Alpaca Winter 2020

Alpaca British Alpaca Society bi-monthly magazine

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

www.bas-uk.com

KELSEYmedia

FEBRUARYWINTER 20202020£2.95 £5.99

KELSEYmedia

ISSUE 82 | WINTER 2020

£

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

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CONTENTS

Rural crime Life drawing

Alpacas proved a popular subject for artists of all ages at a sell out life drawing class at Holly Hagg Community Farm in Sheffield.

10 BAS Breeding Value project

BAS CEO Ducan Pullar, who is co-ordinating a BAS project to produce Estimated Breeding Values, explains how and why these proven pedigree breeding tools work.

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Practical management

Kate Brookes shares her practical experience in the first of a new series of articles looking at seasonal herd management.

DISTRIBUTION

Highlight, a five year old female, was treated for colic and despite best efforts her illness took a shocking turn for the worse when vets were forced to amputate her leg to save her life.

32 Rising interest in lifestyle farms 34 Suri show success

Suri breeder Paula Winsor shares her passion for her grey Suri alpacas and looks back at a Supreme Championship winning 2020 fleece show season.

14 Best value machinery

Finding the right machinery to help you manage your paddocks, fields and more can be quite a minefield, whether you have a large budget or not.

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

30 A survival story

34 Innovative fleece assessment

US judge Amanda VandenBosch introduces a new innovative approach to fleece assessment that sorts fleeces into grades and judges them relative to their potential end product use.

18 Top travel award

Alpaca owners are celebrating well-earned TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards after visitor reviews placed them among the online travel company’s top 10% of businesses worldwide. We hear from four proud winners.

Distribution in Great Britain: Marketforce (UK) 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP Tel: 020 3148 5000

42 Show reports 44 A letter from South Africa

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.

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24 Our alpaca lifestyle

26 Delivering dreams

Peter and Glenda from Amazing Alpacas tell us how they developed their successful business model and share some thoughts on the future of the UK alpaca industry.

Alison Notley, Helderstroom Alpacas in the Western Cape offers an insight into life with alpacas in South Africa.

46 Vitamin D

Is it worth it? How to work it? Oral paste, injection or just swerve it?

50 Seasonal ramblings

Cover photo: Winsaula Alpacas

Alpaca Winter 2020

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FROM THE EDITOR

W

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

elcome to Winter. The days may be Glenda Stoneman at Amazing Alpacas explain how they are shorter as the nights draw in but all working with other breeders in Wales to help potential new owners the signs point to a bright future for UK realise their dreams. We also celebrate the success of some of alpaca owners. In this issue we celebrate the alpaca businesses who have been given TripAdvisor Traveler’s alpaca owners’ business and show success and offer some Choice awards putting them in the top 10% worldwide. helpful management advice so you can keep your alpacas Looking after alpacas is a 24 hour year round commitment and happy and healthy. we include management and veterinary advice to help you ensure Covid-19, and the restrictions introduced to curb its spread, your alpacas stay fit and healthy. Ami Sawran, from Westpoint Farm have prompted many people to reassess their lifestyle and realise Vets, takes a timely look at vitamin D supplementation, and Kate their dream of owning a house with land in the countryside. Estate Brookes shares her experience in the first of a new series looking at agents report a big rise in interest from potential buyers in lifestyle topical practical management starting with weaning. properties, including houses with land or holiday let potential as BAS regional groups continue to work hard behind the scenes to we find out from land agents. ensure Covid-19 compliant fleece shows can take place safely, and Alpaca owners are similarly experiencing a surge in interest we include the results from two recent shows. from potential newcomers and BAS membership has risen. Owning We are also delighted to include a feature from widely respected alpacas is a lifestyle, as well as a business opportunity that ticks international judge Amanda VandenBosch who introduces a new all the right boxes in difficult times as we navigate a new normal. innovative fleece assessment (IFA) which grades and judges fleece Alpaca walks and experiences are providing a welcome outdoor on its end use potential. Alpaca Owners America (AOA) has run an diversion and as people holiday closer to home IFA Show, alongside its National Show this year and alpacas are an added attraction for holiday lets, breeders are using IFA feedback to improve their glamping or or bed and breakfast owners. breeding programmes.

In this issue Emma Bird, Bird Farm Alpacas tell us I hope you find plenty of interest in the magazine about her off-grid alpaca lifestyle and the benefits and please do get in touch with any comments or › Liz Mason alpacas have brought in difficult times. Peter and feedback. It would be good to hear from you.

D

Autumn cover correction: Our apologies to Kim Inglis Jeffries, Blencogo Farm Alpacas for incorrectly crediting last month’s front cover. The Autumn cover photo was Lucky Star with Huacaya son As Good As Gold from Blencogo Farm Alpacas in Cumbria.

CEO NOTES...

Duncan Pullar

espite all the upheaval due to Covid-19 interest in alpacas continues to grow. Maybe it is Covid-19 that has made more people think about what they want from life but my phone has been busier than ever with enquiries from people who want to start their journey in alpaca ownership.

One of the encouraging things that lots of theses enquiries have in common are the depth of research that wannabe owners are putting in before they take the plunge. The BAS website is a great source of technical information and most enquirers had looked at it, and found it useful.

The most frequently asked question is: “How many can I keep on X acres?”.

It is a simple and sensible question but quite hard to answer definitively when

you consider different soil types, weather, and options for supplementary feeding.

My favourite question of recent weeks was: “I understand there is a market for alpaca poo, how much is it worth?” I tried to explain that income from poo sales was probably not going to be significant.

Two of my strong recommendations to interested newcomers is that they visit several different alpaca herds to learn about alpaca ownership from several different perspectives alongside some formal training. BAS members are good at delivering both and thanks to all members who welcome prospective alpaca owners, large or small, and those who deliver the BAS affiliate training which hits the spot for many.

Become a BAS member www.bas-uk.com

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Alpaca Winter 2020

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

Alpaca Winter 2020

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RURAL CRIME Quad bikes targeted

T

he cost of rural crime has risen to its highest level in eight years with criminal gangs targeting quad bikes and livestock, recent figures show.

Rural insurers, NFU Mutual, have found rural crime cost the UK £54.3m in 2019 – an increase of nearly 9% on the previous year. The figures come as Dorset police issued a warning to All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) or Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) owners in the county. Police in North Yorkshire have issued a similar warning after a recent theft.

The Dorset force has seen 14 ATV’s or UTV’s stolen from across the county so far this year. It wants owners to review their vehicle security arrangement and ask themselves: Is the bike secure enough to stop thieves taking it?

Dorset police has put together a security check list to secure ATV’s and UTV’s.

The ideal security solution is to secure an ATV with different layers of security.

Advice to owners is to: • Keep your vehicle in a lockable garage or building and make sure you remove the keys and keep them in a secure location and out of view, not hidden on the vehicle and out of view of any windows.

• Cover any windows to the building where your vehicle is kept this will prevent any persons looking through the windows.

• Consider installing security lighting and CCTV with sensors and PIR Alarms on the perimeter of the building or premises.

• Physically secure your machine using suitable locking devices and fixed ground anchors secured to the floor using heavy duty security chains and padlocks.

• Get your machine marked with a security marking scheme such as Datatag or CESAR. Some insurance companies will often offer a discount to premiums with these types of measures. Most dealers will offer this as an extra with a new quad if it’s not already fitted at the factory as standard, if not please ask for the bike to be fitted with it. (Since CESAR was brought in in 2007 it has contributed to a 60% decline in thefts. Recently during a Rural Crime Team recovery of a Polaris UTV the only way to have verified that the vehicle was stolen was by this system.)

• Use a grip lock that locks the brakes on the machine to prevent it being moved without removal.

• Consider fitting immobilisers, VHF, GPS Tracking devices and consider isolating systems to machines that will prevent theft such as fuel and battery isolators.

• Record machinery serial numbers and take photographs for reference. If the machine is ever stolen a photo will increase publicity prospects and recovery of the machine.

• Report suspicious vehicles or callers to police by calling 999 if the vehicle or occupants are seen committing a crime; phone 101 when a vehicle or people are acting suspiciously.

Missing alpaca found dead

G

went police have reported that a missing alpaca, called Kevin, has sadly been found dead.

An appeal for help to find Kevin was made by the rural crime team who initially thought the alpaca who was described as ginger, had been stolen from a field in Llanover.

A spokesman said sadly he has now been found dead. “We don’t now believe he was stolen, there’s nothing suspicious. Thanks for helping and sharing our appeal.”

There are no further details about the cause of Kevin’s death.

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Alpaca Winter 2020

Meon Valley Alpacas Hampshire

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

Are You Doing The Rounds ? …

With over 22 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!

Visit our website or call Karen 07913 247144

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

You won’t be seeing for much longer.

Instead, you’ll be seeing this

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

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

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

Office 01344 486969 Lisa Hipkin 07770 455534 alpaca@scotfieldalpaca.co.uk Scotlands Farm, Warfield, Berkshire RG42 6AJ Alpaca Winter 2020

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LIFE DRAWING

A

lpacas proved a popular subject for artists of all ages at a sell out life drawing class at Holly Hagg Community Farm in Sheffield.

The classes, taught by artist Liah Edwardes, who specialises in life drawing classes and pet portraits, took place outdoors with the farm’s herd of six alpacas enjoying a centre stage role. Holly Hagg is run entirely by volunteers and the alpacas are used to people as they trek twice a week with children and adults.

Farm manager, Claire Gregory said: “We love having the art classes at Holly Hagg. We just point the alpacas in the right direction and they generally hang out with the attendees, sitting in the middle of their circle or sneaking up to have a close look at their portraits.”

Art teacher Liah Edwardes said she had the idea for alpaca life drawing classes after her dog drawing classes were stopped due to Covid-19

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Alpaca Winter 2020

restrictions. She contacted Claire at Holly Hagg because art classes with alpacas could take place outdoors in a field. “We are socially distanced because the class takes place outside and and it works really well as there are only six alpacas they tend to sit in the middle of the class.”

Liah said she chose alpacas because of their appearance and their social nature. “People are very drawn to them because of the way they look. They are an interesting animal to draw and with their long necks and funny haircuts they are almost abstract as an animal.

“I thought life drawing classes would be a good thing to do and they are accessible for people of all different ages and children are welcome. I provide all the materials – pastels, pens pencils to get people to experiment with different materials and different coloured paper.”

Liah hopes that after the success of the first class more will be held at the community farm to inspire local artists and alpaca lovers.

Feed as Nature Intended 100% natural forage feeds.

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

BAS BREEDING VALUE PROJECT

BAS CEO Ducan Pullar, who is co-ordinating a BAS project to produce Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), explains how and why these proven pedigree breeding tools work. › Measuring breeding potential

Why have EBVs?

The value of EBVs comes from their use in breeding plans because they help breeders achieve the aims of their breeding plan quicker and with greater accuracy than might otherwise be achieved for the traits that have EBVs. The benefits of an EBV system are that the breeding progress is: • Permanent – the benefits stay with the alpaca for life • Cumulative – improvements made in one generation are added to those made in previous generations, and • Sustainable – improvements can continue to be made for hundreds of generations.

EBVs will help breeders make better breeding decisions, identify good and bad alpacas early, and can help with the valuation when buying and selling.

Pedigree data

Performance data

What are EBVs?

EBV stands for estimated breeding value and uses measurements to calculate an estimate of the genetic worth of an alpaca for one or more traits of interest.

EBVs can only be calculated for traits that can be measured, like fleece weight and micron diameter, so they always have units like kg or mm. Alongside measurements of the alpaca in question data is used from related alpacas – parents, offspring, aunts and uncles – to help improve the estimate of genetic worth. The more data there is available the better the estimate that can be made.

In the example below the reliability of the estimate is represented by the narrowing blue cone. The true value of the fibre diameter EBV is 17.5 micron but if we only had measures from the individual the EBV might be anywhere between 19 and 15 micron. Using measures from parents as well means the estimate improves, to give a measure between 18 and 16 and if you add in further data from, say, 10 progeny the estimate could narrow to between 17 and 18.

EBVs are recalculated every year to reflect the increased data available. So,

Just animal data 19

Animal data and both parents

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› Increasing data and increased accuracy 10 Alpaca Winter 2020

Animal data, both parents and 10 progeny

"True EBV 17.5

Fleece traits

ESTIMATED BREEDING VALUE

for a widely used stud male after a few years there could be 30 or 40 offspring contributing to his EBV and it probably would not move as much as it might when the first few offspring contribute to his EBV calculation.

How do EBVs work?

EBVs use measures of a trait (for example micron diameter of fibre) and the pedigree (which animal is related to which) to disentangle the effects of genetics and environment. The measurement taken on a particular trait at a particular time is the product of the genes the alpaca has, and the management environment it has experienced (like feed availability and disease challenges), as well as other factors like age, and sex.

One way to think about it is to imagine identical twins separated at birth and exposed to vastly different feeding regimes, one good and one poor. At a year old one twin could conceivably be 50% heavier than the other. The environment has made the difference, but we know they have the same genetic potential for growth because they are identical. So, when it comes to breeding, the quality of offspring from either twin would be expected to be the same and their EBVs would reflect that despite the very different appearance.

The way genes are passed from one generation to the next means that for lots of traits predicting the outcome in the offspring is difficult. For complex traits like micron of fleece this is because there are so many genes that contribute to the quality of fleece produced.

If you mated a male with an EBV of 18 micron to a female with an EBV of 22 micron you might expect the offspring to have an EBV of 20 micron. And that is what happens on average BUT, and it is a big BUT, the possible range of outcomes for the offspring could be anywhere from 16 to 24 micron. Which is why you need to measure the performance of offspring even from fully performance recorded

› Possible range of outcomes from a single mating

DATA NEEDED

(parents 18 and 22)

Microchip ID

20

Date of Birth Sex

12

Herd

10 8 6

24

16

4 2 0

EBV

Animal Name

Trait of interest

Micron Average Diam

Yes – negative finer than average

Standard Deviation mic diameter

Yes – negative less variation than average

Comfort Factor %

Yes – negative less coarse fibres than average

Spinning fineness - Mic

Yes – negative finer than average

Staple Length mm

Yes – positive is longer than average

Curvature Dg/mm

Yes – positive more crimp than average

Fleece weight (kg)

Yes (standardised to 365 days) positive heavier than average

Skirted (yes or no) Date shearing Previous shearing date

parents. In practice we don’t see enough offspring from a single set of parents to see the full range of possible outcomes.

If you breed an alpaca that turns out to be better than either of its parents then well done! Interestingly the odds of that happening are just the same as breeding an alpaca that is worse than both of its parents.

The practicalities

By using data from the registry and measures taken by breeders EBVs can be calculated. In practice breeders need to weigh the shorn fleece, whether skirted or not, and send off a mid-side sample for analysis as well as record shearing dates.

The BAS EBV project has negotiated a special rate of fibre analysis with the Art of Fibre. The Art of Fibre are the preferred provider for the EBV project because using one lab reduces variation in data but data from other labs is acceptable.

The table (right) summarises what is required and what the EBV calculated will be like. To make it easy to do there is an Excel template which the breeder can fill in and send to the BAS CEO by email.

The raw data will remain confidential to the owners. The aim is for EBVs derived from the raw data to be published to help members understand how EBVs work and make breeding decisions. Historic data is also valuable if you have it in your records because the calculation of persistence of fineness needs repeated measures.

Days growth Colour Breed type Micron measures from the same alpaca in a series of years

In the autumn of 2020 data from breeders will be collated and the EBVs will be calculated by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). Contributing members will get a preview of the complete set of results three weeks before publication on the BAS website.

The aim is that BAS members will use the data to: • help match males and females to get the best possible offspring • find animals that will help your breeding programme • value animals for sale or purchase • measure the overall merit of your herd and the genetic progress being made year on year.

If you are not already part of the project, then contact the BAS CEO for more information by emailing ceo@bas-uk.com

Alpaca Winter 2020

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PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT: WEANING

I

Kate Brookes, Mullacott Alpacas, shares her practical experience in the first of a new series of articles looking at seasonal herd management.

became the proud owner of my first two alpacas in 1997 – a breeding pair! How much the industry has learnt since then and over the years. I have learnt more and more, and needless to say, the learning journey continues. My herd is now 50 adults – alpacas are definitely addictive!

I have been invited to share some of my practical experiences with you. It’s always a challenge to put yourself forward as any sort of ‘expert’, as there are many, many ways to have happy, healthy alpacas and mine is not the only the way. I certainly don’t consider myself as an expert, and still seek help from other experienced owners, or the vets, whenever something new comes along or flummoxes me.

At this time of year most breeders’ minds are turning to weaning. We all want to achieve weaning with the minimum mental and physical stress to both cria and dam. At Mullacott Alpacas we do May/June matings, giving us April/May/June cria (21 cria this year), so the eldest are now approaching six months.

Here are a few of the weaning questions I regularly get asked:

12 Alpaca Winter 2020

When should I wean my cria?

It is common practice to wean at about six months old, but there may be circumstances when early weaning is necessary (dam is sick or in poor condition, cria failing to grow, etc). If weaning significantly before six months of age, I usually consult with my vet to make sure any underlying health issues have been investigated, although sometimes it is in the best interests of the cria to wean early, even though no specific reason for a growth issue has been identified. I expect my cria to have reached at least 25kg at weaning, often they are well over 35kg.

If you have female cria with a good condition dam (body condition score (BCS) of 3.5 or more) and dam is not already pregnant, then keeping dam and cria together and allowing weaning to take place naturally is acceptable. But I personally wean all my cria at around six months of age, as they seem to gain confidence by not having their dam to depend on.

It is necessary for male cria to be removed from the female herd and female weanlings by around eight months of age. There are well documented incidences of cria this young successfully mating their dams or similar aged cria.

How do I prepare my cria for weaning?

From just a few weeks of age, you will see your cria nibbling at grass and perhaps trying out the dam’s mineral concentrate. I encourage this by creating a ‘creep feeder’ – a pen with a narrow entrance, so only the cria can get in. In the pen I have a readily available selection of hard feeds. I use GWF Hembre & Cria, dried rolled peas and young stock pellets (I have heard them called foal, milk or creep pellets – they have a high milk content, easily digested by a cria stomach before weaning).

The cria stomach has evolved to digest mainly milk for its first three-four months, gradually digesting more and more grass/hay and other feed as the full pseudo ruminant, three chamber stomach, process kicks in. I spread the hard feeds thinly along a trough, so the cria can pick out what they want. The variety of feed starts to get the cria’s digestive system producing the right microbes to digest the different feeds they are eating, making it less of a shock when they are removed from their mums.

How much should I handle my cria before weaning?

I like my cria to be calm and trusting around people, so it is not so much about how much, but more how I should handle them. From a couple of months of age, while their dams are eating their daily rations, I herd the cria into the creep feed pen. The older ones usually quickly start to try out the feed and the younger ones soon copy. I find the dams and cria soon start to be very relaxed about this short separation. Now is a good time to get the cria used to you being close, to get them to calmly accept touching - on their backs, then necks, then down their legs. I try to use the Camelid Dynamics style of handling as it has worked well with my herd. Don’t make them over friendly (particularly male cria) in the field, as this can lead to serious behaviour problems as they mature.

How often should I weigh my cria?

New born cria should be weighed daily for around two weeks, then at least weekly, if possible, until weaning. A lack of weight gain pre weaning, may be the first sign that all is not well with a cria or its dam. Make sure you record their weight just before weaning. After weaning, weigh daily, or every other day, for a couple of weeks, so you can see if there is any negative impact. There will probably be a slight drop, but then weight should start to increase again.

I weigh mine very regularly, as I have weigh scales set up in a crush and it gets them used to going in and out of it, making husbandry tasks less stressful for them when older. Bathroom scales are just as good, but you have

to do the maths to subtract your weight (and it gets more difficult as they become heavier). BCS does not work well on cria, as the smaller weight changes may not show up in their BCS and their growth rates at different times, will affect it.

How should I separate cria and dam at weaning?

I’m a fan of the ‘either side of a fence line’ method. I find that, so long as the dam knows where the cria is and that it is not in danger, she is more relaxed. The cria graze near the fence line initially, but gradually move further away. By weaning time I have separated my dam’s into two groups. Ones that have a BCS 3.5 or under (they get extra feed of peas/beet) and ones that have a BCS more than 3.5 (mineral concentrate only). This makes it easy to add the cria to the opposite group to their dam. I still try to move several into the other group at one time, so they stay with their playmates. Both groups of cria have access to a creep feeder for the group they are in.

Once the male cria are approaching eight months and fully weaned I move them one more paddock away, still sharing a fence line with the dams/female cria. Again, I try to move them in groups.

What do I do if I have just one cria or one male cria?

If you have three (or more) females, but just one cria, consider splitting the cria from its dam with one of the other adults, keeping them either side of the fence line, so they still feel part of a larger herd. You can do this with a male cria too, but you need to plan ahead.

What will you do when the male cria reaches around eight months old? Is there another alpaca breeder that would be able to take him into their male weanling group? (Biosecurity issues need to be considered). Or is this the time to advertise him and identify his new home, once you are happy he is fully weaned? Plan in advance, as these issues take time to arrange. Of course, you could just buy another dam with a male cria at foot, but you can’t really do that every year until you have enough cria each year to make sure you never have a lone male!

Don’t be worried about weaning, just like humans, alpaca cria find new situations a bit scary and given choice would probably stick with the comfort of mum, but they soon adjust and for your weanlings it’s the first major step to independence and time for your dams to get some rest and relaxation before they have their next cria!

› Creep feeder fastener

› Creep feeder fastener

›

Creep feeder entry via yearling cattle crush

› Cria Nimbus using creep gate Alpaca Winter 2020

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MACHINERY

BEST VALUE MACHINERY

Finding the right machinery to help you manage your paddocks, fields and more can be quite a minefield, whether you have a large budget or not, writes Andrea Pickerin, RT Machinery. ›Suffolk Sweeper with Iseki

M

ost of us have come through some losses over the last six months and need to make our tools and machinery perform as many tasks as possible to get the best value. With a huge highlight on the environment too, you may also want to consider what options there are for electric machinery, as well as tools that require no power at all.

I’m delighted to say that technology has moved forward extensively in this area, and while there is still a long way to go, there are a growing number of products that fit the bill. Most importantly, these products actually perform very well! Look out for the ECO symbols against products on our website as it’s a quick way of seeing what’s ECO and what’s not!

14 Alpaca Winter 2020

There are also a number of second hand machines available often fully serviced or remanufactured, ready to go back to work. This option can work very well when budgets are tight.

Utility vehicles for versatility

We supply several electric utility vehicles which offer amazing versatility for alpaca owners and farmers. As an example, the Cushman Hauler 800 Elite can carry two people and a substantial amount of tools and materials in its rear-tipping cargo box – it can cope with a payload of up to 360kg in the box.

You can take whatever you might need with you when moving across your land and won’t have to go back to collect different tools or materials - a great time

saver! The batteries charge easily, are zero maintenance and new machines have a five year battery warranty too, giving you peace of mind when investing in this newer technology.

Adding to its versatility, it has a tow point for pulling a variety of tow trailers or machines. This could include a small engine driven paddock sweeper like our RTM Pony, or a set of gang mowers for large area mowing. The 800 Elite is a great friend to have!

Paddock sweepers for clean grass

We specialise in paddock sweepers, stocking a range of brands including our own Suffolk® 1.3m and 1.8m sweepers and the engine driven, 0.9m Pony.

Sweepers are all pulled behind a utility vehicle, tractor or quad and are another huge time saver. They only need one person to operate and you can simply keep pulling it around your paddock until it’s full – no need to keep stopping to pick anything up.

They will pick up your alpaca poo of course, but will also pick up leaves in the autumn, as well as any other dead or loose material. In addition they will rejuvenate your grass in the process, giving you a very cost-effective way of keeping your surfaces clean and well maintained!

›Cushman

Multifunctional compact tractors for multi-tasking

Currently there are no electric models for compact tractors on the market that we have tested, however you may well need the extra pull they offer if you have steeper hills or if you require pto power for implements. The Iseki tractors that we stock do run on a percentage of BIO diesel and so at least go a little way towards looking after our environment.

We chose the Iseki brand specifically because of the build quality and pricing, making it very affordable compared to other brands. These tractors can perform a huge variety of tasks and are simple and easy to operate – you can feel comfortable at the controls within five minutes, even if you’ve never driven a tractor before!

They offer all the benefits of a much larger tractor – robust enough to take a front loader or backhoe, as well as countless other tools including levellers and harrows; and if your ground gets really muddy in wet weather, the 4-wheel drive traction makes light work of it too.

They will also pull a range of trailed machinery again, including our own RTM Suffolk Junior paddock sweeper, giving you the ability to get so many jobs done.

To find out more about specific machines, see our website: rtmachinery.co.uk, and please feel free to contact us for further advice. We’re always keen to help you find the right machine to fit your needs and budget.

›Iseki TXGS24

›Suffolk Sweeper with Iseki

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.

Alpaca Winter 2020

15

MACHINERY

WHEELBARROW DESIGN CLEANER N ew from Trafalgar, and available from Fresh Group Products, is a wheelbarrow designed poo picker offering the time saving benefits of a paddock cleaner without the need for a towing vehicle.

The paddock cleaner, mounted on a modified wheelbarrow chassis, was introduced following demand for a hoover that did not need to be hooked onto a quad or ride on mower, says Keith Douglas, Fresh Group managing director.

The PC500H4WB paddock cleaner vacuum has a Honda 4-stroke engine, which uses standard unleaded petrol, and is fitted onto a strong wheelbarrow frame that can be pushed and pulled like a standard wheelbarrow. The 500 litre hopper equates to more than three standard wheelbarrow loads, and with wide, tough terrain wheels the poo picker is designed to perform in any conditions, wet or dry.

It can be used to hoover all poo types including horse as well as alpaca.

Like other models in the Trafalgar range the wheelbarrow paddock cleaner can be used for clearing leaves and debris from paddocks and gravel paths by adjusting the engine revs accordingly. It will also clean unwanted dirt from the bottom of water troughs.

The Trafalgar clean fan paddock cleaner system sucks the poo straight into the collection tub through a five- inch diameter hose. The fan is located on the outside of the paddock vacuum cleaner and has a filter sock positioned inside the vacuum to stop manure, or other debris causing damage to the machine.

GROUP

PRODUCTS

Paddock Cleaners

LTD

For a full product overview and video demonstraton see the Fresh Group webpage: www.fresh-group.com/paddock-cleaner-media

FRESH GROUP PRODUCTS LTD

Arena Paddock ATV Levellers Toppers ------------------- ------------------- Bale Trailer Dampeners Flail Mowers (3 Options)

Paddock Sweepers

Power Barrows

Sprayers & Spreaders

Field Rollers & Harrows

PADDOCK MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT

Water Bowsers

Haygain Hay Steamers

Quad Trailers Compact ------------------Tractor Multi Purpose Attachments Trailer Drinking Carts

Leaf Vacuums Various Types

0845 3731 832 www.freshgroup.net 16 Alpaca Winter 2020

Mark & Sue Steele Budleigh House Farm, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 9LW E: mark@patoualpacas.com

Alpacas For Sale / Stud Services / Expert Advice

Breeding Coloured Alpacas since 2006

WWW.PATOUALPACAS.CO.UK Alpaca_Winter20_Pinnacle Alpacas_HP_JB.pdf

1

24/09/2020

Are you looking for Alpacas?

Come and talk to us about what we can bring to your Alpaca journey. Located in the Surrey Hills, we are absolutely, passionate about ‘All Things Alpaca’ and look forward to welcoming you.

M: 0788 054 2260

11:58

Follow us on

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Pinnacle Incan Prince

E P Cambridge Wildfire

Pinnacle Endurance

Pinnacle Artisan Dream

Pinnacle Mr Darcy

Pinnacle Maverick

Champion Stud Males • Proven Top Genetics • Animals to suit all budgets • BAS Affiliate Training • Comprehensive and ongoing, friendly client support • ‘Exclusively Pinnacle’ Fleece, Fibre, Fashion

Tony & Hilary Monkcom MOB: 07957 689 002 TEL: 01306 628 003 info@pinnaclealpacas.com www.pinnaclealpacas.co.uk Alpaca Winter 2020

17

TRIPADVISOR

A

TOP TRAVEL AWARD

lpaca owners are celebrating well-earned TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards after visitor reviews placed them among the online travel company’s top 10% of businesses worldwide. We hear from four proud winners, starting with Debby Pearl at Alpaca Alpaca in the Leven Valley North Yorkshire.

I was over the moon to receive the Travellers’ Choice Award for 2020, writes Debby. It means so much that we are achieving exactly what we set out to do and it is an accolade to my team who work so hard and love what we do. I’m very proud.

I believe passion and enthusiasm are key to a visitor’s experience.

Enthusiasm is infectious and when you are surrounded by smiley alpacas it’s hard not to smile too.

We have a diverse team from all walks of life and everyone brings something to the table. They are valued and trusted and always step up when needed. We have regular volunteers, students and apprentices who work at Alpaca Alpaca. They all have their own responsibilities and take great pride in their work.

We focus on a positive attitude, we do not reprimand anyone for mistakes, we work on making improvements and this means it’s always a fun place to be.

When I changed my career a few years ago, I wanted something that would make me happy, to follow a dream of having a small holding and animals which felt secure and content, when they are happy, I am.

This place not only provides me with a feeling of calm and worth but it’s a privilege to be able to share that sense of connection with the animals, creating trust and comfort in a non-judgmental environment. Meeting alpacas is an amazing experience, especially in the difficult world in which we find ourselves today.

Sharing the love

Customers visit us with all levels of previous camelid knowledge, but we

18 Alpaca Winter 2020

start with the basics and are happy to answer questions as we go along. Our alpaca guides speak generally about camelids but are expected to cover the basic key points/facts which are later revisited in a fun quiz at the end. Our visitors are often amazed at how much they have learnt during their visit.

Although I show my alpacas I am keen that the customer experience is not about prestige or showcasing – it’s about the animal’s welfare, showing how well they are cared for and sharing the alpaca love.

We keep to a standard format and routine, meaning all visitors get the same experience. We have made slight changes due to Covid-19 and have put provisions in place to ensure customers are as safe as they can be and feel reassured.

We are a small farm of around 37 alpacas, two llamas, a few rescue sheep and a pet pig. We all know each animals’ name and their characters and they are all unique and special in their own ways regardless of whether they are show winners or have done the walk of shame in the show ring, have had a hard start in life, stunners or old yet happy.

People come here because they love animals and each animal has their own journey. Visitors love to hear the individual animal’s stories, even the three-legged cat Rocky gets a mention these days.

There is a little shop where we sell our alpaca products, key-rings, cuddly alpaca toys, alpaca poo bricks and products from the individual alpacas so if they walked Iggy Invincible, they can buy a hat knowing the provenance of the finished product. We discuss the process from animal to product, emphasising the importance of shearing for welfare reasons and having a good shearer to ensure the final product is the best it can be.

We don’t advertise so most of our business is word of mouth and recommendations, we do have a Facebook and Instagram page, and Google presence.

We have a shepherd’s hut that sleeps two adults and our next project is to build some outdoor gazebos where our day visitors can sit outdoors safely and make the most of their time with us.

ALPACA

AlpacaAlpaca LevenValley

ALPACA .COM

of

Alpaca Alpaca in the Leven Valley is in the small historic town of Yarm, North Yorkshire.

A family run farm with a small select herd, ethically breeding.

Call 01642 262700 E-mail: info@alpacaalpaca.com QUALITY, AWARD WINNING ALPACAS.

alpacas cornwall

✓ Alpaca experiences with

well trained, good natured alpacas

✓ Alpacas for weddings, events, and care home visits

✓ A selection of BAS registered

alpacas for sale, bred from elite bloodlines

✓ Quality breeding alpacas and starter herds available

The CREWENNA HERD

BREEDING FOR EXCELLENCE SILVERSTREAM NIGHT FEVER

2020 BAS National Champion of Champion Black Fleece Multiple Black Male Halter Champion 2016+2017 New Zealand National Black Fleece Champion (Junior and Intermediate Fleece)

✓ High welfare standards and

support on your alpaca journey

HERDING THE BEST GENETICS AlpacaAlpaca.com

Galvanised Handling Chute Blood Testing Ultrasounds Drenching Skin Treatments Toe Nail Trimming Injections

Also owned by Alpacas of Cornwall: CREWENNA AMADEUS 2017 BAS National Champion Black Male and multiple Champion awards.

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

CARN TREMAYNE FARM, PRAZE-AN-BEEBLE, CORNWALL TR14 9PG

TEL: 07870 612559 www.alpacasofcornwall.co.uk Alpaca Winter 2020

19

TRIPADVISOR

ALPACAS ATTRACT VISITORS

Irish holidaymakers and visitors flocked to Hushabye Farm for an alpaca ‘staycation’ experience as travel restrictions forced tourists to cancel overseas travel plans, writes owner Paul MacDonnell.

W

hile the lockdown has been challenging on so many levels for us living in the countryside the time was a great opportunity to catch up on family life and the endless chores that build up on any working alpaca farm. The weather and pending cria were a great distraction too.

While travel restrictions meant we had to cancel all our overseas visitors, the same restrictions offered the Irish tourist an opportunity to explore destinations and experiences closer to home. Not a bad thing I say. The grass is just as green nearer to home and sometimes it takes a situation like the current one for people to appreciate what's on their doorstep.

So, staycations became the buzzword for 2020. We were inundated with Irish people looking to discover all the Midlands has to offer with the added attraction of staying on an alpaca farm and immersing themselves in the Hushabye Farm experience. The beauty of this of course is that all our guests came from the

20 Alpaca Winter 2020

island of Ireland so, hopefully, they or those they shared their experience with are very likely to return another time. Hopefully, once restrictions are lifted we can welcome back our international visitors from the UK and mainland Europe. We are literally an hour from Dublin airport and the ferry ports.

With school's closed, the 'staff', our four children Noah, Emily, Charlotte and Maddie, took an interest in sharing the love and the experience of meeting the Hushabye Farm herd with the public. Dressed up to the nines in their new ‘Team Hushabye' uniform they set about doing daily alpaca walks after strict restrictions were eased and the alpaca farm walks have proved popular with day visitors and guests alike.

Such is the success of their endeavour, I’m hoping to spend the winter building a new, dedicated alpaca track and picnic area – watch this space!

With plenty of bookings in place prospects for 2021 are looking up already and I admire peoples’ optimism.

Call Us: +353 087 258 0165

Strong demand

Here at Hushabye Farm Alpacas we have 75 of what we always say are the friendliest, well-bred alpacas in Ireland. They are without question the main attraction for our guests and the reason everyone stops by.

Our two self-catering accommodations are tucked away discretely on the farm and allow the guests total access to all the paddocks where they can feed, walk and enjoy our herd. The cottages are finished to a very high standard and are of course, fully insulated with you've guessed it alpaca fleece! The bedding is alpaca and the pictures/photos are alpaca related – we offer the full experience!

Everything we do here is centred around the alpacas. The self-catering accommodations, workshops, open-days, alpaca treks and sales events are all centred around the Hushabye Farm herd.

The demand for good quality, well bred, conformationally correct stock is also stronger than ever, especially those with quality fleece and an easy temperament. The Alpaca Association of Ireland is working tirelessly behind the scenes to maintain the integrity of the national herd and support members on their alpaca adventure.

As the farm is situated literally in the middle of Ireland, Hushabye farm offers guests a great base to explore the Midlands or to discover the island of Ireland.

A stone's throw from the farm are great visitor attractions including the Slieve Bloom Mountains, Birr Castle, Emo Court, Lough Boora to name just a few. So, for those with an interest in alpacas, country living and lifestyle, Hushabye Farm could be just what you're looking for to kick back and relax.

@Hushabye Farm Alpaca

Lullabye Lodge and Jack Wrights’ Cottage self catering accommodation

Hushabye Farm offers two self-catering accommodations, tucked away in a quiet corner of a working Alpaca stud farm.

‘Jack Wrights’ and ‘Lullabye Lodge’ overlook the Alpaca paddocks, offering a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the whole Alpaca experience.

Ramble through the farm with your favourite alpaca or sit and enjoy the cria ‘pronking’ over the hills, this takes self-isolation to a whole new level. Help with feeding and halter training, enjoy the views and get those all-important selfies.

An oasis of calm in a world gone mad! No TV, no WiFi, no problem!

Enjoy the fresh air – Local amenities on our door step include the Slieve Blooms mountains, Lough Boora Discovery Park, Birr Castle and Emo Court.

You can contact us directly for availability or check out both listings on Airbnb.

Farm Shop

Range of alpaca items bed linen, t-shirts, novelties & vouchers

Alpacas for Sale

Choice of Male, Female and Pet Alpacas

Stud Males

Enhance your breeding using one of our multi-award winning stud males

Stay-cation A home from home for Alpaca lovers

 hushabyefarmalpacas@gmail.com www.hushabyefarmalpacas.com Alpaca Winter 2020

21

TRIPADVISOR

AWARD CELEBRATED

Former prison officer Kim Williams is “over the moon” after her Somerset alpaca business was named among the world’s best.

C

ary Alpacas has been named by Tripadvisor as one of its 2020 Travellers’ Choice award winners.

“To say I am pleased and proud is an understatement. I am over the moon for my business and for the fact that my alpacas have done extremely well and also that people have taken the time to write the review,” Kim said.

“The award shows exactly what we do here, and that we are trying to achieve the best for our alpacas and the best experience for our visitors.

“Even the reviews alone are just brilliant because we have received only five star reviews for the past five years which is fantastic.

The award is recognition that Cary Alpacas is achieving an excellent standard all round. Kim said: “You just know that you are doing the best for the alpacas and the visitors and it is a tick in the box showing you are getting everything right.”

Kim added that she was surprised to win the award because the Covid-19 pandemic had forced so many businesses to close. After reopening in July visitors have however appreciated the safe two hour outdoor experience and the love she gives to her alpacas.

Kim, whose service career includes 22 years in the Women’s Royal Navy and four years in Avon and Somerset Constabulary, also finds her role as host a rewarding experience. “I love meeting and talking to people and finding out about what they do. They’ve all got a story and some make you think how lucky you are.

“We had a lady recently who had never left her house since March and her visit to us was her first

22 Alpaca Winter 2020

time out of her house. She did it because it was her daughter’s birthday so she made herself go out.

“The week before that we had a lovely 38 year old girl who was terminally ill with cancer and her bucket list was walking with alpacas. You get to hear their stories and it really does make you think – it is very humbling.”

Prison break

Kim, who has always loved animals, made the decision to leave her prison officer’s job and do something she loved after the prisoners she worked with at HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset had their own encounter with alpacas.

“One particularly nice summer’s day my duty was to check the prisoners’ identification and paperwork and search them before they went out on work experience.

“They told me they were going to an alpaca farm to work and I wasn’t happy! I was left in prison and they were out on the alpaca farm.

“It was a really hot day and I spent 10 hours of my 12 hour shift in prison and to add salt to the wound I welcomed them back with smiles on their faces and colour in their cheeks. “ Kim did eventually meet the alpaca owner and decided she was going to spend the rest of her life with alpacas.

“I spent two months getting fencing put up and getting everything together and I handed in my notice not long after I visited the alpaca farm.

“I found a fantastic breeder in Lyme Regis called Sue Thomas, from Lyme Alpacas, who had more than 200 alpacas and spent many hours

with her. We did courses on birthing, husbandry and parasites and learnt a lot.”

Kim now has 21 alpacas, including her team of 12 working alpacas. She has five breeding boys and does occasionally breed, but her alpacas are not for sale – at Cary Alpacas every animal has a home for life and for Kim her job is all about education and helping others enjoy their alpaca encounters.

TRIPADVISOR

TEAMWORK KEY TO SUCCESS

TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice award winner Charnwood Forest Alpacas, is one of the largest alpaca walk farms open to the public in the country with around a thousand visitors each week.

N

estled in the boundary of Derbyshire and Leicestershire, the 110 acre farm has a growing herd of almost 200 alpacas.

Owner Chris Deakin explains the secret to the farm’s success and why the experiences are so enjoyable for so many people.

“My farm has been a labour of love for almost 10 years! I started off with five alpacas and soon realised that in order to get where I wanted to be I needed more animals and a bigger farm fast.

“We expanded quickly and went from a 30-acre farm to a 110 acre farm, as the new farm was agricultural we worked extremely hard to make everything that it is today. I have a fantastic team in place and their passion for the animals is infectious.

“When you go on one of our alpaca experiences, you won’t just get to spend time with these friendly fellas, you also get to learn so much about their unique personalities and the breed as a whole. Whether you’re visiting us for the first time or have met our lovely herd before, there’s so much to learn, and our friendly team will be happy to tell you all about our alpacas, as well as answer any questions you might have.

“As well as growing our alpaca herd and running exciting alpaca experiences for our guests, I also started bringing new animals home.

Today, we have over 300 animals living with us,

including our horses, Dorset Poll sheep, Kunekune pigs, cats, chickens, ducks, donkeys and counting!

We wanted to diversify the experiences we offer and give our guests the opportunity to meet all kinds of different animals.

“As well as the experiences the farm also has an on-site cafe, The Chilli Bean Kitchen, which offers guests and the local community a place to sit back and relax with some delicious (and

ALPACA

PODS

sometimes alpaca themed) food and drink. Our PukkaPaca shop online or on-site offers all kinds of exciting alpaca merchandise from figurines, mugs and magnets to unique alpaca fleece gifts and accessories.”

Charnwood Forest is open to the public with free entry, allowing visitors not taking part in an experience to visit the animals and spend time in the countryside.

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 Winter 2020

23

O

OUR ALPACA LIFESTYLE

ctober 2020 marks our ten year anniversary as alpaca owners, writes Emma Bird. What a journey! It’s been A roller coaster of ups and downs but we have absolutely no regrets.

Both Rodney and I were ready for a challenge and change of lifestyle in 2010 as our kids were becoming independent. We discussed having a smallholding a lot over the years and finally decided enough was enough and we took the plunge!

We both have a big love of animals so as we researched traditional smallholding livestock we realised that we didn’t want to raise animals for the table, this was going to be our dream business and we wanted to be comfortable with every aspect.

Alpacas seemed the perfect idea, beautiful gentle animals producing hypoallergenic premium fibre. A huge amazing learning curve followed as I strived to be a responsible owner, meeting all the needs of the alpacas as a new entrant took dedication. I attended training courses with UK Alpaca vet Claire Whitehead and we had a lot of back up support from the breeders we bought from. We read and researched the market a lot!

Having a low carbon footprint was paramount and our smallholding in Ceredigion is completely off-grid. Solar electric (no mains), our own spring water

24 Alpaca Winter 2020

source and a wood fired Rayburn using our own wood to heat water and the home. We harvest rainwater too which feeds the animal drinkers and waters the poly tunnel and veg garden. We are mostly chemical free not using artificial pesticides or fertilizers. Aiming to follow permaculture principles as much as we can.

This lifestyle is intentional and although physically quite demanding we don’t need gym memberships or trips out to meet our exercise and fresh air goals!

Being based at home we look after the seasonal smallholding tasks as we watch over our herd.

Alpacas are perfect for a low carbon business as they are light footed and don’t poach the land. Ours have access to our 10 acres freely browsing. I love the fact they roam the paddocks during the day and always turn up back at the house for breakfast on time.

Living in Wales and on the edge of a 33 acre bog we are mindful to provide plenty of shelter and hard standing to allow the alpacas to get off wet land in the winter. We appreciate our climate is quite different to their natural environment of South America. The mild damp weather and higher rainfall here can prove tricky as it is a haven for bacteria, worms and mites to thrive.

Without lanolin in their fleeces to help waterproof the alpacas, they rely on us

to provide the best environment. For me that means keeping them in overnight if it’s going to be raining hard even if they haven’t opted to come in of their own accord.

We recently whitewashed the stables to keep them light and bright. Also, a great treatment to kill any mites that could be lurking. New rubber matting finishes off the revamp and will provide extra warmth during the winter months.

You know you have done a good job when the animals voluntarily come in and use it. It’s important it feels like a safe cosy spot be in.

We poo pick daily as it minimises the risk of alpacas being reinfected from parasites in the pasture and is another great way to observe the herd. Knowing the animals really well aids in detecting when they are off colour, as they hide any signs of illness. We do regular faecal testing to ensure we are worming only as necessary. This along with monthly body scoring all year round reassures me that all is well with the herd. Catching them up regularly means we can foot trim, administer vitamins and the alpacas are used to being handled in a gentle, non-stressed way.

We use all of the fleeces, sending some away to be processed into beautiful yarn and blankets, some are spun by hand at home and any seconds are used in craft activities like needle felting so nothing goes to waste. My mum and three friends regularly adorn the stall with their creative knits. We also supplement the farm income from our other work, me a part time hairdresser and Rodney a groundworker.

Along with learning to process the alpaca fibre using a traditional spinning wheel I attended basket weaving workshops locally. Soon my tutor became my mentor and friend, I gained so much from these days and they became extremely therapeutic for me. I felt strongly that I wanted to help keep these rural heritage crafts alive by offering workshops at the farm, at that point not appreciating the well-being aspect of these activities and how healing it could be just spending time with the alpacas in nature.

Finding solace in alpacas

Nine months after setting up Bird Farm Alpacas, Rodney was diagnosed with rectal cancer, undergoing surgery, radiotherapy and chemo. Things got pretty serious but somehow the alpacas helped us get through, they depended on us and we had already jumped off the cliff, no turning back! As hard as it was, we loved the farm, the routine and purpose it brought us.

Failing to gain the support of our local council in Gloucestershire to begin the farm locally, we moved to West Wales where the council were more supportive of our business, as were the local community.

I began my workshops at the farm, small numbers creating a restorative day of crafting, listening, talking, sharing lunch and a walk with the alpacas. Going

home with something you have made, disconnecting with busy lives, getting back to nature and spending time with the calm alpacas seemed to be a winning combination. I receive great feedback from people and also have gained so much from it myself as life sent us some more huge curveballs!

A year after arriving in Wales we suffered a huge blow when one stormy January night in 2014 our house burnt down completely, - we lost all of our possessions, a truly shocking experience. Just two weeks later we discovered Rodney’s cancer was back, this time in his lung. Devastating, life seemed pretty cruel. We had to put the fire nightmare into perspective, no one was hurt, health and well-being is everything! This took us back to basics and again we found solace in the alpacas and the nature around us. Supported by friends, family and a great community we got on with things once more.

Making connections along the way I have collaborated with other craft makers and therapists. Developing a Community Group meet up once a month bringing people together to share craft skills, providing peer-to-peer support, complementary therapies and time out in nature which has proved a great hit.

The alpacas are a great draw, and everyone enjoys spending time with the herd.

Supporting the vulnerable

Ten years on, Rodney’s health and my reluctance to part with any more alpacas has prompted a change in focus. We have decided to downsize the herd and cement my collaborations with three friends to form ‘Bird Farm CIC’ a Community Interest Company.

Our common goal to support vulnerable people within our community and from further afield. Providing well-being workshops, social prescription activities and bespoke day care services.

For three years we have had adults with learning difficulties helping with farm tasks from Glasallt Fawr, a lovely rewarding experience for us all and something we want to build on.

Between us we have a wide range of skills and experience and are undertaking further training. Myself retraining as a counsellor as I think some farm/craft-based therapy will be a great addition to the CIC in the future. The alpacas will play a vital role as looking after and spending time with them will be part of the day centre activities.

Social Business Wales are helping to link us up with other local enterprises so we can identify what services and support is needed in the local area.

This way we can share ideas, skills and training. Providing localised support and avoiding unnecessary travel, both particularly important with our current health crisis. During these extremely difficult times, it is even more important to support rural communities. Showing compassion and kindness is the way forward to support us all through the difficult times this country is facing.

Alpaca Winter 2020

25

DELIVERING DREAMS

Peter and Glenda from Amazing Alpacas in South Wales tell us how they developed their successful business model and share some thoughts on the future of the UK alpaca industry.

S

ixteen years ago, four alpacas arrived on our smallholding near Usk in South Wales. We had no plans to develop our little hobby venture into anything bigger, but somehow alpaca addiction tends to take you in unexpected directions! It creeps up on you. Four alpacas became thirty-five when we decided to turn our hobby into a business. Then as reputation and order books grew, the herd became eighty and Amazing Alpacas evolved into a multi-faceted business.

26 Alpaca Winter 2020

At least that is how it was for us. Our main business is breeding and selling healthy, happy and people friendly alpacas, but we do so much more. A modern farming enterprise needs to diversify its core offering and we have found that multiple sales avenues, creates exciting opportunities and a robust business model. However, before we explore what we do, let’s just reflect for a moment on the alpaca industry today.

We think that the UK alpaca industry is at a crossroads. There are plenty Continued on the next page >>

We concentrate on breeding healthy animals with excellent conformation and temperament.

Our alpacas are alert, inquisitive, easy to handle and are halter trained at weaning.

Alpaca Sales & Stud Services | TV Work & Experiences | Training Workshops

www.AmazingAlpacas.co.uk

Alpaca Winter 2020

27

<< of quality animals about with impressive fibre statistics, but where is the underlying fibre market? Can we continue to attract new breeders into the industry with the vision of a national fibre herd when together we have been unable to deliver that?

Away from fibre production, in recent years there has been an upsurge in the popularity of alpacas as lifestyle pets and in supporting leisure-based businesses.

Some within the alpaca community do not approve of this use of alpacas. Even more contentious, if you follow the online forums, is alpacas for meat. So, our industry is already diversified, and some may say polarised. Can we, the members of the BAS, promote a society which is an inclusive organisation capable and willing to embrace diversity, or are we heading towards divergence?

Having been involved with alpacas since 2004, a viable fibre industry seems as far away now as it did when we started. A few businesses have made a go of it, but the recent coverage by People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and the decision by a major retailer to abandon alpaca fibre, hurts the market at a time of changing focus on alpaca ownership. We have steered our business mainly towards private alpaca sales and leisure which, for us, felt right.

Our customers are typically people who are looking for alpacas to become part of their chosen lifestyle. Very few would see themselves as farmers. Most are not interested in breeding and usually opt for males. Those that buy females do so to build up their own private herd. Others have glamping sites or holiday businesses, where the alpacas are an attraction for their customers. The strap line on our van is ‘Delivering Dreams’ and that sums it up nicely. Our customer’s alpacas are primarily well loved field pets and we think this is a growing trend.

For the last few years, we have had a waiting list for our alpacas, no unsold males and happy clients, so we must be doing something right. We take our responsibilities as breeders very seriously. We breed properly conformed, healthy alpacas, who are relaxed around people. We run alpaca training courses and offer a visiting husbandry service for those who prefer not to do this themselves.

We stress the importance of good alpaca socialisation and male castration at the correct age, so that problems are avoided.

Alpacas in Wales network

Recognising that for us, demand exceeds supply, last year we established the Alpacas in Wales network, representing a group of alpaca enthusiasts, whose aim is to promote the ownership, welfare and enjoyment of these fabulous animals. Together we work closely on farm layouts, husbandry visits and plans, customer introductions and sales. With a combined herd of around 170 animals, we have the largest selection of alpacas in Wales. Working with other farms has proven to be mutually beneficial and provides valuable support for new breeders. We each run independent businesses, but we all recognise the advantages of collaboration.

Beyond alpaca sales, we have found that visitor experiences are an extremely popular activity. We have chosen to do these as private farm visits rather than

28 Alpaca Winter 2020

mixed groups and this allows us to tailor each visit to the audience. We call these Alpaca Encounters and they are an interactive experience and include lots of information about alpacas and their history, as well as hand feeding, cwtches (welsh cuddles) and photo opportunities.

With our visitor’s permission, we share pictures of their Encounters on Facebook, which we use as our main advertising medium. Our advertising spend is small, most bookings coming from our social media presence or direct customer referrals.

We have also found that agistment, or as we prefer to call it livery, is very popular. For customers with no plans to buy or rent land, it makes alpaca ownership a cost-effective possibility. For those on their own journey towards a smallholding, it’s a useful stepping-stone to running their own farm and, for us, a good springboard to future sales. Pre-lockdown we also undertook weddings, care home visits, hen parties, corporate events, television work and commercial photo shoots. As we slowly emerge from the shadow of coronavirus, those activities are beginning to resurface. Recently we hosted a video production for a Minecraft YouTube channel, with nearly six million followers – who would have imagined such a thing!

Using fibre

Earlier in this article, we expressed our concern about the viability of the UK fibre industry. However, alpaca fibre is a brilliant product and we try to work with it profitably. We hand spin on the farm and send fibre to a local processing mill. We have a team of knitters who make fabulous garments. These are sold at the farm shop and via Etsy, but any plans to retire off the proceeds would be pie in the sky. It’s straightforward enough to make garments but if you price in your true total labour costs, making them at a profit is more challenging.

Alpaca breeders are fortunate that their ‘animal product’ is very desirable and, to some extent, sells itself. But that’s oversimplistic. As well as the prospective customer buying some alpacas, often for a good deal of money, they are looking for a package which includes a trusting ongoing relationship with the breeder. Remember back to when you bought your first alpacas; how did it feel? Exciting yes, but it was probably a daunting leap of faith and the trust established by the human relationship would have been a major factor in your decision to buy. We invest a lot of time in building those relationships to become a trusted supplier and that pays dividends longer term.

We believe there are great opportunities within the alpaca industry and plenty of room for alternative strategies. In recent months we have seen some creative ideas with Zoom seminars, training and virtual farm visits.

Diversification projects such as yoga with alpacas, trekking and therapy work, are all a step change from the traditional use of alpacas. That demonstrates that the industry is moving forward, with momentum coming from owners and breeders responding to ever changing customer demand. Long may that continue.

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 Winter 2020

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HIGHLIGHT – A SURVIVAL STORY

›19 February: Highlight ready to

H

ighlight, a five year old female, was treated by Westpoint Farm Vets in Chelmsford for colic and despite their best efforts her illness took a shocking turn for the worse when vets at Cambridge University were forced to amputate her leg to save her life.

Harley Laver, Highlight’s owner, hopes her story will help other alpaca owners and prompt more research into two new potentially lethal strains of clostridium bacteria found after samples were taken from the infected leg. This is Highlight’s story as told to Alpaca editor Liz Mason, by Harley, Churchfield Alpacas and Ami Sawran, Westpoint Farm Vets.

Harley says: Highlight is just an amazing alpaca.

The experience was hard, and I had moments when I thought we were going to lose her, but Highlight kept fighting so we had to try everything possible to help her.

She is not the sort of alpaca that is forceful and to this day we do not understand how she escaped and gorged on complementary feed supplement. That is what we think started it – she overfed and the next morning she was lying there looking incredibly sorry for herself. She wasn’t moving and when I walked over to her to try and encourage her to get up, there was just mess everywhere. It wasn’t just the normal sort of mess it was loose, watery and brown – it was awful.

She wasn’t happy about getting up, walking or eating so I rang the vet. She was treated for acidosis – her membranes were also red, indicating that she could have septicaemia. She was also showing some weakness on one of her front legs.

She improved after treatment but was still very

30 Alpaca Winter 2020

come home from hospital

poorly and we feared she wouldn’t pull through. I was so worried, and that night was the most awful night. My partner Sam and I spent the whole night with her trying to get her to pull through.

Next morning, she was a bit better and took little nibbles of her hay. We were hopeful because she was making tiny improvements. She was more interested in her hay and was humming with the alpacas around her. She was able to stand up, and put some weight on her leg, but her faeces were still very brown and watery and had some blood in them.

After a week of slow improvements, we decided the vet needed take a second look and she suspected Highlight had ulcers in her gut. Ami and her colleague, Mia gave her fluids and we gave her vitamin B1 (thiamine) and administered anti-ulcer medication in the hope that would help her body pull through.

Fighting for life

The hardest thing about Highlight’s illness was knowing that she wanted to live but her body wasn’t letting her. It really horrified me to know that if I had left her any longer she could have just passed away.

I will try my hardest for any animal and when I feel it is time for them to be put to sleep I know, but it wasn’t that time for her – she was still fighting.

I was overjoyed when her poo started to firm up.

Her membranes were also less red, but her leg was still not right.

I thought she had an abscess but I couldn’t find it – there wasn’t a lump or any signs of discharge. Ami thought there must be a lump or cut somewhere, but I asked her to come out because – her foot just smelt like death, it was black and her fibre and skin

›23 February: Highlight on the mend

was just peeling away.

When Ami came she said it was gangrene – the leg had just died, and Highlight needed immediate referral to hospital. After speaking to Ami I knew I wanted Highlight to go to Cambridge. After checking with Sam, he took Highlight in the van, meanwhile I sat at home twiddling my thumbs and crying. I was so upset – it was really tough, especially after the vets at Cambridge went through the options. We had to decide whether to put her to sleep or have the leg amputated, I decided we had to try to save her.

Highlight had been through two illnesses already and both times was close to death – we couldn’t have just stopped there. You could see in her face that she just wanted to live and she was willing to work with us and the trust that she had already shown in us had been amazing.

A brave recovery

The vets at Cambridge had to amputate just under the shoulder blade to prevent the infection taking hold of her major organs.

The day after her operation Highlight was standing and eating. When we saw her for the first time she was even humming for her friend Beauty who had gone with her and stayed in the next room.

We decided it was best for Highlight to stay at Cambridge to recover. I could have taken her home but it was the cleanest, safest place for her to stay.

She was monitored daily and they were also able to begin physiotherapy four days after her operation to help her walk again.

We kept her and Beauty together indoors for two weeks when we got her home. She was thriving and hopping around the barn – she was amazing. Then

we moved some of the other girls in and when we knew they were getting on we made the giant step one beautiful sunny Spring day to let her out –I cried and I couldn’t stop crying because she ran and just kept running.

Research findings

Samples taken from her leg were cultured to find out what had caused it to die and they discovered it was a form of clostridial bacteria. The two strains found are not reported in alpacas and not included in any vaccines. That meant that despite being fully vaccinated, there was nothing I could have done, or a vet could have done to stop Highlight’s leg from dying.

There was no research out there to help Highlight but hopefully her story will help other animals in future and encourage people to support Ami, and research at Cambridge.

Ami Sawran says: “Highlight’s story will stay with me forever as one of the most dramatic progressions of what seemed like a straightforward issue: when we were first called to see Highlight her clinical signs suggested an alpaca that had eaten something that didn’t agree with her.

There is always the option to refer animals to hospital but we didn’t have any reason to believe Highlight’s case was anything out of the ordinary.

Harley is fantastic at monitoring, so it seemed sensible to have Highlight recover on farm. That is not to say that an acidosis is not serious – they can and do die from these episodes, but the picture so far was rather ‘textbook’ as they say.

In fact, Harley’s monitoring of Highlight’s progress

was what saved her; she was over the worst of her colic but she wasn’t right, and in my experience when an owner says an alpaca isn’t right they are absolutely correct.

We visited Highlight for a second time to get some fluids on board, and believed that due to the aggravation to her stomach, and the stress of being ill, that she had an ulcer. As usual, Harley’s good husbandry would have made for a normal recovery (in normal circumstances!) Highlight was isolated from most of the herd; when an alpaca is vulnerable it upsets the herd hierarchy. We didn’t want her bullied and we also wanted to monitor her feed intake, as her bloodwork showed her to be in negative energy balance. She was also very slightly lame, which again is common in animals that lie down more frequency due to illness – often they will cause some muscle or nerve damage that improves in time.

Then Harley contacted me to tell me she had noticed Highlight’s leg smelt. I thought this was probably a typical sub-cutaneous abscess common in alpacas. I said: “Why don’t you give the leg a bit of a scrub and see if you can find the site, and if you are still worried, I’ll pop down.” But Harley said: “I really think you should come – now,” and I am very glad I did.

When I saw Highlight she was bright and standing, but as soon as I bent to examine the leg – the sickly, sweet smell of decay hit me, and I knew that something needed to be done immediately.

“This leg is dying – she needs to be referred to a hospital immediately or she will too.” The fibre on her leg was falling out in my hands, and the skin

underneath was purple and green. I bandaged the leg up because it looked so tiny and fragile. I phoned Cambridge University straightaway and said we have a case of gangrene and the leg needs to come off now. Everything happened very quickly!

At first I suspected an embolus (blood clot) had cut off her blood supply, but we couldn’t discount septicaemia (blood poisoning) – there is no ‘catch all’ test to determine the cause of these things, rather a series of investigations that vets have to interpret. Cambridge did a wonderful job of stabilising her and conducting a successful surgery the next day. After the operation, the wound looked fantastic and now, five months later you can’t see it.

Our main concern after the operation was would she ever get up again? But after small, incremental improvements she is very much keeping up with the herd. We wouldn’t have recommended the operation if we didn’t believe that her quality of life afterwards would be good – just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Highlight lives with her friends and is one of the gang again and I think that is a really good measure of an animal’s quality of life after an event like this. She has not become vet shy, she is not flighty or timid as a result of what she has been through. She is just a normal alpaca, minus one leg.

I think we should always consider individual character traits when deciding on a therapy like hers – if she had been timid then the stress may have been too much for her, given all the interaction with humans for medications, but Highlight is a delight – she is just lovely. I am always happy to see her little face pop up on visits.

›11th April: Highlight's first day out in paddock at home

›20 May: Highlight after shearing

RISING INTEREST IN LIFESTYLE FARMS T he Covid-19 pandemic has fuelled a rise in demand for country properties with lifestyle potential, including smallholdings and buildings with potential holiday let opportunities, land agents say.

Analysis of Savills’ website traffic has shown interest in rural property is up 50% on pre lockdown levels. Will Douglas of Savills farms and estates team based in York said: “Interestingly, the search terms farms and estates are now well above the pre-lockdown levels. And this interest has translated into physical viewings for lifestyle and amenity type properties either with or with the potential for diversification.”

A lifestyle farm has several defining features. “From conversations with clients, it encapsulates a broad range of properties from small holdings or a house with a few acres and perhaps some barns either up and running as holiday lets or with the potential to develop a diversified income stream to a farmhouse set in a larger acreage of farmland,” Will said.

The pandemic has prompted many buyers to reconsider what they desire when buying property. Recent survey results from Savills residential research colleagues show buyers have become ore determined to avoid compromise on lifestyle factors over the summer with 62% saying the amount of garden or outside space had become more important – up from 49% in the firm’s April survey.

This desire for more outdoor space, coupled with a shift to working from home, has also boosted the appeal of a more rural lifestyle. In this latest survey, 48% of respondents said a village location was more attractive – up from 39% in April. Similarly, 53% find the countryside more appealing – a big rise on the 41% reported in April.

Commenting on price trends Will said: “Buyers are very sensitive to price so it’s all about sensible pricing rather than overpricing. There are occasions when a property has sold in competition but overall values are stable.”

Rural hotspots

Several hotspots are emerging as more popular rural areas including the South West and Wales. But buyers are also looking further afield for better value property across northern England and Scotland, according to Will Douglas. Other current hotspots include pretty National Park areas where a property has a view.

Oliver Custance Baker, Senior Associate Director at Strutt & Parker Exeter confirmed that there is a big rise in interest in properties that offer “good life”

›

›

Felindre is an historic Grade 11 listed six/seven bedroom property near Newcastle with several traditional stone outbuildings, Old Coach House & Stable, Old Dairy Rooms & Lodge together with gardens and adjoining land extending to 4.7 acres. It has a guide price of £695,000

potential in his South Wes patch. The area has always been “a firm favourite with those looking to escape the city for a slower pace of life and fresh air”. But Covid-19 has boosted demand.

"Since the coronavirus pandemic, the popularity of the South West for those in search of the good life has increased exponentially,” said Oliver. “Properties with a bit of land and scope for self -sufficiency have drawn competition, with many interested buyers hailing from London and the South East.

“We've had a couple of smallholdings that have come onto the market post lockdown and under offer less than two weeks later. Properties that have attracted the most interest are those that have everything ready to go; all you need to do is turn up with animals in tow, while those with strong environmental credentials and opportunities for self -sufficiency are a definite bonus."

Oliver offered practical advice to potential buyers on suitable properties.

“For those looking to set up their own smallholding, there are certain things you should look out for. Land is an obvious must have, but also consider access to water, available outbuildings and any work that may need doing to fencing and shelters. When it comes to a life change, you're likely to be there for a considerable amount of time. So, if you are planning on starting small, bear in mind that as your animals grow in number you'll need extra land to accommodate them – either via renting from a neighbouring land owner or utilising any extra acres you have of your own.”

High Farm, West Barnby is described as a beautiful amenity farm of about 5.18 acres including both traditional and modern farm buildings with stunning views over the North Yorks National Park. The guide price is £725,000

32 Alpaca Winter 2020

“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 Winter 2020

33

SURI SHOW SUCCESS Suri breeder Paula Winsor, Winsaula Alpacas, shares her passion for her grey Suri alpacas and looks back at a Supreme Championship winning 2020 fleece show season.

T

he Winsaula 2020 crop of Suri weanlings are our most beautiful ever. With two rose greys and a silver grey, their white patterned faces blend beautifully with shades of bay black, fawn and white, and their colours seem to co-ordinate as though they had been selected from an artist’s palette.

Mark and I have always loved the Suri alpaca since a trip to Peru to trek the Inca Trail fifteen years earlier. The sight of the majestic Suri moving across a paddock with its flowing dreadlocks animated in beauty like a moving work of art is something we simply never tire of admiring.

As breeders with a passion for grey Suri, we were delighted with our crop of grey weanlings to complement our hugely successful seventeen times Champion Winner and Triple Supreme Champion, Grey Suri Stud Winsaula Joker. Along with our Modern Grey male BAS National Champion title holder Suited and Booted.

We were hugely excited to begin halter training the weanlings at the end of January in preparation for the National Show. We were lucky this year to have a team of volunteers from all walks of life to help us, including a dental practice manager, a systems administrator and a teacher all of whom came out in all sorts of weather to walk the animals around the village, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The weather, as you may remember was just awful, the weanling’s paddock flooded, and we had to find more land! Then the dreaded Covid-19 hit and Boris Johnson announced lockdown was imminent.

34 Alpaca Winter 2020

Working full time from home in the telecoms Industry as an information technology (IT) customer success manager which I enjoy, and managing a client portfolio of Public Sector NHS Hospital Trusts, work was understandably becoming very demanding as we rolled out emergency homeworking solutions for thousands of back office staff. Mark, who has a key role during birthing and looking after newborn cria, was also working from home as a data security programme manager in the banking sector.

Winsaula Alpacas could not take our usual leisurely stroll through the 2020 show scene (normally everyone goes to the BAS National) we had to make some decisions about who was going where and quick!

On the eve of lockdown Bubbles and his best friend Barney were delivered to their wonderful new home at Lydford Gorge Alpacas, Helen had trekking boys from us in previous years. Bubbles has a very confident and sociable personality and during halter training he was the lead walker showing all the weanlings how it was done. He took to walking humans like a duck to water and the volunteers loved to have Bubbles as their apprentice.

Our weanling grey Suri boys Winsaula Malahide and Winsaula Bib ‘n Tucker were moved to their salubrious new paddock half a mile away. Malahide is named after a beautiful town in Ireland where my father was born. Suffering from ill heath the arrival of Malahide was the last time dad was able to help out on the Continued on the next page >>

Suri Sales and Grey Stud Services 17 Championships incl 3 Supreme National Fleece Show 2020 Champion of Champions Grey Suri & Judges Choice Suri

All Enquiries

01934 732324 prwinsor@icloud.com Finding us

Winsaula Alpacas Badgworth, Somerset BS26 2QP @winsaulaalpacas

Winsaula Joker Triple Supreme Suri Champion

Alpaca Winter 2020

35

<< farm and he supervised Malahide’s birth until expert help arrived.

Sired by Wellow Va Va Voom at Faraway Alpacas, great grandson to Macgyver who has produced more champion alpacas than any other herdsire in the world, he is a stunning silver grey boy, strong boned with a dense and lustrous wave and twist fleece. He is really super – I can’t take my eyes off him. Malahide is our first born from our own home bred female Winsaula Robyn (a National Fleece Show first winner with both Pucara Sur-Real Rapper and Accoyo in her line).

Tucker was our first rose grey and is grandson to Surilana Classique Moss, imported by Faraway Alpacas and son of the famous grey homozygous Australian stud Somerset Stirling Moss. Tucker also has Macgyver and Wonder Dream in his line. We are very excited to have a new grey breeding line to introduce to our herd. Tucker will be screened shortly.

The weanling girls were shorn in June along with the other females and their fleeces were prepared for the shows. They were a joy to skirt with Casey Mack’s taking half an hour, unlike Joker the year before who had an infuriating knack of rolling and grinding his fleece in his bedding just before his fleece was to be shorn or shown – it took three weeks to pick the rubbish out of his fleece!

Fleece shows

Our showstopping Herdsire Winsaula Joker had qualified for the BAS National Champion of Champions Fleece Show in June 2020 and we were delighted to be awarded Judge’s Choice Suri by Tim Hey. At this inaugural show, Winsaula Joker added his seventeenth championship to his portfolio and captured his National championship title.

The Three Counties Show was one of this year's first regional fleece shows and kicked off amid the Covid-19 lockdown. Everything was new and low key as the organisers focussed on social distancing and keeping everyone safe.

Winsaula Casey Mack won Best British Bred Suri having won first place in the junior light class. Winsaula Rags to Riches won Champion Grey Suri Fleece.

By the time we got to the next, the organisers of the Cornwall Fleece show had got to grips with social distancing for a safe physical gathering. The Winsaula girls surpassed our expectations with Casey Mack sweeping up Supreme Champion Suri Fleece and Best British Bred Suri and Rags to Riches Champion Grey. The girls surpassed the scorecard thresholds to more than justify their titles.

Winsaula Alpacas were also awarded our second 2020 Judge’s Choice award for Grey Suri Fleece by Tim Hey – needless to say we were delighted.

A glass in hand

At the Eastern Regional Fleece show Emma Taylor presented live streaming during judging and Nick Harrington Smith gave an interesting and informative commentary on Huayaca and Suri fleeces as they were assessed.

A presentation was held to talk about the fleeces judged and to showcase the winners, which I was able to listen to whilst cooking dinner with a glass of wine – what a result! It was lovely to hear such nice comments about our girl’s fleeces - you don’t often get the verbal feedback at a fleece show, and once again Casey Mack scooped up Supreme Championship and another Best Bred British Suri. Rags to Riches once again pipped her stunning rival at the post to win the Championship grey title.

The weanling boys are entered into the Yorkshire Halter Show, which at the time of writing was to be held in October and we are excited to finally have them assessed. We are confident Malahide and Bib ‘n Tucker have successful show careers ahead of them. Our first crias from our own stud male Joker were born on the farm this year and we are even more excited than usual to see how they grow out.

We cherish the memory of winning our first ever broad ribbon at the BAS National Halter show in March 2018, and the thrill of winning our first three Supremes during the show season. 2020 has been an unusual year and winning two Supreme awards has been a welcome and very pleasant surprise.

We are a small farm concentrating on breeding quality rare coloured Suri alpaca. Our cherished friend and mentor Nicki Hayton at Faraway Alpacas has mentored us superbly in start-up with a modest financial investment, and guided us wisely on our path to improvement, not for our commercial gain but because we love our alpacas and enjoy the thrill of producing beautiful, quality fleeced Suris.

INNOVATIVE FLEECE ASSESSMENT

US judge Amanda VandenBosch introduces a new innovative approach to fleece assessment that sorts fleeces into grades and judges them relative to their potential end product use.

I

nnovative Fleece Assessment (IFA), introduced in the US and other countries, is designed to help owners make informed breeding decisions, boost momentum within the industry and make the best use of alpaca fibre.

Supporters say: “The feedback from this assessment clearly shows the breeder each characteristic of the fleece, how it has been assessed, the range and the importance along with a description.”

“The score card is comprehensive with the actual tested samples and gives a clear picture.”

“This is an innovative way of looking at a fleece as a breeder with an eye to the genetic potential of that animal and processing to end use. Together we can advance our breeding and achieve progress in our herds and the industry as a whole. This method is a milestone in this regard.”

Background

Innovative Fleece Assessment (IFA) IFA assesses the grade of the fleece, evaluates important fibre traits as they relate to breeding value, processing and end use. The most important part of this approach is to provide analysis to enable the breeder to understand qualities within the alpaca fleece, the grade of the fleece at the time of that cutting. How to the determine inherent traits, breeding values and relationship to end use. The information collected is to help make informed breeding decisions with a goal of getting all alpaca fibre to end use within the best application.

Focus

The IFA system is a bit different to the current system used for alpacas, however judging by grade is a well recognised system in many wool breeds across the world, so please read along and I will explain: One difference is that the fleece will be assessed on its measured AFD (average fibre diameter) or micron which will

place the fleece in the appropriate (grade) class. This way like fleeces are being judged against like, and as we know each individual alpaca has its strengths and weaknesses, under this system we develop a clear picture of how these traits are evolving which can be a major tool for the breeder.

Procedure

The breeder will enter fleece and mail or deliver to the show, the fleece will be assigned an entry number, no class will be allocated until the fleece is tested and grade determined.

The fleece will be rolled out (noodled fleeces recommended) the judge will take four samples from shoulder, mid-side, rump and low mid-side. These samples will get tested on site with the FiberLux or OFDA 2000. These samples will then be placed and taped on the score sheet and all data entered in the computer.

The average micron from the tested samples will determine which grade the fleece will be entered and judged in. This is where the system has such great merit. Within a grade there can be all ranges of age and colour, but fleeces will be judged according to like fleeces per that grade. As a show grows and entry numbers increase, colour and gender can be split out as well. The samples taken will be taped on the score sheet so the breeder can easily follow what was measured and exactly what the judge saw.

System

Each fleece is judged individually – the average fibre diameter is tested from four sites, shoulder, mid side, rump and low mid side. These samples are tested using the on-site, Fibrelux device or alternatively they could be tested on the OFDA 2000 if available. The importance is that the procedure for taking samples by the judge and the testing method is consistent within the show.

Continued on the next page >>

Alpaca Winter 2020

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<< Next, length is assessed, three length samples are taken from shoulder, midside and rump, measured and the variance between length recorded related to processing lengths and consistency in end product. The next calculation looked at is the average growth per day, taking the actual measured length and days growth. This helps identify the fast growing and slower growing fleeces and along with linking other traits, we can look at various factors, for example staple type, character to length relationships, length to weight within grade and so on.

The grades are aligned with the International Classification as follows:

Micron range Name

Low

High

Ultrafine Grade 00

12

14.9

Ultrafine Grade 0

15

16.9

Ultrafine Grade 1

17

19.9

Fine Grade 2

20

22.9

Fine Grade 3

23

25.9

Medium Grade 4

26

28.9

Strong Grade 5

29

31.9

Coarse Grade 6

32

34.9

Scorecard and points

While the fleece is on the table, the judge goes through all other important characteristics on the scorecard. A key factor in alpaca fleece as we know is uniformity and on the score card points are allocated accordingly (visual 15/ measured 15). The fleece is assessed taking the micron variance from the tested values across the blanket, and the visual differences in the primary and secondary fibre diameters and the standard deviation within the fleece. This is assessed with the calculated score along with a visual assessment from the judge and accounts for 30% of the total score.

As the judge works down the score card points are assessed in each category. Brightness (Huacaya) 10, lustre 10 (Suri) 10, handle 10, style to fleece 10 (character crimp/ lock), annual growth rate 5 (the growth period of the fleece is calculated against measured length), weight 10 (annualized), colour purity 5, comfort factor (lack of fibres over 30 micron) 5. Finally there is a deduction section up to 10 points for poor skirting, debris, tender fleece and either too short or too long for processing, factors that would affect end use. As you view the score sheet these deductions are classed under management faults as they can be changed by the breeder as opposed to being inherent traits. It is clear on the score card where these deductions come from, helping the breeder understand the skirting and preparation of the fleece needed to get best value for processing.

Ribbons/Championships/ Special Awards Ribbons are awarded within grade.

Age and colour can be broken out according to the size of the show, along with championships and special awards.

Examples: Best uniformity corresponding to the age, i.e. the fleece with the best performance in the age group. Lowest micron deviation across the fleece, highest uniformity and fineness score in grade and annualized weight.

Example: Five year old male performing in Grade 1 with heavy fleece weight, good character and density, usable length, uniform, bright and clean fibre. As a breeder IFA enables you to recognise strengths in the genetic line, the value of production from that fleece and the value of your alpaca in your programme. This system gives fleeces a chance to perform against those in the same grade and really recognises the important traits and breeding values.

Because all the data is entered straight into the database, detailed sort records can be provided to the breeder.

All individual entries in show and scores can be sent as an Excel sheet to the owner.

Data can be divided by micron, uniformity, weight or any trait of interest to the owner.

Assessment on a bigger scale by region is possible as data is immediately entered and score cards are printed on site to limit errors.

Valuable information

Each breeder will receive his/her scorecard with the four samples and tested micron rating, three measured length samples, along with comments on end use and qualities within the fleece.

End use

A sheet showing all grades and value of fibre; all fibre is usable and understanding grades offers the best suited outcomes.

Alpaca Owners America An agreement between Amanda VandenBosch and Alpaca Owners America (AOA) is that a portion of the entry fee to AOA will be placed in a special fund and held to apply to judging scholarships, breeder

About the author

Amanda VandenBosch is a senior AOA halter and fleece judge and alpaca judge trainer in the US. Amanda qualified as an international alpaca Judge trained in Peru at the International Alpaca Judging School (IAJS) in 2000. She has judged shows in the US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Norway and Peru.

Amanda is widely respected internationally for her knowledge of the art and science of alpaca judging. She worked with BAS for seven years to help develop the judge training programme, and with New Zealand judges for continuous training. She has been honoured with regular appointments in the US as an AOA Senior Instructor and Judge Trainer in both fleece and halter.

Amanda is also a co-author of the book “The Art & Science of Alpaca Judging” published by AOBA and used as a training tool, along with IFA (Innovative Fleece Assessment) fleece system.

With her husband, Vince, and three children Cody, Hunter and Xeina they operate Flying Dutchman Alpacas, LLC in Bend, Oregon, successfully raising both Huacayas and Suris. From live breeding stock to fiber production completing the circle of taking fleece to end use product.

Aside from Flying Dutchman Alpacas LLC, Amanda runs Stanford Livestock International Ltd a quarantine and export service for camelids and exotics from the US & Canada to the EU & Australia; streamlining care, logistics and safe delivery of livestock. and judge education. This assessment not only gives great information to the breeder but also perpetuates education within the industry.

Other international opportunities

This system has already been implemented in other countries with excellent feedback and there is continued and growing interest in a new innovative way to look at our fleeces. It offers an opportunity to compete and gather data to improve and continue to grow our breeding programmes along with clear goals and end use of such amazing fibre.

Please contact Amanda VandenBosch for more information: amandafda@earthlink.net IFA Halter System is in development at this time, please enquire. ©IFA-Amanda VandenBosch

There has been great input from many experts in the field, special shout out to Cheryl Gehly and Jude Anderson, Margie Ault and Judy Schroeder-great gratitude for their time, expertise, hard work and support on the progressive Innovative Fleece Assessment (IFA) we encourage you to take a look and participate.

38 Alpaca Winter 2020

two rivers mill

Innovative Fleece Assessment National Fleece Show 2020 Date Owner Name Tag Number Animal Name Age Shorn (Months)

9/18/2020 Alpacas R US 956 Star Alpaca 21

Fleece Traits

We are a small-scale family run mill specialising in worsted processing of alpaca fibre with production capacity for 10kg to 100+kg orders.

Pts

Handle

10

8

Uniformity (Variance from Four Locations)

15

14

Visual Uniformity

15

14

Density

10

7

Luster

10

8.5

Style to Fleece

10

7.5

Uniformity of Length (measured)

5

4

Annual Growth Rate

5

4

Lack of Fibers greater than 30 (Visual)

5

4.5

10

6

5

5

Total

100

82.5

Management Faults

Pts

Annualized Weight Color Purity Unifromity

Does not meet Length Req

-2

-2

Contamination

-3

-1

Poor Skirting

-3

0

Tender, cotting

-2

-2

Total Grade Class

Our services include top-making and yarn spinning at competitive prices with efficient turn-around.

Our high quality yarns in pure or blended alpaca are ideal for hand or machine knitting and weaving.

We can also create unique yarns in colours and weights designed for your individual projects.

www.tworiversmill.com The Pennybridge Herd

-5.5 2 2WH

Micron Shoulder

19.8

Mid

21.1

Rump

22.1

Low/Mid

21.8

Average

21.2

Variance

2.3

Fine

and Alpaca Stud

‘Love The Alpacas’

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Length (in) Shoulder Mid Rump

11.5 12 11.5

Average

11.666667

Variance

0.5

Annualized Weight (lbs)

3.6339348

Annualized Growth (in)

6.4422592

FINAL SCORE

77.5

• Starter Herds • Champion Stud Services • Fancy Grazers • Sheep Guards • The Alpaca Experience www.pennybridgealpacas.co.uk joy@pennybridgealpacas.co.uk 01256 764824 Based in North Hampshire near the Surrey/Berkshire Borders.

Less than 5 mins from M3 J5. Close to Ports & Airports.

Alpaca Winter 2020

39

SHOWS

South West Alpaca Group Fleece Show ›Supreme Champion Huacaya

T

he South West Alpaca Group Fleece Show (SWAG) took place at East Huntspill Village Hall in Somerset with Covid-19 restrictions limiting attendance to six.

Despite the Covid-19 limit Judge Julia Corrigan-Stuart and the SWAG team made sure the day ran smoothly. Show organiser Judith Newman, Angersleigh Alpacas said: “It was interesting because we had to abide by the rule of six as well as the usual social distancing advice. We had enough gels and wipes to clean the capital! But we did have a good day.”

Fleeces were delivered to Judith at Apple Tree Farm before being taken to the village hall for judging. After the event Judith noted that a significant number were very difficult to lay out for judging. Many were twisted in on themselves to the extent that it was extremely hard to work out which way was up. Several required more skirting and consequently lost points.

Giving feedback on the SWAG Facebook page after the event Judith said: “Please do your fleece justice by preparing it and bagging it effectively so that it goes nicely onto the table and shows to its best effect and gains as many points as it deserves.”

She also thanked show judge Julia Corrigan-Stuart for not only doing a very professional job but also for being such a pleasure to work with. Not forgetting a huge thank you to the “SWAG A Team” including Pat Northmore, Kim Williams, Hazel White and Di Davies for working so hard and so efficiently on the day and for being such a lovely bunch of people.

SUPREME CHAMPION HUACAYA: Beck Brow Smitten Kitten – Owned and bred by Paul and Barbara Hetherington of Beck Brow Alpacas SUPREME CHAMPION SURI: Faraway Fire Starter – Owned and bred by Nikki Hayton of Faraway Suri Alpacas HUACAYA COLOUR CHAMPIONS Grey Champion: Usk Valley Fine Design – Owned and bred by Lisa and George Morgan of Usk Valley Alpacas Grey Reserve: Snowshill Rosalind – Owned by Lisa and George Morgan of Usk Valley Alpacas and bred by Roger Mount of Snowshill Alpacas Black Champion: Beck Brow Anything Could Happen – Owned and bred by Paul and Barbara Hetherington of Beck Brow Alpacas Black Reserve: Ashwood Night of the Realm – Owned and bred by Steve and Chris Powell of Ashwood Alpacas

40 Alpaca Winter 2020

›Supreme Champion Suri

Brown Champion: Usk Valley Grenade – Owned and bred by Lisa and George Morgan of Usk Valley Alpacas Brown Reserve: Snowshill Anaxis – Owned and bred by Roger Mount of Snowshill Alpacas Fawn Champion: Angersleigh Gaia – Owned and bred by Gary Steer and Judith Newman of Angersleigh Alpacas Fawn Reserve: Toft Attila – Owned and bred by Rob and Shirley Bettinson of Toft Alpacas Light Champion: Churchfield Challenger – Owned and bred by Harley Laver, Churchfield Alpacas Light Reserve: Toft Tornado – Owned and bred by Rob and Shirley Bettinson White Champion: Beck Brow Smitten Kitten – Owned and bred by Paul and Barbara Hetherington of Beck Brow Alpacas White Reserve: Beck Brow Glory Daze – Owned and bred by Paul and Barbara Hetherington of Beck Brow Alpacas Huacaya Judge’s Choice: Snowshill Rosalind (Modern Grey) – Owned by Lisa and George Morgan of Usk Valley Alpacas and bred by Roger Mount of Snowshill Alpacas SURI COLOUR CHAMPIONS Grey Champion: Faraway Purple Reign – Owned by Roger and Elaine Clarke of Amberley Alpacas bred by Nikki Hayton of Faraway Suri Alpacas Grey Reserve: Winsaula Rags to Riches – Owned and bred by Mark and Paula Winsor Black Champion: Snowshill Black Lightening – Owned and bred by Roger Mount of Snowshill Alpacas Brown Champion: Snowshill Elrond – Owned and bred by Roger Mount of Snowshill Alpacas Brown Reserve: Moonsbrook Malt Whiskey – Owned by Ben Robinson of Southern Sands Alpacas and bred by James Young of Moonsbrook Alpacas Fawn Champion: Faraway Fire Starter – Owned and bred by Nikki Hayton of Faraway Suri Alpacas Light Champion: Popham Suri Polaris – Owned by Roger and Elaine Clarke of Amberley Alpacas bred by Gary and Felicia Sanders of Popham Alpacas Light Reserve: Winsaula Casey Mack – Owned and bred by Mark and Paula Winsor of Winsaula Alpacas White: No entries Suri Judge’s Choice: Winsaula Casey Mack Congratulations to the winners and thank you from Judith and the SWAG team to everyone who entered and supported the show.

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pinterest instagram Alpaca Winter 2020

41

SHOWS

The Eastern Alpaca Group Fleece Show

T

he Eastern Alpaca Group hosted their fifth fleece show at a new venue, The Essex Young Farmers’ headquarters near Chelmsford and attracted 164 entries from 42 farms, writes Harley Laver, show organiser.

With everyone in lockdown due to Covid-19 our community lost all our early halter shows which for me felt as if something was missing. On the positive side it also gave us more time to think about entering fleece shows – what else could we do in such strange times!

The fleeces were appraised by Nick Harrington-Smith, supported by a small group of volunteers, including Emma Taylor chief steward, Viv Hamilton, Maddie Ashworth and Kath Shearer along with myself as show organiser. Behind the scenes additional support was given by Sam Taylor and Simon Illet who helped to set up the hall, along with Shirley Isseyegh who dealt with social media.

As with any show there is a huge amount of preparation which goes on behind the scenes in advance of the big day, or in this case exceptionally long days!

Communication amongst organisers and volunteers is key to ensure everything and everyone is in the right place at the right time. Strict social distancing was adhered to with the team keeping two metres apart, plus frequent hand washing/use of hand sanitiser. Our Covid-19 safe lunch was provided by a selection of pre-packed and sealed lunches from the local click and collect store.

The fleeces started their journey from a central collection point, and were then transported to the hall where they were weighted and colour checked by a team of volunteers. Only then could the excitement begin when judging commenced

›Huacaya Grey Champion and Reserve

42 Alpaca Winter 2020

after a well earnt lunch. Black Huacayas were judged first running through to the whites; once the Huacayas were complete we moved to the Suris followed by the championship ribbons.

The EAG committee wanted to bring some innovation to this year’s show and on the Saturday and Sunday our judge went ‘live’ on Facebook talking through the fleeces as he was judging them.

Run under BAS Show Rules, the EAG show, gave Colour Champion and Reserve Champion sashes for both Huacaya and Suri along with Best of British, Judge’s Choice and Supreme Champion.

EAG also offered its own unique awards! The Eastern Alpaca Group member with the highest scoring Huacaya or Suri fleece was awarded a sash. The eligible exhibitor must have been a paid up member on 1 July 2020 and in the event of two entries scoring the same highest mark, the judge would have made the decision.

Additionally, EAG gives a special award to the best skirted fleece (Huacaya or Suri). EAG also acknowledges other well skirted fleeces by way of a certificate.

Fleece shows should be indicative of the type of fleeces processors and buyers in the commercial world are seeking and in an appropriate state, hence the award and acknowledgement of well skirted fleeces.

Continuing our lead in innovative technology The Eastern Alpaca Group held its very first Zoom awards presentation and the talk after the show which was recorded will be available in due course to view again – please check the group’s website for more details.

Congratulations to all exhibitors.

Supreme Champion Huacaya: Alpaca Shed Priscilla Desert Queen – Alpaca Shed Limited

Suri White Champion:

Park Side Euthenia (Mr & Mrs Viv Hamilton)

Reserve:

Pinkney Jacaranda

Best of British Huacaya:

(Mr & Mrs James & Venetia Walker)

Suri Light Champion:

Winsaula Casey Mack

(Mr & Mrs Mark & Paula Winsor

Reserve:

Pure Elsa (Mr Jay Holland)

Suri Fawn Champion:

Park Side Clementine (Mr & Mrs Viv Hamilton)

Reserve:

Pure Eclipse (Mr Jay Holland)

Suri Brown Champion:

Springfarm Toulouse (Mrs Vicki Agar)

Reserve:

Park Side Eagor (Mr & Mrs Viv Hamilton)

Suri Grey Champion:

Winsaula Rags To Riches

(Mr & Mrs Mark & Paula Winsor)

Reserve:

Pure Rasputin (Mr Jay Holland)

Suri Black Champion:

Snowshill Andromeda

(Mr Roger Mount & Mrs Mary Mount)

Alpaca Shed Priscilla Desert Queen – Alpaca Shed Limited Judge’s Choice Huacaya:

Pinnacle Arctic Fire – Pinnacle Alpacas Supreme Champion Suri: Winsaula Casey Mack – Winsaula Alpacas Best of British Suri: Winsaula Casey Mack – Winsaula Alpacas Judge’s Choice Suri: Pure Elsa – Pure Alpacas Huacaya White Champion: Alpaca Shed Priscilla Desert Queen

(Alpaca Shed Limited) Reserve: Pinnacle Arctic Fire (Tony & Hilary Monkcom) Huacaya Fawn Champion: Pinnacle Skyfall (Tony & Hilary Monkcom) Reserve: Cold Comfort Otto (Chris & May Herrmannsen) Huacaya Grey Champion: Inca Grey Isabel (Mrs Sandra J Muriel) Reserve: Orchard Farm Tiberius

(Dr & Mrs Nigel & Lindsey Hunt) Huacaya Light Champion: Snowshill Acacia

(Mr Roger Mount & Mrs Mary Mount) Reserve: Hilly Ridge The Gigolo (Mrs Joanne Bridge) Huacaya Brown Champion: Snowshill Juno Moneta

(Mr Roger Mount & Mrs Mary Mount) Reserve: Cold Comfort Roman (Chris & May Herrmannsen

Reserve:

Shadow Wood Night Moves of CWN

(Mrs Sandra J Muriel)

Special Awards Best Skirted Fleece:

Comfort Otto, Cold Comfort Alpacas

Best from EAG member:

Snowshill Acacia, Snowshill Alpacas

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

Contact Roger Mount on 01386 853 841 or 07711044106 Email: snowshillalpacas@btinternet.com Web: www.snowhillalpacas.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.

Alpaca Winter 2020

43

A LETTER FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Alison Notley, Helderstroom Alpacas in the Western Cape oďŹ&#x20AC;ers an insight into life with alpacas in South Africa.

Alison is also SA Alpaca Breedersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Society president.

T

he cogs turned ever more slowly in Zimbabwe in 2002 and with heavy hearts after 30 years in that beautiful country we sought greener pastures and relocated ourselves, horses and five cocker spaniels to the Western Cape of South Africa.

We were drawn to Helderstroom not so much by its architectural merit, for it was a tumbling down, near derelict, embarrassment to the valley, but more because it is over 300 years old, has simply stunning 360 degree views in the middle of fruit growing country and a fascinating largely British history. Being Brits ourselves this is what attracted us.

Helderstroom had been a hunting lodge for Lord Charles Somerset, British governor of the Cape from 1814 to 1826, and prior to that, around 1697 in the Willem van der Stel days it had served as a remount station. More importantly for us it was within the budget. Then with the help of a wonderful Cape heritage architect we set about a comprehensive renovation and extension job being mindful to retain its Cape vernacular style.

With more paddock space than we required this begged the question of what to do with the extra grazing two horses wouldn't need. A short flight to neighbouring Botswana sorted out that problem. I picked up a magazine to read on the plane and an article about the first shipment of alpacas into this country from South America piqued my interest. I showed it to Christopher my husband and very soon we began researching what was to become our main activity for the next 16 years.

44 Alpaca Winter 2020

Textbook first birth

Our start-up pack in 2004 consisted of five pregnant female alpacas from Chile. The excitement when our first cria popped out was palpable. Birthed with the aid of Eric Hoffman's Complete Book of Alpacas open on the ground at the relevant chapter, thankfully our first was a textbook birth.

We maintain our herd at between 40 and 50 alpacas since we are on just under 12 acres. Our grass is mainly kikuyu. A grass native to certain regions of East Africa (and home to the people of the same name) kikuyu grows rapidly, its roots forming an under the surface mesh which regenerates quickly after drought conditions. This year we have been blessed with excellent rains and locals are calling it an old fashioned Cape winter! Rivers are flowing again and dams are full.

Whilst we don't have too many trees we have erected shade shelters for our animals and they are surprisingly resilient during the hot months from November to April. We can peak at just over 40 degrees centigrade on exceptionally hot days and when it's like this we all struggle to stay cool. So whilst in some countries alpacas may be left a couple of years to shear that particularly special fleece just a little bit longer, we shear without fail annually in order to avoid overheating and skin problems.

We supplement our alpacas with vitamin D during the winter months although alpacas grazing in the shade of high mountains and with shorter

hours of daylight need more vitamin D supplement than ours in the more open terrain. Around April and August we will give vitamin B1. We vaccinate twice a year for clostridial diseases and on the whole our herd enjoys good health with pretty robust crias. We feed a 15% protein horsemeal, a game pellet, lupin seeds if we can get them and soyabean meal if we can't, and oat hay ad lib and lucerne when grazing is poor.

SA Breeders’ Society

Alpacas now reside in most of the nine South African provinces although the majority are here in the Western Cape. It is difficult to be accurate on the national herd number but probably 5,000 is close. When all is said and done this equates to one large Free State sheep farm! Alpaca herds range in size from just a few to over 300 in one or two large herds.

The South African Alpaca Club was formed soon after the arrival of the first alpacas into this country in about 2001 and in 2003 the club was promulgated into a Society now known as The South African Alpaca Breeders' Society and we have over 60 members. As a Society we have hosted two international conferences where in 2015 we brought Professor Chris Cebra from Oregon State University to the Cape and in 2018 Dr Jane Vaughan from Melbourne visited both Gauteng where she talked to fifth year students at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute and the Western Cape where she talked to vets and alpaca owners over a three day alpaca health and husbandry conference. We are currently in the middle of a series of Zoom meetings between Jane and our Society members.

› Bradley, young son of Brenda, one of

our spinning ladies, shows off a hoodie commissioned recently for a client

› Jani and Lilian modelling two "capucchino" jerseys

Exclusive garments

Options for processing alpaca fibre are few. We at Helderstroom decided to go the handspun route and create local employment. So once our fibre is off the animals we tumble it, pick as much vegetable matter out of the fleeces and then send it to be washed and carded at a cashmere (!) mill in the Eastern Cape. It comes back and we spin it here before handing it out to various ladies who turn this fabulous yarn into lovely garments either by knitting (on knitting needles, no machines) or woven on hand looms.

Brenda Willemse and Theresa Jansen our two spinning ladies have been with us since 2009 which was when we started working with the fibre and they spin in our studio here on the farm.

All knitters and weavers work in the comfort of their own homes. With a, shall we say, fragile national power supply which throws us frequently into darkness the fact that we can carry on spinning and knitting is indeed a bonus.

We do not mass produce our goodies. It has never been our intention to do so. We specialise in one-off items of knitwear and wovens thereby offering total exclusivity to the client. Our ranges include babywear and toddler clothing, women's fashion garments usually jerseys, jackets, cardigans and ponchos.

We make a small range of men's jerseys and then hats, gloves and scarves for everyone. Many of our knitters don't use patterns - their designs evolve using their imagination. It has mostly been small ads placed in the classified sections of various small town and village newspapers that have found us these amazing ladies.

We used only to work with the natural alpaca colours but gradually we have introduced dyed colours to our ranges. You always get the one client who "simply can't wear fawn - it drains the colour from my face" ... We spin solid colours as well as variegated yarns where we combine anything from three to six different colours in one yarn. We never have any yarn wastage. You can't afford to waste alpaca! Yarn leftovers are used in Swiss darned projects on toddler garments and really short ends are kept and are used to stuff teddy bears.

As I write this article our online store is about to be launched. With the 2020 virus pandemic and the preference for less travel it seems the way to go – something I've been trying to avoid for years but finally have succumbed to go with the flow.

Would I do this all over again? Yes, if we were younger. And for new alpaca owners starting out now in South Africa there is so much more knowledge than when we began our alpaca journey.

› Handspun yarn using three dyed

colours and four alpaca colours (this was spun in order to copy a Mussoni designer gent's cardigan for a client - the first time we branched out into colour)

› Spring coat is a recent › A Swiss-darned toddler gillet and hat › Some of our alpaca boys under a threatening sky

sale - hand knit from hand spun yarn and designed and knitted by one of our ladies

VITAMIN D

A

Ami Sawran, Westpoint Farm Vets, looks at vitamin D supplementation Is it worth it? How to work it?

Oral paste, injection or just swerve it?

s the evenings start to draw in and skies start to darken, we find ourselves looking towards our winter husbandry tasks: measuring alpaca body condition scores to ensure they’re sufficiently covered to withstand bad weather, having faecal samples assessed to check the herd aren’t carrying summer worm burdens into winter paddocks, and looking in to vitamin D supplementation for the coming months.

Vitamin D supplementation is a hot topic in the alpaca community; it’s easy to become bewildered by the many different and sometimes contradictory resources when considering whether to supplement, what to supplement with, and how often to do it. We all have our preferred methods of administering Vitamin D to herds, and this article is by no means a definitive list of instructions, but below I will endeavour to discuss factors that you may need to consider regarding Vitamin D.

Firstly, why is vitamin D so important?

Vitamin D plays a vital role in skeletal (bone) development, along with calcium and phosphorus. A deficiency of vitamin D can cause painful limb deformities, slow growth rates and joint swelling. A deficiency can be as subtle as a slight, shifting leg lameness. Any combination of these signs can help us form a diagnosis of rickets syndrome, though in some cases, radiographs (x-rays) may be advised to check the extent of bone pathology. When diagnosed early, rickets can be treated with a combination of anti-inflammatory pain relief, Vitamin D and phosphorus, however more extreme cases can require surgical intervention. Vitamin D deficiency, as you might expect, mainly affects growing animals (and September-February born cria are at even higher risk), but that does not mean adults cannot succumb to its effects.

Is it worth supplementing at all?

While camelids are capable of absorbing vitamin D from their diet, in the summer months, they get the added benefit of being able to produce it in the skin when ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun is in good supply. There is evidence that shearing increases the levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream – emphasising that alpacas very often have so little skin ‘on show’ that absorption can be difficult at the best of times!

In the winter, when UV influx decreases, particularly in temperate climates (like ours) and at low altitude, blood vitamin D levels can drop significantly. Most good quality, specific camelid feeds already contain vitamin D, so some choose to simply increase their supplemental rations over winter. The issue with what I call ‘passively supplementing’ is that we are never quite sure whether each animal gets its fair share, and growing cria can be outcompeted for feed. If this method is best suited to your husbandry methods, however, it is worth discussing daily requirements and how suited your supplemental feed is to increasing ration sizes, as diet changes should always be gradual.

What methods of supplementation are available?

Put simply, you can either administer supplemental vitamin D orally or via injection. Oral preparations are widely available through various stockists and can be administered (usually as a paste) by competent handlers. Success depends on your alpacas’ tolerance of having oral medication, but generally, I find slow and steady administration from the side, taking care not to aim the nozzle straight at the back of the throat allows them to swallow medications in their own time, rather than getting a shock from a swift squirt of paste! Generally, pastes are repeated at a higher

46 Alpaca Winter 2020

About the author

Ami Sawran graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2011 and works for Westpoint Farm Vets, where 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.

frequency than injectable preparations (every four-six weeks) – your vet should be able to advise you on this depending on the concentrations of your chosen product.

There will always be a risk that oral preparations are spat back at you, which is why some opt for injectable supplements.

Up until just recently, veterinarians have had to import injectable products, however one is now available on the UK market (Belavit AD3E; Bimeda) – this means after stocks of the previous imported medications are spent, we must use this product. It would not be legal for anyone other than a veterinary surgeon to obtain these injectable medications, so do make sure you can get it, or a prescription, from your vet in good time.

It is worth noting that it is still unlicensed for camelids – a familiar situation for all alpaca vets and owners! Most importantly, the concentration of vitamin D in the new formulation is different to previous incarnations, so the dosing volume has altered.

The maths is thankfully less complicated now: a preventative dose of 1000iu/kg of vitamin D works out at 0.1ml per 10kg of bodyweight injected under the skin.

Care must be taken to ensure that animals are not overdosed – this can lead to unwelcome side effects, and there is a published case of fatality associated with high dose rates. This preventative dose should be repeated every eight weeks over darker months (from October to April). Of course, your vet will be able to aid with advice, dosing, and administration, but confident owners can obtain injectable preparations on prescription and inject their animals themselves if they choose.

As always, some animals can fall foul of illness despite our best efforts to supplement, which is why vigilance is extremely important. Subtle signs such as being slightly smaller than age cohorts, or a hunched appearance can be signs of rickets, requiring intervention as soon as possible to prevent worsening of the condition.

It is important to consider that as well as contributing to skeletal health, vitamin D also aids foetal growth, development of health, mammary tissue and improves colostrum quality to benefit the next generation. Therefore, I do not exclude adult animals from supplementation regimes. As always, consider a conversation with your vet a priority for getting winter ready.

Wishing you all the best for a healthy herd over the coming months.

Westpoint Farm Vets has practices nationwide providing specialist farm animal veterinary care. Contact details for practices in the North, East, South and South West can be found on the website: www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk

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Alpaca socks Lovely knitted items Penrose alpaca duvets and pillows Alpaca yarn and fleece Cuddly toys And a herd of friendly Alpacas So, come and visit soon!

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

Mulberry Grange, Red Hall Lane Higher Penley, Wrexham LL13 ONA Tel: 07713 639 447 or 01978 710224 Email: mulberryalpacas@btconnect.com We’re 4 miles north of Ellesmere OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ❘ TELEPHONE ORDERS WELCOME

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

www.mulberryalpacas.co.uk

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

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

Your Animal Safe Antiseptic Spray Tough on Pathogens including MRSA, E.coli & SARS-C0V-2 Yet skin pH Neutral, Gentle to Skin Safe for All The Family

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fast acting formula anti-bacterial, anti-viral & anti-fungal quickly relieves, soothes & calms cuts, grazes & post surgical sites weepy eyes foot rot fly strike sores irritation caused by mites safe to use on pregnant animals & their young no damaging chemicals or dyes to fleece passed for use in organic lifestocks systems 100% safe on all skin types For all mammals, birds & reptiles

ONE VERSATILE PRODUCT FOR ALL SKINCARE NEEDS Leucillin is non-toxic, will not sting and is safe for all skin types including ears, eyes and sensitive skin. Leucillin quickly relieves, soothes and calms for good skin and fleece condition.

Available from all good animal care stores including Pets At Home and Just For Pets

www.leucillin.co.uk

Alpaca Winter 2020

47

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.

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.

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.

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:

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

Sue Hipkin 07770 455533 Lisa Hipkin 07770 455534 WEB: www.scotfieldalpacas.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 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.

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

CENTRAL ENGLAND

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

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

WEST MIDLANDS

TOFT ALPACAS

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 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.

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

48 Alpaca Winter 2020

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

FAERIE TALE ALPACAS

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.

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

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

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

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

Fibre Processors and Retailers RETAILERS/WHOLESALERS IN BRITISH ALPACA PRODUCTS

ANIMAL HEALTH

JG ANIMAL HEALTH High specification organic chealated nutritional supplements suitable for all camelids.

• Premier Camelid Drench • Premier Mineral Supplement • Premier Mineral Bucket • A, D3 & E Paste TEL: 07866 607466 EMAIL: jganimalhealth@aol.com WEB: www.jganimalhealth.co.uk

PROCESSORS OF FIBRE – MINI MILLS AND OTHER

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 drum change for carding different fibres.

TEL: 01746 714130

HOMESTEAD FARM SUPPLIES 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

M.R.HARNESS 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.

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

EMAIL: paulbrittain@mac.com

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

25% OFF

Terms and conditions apply

Terms and conditions apply

Discounted Prices on Microchips*

10% OFF

AGRI Shelter®

WEB: www.classiccarder.co.uk

www.ellipsefabrications.co.uk Terms and conditions apply

Terms and conditions apply

2 FREE worm counts worth £40 for NEW BAS members then 25% OFF Worm Counts after that*

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

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

www.bas-uk.com

5% OFF

ALL products Safe4disinfectant www.medisave.co.uk

Wildwood Animal Health www.wildwoodanimalhealth.co.uk

Free bag of Camelibra NG2

Terms and conditions apply

Terms and conditions apply

(worth £28 & free delivery)

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.

www.bas-uk.com Alpaca Winter 2020

49

SEASONAL RAMBLINGS

Our regular diarist finds time for gardening and with lashings of alpaca poo has a good crop of tomatoes.

She also takes a look at the benefits of native hedges and trees for alpacas and wildlife.

S

taying at home on the farm in isolation has prompted us to do things we always put off, including the chores we mean to do but never found the time for. Clearing the loft out, painting and decorating, fencing and I have even seen myself hoovering a few times a month, whether it needed doing or not, and also gardening.

Alpaca poo is fantastic for the garden especially tomatoes, it rots down so quickly and I just can’t believe the veg I have grown this year with lashings of alpaca poo added to the soil. Again, growing my own veg is something I always wanted to do but I never got around to digging the soil and sowing any seeds. Life is so busy and if anything this lockdown has taught us is to look at what we have around us and appreciate the little things, those things we would normally put off but now seem to be enjoying.

It’s also coming up to that time of year where we need to start looking at the state of our paddocks. It’s a great time to be thinking of our pasture management and now is the time to plant trees and hedges. These can be a natural solution to a range of pasture problems. My advice is to choose species of trees and hedges that are not poisonous and are indigenous to the UK. They can provide shelter for your alpacas from driving wind and rain, and shade from the scorching sun and summer flies. With summer temperatures reaching record highs alpacas will seek shade at some point in the day.

Trees will also boost the quality of food and habitat for birds and wildlife and well positioned hedges can reduce the impact on your alpacas’ wellbeing from our increasingly extreme British weather. Alpacas are browsers and love ferreting in the hedgerows for fresh new leaves and buds. A good hedge will include hawthorn, hazel and dog wood, which are fast growing and hardy. Hornbeam tolerates extreme weather and is a favourite of mine; it keeps its leaves longer and its branches are architecturally pleasing. Willow is great for waterlogged areas, strategically placed their roots drink up excess water and improve soil structure and drainage.

If you are planting more than a hectare the Woodland Trust's MOREwoods scheme is ideal for some funding and expert advice about species, selection,

50 Alpaca Winter 2020

› A good crop of tomatoes placement and protection. They will give you advice with no obligation to join the scheme. Warning: DO NOT PLANT OAK, YEW, LAUREL OR PRIVET. Sycamore seeds are poisonous to horses so maybe we should avoid them as well, but if at all unsure the best way to choose trees is to seek expert advice.

Oral dosing

This year I am trying not to use so many injections on my alpacas. I feel sometimes we treat them like pin cushions so, I have started to use different oral wormers. With a gun you can apply the wormer by yourself and I have also used some oral triple ADE gel from Eggsport to start the cria off. So easy to do again on your own and with no drama. On the titchy cria I put the right amount of gel on my finger and rub it along their gums; it saves using a needle which I hate doing with very young alpaca. This has worked a treat. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to low growth rate, weakness in bones, rickets and other painful joint disorders.

Triple D vitamin gel combines D3 with A, C, E, B12, K, calcium and phosphorus in a pink coloured gel (www.eggsport.co.uk).

Security cameras

Now Christmas is looming and if you don’t know what you want for a present do what I did a few years ago. I asked for Christmas money from my family and friends (bless them) and had some CCTV cameras installed on the farm. Yes, they cost a lot of money but if you are that way inclined you can buy kits which are much cheaper and do it yourself; not being that way inclined I had rather a nice young man install four cameras for me. One faces the 20 foot (foaling box) stable with corral, and if the alpacas are shut in, day or night, I can see what is going on – ideal if you are waiting for a birth or have a sick alpaca.

I have security all around the house including the front gates and farm building – it is well worth the money and peace of mind. Do buy good quality cameras though. I thought I would see foxes and dragons at night, maybe a werewolf or two, but no I’ve had cats and hedgehogs. Yes, I spend my nights putting out food for the adorable hedgehogs and spend the rest of the night watching them, after all I am isolating.

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We are proud to offer: Detailed guidance and support for new owners.

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Help obtaining planning permission for a dwelling using alpaca breeding as justification â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we did it and have helped others.

www.incaalpaca.co.uk Please call Tim and Tracey to talk more about alpaca ownership: +44 (0) 7875 532827

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