@artoffibre.com. We also invite you to visit our new website at www.artoffibre.com

As from March 2020, anymore you won’t see Instead, you’ll see this

a ColinTelephone Ottery: Colin The Ottery Alpaca for Shearer Alpaca and Shearing since service 2005 friendly professional

Please contact me for a with competitive rates. friendly and professional service 38782rates with 01884 competitive

07773or440354 07746 957110 07773 440354 Email: alpaca2shear@yahoo.co.uk alpaca2shear@gmail.com Email: www.alpaca2shear.com

Different name, same staff, same service.

ART OF FIBRE UK DANI ALLEN

Vicarage Farm, Holt Green Wimborne. Dorset.

BH21 7DH E: dani@artoffibre.com T: 07834 457782

ART OF FIBRE EUROPE CARITA SAARINEN

Westerlundintie 38, 29700 Ahlainen.

Finland E: carita@artoffibre.com T: 358 45 1398 374

www.artoffibre.com

Alpaca Spring 2020

9

SELECTING A STUD MALE

B

AS judge and breeder Rob Bettinson offers an expert two part guide to stud selection to drive herd improvement and realise the full potential of your alpacas. In this first article he looks at how to analyse breeding females.

We all do it. Every season we select who our breeding females will be mated to, be it our own males or outside services. We select on many criteria.

Some people select on colour alone, some on temperament, some on size, some because its handy or cheap. This article will not deal with those who choose in this way on whim or whimsey. This article is for those breeders who seek to improve and add value to their herd.

We all select according to our bank balance be it enormous or nonexistent. I hope those breeders who select on whimsy will read this to the end, see the light, adopt that which is applicable to them and decide to join the rest of us who breed alpacas in pursuit of realising the full potential of this magnificent creature.

As always when writing for the membership I am aware that there are as many new owners as there are established breeders and the level of expertise and need will vary. I shall try to address the variation as we go at the risk of patronising some and confounding others but in the knowledge that what

10 Alpaca Spring 2020

applies to one applies to all even if you have only two breeding females.

We have been breeding alpacas at Toft for almost 25 years and there is only one rule that applies to breeding alpacas which we have tried to adhere to from the outset and it seems to have worked and kept us up at the front end of the UK alpaca industry since its inception.

“Always breed better than you have in the paddock.”

Trust me, there is no other magic formula. The only “magic”, if we can call it that, lies in gaining the knowledge and wisdom to be able to adhere to that principle year on year even when it takes you places you didn’t expect to go.

So where do we start?

Well you start with your females. These are your herd, be it one or one hundred. You cannot change them, they are what they are. All you can do to improve your herd is improve the offspring you produce. Your offspring need to be an improvement on their mothers. To improve them you have to know them and I don’t mean their names. Breeding is not about cuddles it’s about analysis. Regardless of how much money you have paid for your female or its track record at shows etc. you still need to step back a long way and Continued on the next page >>

› Illustrating › Female illustrating good capacity

chest capacity and strong bone in legs

Photos: Herdsman Jack Randle

<< objectively begin to analyse your females and bring reality to bear by breaking down every part of them and giving it a value. To do this you have to look, ask questions and be prepared to write down some hard answers. Fudging and leniency will be of no use to you. Be clinical and honest – bite the bullet give yourself the tools to improve.

First make a list. Alpaca breeders live on lists.

We love lists. On this list should be:

Conformation

› Illustrating correct teeth › Illustrating balance and proportion

• Size. General impression Small? Large? Average?

• Legs. Are they straight or variant?

Front legs? Back legs?

• Toes. Are they straight or turned?

Front toes? Back toes?

• Depth of bone.

Thin legged or strong legged?

• Backline Too Long? Too short? Too round? Dipped?

Proportion

• Does the whole profile of the female fit neatly into a perfect square?

• Does that square divide into thirds with the head and neck in the top box, body in the middle box and legs in the lower box? (See photo) Based on the above mark as excellent, good, too tall, too long. Then identify the reason. Long neck? Short neck? Short legs? Long legs?

Teeth

• Do they fit the palate neatly?

• Are they undershot or overshot?

• Is the variance slight or great? (See photo showing correct teeth)

12 Alpaca Spring 2020

› Chest arrow illustrating thinner

chest less capacity. Also less strong in the bone thinner in the leg

Chest capacity

• Is she broad across the chest?

• Is she thin across the chest?

• Is she average? (See photos to see the difference between a thin chest and good chest).

Answer all the above questions on your list/ spreadsheet with honesty and objectivity without any emotional bias and you are a long way to assessing the conformational correctness of your females. Once you can recognise any flaws or room for improvement you have put in your alpaca toolbox the means to select a stud male with the ability to correct those conformational flaws in your females.

Fleece

The assessment of fleece is a complex applied science, the value of which is ultimately dictated by the commercial marketplace. It takes a lot more than this short article to gain real knowledge of fleece both on and off the alpaca.

There are many opportunities available provided regularly by the society and experienced breeders to add this knowledge to your toolbox. However as a simple reference here we go.

Fineness

This can be scientifically tested. At Toft we get all our breeding stock tested in a laboratory every year. We have done this since day one.

This gives us a useful marker when assessing our males and females. Please be aware a laboratory histogram is not the sole decider on quality by any means it is only an indicator. You must remember that the data garnered from most fleece samples are from a two inch square

› Less capacity sample taken from the mid-side/best place and is not necessarily indicative of the quality in the rest of the fleece. This must be assessed by eye and hand on the alpaca and at shearing. Test your girls if you want the data and add this to your list.

In addition to any data sort them by eye and hand into Fine, Average and Coarse and add this simple assessment to your list.

Colour

Colour is important in alpacas. All alpacas are generally bred to be one solid colour with grey being the exception. More on this later.

The best alpacas are bred to be one solid colour throughout their fleece to add predictability to the commercial fleece market.

Take a good look at your females. Are they one solid colour throughout the fleece? Do they have dark fibres in a lighter fleece? Do they have light fibres in darker fleece? Be honest, make your assessment, do not ignore any colour change and add your assessment to the list.

Density

Density is relative to fineness. A coarse alpaca can feel deceptively dense. A fine alpaca with density feels very different from a fine alpaca with no density. A voluminous alpaca with a very long staple can be deceptively dense. Get hands on and categorise density simply into Excellent, Average and Poor and add this simple assessment to your list.

Handle

Handle is relative to your own sensitivities.

‘One person’s coarse is another’s soft’ Open the

› Average female illustrating lots of guard hair

fleece mid-side and smooth your palm and wrist over it. Does it feel soft? Bear in mind all alpaca is soft. Softness is one of its greatest attributes, even the coarsest alpaca is soft. So, keep it simple. Is it very soft? Soft? Harsh? Add this simple assessment to your list.

Brightness

Sometimes nutrition and general health can affect this so keep it simple. Bright? Dull? Add this simple assessment to your list

Guard hair/ primary fibres

If you take a mid-side sample by pulling a single staple from your fleece can you see a difference between the coarser primary fibre and the finer wool fibres? The ideal is to have no difference at all. So looking closely decide is there a: Big difference? Small difference? No difference. Add this simple assessment to your list.

Uniformity

• Get hands on and look at the fleece and start in the mid-side.

• Mid-side to shoulder does it vary? Does it get coarser from mid-side to shoulder?

• Can you see more primary/thicker fibres as you move to the shoulder?

• Mid-side to rump. Does it vary? Does it get coarser from Mid-side to rump?

• Can you see more primary/thicker fibres as you move to the rump?

Add your assessments to the list.

Now look at the fleece moving down from the mid side to the belly.

› Average female illustrating lack of change in chest minimum of guard hair

• Does it get coarser as you move down towards the belly?

• Does it have more primary/thicker fibres emerging as you go down the body?

Add your assessments to the list.

• Does the fleece change in the neck? If so how.

Shorter? Coarser? Less bright? Less dense?

Add your assessment to the list

Chest hair

• As you look at your female how soon does she coarsen in her chest? A lot or a little?

• Can you see large guard hairs sticking out at the front of her bib?

In an ideal alpaca she would not coarsen at all in the chest area and there would be no vast coarsening in the chest. We don’t see many of those and very few maintain that state as they get older. It’s the ones that do we are seeking.

So decide whether there’s a lot of coarsening and chest hair or a small amount.

Add your assessment to your list.

For the moment we are done: “Phew!” I hear you say… Yes, I know that’s a lot of questions and answers but it’s a vital process. One which anyone who wants to improve must go through.

There is no way out, so grin and bear it and don’t be tempted to alter your assessment for “love”.

If you have done all of the above you are now equipped with a basic objective analysis of what you have in your females. You will have identified any conformational issues and have a relatively good idea of what you have in the paddock. Now you need to bring those factors to bear on choosing a stud male that will improve on your girls and that’s what we will be looking at in detail in part two.

Alpaca Spring 2020

13

T

THE “NORMAL” UNPACKING

he most exciting and nerve wracking time of year is here, and we probably all agree that the fields could do with some cria bouncing around to cheer the place up writes Ami Sarwan, Westpoint Farm Vets.

One hopes that in all the chaos lately, that everyone has managed to get hold of the essentials for the birthing kit: disinfectant, clean buckets, a lambing snare (protected wire to help safely align the head), towels, a clamp for umbilical stumps, a lamb oesophageal feeding tube, long-armed gloves, iodine for naval dipping, lots of lubricant (lube bottles with a long spout are most useful), a headtorch, your vet’s telephone number and some plastic sheeting (to keep a uterus clean in the event of a prolapse).

Medications such as anti-inflammatories, vitamins and antibiotics must be acquired on prescription from your vet, so do aim to get them in good time, particularly as there are some understandable hold ups in deliveries at present.

If you are all set, all that remains now is to watch and wait!

Normal unpacking generally occurs in daylight hours (around 10am to 2pm). The first stage of labour looks like general discomfort in alpaca; they may separate from the herd, vocalise more and make repeated trips to the dung pile. This can last from one-six hours, but if you have a gut feeling that something may not be right, do trust your instinct and either check the dam or call for veterinary advice.

Stage two is where the “action” happens. This stage, usually lasting up to an hour, is where the dam will either lie, stand or squat, and makes efforts to expel the cria. One rule of thumb is that there should be progression every 15 minutes.

If no obvious advancement is made in that time frame, a gentle, calm investigation (with a well-lubricated and gloved hand) could give an indication as to whether the position of the cria is normal.

A ‘normal’ presentation is the front legs coming first, with the head in between, and in an upright position. The first two joints of the foot bend the same way on the forelimbs (making a ‘U’ shape), and opposite ways on hindlimbs (making a ‘Z’) shape. Anything other than this may require some help; whether that is lightly adjusting a folded foot, taking care to guard the uterus as you do so, or more intricate manipulation of the head into

14 Alpaca Spring 2020

the right place, or delivery of a breech (backward) cria. Correction of some malpositions can be risky for the dam; having quite a delicate uterus, and it is important to take swift advice from your vet as to whether the dam requires treatment under epidural. Please do not be afraid to call your vet if you are at all concerned - many vets would much prefer getting on the road and having to turn around because the cria delivered itself, to getting on to farm too late for a positive outcome.

All being well, cria should be on the ground within an hour of stage two labour. The dam then enters stage three, where she passes the placenta. This usually happens within four hours, but if not passed (in its entirety –do check for missing pieces) in six hours, then please consult your vet, as you may need to monitor the dam more closely or commence a treatment plan.

Post birth checks

Once your cria is safely unpacked, there are a few checks to undertake – make sure to remove membranes from the nose and mouth, and though it may be obvious, do check for heartbeat and breathing. Sometimes breaths need a kick-start with some straw up the nose. Do not be tempted to swing the cria, as this can compress the lungs.

Instead, place it on its chest, and move all four limbs so that they point forward (like a sphynx with straight back legs pointing forwards). This is the best position for lung expansion. If the cria has had a difficult birth or been stuck, it could be a candidate for plasma transfusion, which should be discussed with your vet. Dip the navel in your chosen disinfectant, and clamp gently if bleeding.

A cria should also be checked to ensure it has a patent anus, that it has normal genitalia, allowing it to urinate, and that its face is straight, with patent nostrils that allow airflow through both

About the author

Ami Sawran graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2011 and works for Westpoint Farm Vets. She is head of the small ruminant and camelid working group and head of the camelid specialist interest group for VetPartners, where she also sits on the production animal clinical board. She is working towards her Certificate in Advanced Camelid Practice.

sides. You can check airflow with a mirror, or with a wisp of fibre in front of the nostrils. Issues such as lax or contracted tendons should be identified, and the jaw checked for alignment, taking care to feel the palate is intact in the mouth too. Any suspected defects are best reported to your vet so they can advise on prognosis and care.

If the birth has passed without event, the dam should not need treatment. It is wise to check for any tears or bruising (that may warrant anything from pain relief to veterinary attention) and to check for an elusive twin (you never know!).

Check the udder for any heat, pain, hardness or swelling, and that colostrum is coming in, else you may need to supplement the cria.

Cria absolutely must take on colostrum within the first six hours of life. Colostrum provides the building blocks for the immune system, and these cannot be absorbed via the gut reliably after this window. Of course, alpaca colostrum is the ideal source, but if you have to seek alternatives, goat colostrum (from Johne’s disease free herds) is the next best thing, followed by lamb colostrum.

It may be if the cria has not gotten adequate colostrum, that a plasma transfusion is necessary.

Here’s to hoping your unpacking season passes without incident, and that you have lots of lovely cria and healthy dams to show for it, but as always, please do not hesitate to seek veterinary advice if you are unsure about anything at all. It should be noted that at this time, though vets are absolutely available for animal welfare emergencies, that you must take steps to ensure social distancing is maintained if your vet attends any of your animals.

Getting the girls halter trained is the first step to this, but also do be prepared that animals may need sedation to keep them still for any in depth procedures. This is to keep us all as safe as possible. Good luck this season!

QUIRKY –A TALE OF SURVIVAL Celia Berry, Sodom Hall Alpacas, shares the story of Quirky’s pre-term birth and her battle for survival.

T

he story starts with Lola, bought at the Townend dispersal sale as a two year old maiden. After an unsuccessful outside mating she was mated to our senior male Destino, by Wiracocha of Wessex. The mating appeared successful but as term approached we kept a very close eye on her.

On 25 June last year Michael went down to feed the girls and I got a phone call – “cria alert” – and I immediately went down to the field. It was our female Lolita – a Destino daughter. She had produced a female cria two years ago but suffered a prolapsed uterus when passing the placenta. We mated her the previous year and she was now two weeks overdue. A lovely male cria appeared and we named him Quando. He was healthy and strong but as mum attempted to pass her afterbirth she appeared to be prolapsing again so I perforated the placenta to release the amniotic fluid and reduce the tension on her uterus.

While this was happening Lola began to walk restlessly down the field away from the herd. I walked down to check her and a foot appeared – the cria was four weeks preterm. The other foot and head appeared but the membrane remained over the cria’s head preventing it from breathing. We tried to help delivery but Lola would have none of it and kept away from us. The cria arrived quickly, a female, and she was breathing and attempting to stand but it was immediately obvious that she was experiencing breathing difficulties.

Her mouth was wide open. She was gasping for breath, and her membranes began fading from pink to mauve. We telephoned our vets, picked her up wrapped in a towel and ran to our “pacawagon” an old patient transport

16 Alpaca Spring 2020

ambulance. Lola followed us, jumped inside and we were all at the surgery in less than 10 minutes.

The vets gave her oxygen immediately and warmed her up as her temperature was falling. As she improved they tried feeding her with reconstituted sheep colostrum and, when her temperature was normal and she was able to stand, she was allowed to return home. Lola was pleased to have her baby back and we settled them together in a warm shelter in the same field with the herd. The cria was still quite unsteady and I continued to feed her every hour.

While at the surgery waiting for her temperature to reach normal we took a closer look at her.

She was white but we found a fawn spot on one shoulder and her topknot and ears were also fawn. The nurse remarked: “That’s quirky” so that had to be her name – especially as all our cria last season have names beginning with Q. When I went to feed her at 7pm, six hours after her birth, she wasn’t keen but was standing quite strongly. Lola then began to intervene and became quite aggressive so that I had to defend myself but managed to get out of the shelter safely. I asked Michael to come back with me to hold her while I fed the cria but when we got to the shelter we saw baby feeding from her mum. All went well for four days and Quirky began to leave her mother to play with the other cria.

Saturday morning (six days old) the weather was fine, so we fed the herd and took off Quirky’s coat. A little later, a visitor arrived to see the cria, and Michael took her across the field to where the herd was sheltering from the sun under the Continued on the next page >>

Worm Counts

Parasite control management for ALL grazing animals.

Galvanised Handling Chute

We are fully operational during the Covid 19 Pandemic

An independent testing service for faecal egg worm counts by a Qualified Medical Laboratory Scientist AMTRA trained SQP following BVA guidelines.

• FREE Royal Mail Postal approved Testing Kits.

• Fast accurate results using species specific testing.

• Detailed assessments providing a superior well-informed targeted approach to worming.

• FREE Help and advice on worming programmes.

• Discounts available. Please contact.

Help and advice on worming programmes.

Blood Testing Ultrasounds Drenching Skin Treatments Toe Nail Trimming Injections

2 FREE worm counts

worth £40 for NEW BAS members then 25% OFF Worm Counts after that* *Terms and conditions apply

British Alpaca Society

07779 667798 www.wildwoodanimalhealth.co.uk

www.wildwoodwormcounts.co.uk www.facebook.com/wildwoodwormcounts sarah@wildwoodanimalhealth.co.uk

Internal & External Examinations and Treatments Made Easy See the Demos on our Website Optional gates for containment without restraint

www.watertownllamas.co.uk annie.austen@btinternet.com 01769 540840 www.watertownllamas.co.uk/alpaca-chute Facebook: Watertown Llamas and Alpaca Chute Watertown, Chittlehamholt, Umberleigh, North Devon EX37 9HF Llama Breeder & Importer since 2004

Armitage in-Livestock Specialists in Livestock and Smallholder Insurance

Our friendly and professional team are able to offer a wide range of bespoke insurance products to suit your needs:

• Mortality • Theft • Vet fees

• Worldwide transits • Personal accident • Public & employer’s liability

• Plus our Combined Smallholder’s Policy includes farm buildings, equipment and trailers… all at competitive rates Please contact Jacinta Nastali to discuss your requirements...

t. 01932 856486 | e. jnastali@hhib.co.uk | hhinsurancebrokers.co.uk Armitage in-Livestock is a trading name of H&H Insurance Brokers Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA No: 305809

Alpaca Spring 2020

17

› Quirky with Lola at two days << trees. He couldn’t find Quirky and phoned me, so I ran out and spotted her – collapsed in the rolling patch in full sun.

We rushed her back to the vet where they had ice packs and fans ready, gave her some water with electrolytes orally and she began to recover. Once her temperature was down to normal we took her home back to mum. Next morning I went out to see her in the shelter and she did not look well. As I watched, she passed some liquid faeces and then just collapsed as if pole-axed. I quickly gave her some boiled water with electrolytes with a syringe, called the emergency vet (it was Sunday) and met her at the surgery.

Quirky stayed there overnight receiving intravenous fluids and antibiotics and

the next morning the news was good, although she had had another collapse, rallied again and refused to die. We brought her home and Lola was overjoyed to see her – and very relieved to feed her again. After a few days she began to lose hair around her eyes and nose (possibly due to an overabundance of milk from mum) giving her face a monkey like appearance requiring sun-block to prevent skin damage due to the strong sunlight.

Two weeks later we set out on an epic ten week holiday to the Antipodes leaving Quirky and our other alpacas in the capable hands of local shearer Peter Davies. She is now looking wonderful. Her facial hair has grown back and she is strong and beautiful – we hope she will have a long and happy life.

Advertise

18 Alpaca Spring 2020

YEARBOO

K

Contact advert sales £2.95

KELSEYmedia

£2.95

KELSEYmedia

KELSEYmedia

£2.95

KELSEYmedia

£2.95 £6.99

k.com

2020

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

www.bas-u

FEBRUARY 2020

01233 555735

 wendy@tandemmedia.co.uk

FEBRUARY YEARBOOK 2020



KELSEYmedia

Why not contact me to discuss your requirements Tel: 07748 613771 • Email: kwilde1@yahoo.com

2020

g you nee d to know about alp acas

KELSEYmedia

I can also offer advice and help with a range of other issues such as matings, birthing, common husbandry problems and paddock management.

Reasonable rates

Everythin

KELSEYmedia

KW animal services offers that extra pair of hands. Jobs include: Shearing of alpacas • Vaccinations • Worming Halter training • Foot trimming • Microchipping

Alpaca

KELSEYmedia

Are you looking for or in need of a little extra help with your animals and their routine husbandry tasks?

in the ONLY magazine mailed direct to ALL members of the British Alpaca Society and will be available bi-monthly in WHSmith stores

Meon Valley Alpacas

MARSHWOOD

Hampshire

a l p a c a s Ltd.

Alpaca Equipment:

Are You Doing The Rounds ? …

With 18 years Experience we can help you select your breeding stock, or pets, from our prize-winning herd of friendly Huacayas – and we’re friendly too!

Basic Easy-Pen £282.61 + carr. & VAT Aluminium Hurdles 4ft, 6ft, 8ft and 10ft from £47.50 each

Visit our website or call Karen 07913 247144

www.mvalpacas.co.uk Beginner & Advanced Courses by Arrangement

www.marshwood-alpacas.co.uk Tel: 01297 678181 Geoff Bugler

TOFT S

T

U

EST. 1997

D

Let us inspire you with the complete alpaca experience.

Celebrating 20 years of alpaca breeding.

Pets, studs, breeding stock, livery, workshops, craft courses and yarn shop.

www.toftalpacastud.com Rob & Shirley Bettinson Toft Manor, Dunchurch, Warwickshire, CV22 6NR | shirley@toftalpacastud.com | 01788 810626

Alpaca Spring 2020

19

ADOPTION SAVES BABY PEARL

F

emale cria Pearl was just six weeks old when her mother Giselle died. Experienced sheep farmer, Phil Johnson, with just four and a half years of alpaca experience, decided to try adoption rather than bottle feeds writes Naomi Fennell.

We had two other nursing alpacas with crias a similar age. We couldn’t find any information of anyone having done this and the vets didn’t think it was possible. Having heard of the adoption process occasionally working with sheep, we thought we would give it a try.

Initially for the first feed, we tried Dora, a four year old white female, the same colour as Pearl’s mum; Phil held Dora still whilst Pearl went in for a feed.

Dora stayed calm throughout the process, we thought we’d sorted it. Later that day Phil tried again, this time Dora spat, refused and then just lay down.

The only other option was Nellie – a brown female with a huge male cria – Nellie, also happened to be Pearl’s older sister. Nellie was held still and Pearl happily suckled.

The alpacas were taken to a small barn over night because it was a wet winter. To introduce the feeding, Nellie was taken back to the barn at

20 Alpaca Spring 2020

lunch time, and held while Pearl fed. Nellie didn’t seem to mind or refuse the process. This went on for four days, until Phil spotted Nellie voluntarily allowing Pearl to suckle in the barn one morning.

Phil then stopped holding Nellie still for feeds and simply just took them to the barn; Nellie would allow Pearl to feed in the barn only. Phil would feel Pearl’s stomach in the morning to confirm she had fed and was full of milk.

The alpacas were let into the barn for night time and the additional lunch time feed. That was until ten days later, when Pearl was spotted feeding from Nellie in the field.

Henry, Nellie’s own baby has continued to grow very healthily and was not at all bothered by Pearl sharing his milk. At the time of writing Pearl is almost five months old and is a very healthy, happy alpaca. She will follow Nellie around and feed on demand. While Nellie has allowed this, she hasn’t taken to Pearl in quite the same way as her own son Henry, but has tolerated Pearl well.

Everyone at the farm is very happy with Pearl’s progress and we’re pleased to have successfully weaned Pearl without a bottle.

Ian Horner & team

Shorn by Alpaca Shearing UK: champion alpacas Beauty and Splendour, with owners Ken and Liz Freivokh, Artwork Alpacas

Experienced shearers available for the 2020 season Small and large herds catered for Injections, foot and dental care

Friendly, reliable service across Southern England and South Wales Calls, emails and texts answered daily

hornerian@icloud.com admin@alpacashearing.co.uk 07585 482844 / 07974 314211 www.alpacashearing.co.uk

“Realising the Dream” Looking for Quality Genetics, choice of colour, well-trained alpacas?

Look no further...

• Alpacas for sale • Agistment services • Adopt an alpaca • Alpaca experiences • Alpaca walks • Hand knitted alpaca products

www.csalpacas.co.uk Julia Corrigan-Stuart

Yeat Wood Farm, Wootton Underwood, Bucks HP18 0RL Mobile: 07803 726464 Email: julia@csalpacas.co.uk Alpaca Spring 2020

21

E

BIRTHING WORKSHOP

astern Alpaca Group (EAG) members and local owners made sure they are prepared for birthing this season by attending a workshop run by Westpoint Farm Vet and Alpaca magazine contributor Ami Sawran.

Places were quickly filled for the popular event held at the Essex Young Farmers Centre, Chelmsford in March. EAG committee members also worked with five vet practices across the Eastern region (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire) with experience of collecting blood to organise a plasma drive to produce vital plasma for vulnerable newborn cria.

The initiative ensured owners had their own life saving plasma for premature cria or newborns experiencing difficulty feeding. Newborns who have not gained vital colostrum from their mothers are vulnerable to infection and septicaemia.

22 Alpaca Spring 2020

But plasma stocks in the freezer enable vets to give sick cria a plasma transfusion providing vital antibodies normally obtained from colostrum. Plasma is taken from suitable donors, usually male alpacas either at vet surgeries or on farms.

The EAG committee works hard to create a varied calendar of events throughout the year and EAG membership is open to all regardless of location.

Member benefits include preferential rates to enter EAG shows and events, quarterly newsletters, advertising opportunities, social events plus support in all aspects of alpaca ownership.

www.easternalpacagroupuk.org

Scotfield www.ScotfieldAlpaca.co.uk

Family run Berkshire farm breeding high quality Suri and Huacaya alpacas Alpacas sold, with full after-sales support and husbandry training

Mobile apps from AlpacaSeller for Android and iPhone Are you connected to the market place?

Tel 01730 823256 l chris@alpacaseller.com l www.alpacaller.com

Mid-Cornwallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier alpaca herd

Visit our online shop for hats, gloves & scarves, designed and made right here on our farm.

Totally natural, hypo-allergenic , no dyes, no blends purely 100% alpaca yarn.

Our breeding aim is to maximise fibre production and improve fibre quality generation upon generation, with a view to providing the ultimate fibre for yarn production.

Quality breeding females for sale.

Higher Carpalla Farm Foxhole St Austell 01726 338580 07974 796792 nigel@nigelretallack.co.uk www.carpallaalpacas.co.uk

A PACAS Nigel and Margaret Retallack

Sue Hipkin 01344 486969 Lisa Batup 01344 486969

07770 455533 07770 455534

Scotlands Farm, Warfield, Berkshire RG42 6AJ Alpaca Spring 2020

23

MANAGEMENT MATTERS

Paul Wills, Limestone Alpacas in Warwickshire discusses his ‘’waste management’’ (poo!) regime in the context of herd size, welfare and limited land.

I

’m not convinced my ‘sales technique’ to newcomers is always the best!

But I’ve considered it increasingly important at the outset of discussions to emphasise what I see as one of the most important aspects of alpaca ownership – ‘poo’ – or in technical terms ‘‘waste management’’.

Yes, I am concerned it may come over as somewhat weird or at best an unhealthy obsession!

But for me waste management is an essential part of the stocking rate and welfare equation. It can’t be a simple and bare stocking rate determinant as to how many animals can be realistically purchased for a small holding or pet paddock.

I’m acutely aware of the need to sell and make some profit (my wife tells me to) and cover costs, but I’m equally aware of the garden – and I mean a garden – a few miles from here where I was asked

24 Alpaca Spring 2020

a few years back to investigate local concerns that five alpacas were being neglected. Unsheared, without grass and fed mainly on hard feed, the owner informed me the vendor was now selling her a stud male to keep them company on the 1/4 acre plot! I like to think I am more responsible, I do care for – yes love – my animals and for me it is essential new owners understand from the outset that it’s not just about a stocking rate – it’s also about the poo!

Livestock ownership means poo!

Lovely creatures as they are alpacas poo! And not once a day in a neat pile but throughout the day. You can guarantee they will poo on your fresh clean straw the moment you’ve finished clearing the barn or, better still, on the clean bit off floor without any straw if they can manage it. How’s that for appreciation? You can guess the only way of stopping them is when I’m waiting for a faecal

sample – it’s the only time you know you’ll have to wait for hours in the cold and wet for that one animal who can hold it back!

A little tongue in cheek perhaps, but most of you established breeders and owners will know exactly what I mean. Yes, males can be much better and use neat piles, but ladies – what can I say? Like you, I know food comes first but please, at least stand still to finish the job before walking off leaving your trail. Certainly the assurance I was given now some 13 plus years ago; “and they poo in a single place making it so easy to collect’’ doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Favourite patches and areas maybe, but a single pile – I wish! So it’s always the girls’ fields that take most of my poo collecting focus.

Am I labouring the point? Making a mountain out of a poo pile? Perhaps it is an unhealthy obsession! Does it really matter that much?

Well for my own circumstances, my set up, my acreage and ownership, yes it definitely does.

And with the advised wider industry concerns over parasitic resistance to treatments it’s an issue that is important to me and relevant for all alpaca owners.

We all know the quality of the paddocks and grass upon which our stocks predominantly rely not only provides the fundamental part of their diet but also the potential source of a wide range of parasites that can impact welfare and of course in worst or unchecked cases lead to fatalities.

In our earlier days I had a Don Pepe female born from multi champion ACA Miski (my first female for £10,000 in the halcyon days of 2007).

While these were the days before we really started halter showing, she nonetheless achieved a number of championships in 2010 including Supreme Champion at the GWR fleece show and Reserve Champion fleece at the National Futurity.

Unfortunately – and I place my own inexperience at the time as contributory – and despite good vet support, we lost her at an early age to Haemonchus after only her second cria (Rio being her first). This was a wake up call for me on parasites.

Unless you have so much land that stocking densities are low, or you have sufficient acreage to rotate both grazing use and crop, poo has to be managed if we are to avoid the longer term dangers of parasite establishment, infestation and risk of treatment immunity.

I have a small herd of 50-60 Huacayas on about 22 acres of mainly rented land and my views here reflect my circumstances. I fully appreciate larger farms have entirely different options available to them but recognising the number of smaller owners who have moved in to alpaca ownership without the flexibility of large land capabilities, I hope this note is useful and a prompt for further thoughts. I suspect I am typical of a number of smaller herd alpaca farmers that do not have the ideal options of alternate crop and stock rotation (the traditional broad based farming approach) to regularly defeat problems of ground becoming stale or the potential risks of parasite build up.

Neither do we as alpaca owners generally favour sharing our pasture with other farming species (the most obvious for me being cows) for various practical and other reasons, not least the risk of TB transfer even though I understand mixed species grazing can assist natural parasite control.

As ‘’small’’ owners with limited land we have a dilemma. The ideal is to retain poo to naturally feed and fertilise the grass but without adequate acreage for rotation and resting does this feed the parasite burden? I don’t have that ideal. I have limited grazing acreage. In which case I believe small (my reference to ‘small’ is tied to available land versus stocking density) herd owners must be both pro-active and ever mindful of ways to manage these issues and this is in my view an important topic for future debate, or articles.

Continued on the next page >>

Alpaca Spring 2020

25

› Essential kit for me: now fitted with their more fuel efficient engines and longer lasting hoses!

What is my poo management regime?

For smaller breeders or pet owners with limited land, I believe responsible management must include regular poo collection or sweeping in some form. Waste management is an essential part of the stocking rate and welfare equation.

With only a small and limited land holding and the experience of losing animals in the past, management for me now includes three core elements: 1. Alternating grazing: Aiming for separate

26 Alpaca Spring 2020

summer and winter grazing in an attempt to ‘rest’ constantly used paddocks in the aspiration six months (more or less) will reduce resident parasites. This also allows me to take early summer hay off my winter rested fields (heavy clay which are too wet for winter grazing) allowing the birthed girls group and weaners to take up the fresh growth thereafter. (Movements of course are another great opportunity for clostridial vaccination boosters, vitamins, checking of membrane colours, trimming toe nails, hand run over all potential mite sites (under tails, leg joints and ears), checking jaws are clear of any lumps or bumps, trimming fleece from eyes and weighing.)

2. Regular poo collection: I use two motorised (self drive) paddock vacuums and have done so for many years. However hard I try I confess to rarely achieving the three day target recommended by vets to limit eggs hatching and spreading but I’m not far off and it should keep me fit! It is a chore but provides a great opportunity to really get to know your animals and keep an eye on them.

3. Obsessive faecal testing! I’m now at a stage where the microscope is often out and my pockets full of small plastic bags, a marker pen and latex gloves! You may be relieved to hear I’m not obsessive about the form of poo itself – I am content it naturally changes with change of grazing, feed or weather but distinguish sudden or consistent loose poo. I also rely on regular hands on body scoring as well as weighing, and membrane (usually eyelid) colour checks and with any sign of concern, difference in vitality or appetite, and always prior to any movements or sales, I faecal test to establish the extent and burden of any parasites. With support from Towcester Vets or a second opinion where needed from Claire Whitehead at Camelid Vets, I only treat for specific burdens.

Yes, I only undertake flotation tests which have their limitations (using mini flotac system from

Brunel) but this means I can check as regularly as I wish at modest cost (other than time) and so far I have found it reliable supported by an occasional second opinion.

What I have learnt is which individual animals are evidently more hardy or resistant to any form of parasite burden compared to others which may be more susceptible to one or other type of parasite.

And of perhaps greater note is my conclusion that the absence of eggs in a number of animals unfortunately doesn’t always mean there isn’t a problem hitting one or more of the others! And yes, I’m still learning every day.

Why don’t I blanket treat as a preventative? I’m not suggesting either is right or wrong here and recognise different things work for different farms and routines. I am concerned about parasites and how we as alpaca owners/breeders can successfully manage these issues in the longer term. My approach is to try to avoid blanket treatment and focus, whilst I’m able, on cleaning grazing and regular testing. My aspiration remains to have more land to achieve more rotation and resting and I still deliberate about alternating use.

I’m well aware I’m not agriculturally (nor indeed veterinarian) qualified and my comments are personal to my own experience and provided within the limitations of that context. I would welcome advice from those with more knowledge on the subject or even a forum or focus group to consider these issues on a longer term basis for the industry and alpaca welfare. (In the absence of a large charitable donation to allow me to acquire more land.)

As I write I have just moved all prospective mums and last years weaners on to fresh fields. After the awful rain of this last winter, at last some peace of mind as they go in to green grass with the spring sun ready for the first batch of births. Shearing is booked and I look forward to seeing Mr Wheeler in full Covid-19 protection mask and gear. Stay safe and good luck with your birthing regime. Right, I’m off – better get out and do some more...

l

s

Snowshill Hill Barn, Temple Guiting, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5XX

a

o wsh

Snowshill Alpacas c

i

l Contact Roger p a on 01386 853 841 or 07711044106 AMount lEmail: snowshillalpacas@btinternet.com Web: www.snowshillalpacas.com

We have a large selection of potential Stud Males, Pet Males and Breeding Females available in a variety of colours.

Stud Services – we have several proven/championship winning Huacaya and Suri boys to choose from.

Pre-arranged visits are very welcome.

We adhere to good biosecurity practices and badger deterrent fencing has been in place since 2009.

Quality Alpacas in Central England Faerie-Tale Alpacas is a friendly family farm based near Kenilworth in Warwickshire. We focus on breeding sound, healthy, friendly, high quality alpacas with advanced fleeces and proven genetics. With over 10 years experience we can offer a wide range of alpacas to suit every budget and specialise in helping new breeders.

We know all our alpacas and have most colours available. Whether you are new to alpacas or wish to expand your herd we have alpacas to suit you!

Discounts on multiple purchases and full support for new owners.

Call now to arrange a visit. We are located in central England, easily accessible by road M40/ M1 and only 20 minutes from Birmingham airport.

We offer: • Quality breeding stock • Starter herd • Stud services • Hand knitted alpaca garments and accessories from our herd

Web: www.faerietalealpacas.co.uk Tel: Kierti 07950 671 672 Email: info@faerietalealpacas.co.uk

Faerie Tale Farm, Rouncil Lane, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 1NN

Faerie Tale Alpacas Alpaca Spring 2020

27

WINDPROOF SHELTERS

Dave Bearman, Apple Vale Alpacas, offers some expert advice to ensure field shelters remain upright and resist wind.

T

he main issue that people have with field shelters, is that of wind resistance, as wind is a difficult phenomenon to measure, whereas most of us can appreciate the strength of a piece of timber to support a small area of roof or wall.

During a career as a chartered structural engineer, I have assisted architects in designing many buildings, from houses to schools, hospitals and industrial buildings. Most of those have heavy masonry walls, or concrete floors, and certainly concrete foundations, to offer wind-resistance, however, lighter, timber-framed houses or thinly-clad warehouses are more vulnerable to wind uplift or instability, and need specific calculations to ensure stability. These buildings are all on a scale of magnitude from ten to a hundred times larger than our temporary mobile field shelters, and designed to resist a one in 50-year gust.

When you are making or buying a shelter, you may not care whether it lasts that long, but you would still be disappointed if it blew away after just a few years, so here are some points for consideration: There are three main factors to make your shelter more wind-resistant: Location, anchorage

28 Alpaca Spring 2020

into the ground, and reducing the wind loading on the building.

Location

The exposure to wind will vary depending whether you are located in highlands, lowlands, or coastal areas. It will also depend on the location of the shelter on your farm: located near the top of slopes or the bottom, or on flat land, or in a valley perhaps acting as a funnel from the prevailing south-west wind. There may be hedges and trees to some boundaries which provide shelter, but not to others – in our case, we have no hedges to the south or west. Where you locate your shelters will also be governed by access to tracks or runways, or perhaps a shelter serves two paddocks back-to-back. So you can try and choose a sheltered position, but often other circumstances are more important to the operation of the farm.

In the UK, most of our strongest winds are south-westerly – they blow from south-west to north-east – so the back of the shelter should face somewhere between south and west, otherwise the wind (and rain) will blow directly into the shelter causing more uplift. If you have lived at your property for a long time, you may be aware of a local variation due to the topography, but

assume south-westerly in the absence of any other knowledge.

Restrictions in permitted planning laws mean field shelters must be mobile, and must not have concrete bases. The weight of a concrete floor slab or foundations is the perfect anchor against the wind, but we can’t have that, so we need to create anchorage.

Anchorage

Anchorage into the ground will depend partly on the type of soil: clay, sand, gravel or rock – dig a hole below the topsoil or turf, perhaps more Continued on the next page >>

Follow us on

Find us on

Mark & Sue Steele Budleigh House Farm, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 9LW E-mail: mark@patoualpacas.com Mobile: 0788 054 2260

WWW.PATOUALPACAS.CO.UK

Pet Males and Breeding Females for Sale High Quality Coloured Herd-sires Alpaca Experiences & Alpaca Walks Expert Advice on all Alpaca related matters

You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be big to be Mighty!

Alpaca & Llama handling training with...

Camelid

Connection

Is your relationship with your animals all you had hoped for?

How can Camelidynamics techniques help on my alpaca journey?

Camelidynamics is an approach to and is a collection of methods that represent the most positive, least intrusive techniques for training and managing alpacas.

Understand why camelids behave the way they do and learn kind and efficient methods that are science-based, for safe handling and husbandry thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun.

These courses will change the relationship you have with your animals forever.

Two and three day courses for owners and therapists Working with alpacas in Animal Assisted Activity and Therapy For those interested in finding out how this approach can inform and improve your human/ alpaca collaborations in AAA. Courses for vets now available.

For more details and to book your places go to

www.SimplyAlpaca.co.uk

SENIORCONSULTANT

Alpaca Spring 2020

29

› Mobile fabric shade/windbreaks – these

allowed us time to assess the options in each paddock, regarding prevailing wind, and sun exposure, before committing time and expense of more permanent shelters everywhere. They have lasted six years

› The Hip-s-ter: This shelter is a hip-roofed shelter (hence ‘hip-s-

ter’), with the hip aligned to the south-west – the walls are kept low, following the slope of the hill, with venting to minimize wind pressure

› YinYang shelter: This shelter is exposed to the south-west at the top

of the hill, so one half protects from that direction, while the other half is off-set (hence Yin & Yang), and allows the alpacas to see down the hill to the other alpaca group. Walls made from the floor of our Village Hall which was replaced

<< than 200mm deep, and you will get to the underlying strata that you need to anchor into.

Methods will involve proprietary screw-in anchors (i.e Spirafix Ground Anchors www.spirafix.com), or driven-in metal or timber stakes. For the mobile fabric shades that I made, simple dog-lead anchors were sufficient. If you are driving in smooth pins or stakes, which can be pulled out fairly easily, it is more effective to use two stakes driven in opposite directions, known as ‘skew-nailing’ in carpentry – this is particularly useful if you are using rope or ratchet straps for tying down a building – but these are not suitable if they are likely to be anywhere that your alpacas might be running around and playing. Also, be aware that clay can vary considerably from very hard when baked in hot weather, to very soft when wet, and the wind can work anchors loose through constant buffeting.

If your ground is too hard to get an anchor into, other assistance can be gained by using weight to resist wind uplift: concrete blocks, water containers or sand-bags could be piled into a corner of the shelter, onto a small timber platform which could be fixed to the shelter. For one of our shelters (the Yin-Yang) we used the old floor from our village hall, which was thick beech planks, and so very heavy.

Reducing the wind

Reducing the wind can be achieved in several ways: • Using a hedge or tree-line to provide the first barrier to the wind; • Shaping the shelter so that it deflects the wind; • Provide ventilation through the shelter so that it offers less resistance and the wind passes through.

Flat, or shallow-pitched roofs are subject to wind uplift causing suction on the roof, and this assists the wind turning over a shelter – similarly, a vertical wall is obviously a solid barrier for the wind to hit. This is why the ark type of shelter and polytunnels are successful, having a curved wall and roof, although they still need anchorage.

For our Hip-s-ter shelter, I gave it a hipped roof aligned south-west, and kept the rear wall quite low, about 1.8m.

If you accept that the alpacas do not need a totally wind-proof shelter in each paddock, and provided you have a more solid barn for an alpaca needing special care, then some venting of the walls is acceptable. Based on a maximum 8m x 4m shelter, I would aim for a 300mm opening along the top of the walls – this could be three 100mm slots between planks if you prefer.

So, in summary, think about the location, the anchorage, and reducing the wind on the shelter.

www.davidbearman.co.uk

› These two shelters, built by Mark Steele are 8ft square and are currently used as plush accommodation for herd sires but they can hold about six

alpacas if required. “We live on top of a hill and these shelters are exposed to very strong winds. They are constructed from a base of four 7ft strainer posts hammered into the ground about 18 inches. The sides are then screwed on using 6” x 1” boards leaving gaps for the wind to pass through just under the roof and slightly lower down. The roof is made of box-profile steel sheets. “They have worked very well and cost about £300 each to construct,” Mark says.

E

SHELTER IN A STORM

arlier this year, following storm force winds and continuous driving rain, we asked you to send in pictures of field shelters that had withstood the winter onslaught.

Dave Bearman, Apple Vale Alpaca responded with his innovative

ALPACA

PODS

designs (see feature and top tips for construction). Mark Steele, Patou Alpacas also sent in some solid shelters which provided good shelter for his herd. And we also received a picture from an owner who was not so fortunate – hopefully the advice from Dave Bearman will prove helpful to anchor shelters before next winter’s gales.

Weather: Protecting against adverse weather Ventilation: Provide good air flow Flies: Shelter against summer heat and flies Adaptability: Water drinkers, troughs and deep bedding can all be added Husbandry: A great place to complete feet-trimming, vitamin drenches or as a quarantine area Appearance: Practical and attractive Size: Various options and sizes available.

Please visit our website for more details.

Being an Alpaca breeder the welfare of our animals is paramount so the pods are designed and manufactured by ourselves taking this into account.

We designed the Alpaca pods for our own herd and are now pleased to offer these for sale.

UK Design Numbers 6031339, 6031340, 6031342

www.tockwithalpacas.com

07791 881556

sandhillsalpacas@aol.com Sandhills Alpacas, Sandhills Farm Cottage, Ness Lane, Tockwith YO26 7QL

Alpaca Spring 2020

31

PADDOCK MANAGEMENT

Fred Ellis offers some sound advice gleaned from many years of working the land to keep paddocks in good condition and weed free after a difficult winter.

› A soil slitter in action

A

fter near record “pissipitation” the soil structure has taken great punishment this last Autumn and Winter. No doubt this has had a severe impact on beneficiary creatures living in the soil which have been calculated by scientists to weigh more than the stock walking over the surface.

Most cattle owners have kept their stock indoors avoiding soil damage but many sheep are out wintered as are most alpacas. These “lighter hoofed”

animals have not inflicted too much damage on free draining soils but on heavier land, the ground will be severely compacted. On these heavier soils the persistent rain alone would have caused the top layer of soil to slump without the impact of livestock treading the ground.

Where worms are not diminished due to soaked conditions they will play a large role in conditioning the ground when drier weather arrives. On the heavier soil types, and land that has been flooded, it might pay to give the

Paddock Cleaners, Mowers and Compact Tractors for every budget.

Trailed, engine-driven, and tractor-mounted Cleaners and Mowers, plus Compact Tractors now available to hire or buy.

Speak to our friendly team today for more information and expert advice on what you need. rtmachinery.co.uk | 01844 299 037 Enthusiastic Specialists in Ground Care and Lawn Care Machinery Since 2001.

32 Alpaca Spring 2020

survivors some assistance by aerating the soil to improve the structure.

The most important rule with soil management is to stay off the land until the ground is dry enough not to leave too deep an impression when driven on. This fact cannot be stressed enough as compacting wet soil will make it less able to drain freely. For land that has been worked/ploughed over a wet period the soil would have slumped making seed bed preparation very challenging due to the time taken for the land to dry. To make matters worse that slumped ground needs cultivation to help it dry.

On the brashy easier draining soils a light harrowing in spring may be all that’s needed, any more aggressive cultivation might bring stones to the surface but these can be rolled in with a heavy flat roller. This operation could be used to scratch seed by raking the seed into the soil surface especially where there are bare patches in the sward. For small areas in paddocks a hand held aerial seeder can be used but for larger areas the seed could be broadcast by a tractor mounted spreader and then harrowed and rolled.

Many agricultural contractors operate scratch seeder/direct drills which are useful for placing the small seeds in the top 10mm of the soil surface. It is imperative not to place these small seeds too deep but the smaller the seed the better this technique works. Without new grass seeds these bare patches will probably infest with weeds which are air born or ever present in the soil.

Heavier, higher clay content soils will probably require a more aggressive approach if badly poached (damaged by hooves). If not infested with weeds a soil slitter or sub soiler could be employed but stones present in the soil will no doubt be brought to the surface and if large will not be rolled in. They will obviously have to be collected by hand but this would be worth the effort.

For pastures that have trod badly and are infested with weeds the best option would be to plough the ground so burying the weeds and aerating the soil. This is a costly exercise especially as a glyphosate spray would probably be needed prior to ploughing and the field would be out of use for a considerable period until the new sward has established. It takes very good workmanship to completely bury the weeds to the extent needed for them not be dragged to the surface on preparing the seedbed and so most grassland is desiccated with glyphosphate before ploughing.

Mole draining is a useful procedure if you have land drains running into ditches. The clay or plastic perforated pipes need to be deep enough not to be damaged by the passage of the steel mole and should have a covering of gravel to pick up the passage of water. This practice performed every few years will also help aerate the soil. If the fields are divided by stone walls you probably won’t have ditches and so no land drains.

Whichever method of soil improvement or crop establishment is employed it is imperative not to attempt the procedure until the soil is ready as previously stated. The other important point is to keep the seed bed well rolled if not too wet so keeping the seed in close contact with the soil.

Scratch seeding and over sowing into existing pasture with a specialist drill requires patience to see the results but this practice enables little interruption in the use of land and obviously is a much cheaper option to ploughing. Your local agricultural merchant supplying seeds and herbicide will probably have an agronomist who can advise on procedures and aftercare regarding pest control. I have drilled many acres of grass only to be told that the job didn’t work and on close inspection found pests had destroyed the important first shoots. The small grey field slug can be quite a problem but if the ground is rolled well with a heavy flat roll they should not be an issue.

› Over seeding with a direct drill

Photos © Opico and Moore Unidrill

› Loosening

compacted ground with a light sub soiler followed by press wheels

A caution on reseed timing

As we now head towards the summer months, a successful reseed becomes more dependent on luck with the weather. An Autumn seeding is generally regarded as more reliable especially if the old pasture is destroyed by ploughing. If the intention is to scratch seed or direct drill into existing grassland then April/early May can be quite successful and obviously once the seeds have germinated they are dependent on additional moisture to survive.

The heavier clay type soil which seems so wet at times can be very difficult to work into a seedbed if allowed to bake and only time and weather will allow a seedbed to be attained.

› Scratch seeding with air

seeder and spring tine rake

Alpaca Spring 2020

33

LETTER FROM AUSTRALIA Alpaca owner Sue Rymer welcomes green shoots in her paddocks after some of the hottest and driest summer days on record.

G

reetings from Australia! My name is Sue Rymer and, together with my partner Andrew and his daughter Grace, I live on a 100 acre property about 25 kilometres from Canberra, Australia’s capital city.

Our land is mainly native bush and it is common to see kangaroos, wallabies and echidnas roaming the property. We also see the occasional eastern brown snake – considered the world’s second-most venomous land snake!

We also have five adorable alpacas – Narnia and her son Caspian, Aster and her son Yoda, and our special alpaca Pedro. Pedro’s mum died suddenly when he was just five weeks old, so he was bottle-fed before coming to us at five months old.

We moved to the property three years ago and decided to get alpacas for a number of reasons, the main one being to help deter foxes from attacking

› Grace with five alpacas: Left to right –

Pedro, Narnia, Caspian, Yoda and Aster

34 Alpaca Spring 2020

our chickens and geese. Foxes are not native to Australia. They were introduced in the mid-1800s for hunting, but spread rapidly and now have a serious impact on many native species as well as farm animals. We lost some geese to fox, feral cat or wild dog attacks early on but since getting the alpacas we have had no attacks – touch wood!

The alpacas also help to keep the grass down, reducing bushfire fuel load, and I have enrolled in a spinning class with the aim of using their beautifully soft fibre for crocheting projects. They are also just so endearing and visitors to our property love the opportunity to feed them!

Our alpacas have to deal with climate extremes.

Canberra experiences cold winters (it is not uncommon to have night-time temperatures down to minus 5°C) and hot, dry summers (with days often in the high 30s). But climate change is having a dramatic impact on our weather and exacerbating

these extremes.

2019 was Australia’s hottest year on record. In January 2019, Canberra had four consecutive days of 40°C or above, which has never happened before.

In the past it was rare to get even one day reaching 40°C. Then in January 2020 we experienced our hottest day on record with a maximum of 44°C. And all the years since 2013 have been amongst the ten warmest on record for Australia.

We are fortunate to have good tree cover on our property, providing plenty of shade for our alpacas on the extremely hot days and they also like to paddle and lie down in the dam to cool off. We also made sure they were shorn well before the heat arrived and we put extra fresh water out for them on the very hot days. Our alpacas coped well in the heat and seem to be amazingly resilient.

2019 was also Australia’s driest year on record.

Combined with the extraordinarily low rainfall

over the two years prior, much of Australia has experienced what many have described as the worst drought in living memory. Many people in our region had to buy water to maintain supplies for themselves and their animals. We are again fortunate to have a large dam. Although it became worryingly low, it did not dry out like so many others.

But our paddocks were dry and there was little food, so although alpacas are efficient grazers and will eat many of the native plants, we had to hand feed ours daily during the drought.

Over summer our alpacas also had to cope with severe smoke pollution from the devastating bushfires, so bad that at times I couldn’t leave the house without wearing a mask.

Like all property owners, we have a bushfire survival plan, and were on high alert on the days with hot temperatures and strong, dry winds. Being surrounded by dry bushland makes us particularly susceptible, so our plan is to evacuate if the property is threatened by fire. Luckily this year there were no fires close to our property, although large fires burned to the east and south during the devastating bushfire season. The fire which threatened the south of Canberra burnt over 80,000 hectares in Namadgi National Park.

It is wonderful to be able to conclude on a positive note. The bushfire season is now over. We have had good autumn rain, with more forecast. Our paddocks are greening up, the dam is full again and the alpacas, geese and chickens are much happier, as we all are too. The property is looking wonderful – it’s now the perfect place to stay isolated in these coronavirus times, just hanging out with the alpacas!

› Caspian and Pedro after a paddle (and not long before getting shorn!)

› Our UK visitors loved feeding the alpacas

› Yoda - the first (and so far only) alpaca born on our property

› During the drought - not a blade of green grass in sight

› An old wallaby that came in to eat some alpaca food

› Cooling off in the dam

Alpaca Spring 2020

35

BLOSSOMING MARKET FOR RUGS Orders for alpaca rugs are keeping the spinning wheels and weaving looms busy on a remote croft in the Outer Hebrides as Chris Hammacott explains.

T

o begin with some introductions; I am Chris and I live with my OH (other half) Andrew in a small house with a croft in the Outer Hebrides. We moved here almost eight years ago from West Wales; there we just had a few hens and we were looking for a complete change from OH managing part of London Underground and me teaching City and Guild textiles.

We bought this place on the internet and it was a bit of a leap of faith as we had never visited the Hebrides and had never seen the house – maybe that’s less of a leap and more an abseil. We got a house that had been empty for a few years, with an old weaving shed, it sits between the moor and the sea both of which we can see from the new kitchen extension. On winter nights we can also watch the Northern Lights from the same windows.

The spinning and weaving of rugs from customers’ fleece was something, along with the looms and spinning wheels, we had moth balled some 15 years ago when we changed track and moved to Wales. Now with a flock of our own it seemed the time to remove the mothballs and start again.

We make rugs for sale as well as working with customers own fleece. It used to be just sheep but are now seeing a blossoming alpaca market – many of the rugs we make are from alpacas and llamas. Alpaca is quite different to sheep fleece, it takes a little more skill to spin as unlike sheep wool you don’t have the natural oils to help hold it. It tends to be dusty and often has quite a lot of vegetable matter that needs picking out, as many of you know it does not have a memory as sheep wool has, so the spinner has to understand that and allow the yarn to absorb more twist. The plus is the wonderful dense colours – such variety for someone like me who enjoys working with colour – it’s a whole exciting palette.

When a customer sends a sack of fleece, it needs to go through a series of techniques before the rug can be sent back. To start it is sorted, we can use all qualities of fleece, often a customer will send us the second and third grades

36 Alpaca Spring 2020

keeping the blanket to sell separately. Once we have sorted, a chat with the customer and suggestions of designs take place, with so many colours the permutations are limitless, marbled, striped, borders, geometric designs all possible! After decisions the fleece is spun, skeined and soaked before washing we use organic soaps and allow the yarn to dry naturally. Then it’s onto the loom – we have three wooden floor looms, no electric for these girls. Once the rug is woven, it is edged and clipped, a label sewn on and another swing ticket attached, as you can see it’s not a quick job.

Trade orders are good as it widens our market and we get the fun of seeing our work for sale in new places. Each day sees sacks of customers fleeces arrive, it can be quite a lucky dip. (What’s in today’s sack/box/binbag?) Then we have the post back of the rugs made, labelled and boxed.

Rugs are a challenge to weave, they must be “fit for purpose”, in my mind that means you shouldn’t be able to poke your finger through them! Nor should they walk around the floor whatever the surface. They should be washable, ours are washed in the bath and laid flat to dry. Plus, they should have lasting charm, as in most natural fibres they do form a felted surface in time, making them improve with use and years (looking in the mirror I wish I could say the same for myself). Beyond that the ethics are important, as in the organic soaps, if we dye any of the fleece it is natural dyes grown here and no mordants. The packaging is all recyclable and no plastics anywhere. Importantly the warp is organic cotton and ethically sourced. Living here makes you I suppose more in touch with the earth, even if it is in the negative “blooming heck it’s freezing today!”, we have a mantra “Touch the earth lightly” and we stick to it.

chris@pockethousestudio.co.uk facebook-square Pocket House Studio

SEASONAL RAMBLINGS

Y

Rats and sky lanterns come under fire from our regular diarist who also tackles routine herd husbandry including worming and vaccination.

ou must have a licence to buy large quantities of rat poison.

People without one can only buy poison in small quantities, so it is essential we don’t lose control of the slippery little suckers. If you don’t like using this method you need to be extra vigilant and sweep up all spilt alpaca food. Don’t leave food bags on the floor and keep your alpaca food in metal containers as the rats will devour plastic bins in a second. To get to food they will chew through plastic and aluminium containers and even soft concrete given a chance.

A rat can breed at just five weeks old and females are fertile about every three weeks. They have been known to mate up to five hundred times in six hours (Some going! I’ve come over all faint). Pregnancy lasts only six weeks; the size of the litter can be between 6 to 20 babies, (work out the maths for population growth over a year). There is a link between rats and 40 different diseases including bubonic plague, typhus and leptospirosis so keeping their numbers down is essential.

That’s the moaning over but maybe not … now for sky lanterns. I seem to have had a few of them float down into the field over the last few years.

Some councils have banned the release of sky lanterns which is encouraging and hopefully more will follow. For sometime the RSPCA have been calling for a ban on the lanterns. When they become deflated and break into smaller pieces leaving paper, string and metal rods exposed, animals may mistake the debris for food leaving them with a blocked respiratory tract. Animals can also become entangled in the string, choke or ingest them resulting in sharp parts causing tearing to the throat and internal bleeding in the stomach.

They are a threat to animal welfare and a major fire risk. I needed to get that off my chest (as someone who was called a grumpy old woman a few months ago I suppose my New Year’s resolution should have been to be less grumpy – but I can’t help getting old.)

It’s been such a long wet winter; it has made many of us cold and

depressed but today looks promising. With the start of a sunny dry day, at last we can get on with a few jobs that have been building up. I have just done my ADE and worming injections. We have a holding pen that can accommodate about five alpacas which is ideal to get up close and personal. They go in one way and out the other having a small gate at either end.

It’s best to have a system and always use new needles. I use very short needles as ADE, clostridia and wormers are all administered under the skin (subcutaneous). To do this make a fold of skin with your finger and thumb and inject under the skin just behind the foreleg where you can feel loose skin. If you are unsure your vet will help.

Vitamins ADE are usually given in the winter months five to seven weeks apart. Lambivac (there are a few different makes on the market) is given six months apart to protect your alpaca from Clostridial diseases; cria have their first two doses one month apart and then every six months to fall in with the rest of the herd.

Consult your vet about a worming regime – they will advise you on specific wormers to control particular worms. There are several wormers on the market but none are licenced for alpacas. First take a fresh poo sample in a small bottle and your vet will send it to the lab and advise you on the results and the particular wormer to use. Mole Valley Farmers have an oral wide base wormer called Benzamole which is ideal if you don’t want to keep using injections. But beware of the spitters in your herd or you’ll end up with white splodges all over your clothes, face, neck, hair and glasses – if you wear them.

Another successful husbandry session out of the way, worming and ADE finished, I am just about to clear up when I hear a tractor pull up. “How do...

What the ‘ell have you been up to?” It’s the farmer and he is looking at the white wormer and green alpaca spit on my face. “Here is me mug... thought I’d come and ‘ave a brew with you. Well this will have to be the last one for a while – I think they call it social distancing. Now me and the wife…well we been doing that for years...”

› A small catch pen with a gate at each end makes handling easier

Alpaca Spring 2020

37

PRACTICAL BIOSECURITY

Good biosecurity to prevent disease is an essential part of routine herd management at Alpha Alpacas in Dorset. Di Davies shares some practical advice with Alpaca editor Liz Mason.

D

i Davies has been keeping alpacas for more than 20 years, and this year is looking forward to celebrating a milestone – the birth of 200 crias at her Bridport farm.

As well as breeding many supreme champions over the years Di has organised 25 shows, including two BAS Nationals and she is well aware of the importance of good biosecurity both on and off the farm.

“Biosecurity should always be in the forefront of the alpaca owners’ mind.

Good biosecurity relies on identifying potential threats and then putting in place practices to mitigate them,” Di says.

The ultimate is the total exclusion of any threats, but this is difficult and expensive to achieve, however, there are some simple, cost-effective steps that owners can take to minimise disease risk.

These are her top tips for achieving a biosecure herd but please do get in touch to share other ideas or your own biosecurity plan as this is such an essential issue for herd owners.

around hayracks or feed troughs also suggest badgers are active on farms.

Badgers also spray make items so if some hay in your racks changes to a bright yellow this is a classic sign of spray making.

Badgers are powerful diggers and will challenge fences pushing aside netting and breaking fences which means fences need to be checked regularly.

Deer can also become infected with TB but there is little scientific evidence they pass the disease to other species. Rabbits are not known to transmit any diseases to alpacas but their scrapings or burrows can be a danger to alpacas which may damage their legs/feet in them when moving around the paddock.

Rats are almost impossible to exclude from farms but their urine can contaminate feed.

Dogs also pose a threat and owners must keep their dogs on leads when walking on footpaths near livestock. All alpacas are at risk of attack from uncontrolled dogs and their faeces can introduce worms and disease causing bacteria.

Risk assessment

Fencing

Identifying potential threats is the first step to achieving a bio-secure farm and humans are probably the greatest threat. Disease causing bacteria can be carried onto the farm on dirty boots or dirty vehicle tyres and all visitors – including vets, shearers, dog walkers using public footpaths across farms and delivery lorries are a potential threat.

Owners must be seen to be clean and farms should aim to have a bio-secure entry area to minimise risk. Vehicles must not be allowed into this area and all visitors should have clean boots – and clean clothing, particularly when they have been in contact with other animals – before entering.

All visitors to Alpha Alpacas are required to dip their footwear at the gate before entering the bio-secure area. Di uses FAM 30 or Vircon disinfectant in a covered container as recommended by her vet and quick in and out dip is not enough.

Boots must be dipped, mud and debris brushed off and boots dipped again or placed on a sperate disinfectant mat. The same procedure should also be followed when leaving the farm.

A hose pipe and brush must be available to clean excess mud from boots and there should be clear signs posted around the farm to indicate the location of the disinfectant point.

Signs raise biosecurity awareness and “Think Biosecurity”, “Be seen to be Clean” or “Be Biosecure Aware” are useful slogans.

Disease risk from wildlife

Badgers are the biggest health threat to alpacas because they can carry tuberculosis (TB). Owners need to be aware of the risk and should ideally exclude badgers from farms.

This means owners need to be aware of any badger activity and be able to identify signs that badgers are active on the farm. Nearby setts are an obvious sign. These generally have D-shaped entrances rather than round or oval entrances that identify fox dens. Latrines, pathways, signs of digging or footprints

38 Alpaca Spring 2020

Install badger proof fencing – particularly in high risk TB areas. A six foot high fence will also stop deer from grazing in the paddocks and damaging

shrubs or trees.

Ideally use at least a 6ft roll of strong link fencing two feet above the ground and dug four feet into the ground in a J-shape – two foot into the ground with the final two foot at a 45 degree angle away from the fence.

This will prevent the badgers from digging in and if they attempt to do so their efforts will be clearly visible. If a small mesh link fence is used and taken to three feet this can also be used to exclude rabbits.

Adding electric fencing, mounted on stand off insulators, will deter badgers from attempting to break in. Di’s advice is to switch the fence on from one hour before to one hour after dawn and use either one strand at 10 inches high or two strands at 8 inches and 12 inches.

This has proved a very successful method but vegetation, including grass must be kept clear of the electric fence which can be very labour intensive.

Gates are a weak point and should ideally have concrete or hard core under them to stop badgers digging underneath. They also need to have mesh or sheet metal attached to at least three feet.

blocks to stop badgers drinking from them. Alternative drinking points are needed at suitable heights when there are cria in the fields as they will drink water from an early age.

Feed areas

Movement on/off farm

Store feed in dry areas in rat proof containers – plastic dustbins or feed bins are options. Di uses a feed hopper which is loaded from the top and dispensed at the bottom into pre-marked buckets for each group of alpacas. Scales under the buckets can also be used for individual feeding.

Tin plate on the bottom of doors will help to exclude rats and mice from feed stores.

Feed troughs

These should ideally be off the ground and height is key. Cria and weanlings must be able to reach the troughs. Many breeders use guttering which can be attached to fence posts or hung from fencing. Beef table feeders, which Di uses for pregnant females, are another option.

When alpacas are fed from troughs or bowls on the ground these should be turned over or removed after they have eaten to stop scavengers visiting for easy pickings.

Water troughs

Raise these off the ground either by mounting on metal brackets or using

Hay racks

Raise these off the ground on breeze blocks to prevent spray marking by wildlife and keep the area around the racks clean. Clear the base of the racks regularly to discourage mould developing in wet hay.

Barns/field shelters

Keep clean and spray with disinfectant or pressure wash regularly.

Trailers

Remove mats and use a pressure washer to clean thoroughly inside and out before leaving and returning to the farm. Disinfect after different groups of alpacas have travelled.

Consider Enferplex (TB) testing all alpacas arriving on the farm or going off the farm. These will include stud males, show teams and animals taken to “drive by” matings. Alpacas should be quarantined for three weeks on their return which may mean a show team is kept in a separate paddock from the rest of the herd for most of the summer.

Stud services

Stud services should be conducted in a clean area – disinfected where possible.

Otherwise penning (made from hurdles) can be used to allow matings to take place in an area, possibly a lawn where alpacas are not normally allowed.

Consider using a spit mask depending on the temperament of the female.

Before stud males are introduced to the female the owners of both male and female should check and confirm that they are happy with the health of both alpacas. If there are any concerns, including evidence of mite infestation or a dirty back end the mating should not be allowed to go ahead.

Being aware of these straightforward management practices and paying attention to good hygiene will ensure you are doing your best to keep your alpacas healthy.

Alpaca Spring 2020

39

ALPACAS OFFER RESPITE

Sarah Saunders, Low Sunbrick Alpacas, has a smallholding and holiday let business on the edge of the Lake District. Her holiday lets, converted from old farm buildings, are now home to NHS nurses working on the frontline as the country battles coronavirus and the alpacas are a welcome distraction.

T

he Covid-19 situation has had a devastating effect on small businesses – it has also given us all time to reflect on our futures as well as try and work out how we survive financially. The overwhelming message we’ve taken as we try to keep positive is the total appreciation of what we all take for granted – the simple things, including our animals and our landscape – that bring us so much happiness.

Due to the current lockdown we have donated our holiday lets, converted to staff working at an intensive care unit and who need accommodation away from their families while they are working. They are all loving the alpacas as the farm offers some much needed respite from the NHS frontline. Apart from the alpacas we also have goats, ex battery hens, horses, rare breed sheep and a pig we rehomed.

Wellbeing, and the contribution alpacas can make to improving people’s

40 Alpaca Spring 2020

wellness – reducing stress and lowering anxiety – is an area that I am very much interested in. My son Michael died tragically in an accident last September and being here secluded with the animals has been extremely comforting in the bereavement process.

We moved to our farm in early 2015. We have always had animals and moving to Low Sunbrick made it easier. The farm is in a hamlet of two farms and five houses on Birkrigg Common so we are ideally located for walks and the views are stunning of the lakes and Morecambe Bay We chose to keep alpacas by accident really. We had rare breed sheep and I became interested in producing fleece to use for felting. After coming across adverts for alpacas for sale we did some research and purchased our first gang and more followed – a familiar story for many of us.

We keep our alpacas purely for fun but we run special events on the farm and offer wellbeing visits. We also attend weddings and other events.

We offer afternoon tea with the alpacas and alpaca yoga which attracted 3.5 million views on the internet and a call from Judge Rinder to appear on the show. We also ran an alpaca yoga session for the local blind society and it was amazing to see that the alpacas were able to sense people were visually impaired and were more tactile than usual.

I particularly enjoy the events where people come to the alpacas in their own environment because it’s such a tranquil atmosphere here and it is lovely for people to share it. Alpacas are such lovely unassuming creatures, everyone who visits is fascinated to learn about them and appreciates their individual personalities.

The best thing about building up the business has been letting the alpacas lead us in directions we had never even considered. It hadn’t occurred to me that we could produce our own duvets for the holiday lets – a lovely unique touch. I have also started to use our fleece for needle felting little versions of the alpacas.

Careful consideration is taken when we ask the alpacas to take part in any activity and their happiness is paramount. We are extremely careful to match alpacas to activities although even the most reserved become confident where a carrot is concerned.

We ensure that they take turns going to events so as to not overface any of them. Before attending any event we carefully assess the facilities and plan/prepare to ensure everyone is happy. We have a pen that we use as their safe place. The pen is always positioned so that only the front has access for petting/feeding so the alpacas decide how much contact they have and can remove themselves and have a snack when they want.

We have really enjoyed our alpaca journey so far and it is so nice having visitors who enjoy it so much too. At Christmas we set up the old shippon as a Santa’s grotto and had hot chocolate and cookies with the alpacas. The sessions were only supposed to last an hour but we over ran every time by a long way, it was just so cosy tucked away from the weather with the alpacas and delicious hot chocolate.

Living on the edge of the Lake District and our secluded location attracts plenty of visitors to the holiday lets but the alpacas have definitely attracted visitors – who could possibly refuse breakfast with alpacas?

Alpaca Spring 2020

41

BREEDING ELITE ALPACAS

Ken Hibbits US Alpaca Owners Association (AOA) certified judge and co-owner of Alpacas By the Sea in California offers an insight into breeding elite alpacas in an exclusive two part question and answer interview for Alpaca magazine.

Part two follows in the Summer issue.

Why do you keep alpacas?

We love alpacas – what else can we say? Yes, we simply love them! If we as breeders can aspire through our husbandry and breeding efforts to enhance our herd’s potential and vitality then we are at the very foundation – successful. Alpacas by nature are a very hardy bunch and are often referred to as “easy keepers”. Rain or shine, the herd gives back tenfold and our time investment is always rich and rewarding. Few alpaca breeders will dispute this fact, set aside shearing day of course!

Alpacas give back more than we can ever give them. Spend a few short minutes with the alpacas and their inquisitive and humble nature seems to make all of our problems go away. That isn’t to say alpaca ranching is easy, although for many people alpacas are a great remedy.

Did you have a goal in mind when you started out as a breeder?

My wife Victoria deserves all the credit here! We were fortunate that we bought our first alpacas from Joan Speirs of El Ranchita in Santa Ynez, California.

We bought two and put them in the back of our Ford Explorer SUV and drove the five-hour drive back home. I can still remember the look on the faces of the people in passing cars along the freeway as both alpacas stood up to use their newly created dung pile in the back of the SUV! What a memorable start!

Joan Speirs was the real key to our initial success and a true mentor breeder to many. We also learned

that we were fortunate to live only a short distance from one of the world’s leading alpaca experts, Eric Hoffman. These two individuals were key to our early learning and success. Along the way we also had the good fortune of working closely with Mike Safley, and Amanda VandenBosch, as well as Jude Anderson and Al Cousill. These were some of our alpaca mentors and colleagues and we gained new insights from these thought leaders. What a great community! As we know it is a worldwide community now! It is also ever growing and evolving in new and exciting ways.

What advice would you give to breeders starting out?

Think of the corporate world where companies spend millions establishing a brand, a mission statement, to summarize - a corporate identity. In the alpaca world these principles are also very helpful to help establish our herd plan. That does not mean you have to spend a million dollars and that these foundational herd goals must be complicated. It simply takes a pen and paper and some time with the team around the kitchen table or a warm crackling fire. Today, some alpaca brands are immediate and easy to identify. In fact, the offspring themselves support this mission. Thus, you will shape your ranch identity with each new offspring and your herd and progeny form the centerpiece.

My wife Victoria and I have been fortunate enough to work with many first time and new breeders. This was also one of the most rewarding aspects of our alpaca journey. The rewards of assisting new breeders became a constant adventure. The gift of assisting

new breeders on the best ways for their family to get started was an interesting part of being an alpaca mentor. No two clients had the same goals, resources, ranch properties or skill sets. Thus, it was always an amazing new partnership. Many of these partnerships became long term friendships along the way.

What has been your best achievement as a breeder?

Of course, becoming a certified AOA judge has been an enormous honour and privilege. It is really exciting to have the opportunity to evaluate the alpacas in the show context.

Another rewarding achievement is the family based “alpaca lifestyle”. This lifestyle has been fun and of course at times challenging. Overall, the underlying passion fuels the goals of producing the best possible offspring you can produce. Specifically, in breeder’s terms it would be measured in the form of consistency of progeny and herd vitality. These goals can be measured in the group performance classes. Our goal was always to gain insight from these key class benchmarks. These Production Classes include Get of Sire – Produce of Dan – Breeders Best Three and Best Bred & Owned classes. Thus, the emerging strength of your herd production becomes an objective measure.

Many breeders utilize the show ring to gauge the strength and direction of the breeding endpoints the ranch has established. This is the journey if you will.

Of course, there are always other achievements that more immediately come to mind. Show records and high selling alpacas always delight the breeder and are at the top of your mind. However, the most important breeder achievements to me have been

of a more intangible nature. They revolve around family and seeing your family’s relationship with the alpacas evolve as well. Watching your kids show alpacas. Listening to them educate visitors about alpacas and spending time together with them in the field and at shows. Watching a cria come alive following a challenging dystocia (birth). Our kids grew up with alpacas so in many ways that’s our biggest achievement! I am not sure where we would be without the alpacas!

Furthermore, the wonderful friendships we have made along the way have endured for years through our love of alpacas and our shared mission.

From a pure production standpoint, we also had the opportunity to donate some of our alpacas to the AOA Association for auction at the National Meeting and Show. It was really a pleasure watching the alpacas being auctioned off for the association. It was also exiting to get to know the people that would take ownership of our cria – again friends for years. That was very rewarding!

What traits do you select for in your herd?

The first alpacas we owned were far from ideal.

They were not of course perfect and we were working at the beginning on health, herd stability and basic husbandry. With these humble beginnings, the range and lack of consistency was apparent. Fortunately, we learned from some key mentor breeders and we began to make consistent gains. Soon we learned the key traits and that the unifying elements could be generally organized into three key areas of focus – an Alpaca Value Triad (Pedigree, Conformation, Fleece) as shown in the chart.

We began our breeding process based upon evaluating traits from these key perspectives. We learned the ability to dismantle – if you will – key traits – and then independently assess them in detail.

Then we learned to rank and score them. Learning this process is a core breeder skill set. Thus, the ability to use a consistent and measurable methodology of phenotypic traits-based assessment was the key foundation. The follow up step was to then measure their manifestation in the progeny. Progeny testing then becomes the key to measuring our breeding endpoints long term.

The determination of the breeding endpoints as goals for your herd is the essential ingredient for success. With hard work and dedication, the breeder begins to yield tangible results. Excellent results often take time to realise. There is a wealth of literature and commentary available regarding breeding endpoints.

However, each individual breeder and herd manager

will decide how best to optimize their herd production based upon the unique individuals and that make up their herd population. It is also a benefit to have command of all the discrete individual fleece traits and utilize specific frames of reference for review of key conformational traits.

In summary, the first step is the ability to break down individual traits into components and make quantitative as well as qualitative measures. We then reconstruct them in a systematic and reproducible format as a complete package. This is a key breeder skill. We often hear judges refer to an alpaca as “the complete package”. As such, the sum of these components comprises the complete package. These “complete alpacas” check all the boxes.

We can form consistent methodology along these three key areas of focus by using phenotypic assessments for both conformational and fleece traits and organizing them by pedigree. We can leverage the pedigree information and track key traits, as well as faults, in resulting progeny. Think of how powerful and data rich the pedigree information is today and how all of this information can be recorded and applied to our efforts to improve our breeding programs. Next, track these traits down the progeny in a consistent and logical fashion to chart your progress. Record keeping while tedious, is an extremely valuable aspect of great breeding practice.

Always keep complete and accurate records!

More importantly, alpacas change as they grow and mature. These evaluations should be specific and anchored by the key development age benchmarks at juvenile, yearling, two years of age and mature. All these observations and all relevant statistical information are tracked through these key age ranges. The use of Emphasis Guides has been developed to assist in this critical role in conformation scoring. Measuring, recording, and referencing fleece data in this same fashion is also key to driving herd awareness along these lines. The fleece show and halter ring are great vehicles to gain objective data at each stage of development. Similarly, great breeders use all available reference material in best practice.

Use your association hand book and show rules as a framework to get a clear vision. Please see the list of essential reference sources.

We had the good fortune to see alpacas on the altiplano in Peru and visit the Alpaca Fiesta in

› Alpaca value triad Pedigree

Fleece

Conformation

Arequipa Peru. These experiences provided great insight. To that end, as an alpaca breeder perhaps a visit to South America should be on the “bucket list” as they say. It was an awesome experience to see these magnificent alpacas up close.

What would you say has been your high point as a judge and why?

Honestly, there are too many to name. Alpaca judging in itself is a great honour and privilege.

However, I would rank the opportunity to work alongside other alpaca judges and other industry experts as one of the best benefits of my judging career. It is exciting to have an opportunity to work with judges who will no doubt bring their own unique perspectives and advanced knowledge to the show ring. In fact, we love to learn from each other! Access to new information and learning is particularly rewarding. It is also exhilarating to expand my own horizons through exposure to new viewpoints and expertise. I am always on the lookout for new skills and methodology that I can integrate into my own evolving skill set.

We have travelled far and wide to experience the true rewards of alpaca ownership. It has also been very educational for our entire family. One of my best memories is being by a large fireplace in Peru listening to Dr Julio Sumar tell us about his amazing experiences raising alpacas high in the altiplano at the La Raya High Altitude Camelid Research Station. The opportunity to spend time with the great Dr Sumar talking alpaca was the thrill of a life time for Victoria and I. It has also been a pleasure meeting South American breeders in person and sharing alpaca information and viewpoints – even in my broken Spanish.

Essential literature and reference reading list: • • • • • • • • •

The Art & Science of Alpaca Judging by Jude Anderson, Cheryl Gehly, Michael Safley, and Amanda VandenBosch – The best reference available on key criteria and methodology for judging alpacas.

Alpacas Synthesis of a Miracle by Mike Safley Ideal Alpacas From Myth to Reality by Mike Safley The Alpaca Shepherd by Mike Safley The Complete Alpaca Book by Eric Hoffman – This is the all essential complete alpaca reference book.

The Alpaca Evaluation: A Guide for Owners and Breeders by Eric Hoffman with Sherry Edensmith & Pat Long DVM Alpaca Breeder’s Terminology Sourcebook Limited Edition by Glen M. Finbow The International Alpaca Handbook by Ian Watt Caring for Llamas & Alpacas: A Health and Management Guide Book by Clare Hoffmann and Ingrid Asmus

Alpaca Spring 2020

43

ALPACAS CAST A SPELL

First time owner Anna Lawrence is captivated by the behaviour of her two boys and spends some time studying their antics.

A

t the end of last summer, after a day-long workshop at Bozedown Alpacas and a lot of reading, we became alpaca owners for the first time. We are lucky enough to live in the New Forest in a house with a large garden and a small paddock where we keep pigs in the autumn for pannage. We bought our two boys Indiana and Helter Skelter, from Ken and Liz Freivokh of Artwork Alpacas. We wanted alpaca because our two children said we did, but our older daughter has also taught herself to spin and our small paddock did need mowing. So successful have the alpaca been in cutting the grass, that my husband is now looking for an animal which can lick the car clean so he can retire from household duties.

I am sitting in the kitchen, typing, from which aerie I am perfectly placed to observe the goings on in the paddock. So what have I worked out so far? Well, the boys, Indiana and Helter Skelter, love the broad-bladed pasture grasses, the smooth and rough stalked meadow grasses, Poa pratensis and Poa trivialis. I

44 Alpaca Spring 2020

think they prefer them to the otherwise ubiquitous Timothy grass and even to the fescues which grow round the sides of the paddock.

The rye grass bank up by the house they seem to dislike and it remains largely untouched – in fact, they use one patch of it as a latrine and sit on other bits, so parts of it are beginning to look a bit grey and flat. After the grass, they like Camelibra best, hand fed to them in bowls held by the children each morning before they leave for school. It tastes especially good when delivered to one’s lips at just the right height by a person in uniform - so important one’s staff are smartly dressed.

After breakfast, they investigate the grasses, unless the weather is very cold and the grass is frozen, in which case they won’t touch it; how alpaca manage in the paramo (the high Andean plateau), I have no idea. When the grass is frozen and one is still hungry after breakfast, one eats haylage. One doesn’t eat hay; not ever. One may investigate a few strands in the mobile manger and one may occasionally wear some on one’s head, but hay is a vulgar dish. Also beyond the

pale are any carrots and celery. Boys don’t eat vegetables! Who does she think we are?

So far, the boys have also proved t-total. We have never seen them drink. Sniff the water, yes, but not drink. It’s had me worried that the water in the container was tainted. I changed the water, I changed the container, I noted the levels: nothing. I have now stopped worrying: they must be getting enough water somehow or they’d have died. I decide to assume there is enough water in the grass and the dew on it. Nevertheless, I leave water out, change it and check it – a sign that I continue to worry despite logic.

The boys allow themselves to be caught up without much fuss: the rope method seems to work well and we don’t need hurdles. We live with two loud and eccentric cats whose behaviour is typical of their Burmese heritage. If, for instance, we plan to head into the village or visit the local pub, it has proved wise to line the children up at the front door ready, feed the cats and then run away while the cats are eating. Otherwise, we have had many a good walk ruined (though wandering past dog-walkers calling “Come puss, come; walkies!” does have its compensations). Now, when we take the alpaca for walks locally, the cats come too – at a suspicious distance. We make an eccentric ensemble; the neighbours are amused and the alpaca very puzzled as to what kind of a herd they now belong.

We condition score the boys when we catch them and suspect they have put on weight. I shall be glad of our alpaca lady’s independent eye when she comes.

We’ll do their injections together and I am determined to pick up their feet: I haven’t pushed this yet with the boys and the only time I tried it on Helter Skelter he was very rude. The vet is coming the day after the alpaca lady has been. I booked him in with a certain alacrity after observing the appearance of hormonerelated argy-bargy.

As I looked out one morning, the boys had an alarming set to in which Helter Skelter got Indiana into a kind of head-lock. Then I saw Helter mounting Indiana and showing far too much interest in his back-end for a decent alpaca. Anyway, I went out and remonstrated with them. Since my appearance in the paddock causes immediate interest and distraction, a short lecture on proper behaviour and the consequences of improper behaviour, seemed to re-set the hormones and harmony was restored. I am watching them like a hawk though, until the vet comes. It is interesting, it is the younger one who is the aggressor.

Apart from these short-lived bouts of hormonal high jinx, some rubbing on the old hawthorn, neck-stretching with flared lips and a very ram-like smell from their urine, all is peace and harmony. As they have relaxed, the distance at which they are happy to be apart has grown, but they always move round the field together, go into their shelter together, use the latrines together, feed together, sit together.

Our home-built shelter (still a few hundred quid on materials and a lot of swearing) has been a great success. They mostly use it for the purpose for which it was intended, particularly if it is wet or very dark without a moon. But, being woolly and perverse, on cold moonlit nights they will settle down outside, always on a raised bit of ground, a couple of yards apart from each other. When they are in the shelter, they have developed a night time latrine so, just like me, they nip out when they need to several times a night. We always know how much time they have spent, where, each night depending on which latrine has been most used. That, and the patches of unfrozen grass visible when they get up on a frosty morning.

Rubbing one’s neck on objects – trees, temporary fencing, occasionally the rail of the estate fence – seems to be particularly Helter Skelter’s habit, which fits with his more obvious sexual activity. They do occasionally both seem to want to scratch their flanks and they have found a bit of the paddock fence where some blackthorn pokes through. The vigorous rubbing which then ensues might have catastrophic consequences were they larger animals.

Should we provide scratching posts for alpaca, or might this ruin fleece? I don’t know, but I knew a farmer once who nailed the head of a coarse yard brush vertically to a wall so the cows could give themselves a good rub when they came in from the field. Here in the New Forest, the ponies scratch their tummies on the low posts called (poetically enough) dragons’ teeth – they’re just the right height for the lower-slung equines. Ponies also test the solidity of road signs with their itchy rumps, but the best animals for scratching and rubbing are the

pigs. We have pigs in the autumn to fatten them up with the acorns and stop the ponies eating any and getting colic. Putting pigs out on the Forest in autumn is called pannage and we love our pannage pigs – from so many points of view.

The children brush and rub them until they fall over in a kind of ecstasy. This is a particularly good trick if performed in a matter of fact way by the edge of the road or in front of passing tourists in the middle of the village. A well-rubbed and relaxed pig will close its eyes and remain prone almost indefinitely when supplied with a willing human. If the human then mischievously nips behind a convenient tree – for instance – the pig remains prone, apparently unconscious, at the roadside. The expressions on the faces of passing motorists provides the simple yokel with great amusement.

The only person who has not enjoyed the arrival of the boys is our grey cat.

Unlike his brown sister who is a kind of crotchety mouse-murdering psycho, the grey cat is lovely and cuddly and puts up with children (though he does murder squirrels which has brought him the admiration of my nut-growing neighbours).

The brown cat will cross the paddock with a sort of aggressive caution, watched closely by the boys. Their ears prick forward, they may even take one or two steps in her direction, but her general demeanour, the cast of her ears, the working of her shoulders as she moves, tells them that this is perhaps not an animal to bully.

When I am fettling the paddock, she will freely come and find me and I make a fuss of her and show the boys she is part of their herd. On the other hand, the grey cat is having a crisis of confidence, stays only on the perimeter of the field and sometimes looks positively depressed.

I must go and fettle said paddock now: I suppose it is good for my core muscles, or something.

Alpaca Spring 2020

45

YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE

Nigel and Lindsey Hunt decided to buy a starter herd of six alpacas. Within a week they were offered the breeder’s entire herd of 26 alpacas and Pemberley Alpacas began its journey as Lindsey explains.

W

e have worked in NHS Primary Care, for much of our adult lives, Nigel as a GP and me within primary care management. We became interested in alpacas following a few alpaca encounters both in the UK and overseas and decided that “you only live once” so we moved house and brought a farm with land to start our venture.

In August 2016 we decided to visit an alpaca farm open day and met with two girls, Debbie and Vicky, owners of an alpaca farm, who would end up becoming very special friends to us. We decided to purchase a starter herd of six alpacas, but within a week, we were offered their entire alpaca

46 Alpaca Spring 2020

farm livestock (26 beautiful alpacas) following the announcement by Debbie and Vicky that they had received their immigration papers and would be leaving the UK for New Zealand. We were filled with a mixture of absolute excitement and pure fear.

The alpacas came to us in October 2016 and since that time we have had a great awakening and have totally bonded with these magnificent creatures. We would not be without them. We have experienced such emotions since this time, from sheer exhaustion (paddling our way through long, hard and wet winters) to absolute joy following successful cria deliveries and winning prizes at regional and national shows.

Owning the alpacas gives our whole family

such pleasure and I think it’s so rewarding for our grandchildren to spend time with the herd who really seem to understand their innocence.

We have also experienced overwhelming sadness following the unexpected death of our beloved Gaia – a beautiful grey female who developed, very suddenly a torsion that despite all veterinarian help led to her rapid demise. Gaia left behind a beautiful male cria who although orphaned at an early age, thrived and it was his fellow cria who looked after him. Both Nigel and I were surprised at just how upset we were about losing an alpaca. We cried for days. These animals steal your heart.

Starting our alpaca journey with 26 certainly threw us in at the deep end. Our alpacas have

taught us well and seem tuned in to the fact that we had no idea what we were doing and in so many ways they helped us through it. We have learnt as we have gone along. Like everyone, we have made mistakes that we won’t do again (too many to name) but usually ending with one of us on the ground.

Halter training is probably one of the most gruelling tasks but having said that, it does finally work and it is so much easier to move alpacas around who are halter trained. When they do finally walk with you it is also very satisfying and rewarding to have the animal’s trust.

We have two cria that have had to be bottle fed. The first was born in 2018 and we were both working full time. I recall dashing home from work each day in the winter, in my workwear, grabbing a pair of wellies and feeding the cria who was not a natural bottle feeder. Plasma transfer was given and feeds were initially little and often (every two hours). The little cria thrived though and is now with my good friend Jo. The second bottle fed cria has also thrived and she has excellent potential for the future. You do get back what you put in.

An exciting adventure

If you are thinking of buying alpacas I would recommend researching first. We did this beforehand and there are now some excellent BAS run educational courses for beginners run by reputable breeders. We spent thousands of pounds on fencing our land and looking back, I wish we had organised it a bit differently. For any future alpaca owners I would suggest that talking to as many owners as possible about your set up is a good idea.

We quickly outgrew our own land and are fortunate that we are able to rent additional adjoining land.

As neophyte alpaca breeders we have been supported so much by those within the alpaca community and have made real friends with other owners and breeders. We have a common bond.

We also are on first name terms with our local camelid veterinarian expert, Ami Sawran from Westpoint Vets who along with the Westpoint team provide a fantastic service as does the Cambridge Veterinary School who have dealt with a couple of admissions for us over the years.

Nigel and I have thrown ourselves in to this lifestyle, signing up to BAS educational courses, local courses and taking advice from other really successful breeders all over the world. We have built up our herd and now own a total of 48 alpacas including champion stud males, junior stud males, elite females and cria.

We knew we had “made it” when in September 2018 BBC Essex Radio contacted us to ask if we would take part in their Sunday morning treasure hunt series. Of course we said yes and it was really amusing to hear the listeners phoning in with their answers to clues and also really interesting to know that people living in our village really know and appreciate the alpacas.

One of our most exciting adventures was

meeting up with Sarah and Peter Busby who run Gilt Edge Alpacas in New Zealand. We originally met Sarah and Peter in April 2018 at the North Island Colourbration Show and spent a lovely day with them walking their splendid team. We fell in love with all of them but in particular with a stunning young fawn boy, Gilt Edge Prophecy, who went on to win Champion Fawn Male at the show – he now has quite a collection of sashes.

We diverted our itinerary to visit Sarah and Peter at their farm and were lucky enough to secure the purchase of Gilt Edge Slipstream and Gilt Edge Prophecy and it was in mid and late 2019 that we welcomed both into the Pemberley herd. We now have a further two fantastic stud alpacas and a deep friendship with Sarah and Peter who we have now grown very close to resulting in an invitation to spend our last Christmas in New Zealand which was wonderful.

Following our successful import we should thank Libby Henson and the team at Grassroots for all their help and patience in dealing with us novices.

Nothing is ever straight forward though and the process of obtaining our DEFRA Animal Transporter Authorisation was a particularly interesting procedure.

Our objective within our breeding programme is to selectively breed our female stock using both our own studs and proven studs from reputable breeders aiming to produce progeny which express consistently genetic phenotypes for fine fleece and excellent conformity.

One of the disappointments this year has been the cancellation of the BAS National Show.

We thoroughly support the decision but for the first time we were entering our own cria bred from outstanding bloodlines and it would have been interesting to see how they perform in the ring. Our entries included Pemberley Tignanello (Sire: Softfoot Koo Wee Rup and Dam: Furze Park Pennant), Pemberley Caruso (Sire: Snowmass Bronze Royalty of ARW and Dam: Artwork Playmate), Pemberley Tarantino (Sire: Furze Park Fury and Dam: Furze Park Solstice) and Pemberley Velvet Gold (Sire: Snowmass Velvet Voyager of ARW and Dam: Artwork Amber Gold): Alpacas change your lives and I never thought I would become so excited to receive a Yamaha quad for my birthday present last year!

We wish to thank, in particular, Karen & Simon Mann, Ken Freivokh & Liz Windsor, Bob Hyde, Jo Bridge & Scott Stevens and Emma Taylor & Chris Dell (from the East Anglia Alpaca Mill) in particular for supporting us, giving us advice and putting up with our constant questions. We have made so many alpaca friends along the way, thank you to everyone and also a big thank you to the Eastern Alpaca Group who work so hard to make the group a success.

I finish this story by offering some personal advice. Watch what you are doing when you are entering a bid on the BAS National Stud Auction – you could end up bidding £32,767 for a single mating!

› Sarah and Prophecy

› Nigel and Lindsey

Alpacas for sale

A list of BAS members who are breeders and advertising their alpacas for sale

SOUTHERN ENGLAND

ALPACA EVOLUTION

Herts AlpAcAs

We are committed to the success of the British Alpaca industry and realising the potential and possibilities this offers. We are passionate about the Alpaca, and continuing to progress the quality of our herd of 700 plus alpacas, both Huacaya and Suri, without compromising our high standards in ensuring excellent herd welfare. Offering unrivalled experience and support to our clients, and helping them achieve success is core to our business ethos.

15 years of selective breeding and dedication has successfully proven our genetics both in and outside the show ring, winning multiple Herts Alpacas championships and of course one of the British Alpaca Futurity’s major Best Breeder awards.

We offer a full range of alpacas for sale, stud males, breeding females and pets as well as learning opportunities for all levels of experience. We welcome visitors by appointment. Located in Buckinghamshire.

We offer a range of courses including: ‘Introduction to alpacas’, ‘Birthing’, ‘Husbandry’, and a day long ‘Advanced’ course.

Alpacas for sale in all colours, at prices to suit all pockets, but more importantly from elite herd sires and proven bloodlines.

Our farm in Hertfordshire offers: feed, supplies, coats, halters etc. Importantly we deliver total customer care. See website for customer reviews and details of our award-winning herd sires.

PENNYBRIDGE ALPACAS The PennyBridge Herd and Stud. One of the first alpaca farms set up in the South of England, still producing show winners from champion stock. Good quality starter herds, proven and potential stud males, stud services, fancy grazers and sheep guards available. Please phone to book a viewing with no obligation to purchase.

Situated in North Hampshire, close to the Surrey and Berkshire borders with good access to ports and airports, less than five minutes drive from both J5 and 6 of the M3.

TEL: Nick 07979 651742 & Alexandra 07795 843790 EMAIL: enquiries@alpacaevolution.com WEB: www.alpacaevolution.com

tel: 01763 271301 or 07802 433155 emAil: beckwith904@aol.com Web: www.hertsalpacas.co.uk

TEL: 01256 764824 or 07801 132757 EMAIL: joy@pennybridgealpacas.co.uk WEB: www.pennybridgealpacas.co.uk

SCOTFIELD ALPACAS

SNOWSHILL ALPACAS

ADVERTISE HERE

We are a family run farm in Warfield, Berkshire, breeding high quality Huacaya and Suri alpacas from show winning sires. We would like to welcome you to Scotlands Farm to see our wonderful herd of both white and coloured animals.

We are happy to discuss your requirements, be it for pet males, stock guards, or breeding females to suit your budget but with no obligation to purchase. We have over ten years of experience with these adorable animals. Give us a call and let us see if we can help you.

TEL: WEB:

Sue Hipkin 07770 455533 Lisa Batup 07770 455534 www.scotfieldalpacas.co.uk

Established in 2002 and situated on the North Cotswold hills close to the picturesque village of Snowshill, the current herd numbers over 300.

We breed both Huacaya and Suri alpacas (approximately 85% are Huacaya). Although our breeding programme is biased towards the darker colours, we do also have superb quality whites and beige alpacas.

Full range of alpacas for sale, attractive pets to top show quality breeding girls and stud boys. Large choice of stunning stud males available to service your girls. Also offering natural alpaca fabrics made in the UK from the fleece of our own herd.

TEL: 01386 853841 or 07711 044106 EMAIL: roger.mount@snowshillalpacas.com WEB: www.snowshillalpacas.com

For only £280 +VAT for the year which includes an online listing, you can advertise in the Alpacas for Sale classifieds.

TEL: 01233 555735 EMAIL: wendy@tandemmedia.co.uk

SOUTH EAST

LIGHTFOOT ALPACAS Lightfoot Alpacas are situated in Hawkhurst in the Weald of Kent. We have been breeding alpacas since 1997 and have over 450 Huacaya and Suri. Lightfoot is a closed herd, we believe that the bio security and health of our animals is paramount to their breeding and care. We always have for the full range of colours and ages, mainly Huacaya with some Suris. Our animals are known for being friendly as we spend time with them and know them individually.

We provide after sales advice and back up services when we sell our animals. Whether you are looking to improve or expand your herd or just thinking of alpacas as pets, why not contact us to arrange a visit.

PINNACLE ALPACAS

ALPACA ANNIE

Situated in the beautiful Surrey hills, the Pinnacle Huacaya herd can be found grazing in badger fenced, lush pastures.

We are passionate about alpacas and committed to maintaining the highest standards in our breeding programme.

Breeding quality, friendly alpacas on the Romney Marsh, we pride ourselves on the relationship we have with our animals and our high welfare standards.

Whether you are just starting out or wish to enhance your breeding programme from our outstanding, world renowned genetics, we would be delighted to help you. Every Pinnacle alpaca carries an exceptional pedigree and is halter trained from an early age. We have a selection of quality animals for sale from pet males, through to breeding females and herd sires.

As BAS Affiliate Trainers we provide learning opportunities at all levels and always give full support with ongoing aftersales care.

TEL: 07802 263589 WEB: www.alpacabreeder.co.uk EMAIL: graham@alpacabreeder.co.uk

TEL: Hilary 07957 689002 WEB: www.pinnaclealpacas.com EMAIL: info@pinnaclealpacas.com

EAST MIDLANDS

WEST MIDLANDS

JANDJ ALPACAS

JandJ Alpacas WE SPECIALISE IN COLOURED ALPACAS

The family run JandJ Alpaca herd was established in 2005 with four pregnant females, today we have over 90 beautiful animals. We are located in Lincolnshire on the Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leiceistershire border just off the A1.

With years of experience our aim is to help you choose the best alpacas to start you journey, whether it be pregnant females, stud males, pet boys or girls.

Please feel free to get in touch.

TEL:

Martin or Clare 01636 626990

EMAIL: jandj.alpacas@zen.co.uk WEB:

www.jandjalpacas.co.uk

48 Alpaca Spring 2020

TOFT ALPACAS We offer over 150 pedigree alpacas in all colours, ages and price ranges and are confident that our prize-winning herd will live up to all your alpaca expectations. We will be delighted to share our extensive experience to guide you towards your alpaca aspiration, whatever that might be. Through the TOFT studio we run an extensive programme of practical husbandry and textile, crochet and knitting workshops throughout the year. The TOFT studio retails exclusive luxury yarn from throughout the world. Come and see for yourself – the complete alpaca experience.

TEL: 01788 810626 or 07970 626245 EMAIL: shirley@toft-alpacas.co.uk WEB: www.toftalpacastud.com

Many of the herd have been halter trained and are great walking companions. We can help you find anything from a fleecy friend to a show winning fleece.

For new keepers we have well bonded starter herds available with a full support package including – training with our head herdsperson, home visits, shearing, ongoing phone/ face-to-face support and a ‘Home for Life’ guarantee as standard. So please come on down and meet the herd!

TEL: 01303 870527 EMAIL: becca@alpacaannie.com WEB: www.alpacaannie.com

NORTH WEST

POTTERY ALPACAS Pottery Alpacas are a family run farm located in Lancashire, we focus on breeding high quality animals from elite bloodlines. We have a wide range of alpacas for sale, with everything from Pet Quality males and females to Stud males and show quality stock. We offer first class support and advice with every purchase and are more than happy to discuss your requirements with no obligation. We are here to help you every step of the way on your alpaca journey!

TEL: 01254 419069 MARK: 07702 540270 AMANDA: 07882 456084 EMAIL: mark@potteryalpacas.com WEB: www.potteryalpacas.com

SOUTH WEST

CENTRAL ENGLAND

URCUCHILLAY ALPACAS For over 10 years we have bred multiple-champion alpacas, selecting the best genetics while working to very high ethical standards. Our reputation and many awards are testament to our passion, commitment, knowledge and experience.

We have BAS registered and halter trained alpacas for sale in a range of colours, ages and quality, champion studs in a range of colours with a variety of sought-after genetics from New Zealand, Australia, America and the UK. We offer alpaca walks, experiences, events and parties as well as a shop. Visits are welcome by appointment.

TEL: 01458 860052 or 07570 511299 EMAIL: carla@urcuchillay.co.uk or carla@fibreofthegods.co.uk WEB: www.urcuchillay.co.uk or www.fibreofthegods.co.uk

Faerie–Tale Alpacas is a small family run farm based in Kenilworth in Warwickshire J15 of M40. We focus on breeding sound, healthy, friendly, elite alpacas with gorgeous fleeces and top class genetics at very reasonable prices.

We know each alpaca and have most colours available from blue black to dazzling white. Whether you are new to alpacas or wish to expand your herd we have an alpaca to suit you! Prices to suit all budgets and with full after sales support given.

We offer: • Quality breeding stock • Starter herds • Stud services • 2 hour alpaca experiences • Alpacas for weddings and events • Luxury range of hand knitted alpaca garments and accessories using our own fleeces TEL: 07950 671672 FACEBOOK: Faerie Tale Alpacas EMAIL: info@faerietalealpacas.co.uk WEB: www.faerietalealpacas.co.uk

Fibre Processors and Retailers

in the ONLY magazine mailed direct to ALL members of the British Alpaca Society and will be available bi-monthly in WHSmith stores

Alpaca Everything

ut alpacas o know abo you need t

YEARBOOK

2018

Alpaca

HOMESTEAD FARM SUPPLIES

M.R.HARNESS

k 2019.indd

M.R.Harness was founded in 1995 after existing part time for a number of years. Mary herself is a qualified engineer and is well placed to assess materials and their useage.

CLASSIC CARDER Classic Carder produce a full range of British, handmade drum carders for fibre preparation. Featuring our unique interchangeable drum system which allows quick and easy

Alpaca

£7.95/€10

Alpaca Yearboo

2020

1

British Alpac a Society The fibre bree

YEARBOOK www.bas-uk. d com

18/01/2019

15:49

Company policy is to test as many of the webbing designs as possible before release, as each item is unique to the animal it is designed for. This has led M.R.Harness to become the supplier of choice for headcollars, leads, coats and harness for all the various smallholding animals, but specialising in alpacas and llamas, and working ponies.

All items are hand crafted ‘in house’, in England, so you can be assured of good workmanship and quality products that last.

So please come and try the ‘Choice of Champions’.

TEL: 01299 896827 EMAIL: mary@mrharness.co.uk

£2.95

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

www.bas-uk.com

EMAIL: paulbrittain@mac.com

Book now

WEB: www.classiccarder.co.uk

Become a BAS member Single membership £74 per annum Joint membership £95 per annum Herd registration fee £25

www.bas-uk.com

To sell your Alpaca products/services contact advert sales 

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

01233 555735

 wendy@tandemmedia.co.uk

Alpaca Spring 2020

£2.95

49

KELSEYmedia

PROCESSORS OF FIBRE – MINI MILLS AND OTHER

ow about alpacas Everything you need to kn

KELSEYmedia

WEB: www.jganimalhealth.co.uk

11:14

£2.95

EMAIL: jganimalhealth@aol.com

22/01/2018

2018.indd 1

FEBRUARY 2020

TEL: 07866 607466

Alpaca Yearbook

KELSEYmedia

• A, D3 & E Paste

K

m www.bas-uk.co

£7.95/€10

KELSEYmedia

• Premier Mineral Bucket

a Society British Alpac The fibre breed

KELSEYmedia

• Premier Mineral Supplement

YEARBOO

KELSEYmedia

• Premier Camelid Drench

2019

g you nee d to know about alp acas

£2.95 2020 2020 £6.99 FEBRUARY YEARBOOK

suitable for all camelids.

Everythin

KELSEYmedia

High specification organic chealated nutritional supplements

Everything you need for your alpacas delivered to your door! We are a one-stop-shop for alpaca supplies, including headcollars and leads, vitamins and nutritional supplements, healthcare and welfare supplies, colostrum, coats for cria and adults and microchipping equipment.

We also have a good selection for your other animals, including dogs, chickens and horses, as well as a range of farmhouse items and gifts, including our famous home cheese-making kits.

We are alpaca owners ourselves and we are always happy to help with your questions and enquiries.

Order direct from our website or by phone. You can expect fast, friendly service and advice.

TEL: 01295 713188 EMAIL: homesteadfarms@btinternet.com WEB: www.homesteadfarmsupplies.co.uk

KELSEYmedia

JG ANIMAL HEALTH

TEL: 01746 714130

Advertise

RETAILERS/WHOLESALERS IN BRITISH ALPACA PRODUCTS

ANIMAL HEALTH

drum change for carding different fibres.

Now in

FAERIE TALE ALPACAS

BAS MEMBERS EXCLUSIVE

BAS Members get free membership to My Society and can benefit from a number of exclusive offers. Here are a few:

Medisave

The Professional Solution

Checkout these and many other offers on The My Society page on the BAS website by going to the moving carousel on the home page and clicking on the My Society link www.bas-uk.com The British Alpaca Society cannot be held responsible for any issues regarding products, offers or services offered under the My Society scheme.

All offers can be withdrawn or changed without notice. The British Alpaca Society does not endorse or recommend any of the companies listed under the My Society Scheme. * Full terms and conditions of the My Society offers can be seen on the BAS website.

25% OFF

5% OFF

10% OFF ®

ALL products Safe4disinfectant www.medisave.co.uk Terms and conditions apply

Terms and conditions apply

Discounted Prices on Microchips*

10% OFF Alpaca Transport at LOC Ltd*

Terms and conditions apply

AGRI Shelter www.ellipsefabrications.co.uk Terms and conditions apply

Free bag of Camelibra NG2

www.locltd.com and www.localpacatransport.com Terms and conditions apply

2 FREE worm counts worth £40 for NEW BAS members then 25% OFF Worm Counts after that* Wildwood Animal Health www.wildwoodanimalhealth.co.uk

Terms and conditions apply

www.bas-uk.com 50 Alpaca Spring 2020

(worth £28 & free delivery) Terms and conditions apply

Supreme Champion Black Alpacas

Inca Jealousy - Female

It always seems impossible until itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done.

Nelson Mandela

Inca Leading Edge - Male

Inca Incognito - Female

w w w. i n c a a l p a c a . c o. u k Please call Tim and Tracey to talk more about alpaca ownership: +44 (0) 7875 532827

incaalpaca.co.uk