Pfeiffer Park Alpacas Logo

 

 


 

SEASON: Jumping into Spring

This is a truly lovely season in Queensland, where you can feel the warmth in air again, flowers are popping up everywhere.... with lots of breeders patiently waiting for the birth of their Spring crias.

Here are some tips to help you through the coming season.

SHEARING: If you haven't already booked your shearer, get in and do it now - to avoid having too much fleece on your alpacas as the hotter weather comes. If you are a new breeder and have not done this before, contact some local breeders and ask to visit on their shearing day so that you know how it will work at your farm. Be prepared and have your fleece and testing bags named and ready for use in alphabetical order for easy of use on the day. If the weather suits, put a hose over your alpacas a week before shearing to knock the dirt and dust out of them. On the day, run grooming tools over them before they get shorn to knock of the vegetable matter out. Have lots of helpers so that you can skirt the fleece as it comes off the animal; doing biannual shots (ie, drench, selenium, vaccine, vitamin d) and toenail clipping whilst they are restrained. If your shearer is qualified, have teeth checked (including fighting teeth on males) and ground if necessary.

SHELTER: The weather at this time of year can be a bit unpredictable.... one minute cool and then hot, but we all know the heat is coming - so it is time to prepare. Make sure that your alpacas have shade to get under whether they are fleeced or not, to get out of the sun.

WATER: Have water available at all times in a shaded spot, under a tree or shelter to keep it cool. If the water is out in the sun it can heat up and they won't drink it if hot.... leading to dehydration and worse.

WORMS: This is a good time to drench, ahead of the worm activity heating up with the weather. Some breeders drench routinely with the seasons. Some test and then drench as required. Regardless of what you plan to do with drenching, a way to keep the worm burden down is by cleaning up poo piles every 4-5days, removing from the paddock completely and putting in a location where there can be no runoff back to the paddock with rain. Paddock rotation is also another way to keep the worm burden down, allowing your paddocks to rest for 3-4mths in between uses. Before you move your alpacas to a new paddock, test and/or drench and move them two days after drenching - clean up the poo from the previous paddock straight away and leaving the paddock to rest for 3-4mths.

PREGNANT FEMALES: This is a time when lots of breeders plan to have births as the weather is mild and suited to the start of new life. When your female is 2mths off due date, bring her into a maternity paddock where you can see her readily. Increase the feed for these females with good quality hay on offer 24/7 and chaff mix with adequate mineral supplementation. Bring your cria kits out and have them ready - for taking temperatures, weighing, coats and hot water bottles to warm cold crias, bottles and milk replacers on standby if things go wrong. A great book to help you care for your pregnant female and cria is the ABC of Cria Care book by Caroline Jinx. Review this book and have it on hand if things go wrong.

SNAKES: As the weather warms, so will the snake activity. In the past four years we have experienced two cases of snake bite with around 100 alpacas on farm. It is rare, but does happen. If you find your alpaca foaming at the mouth, drooling and lethargic - check temperature and if low, the probability that poisoning has occurred is very strong... either from weeds or snake bite. In any case you need to get vet assistance - however, if it is indeed a snake bite, we have found the anti-venin useless, infact it resulted in the death of an alpaca by anaphylactic shock. We have found that 2 x 5ml shots of Vitamin C, one in each side of base of neck immediately, containing animal in a warm pen, and giving 1 x shot of 5ml Vitamin C per hour thereafter until animal is eating and drinking again with electrolytes in water and B Complex on chaff mix. Please note - high doses of vitamin c can cause kidney damage, however snake bite venin cause death.... so I know what I would choose to do!

WEEDS: This time of year weeds pop up due to recent rains following a season of low winter pastures. Be vigilant, check your paddocks regularly. Walk a paddock before you let your animals into it for the first time - pulling out any weeds that have grown. When moving alpacas to a new paddock - give them a chaff mix sup feed before letting them out so that they don't gorge themselves on the new grass and only allow them to graze for 2hrs on the first day, then 1/2 day the next and so on.


1 Sep 10


SHARPS DISPOSAL

It is a requirement for breeders to contain used needles/syringes in an approved sharps container and dispose of that container when full to a licensed collection facility.

WHERE DO I GET SHARPS CONTAINERS FROM:
- Healthy Horse, William Street, Rockhampton, Ph: 4927 6260

COST OF SHARPS BINS:
- 5 to 10 litre sizes, various styles: $14.95-$22 per container

DISPOSAL (SELF):
- YEPPOON: Community Health Centre at Yeppoon Hospital, Hoskins Drive.
- ROCKHAMPTON: Community Health Centre, 82-86 Bolsover St.
- You need to go into the office and ask staff to open up the bin located outside for you to put the sharps container in.

DISPOSAL (COLLECTION):
- JJ Richards: Lisa, 1800 242 527
- Will open an account for you, when you call they will collect for a fee of $20 for the site visit and $5.20per kg of waste. They will send you an account for this service at the end of the month the waste is collected.


1 Jun 10


QUEENSLAND ALPACA OF THE YEAR AWARD - How can you win this award?

2009 Qld Alpacas of the Year: Huacaya - Sunline Galaxy

2009 Qld Alpacas of the Year: Huacaya - Sunline Galaxy

The criteria for both Suri and Huacaya Queensland Alpaca of the Year is as follows:
• Alpaca must have a Qld Stud Prefix
• Alpaca must be owned by registered Qld Breeder
• The scoring count is only from the best four (4) show Results for each animal at Qld Region endorsed show (currently Toowoomba, Nanango, Gympie, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane Royal)

The scoring is as follows:

Age – Classes (in both Colourbration & Standard Shows)

In the event of a large class, then a bonus point is given to all place getters that beat 5 or more animals... ie, 4th place = 1 point (only if they beat 5 others).

Age - Section: Standard Shows


Colour – Section: Colourbration Shows
>Supreme = 4 points

Overall Show Winner: Standard Shows
> Supreme Champion = 5 points

So all you need to do to take part in the opportunity of winning either of these Awards is to show your best alpacas at all of the above shows …… and you are in the running!


2009 Qld Alpacas of the Year: Huacaya - Suri: Paltarra Khamsin

2009 Qld Alpacas of the Year: Huacaya - Suri: Paltarra Khamsin


1 Jun 10


SEASON: Getting through Winter

Winter alpaca care in Central Queensland is generally not too much of a concern. However here are some tips to help you meet some of the challenges that this season may bring.

KEEPING WARM


FEED


WATER


SHELTER


INTRODUCING NEW ALPACAS TO FARM
> This is the best time of year to introduce new alpacas to your property, as it gives them time to adjust to new parasites and bacteria in soils. In winter both these things are low to non-existant, so they have time to slowly adjust over the months ahead.

VITAMIN ADE
> In Central Queensland we generally have cool, but sunny winter months and overcast/wet summers. However, if you experience extended cloudy weather during winter - then you will need to give all alpacas ADE booster shots.

DRENCHING
> This is a good time of year to drench for tapeworm and lice/mites, as all other worms are generally hard to pick up in winter months.

EXTRA CARE


1 May 10


SHOW PREPARATIONS: You & Your Alpaca!

It is that time of year when we start to prepare ourselves and our alpacas for the show season.

Here are some tips to help you along the way......

SHOW ENTRIES


PREPARING ALPACAS FOR SHOW


HANDLER NEEDS FOR A SHOW


WHAT TO TAKE TO SHOW


NIGHT BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR SHOW


TRAVELLING


WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE SHOW


SHOW DAY


REMEMBER
>Have fun!


1 Apr 10


SHOW WINNERS: How to Select them

The following information is excerts from an article written by a very experience American Alpaca Breeder and judge - Mike Safley, but somewhat adapted to suit our Australian conditions.

After many years in the show ring both as an exhibitor and more recently as a judge, Mike Safely has some observations on what it takes to win. These are merely his opinions and you may or may not agree, but if they are helpful and you win a few more ribbons then his purpose is served.

SHOW PREPARATION
After judging several large shows, Mike Safley noticed that more and more breeders were "blocking" their Huacayas and "washing" their Suris. The Australian Alpaca Association show rules prohibit these practices and note that alpacas are presented in a clean (free of vegetable and fecal matter) paddock quality condition.

By blocking, Mike means giving alpacas a full body hair cut so that the animal almost becomes a fleece sculpture. This is a much different look than a cria that is shorn early so it will look good for the next show season.

By washing, Mike means just that. A number of suri breeders seem to think that it increases the luster in the fleece if the animal is washed. Others actually add oil or show prep to the fleece to make it shine. In doing this, you risk being asked to leave the show ring by the judge as these practices are strictly prohibited in Australia.

Mike says that based on his conversations with other judges and his own judging experience that excessive preparation such as blocking and washing do not work. In fact, it most often results in the animal being placed lower rather than higher. The problems for a judge when evaluating over-prepared animals are:

1. The animal is more difficult to assess for a number of reasons:


2. Washing removes natural luster and the greasy slick handle of a high quality suri fleece.

3. The phenotype is altered by the sculpture technique. When a blocked animal enters the ring, a red flag goes up. The judge knows the breeder has tried to alter the look and possibly hide defects and looks closer in an effort not to be deceived. Breeders will do better in the ring if they leave the fleece undisturbed and maybe clip a little around the head and neck only.

WINNING TRAITS
There are some traits that are common denominators among prize winning alpacas. They include:

1) size - larger alpacas tend to win;
2) bite - a bad bite often eliminates an alpaca from competition for first or second place;
3) in huacayas crimp wins;
4) in suris luster wins;
5) density often becomes a determining factor amongst similar alpacas;
6) fineness is good, but absolute superiority in fineness is rarely the determining factor in ribbon placement;
7) conformation rarely determines the winner because most alpacas that place have excellent conformation;
8) animals that lead well and do not pull against the halter do better than unruly alpacas that fight their handler making it difficult for the judge to see their true leg conformation;
9) presence is important as it catches the judge's eye, and;
10) grooming - animals that have not been brushed or beaten with a wand or particularly, in the case of suris, washed, do better.

Mike takes the above factors one at a time below and suggests how you might select for them or ensure the particular quality is in your alpacas. These suggestions are abbreviated. For a complete discussion of these ideas please see his book "Alpacas: Synthesis of a Miracle".


The above ideas are simply Mike's opinions based on observation, success and occasional failure.

However this farm believes that the advice above is very sound and we subscribe to most of his recommendations.


1 Apr 10


CRIA WATCH: Impending Births

Notes to help those patiently waiting and watching for a cria to arrive..... and what to do when it FINALLY gets here!

RESEARCH


CRIA WATCH


Signs that the dam may be in labour include:
o Visiting the poo pile often, perhaps straining and nothing coming out.
o Bulging around the vulva/anus area (even balloon looking – which can happen for up to 2wks before birth).
o Walking around with tail in the air and not near a poo pile.
o Rolling a lot – which is getting the cria in the birth canal properly.
o Biting or itching at sides – can be an indication they are in labour.
o Laying on the ground, groaning, getting up and down a lot (in and out of kush and laying on side).
o Not eating when you put out a morning / evening feed.
o Taking herself away from the others in the herd – off on their own.

“CRIATION” – Day of Birth


Normal progression of the birth:


Now its cria care time:

• Check the umbilical cord is not bleeding, if it is use a clamp to stop flow of blood and call vet-I have never seen this happen. If not bleeding, spray with betadine/water mix liberally.
• Check to see if it is a girl or boy – just so you know!
• Rub your finger in its mouth checking for teeth on the bottom jaw – if no teeth it is a bit premmie and may need extra care. If teeth have erupted from skin then it is right on time.
• Check cria has an anus opening – this can be closed over and if so you need to take it to the vet immediately for the vet to surgically open it or the cria will die. This has never happened on my farm.
• Check temperature with a rectal thermometer-should be 36.8-38.6degrees-make a note of the temperature in your note book. If at the lower end, I would move cria to a sunny spot to warm up and check temp in 1/2hr – if still low, rub cria all over with a towel to warm up and put a jumper and/or coat on it if you feel necessary. If it is winter and it is not warming up quickly, you can put it in a tub of hot water, towel dry, then dry off with a hair dryer, jumper/coat and return to mum as quickly as possible.
• Now bite a hole in 2 x Vitamin D3 capsules and squeeze into the crias mouth, then syringe 1ml of Cophos paste into mouth as well.
• Weigh the cria: if 6+kg all should be okay, if under that – this is a cria you may have to really watch to make sure all goes well.
• Put cria back into Kush position, write down all your observations and treatments in your note book, walk away and leave mum and bub to bond and move on.
• This process should take no more than 5mins.

Cria will start to get up:


Placenta Delivery:


Bonding time:


End of the day of birth:


1 Apr 10


FLEECE COLOUR: Colour Coding Alpacas

Determining an alpacas colour at birth can be tricky - it is actually better to wait until it is around 1-2mths old to make the decision.

When born, the tips of the alpaca can be discoloured by the embryonic fluid it has been sitting in for past 11.5mths. When the sun hits these tips, it can also bleach slightly - giving a black alpaca brown tips for example.

When the alpaca has approx 1-2mths growth, open the fleece up and put the colour chart (displayed) next to the skin and determine what the colour is. At Pfeiffer Park Alpacas we do not register our animals until they are around 4-5mths old, then we are more certain of the colouring.

Does an alpaca change colour over the years? Not really, they can darken or lighten slightly and they do go grey just like us with age-for them it is around 10yrs onward when they start to go grey/white, but other than aging they really always remain pretty much the colour they were born.

A guide to colour coding of alpacas:
The fleece colour code has been supplied to Australian Alpaca Association registered breeders to assist in grouping registered alpacas into the correct fleece colour type.


A guide to assessing colour from the Australian Alpaca Association Showing Rules Manual:


25 Mar 10


SEASON: Cyclone Season - Be Prepared

The period between October and March in Central Queensland is a time when we can encounter cyclonic conditions.

Here are some tips to help you and your alpacas through these months.

WARNINGS:


PREPAREDNESS:


SAFE LOCATIONS FOR ALPACAS:


FOLLOWING THE WINDS:


USEFUL CONTACTS IN ROCKHAMPTON/YEPPOON AREA:


19 Mar 10


SEASON - Autumn Tips

Autumn in Central Queensland is a really nice time of year, the rains of summer have generally abated.... leaving our pastures green and lush as we head toward milder temperatures.

Here are some tips that you can use to help your alpacas coast through the autumn months.

SHEARING: Spring time is best. If you have animals that need to be shorn, do it now and no later than end of March. We made the mistake last year of shearing 1/2 dozen alpacas end of March and then we got an unexpected cold snap - which left our animals feeling cold and miserable for a while whilst they tried hard to pump out some fleece to keep them warm. Fortunately they were all big healthy adults that could cope with a little cold and not compromise their immune systems with the sudden change.

DRINKING WATER: Maintain fresh and clean drinking water for your animals, cleaning waterers regularly with a little bleach to keep bacteria at bay.

SHELTER: Make sure alpacas have places to get out of the sun if they wish to and shelter from any rain and cooler breezes - trees are adequate, shade shelter or open shed.

HOSE / WATERING: It is best not to wet your alpacas at this time of year, even on a hot day.... as the night approaches the temperatures are getting lower and if the alpaca is not dry they can suffer from the cold over night, weakening their immune system, making them vulnerable to illness.

WORMS: Keep dung piles clean and weed eat tall grasses around them to keep the Alpacas from eating near them. Remove dung regularly - every 4-5days to reduce worm burden. A very good time to drench alpacas, as worms can and do kill and rapidly. Many breeders drench 3-4 times per year: Spring, Summer, Autumn and sometimes Winter.

PREGNANT FEMALES: This is often the busy season for alpaca breeders in Queensland with the first births of the year starting in Autumn, followed by matings/spitoffs, etc. A good time for crias to be delivered when the weather is milder, gives them time to grow some fleece and be prepared for the colder winter months. If you are in this situation, it is time to bring your heavily pregnant girls into maternity paddocks to have them close enough to monitor births.

PASTURES: This time of year we have nice green, lush pastures following he summer rains. However, the grass can get out of hand with alpacas not being able to consume at the rate it grows! It is a good idea to slash regularly to keep the grass low - alpacas like it best that way and it also helps with keeping eyes free of grass seed injuries. If you are in a spear grass country like us, don't fret it is really good nutrition for the alpacas - but needs to be managed so not to cause problems. The season is approaching where spear grass will start to spear - make sure you slash before it spears, so the needles hit the ground and do not become a problem in the alpacas fleece. Slashing has a good affect on the paddocks too - leaving grass litter on the ground creates a mulch keeping the moisture in and helps to prevent weed growth.

BI-ANNUAL SHOTS:
March/April is the time of year that we look to our biannual care regime: drenching, vaccine, vitamin D, clipping toenails and general health checks. We will be in touch with all our clients in the coming months to assist you with these things if you haven't done already.


2 Mar 10


HALTERS: A Correctly Fitted Alpaca Halter is Very Important!

DIAGRAM - Correctly Fitted Halter

DIAGRAM - Correctly Fitted Halter

At Pfeiffer Park Alpacas we have learned halter training with assistance from Marty McGee "Alpaca Training & Handling DVD" and also through trial and error- applying methods that suit the individual alpaca's personality and needs for training!

We believe it is easier to handle a trained alpaca - as the alpaca in this situation is calmer and understands what is required of it, making handling a much more pleasant task for both the animal and handler - whether it is just to go for a walk; be prepared for going to show; going to a mating or having a vet visit. As such we train all alpacas born on our farm and try to assist clients with on farm lessons for untrained alpacas; we make Marty McGee's training DVD available for purchase or lending; provide training opportunities with Marty McGee's trained TTeam Staff in Queensland annually and also offer to train your alpacas for you - on your farm or yours.

The most common error in handling alpacas is to misunderstand how to halter them correctly due to lack of knowledge concerning the make up of the facial structure and thus to end up with a badly fitted halter. This understandably makes the alpaca uncomfortable and nervous and renders it difficult to manage.

At Pfeiffer Park Alpacas we sell halters especially designed for alpacas and show you how to correctly fit them, along with a range of other alpaca specific products.... go to "Market Place" tab and equipment for more information.

HALTER FITTING INSTRUCTIONS


1 Mar 10



Pfeiffer Park Alpacas Pfeiffer Park Alpacas
Copyright © 2009 Pfeiffer Park Alpacas | ABN 52 023 835 615 | Web Design: Mandalay Alpacas | XHTML 		Pfeiffer Park Alpacas