MAIN HEADING
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE Winter 2015/2016 £7.50 where sold
BRILLIANT ADVENTURE
Quechua Benefit tour of Peru
Only the Finest
MAINTAINING FIBRE QUALITY
Beat the Cold
Winter Management of Alpacas
And... are Alpacas REALLY Scary? STORIES FOR GIRLS & BOYS
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 1
CONTENTS
Classical Publishing Ltd © 2016
WELCOME
The only independent magazine reporting on the international alpaca industry. Distributed by subscription worldwide and through country stores across the UK, Alpaca World Magazine reaches the largest readership in its market.
Issue 55 Winter 2015/2016 ISSN 1477–7088 Editor: Rachel Hebditch Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 8NB Telephone: 01884 243579 Mobile: 07540 748803 Email: rachel@alpaca-uk.co.uk Advertising: Heidi Hardy Telephone 01598 752799 Email: heidi@ alpacaworldmagazine.com Copy deadline for the next issue: 18th March 2016 Design and Production: TRG Design Telephone: 01392 279371 Email: info@trgdesign.com www.trgdesign.com Printed in England by: Advent Colour 19 East Portway Ind. Est., Andover SP10 3LU The material contained in Alpaca World Magazine is compiled by the publishers for information purposes only. Although the material included has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, no guarantees are given as to its accuracy or completeness. Readers are reminded that expert advice should always be sought in individual cases. Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of the material contained in this issue the publisher does not accept responsibility for any loss arising out of such changes or inaccuracies nor for any other loss suffered as a result of information contained in this issue. Notice to Advertisers: It is a condition of acceptance of advertisement orders that the publishers, Classical Publishing Ltd, do not guarantee the insertion of a particular advertisement on a specific date, or at all, although every effort will be made to meet the wishes of advertisers; further the company does not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by any error or inaccuracy in the printing or non appearance of any advertisement, or if we decide to edit or delete any objectionable wording, or reject any advertisement. Although every advertisement is carefully checked, occasionally mistakes do occur. We therefore ask advertisers to assist us by checking their advertisements carefully and to advise us by the deadline given should an error occur. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than one incorrect insertion and that no republication or discount will be granted in the case of typographic or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement. Cover photo: Quecha Benefit Tour, Katie Safley
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL. In this issue veterinarian Claire Whitehead reminds us how to keep our alpacas healthy through our wet and windy winter, a little different to the difficulties faced shearing alpacas in hot and sandy Namibia. Joanne Dell of Abbotts View Alpacas explains how she came to write a children’s book whilst Jane Potts of Coco Alpacas charts her journey with alpacas that took her to France, back to England after her husband’s death and nowadays the proud proprietor of a shop selling all manner of yarns. If you fancy a trip to Peru alongside a spot of altruism, Katie Safley gives a snapshot of the 2015 trip that helps to fund Quechua Benefit, you can find out about the 2016 trip at www.quechuabenefit.org.
CONTENTS Alpaca World Magazine Winter 2016 NEWS
28 34
4
Online Voting for BAS
4
BAS Industry Meeting
4
BAS National Show
5
UK Alpaca: Making the Grade
5
New Challenge for Dani
38 42 48
FEATURES 8
Alpaca Showtime 2015
20 “And... Are Alpacas REALLY Scary?” 24
Shear Trepidation in Namibia
8
Brilliant Adventure in Peru What to do with Beserk Males (and Females) “I Should Coco”: Coco Alpacas Maintaining Fibre Quality Investing in Happiness: Amberley Alpacas
REGULAR ITEMS 14 Ask the Vet: Winter Management of Alpacas 58 Breeders directory
20
48
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42 www.alpacaworldmagazine.com ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 3
NEWS
If you have news of events or developments within the alpaca industry which you would like to share with others please send it to: The Editor, Alpaca World Magazine, Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8NB, United Kingdom Email: info@alpacaworldmagazine.com
ONLINE VOTING PLANNED TO ENCOURAGE MEMBER PARTICIPATION
THE BRITISH ALPACA SOCIETY has employed Electoral Reform Services to set up on line voting for the membership. Currently, only about 10% of the membership actually cast their votes. A statement from the BAS reads: ‘By making voting a simpler process, it is hoped it will encourage more of the membership to have a say in their society. The BAS already conducts most of its business online. Registering animals, entering shows, newsletters and so on and enabling the membership to vote online is a natural progression. Not only allowing the Society to be greener, not having to send out all those reams of paperwork each year.
It will also save numerous man/ woman hours involved with the collating and mailing process of said paperwork, thus saving the Society money. Although there is a cost involved with employing a company to implement and operate an online voting system.
“By making voting a simpler process, it is hoped it will encourage more of the membership to have a say in their society”
4 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
The savings achieved, by not having all the administrative work and postal costs associated with the AGM paperwork, will in fact result in a financial saving for the Society. For those members who do not have access to the Internet, there will still be a facility for them to receive their forms by post, as they always have done.’ ERS is the UK’s leading provider of independent election and balloting services with over 100 years experience in administering elections and ballots. Amongst their clients are some of the biggest companies, organisations and businesses in the country, as well as many small and medium size membership organisations and charities.
THE BRITISH ALPACA SOCIETY HELD AN INDUSTRY MEETING in January where boosting the export market for British alpacas through the education of breeders and veterinarians in Europe was discussed. A committee chaired by board member Tim Hey is to come up with ideas whilst another group will investigate the introduction of an Estimated Breeding Value scheme for alpaca breeders in the UK. THE BRITISH ALPACA SOCIETY NATIONAL SHOW will be held at the International Centre, Telford, Shropshire on March 5th and 6th. Judges are Mary Jo Smith, Jay Holland, Tim Hey, Jude Anderson and Angela Preuss. Full information can be found at basnationalshow.co.uk
NEWS Tania Smith and Rachel Hebditch pictured at the end of grading.
MAKING THE GRADE UK Alpaca has finished grading 10,700 kilos of British alpaca fleece. Just over five thousand kilos of that is on its way to Bradford for scouring, top making and spinning. The rest - some 5,656 kilos - goes into duvets and pillows as the fleece is outside the parameters for knitting yarns. The fleece that is used for bedding is normally too coarse, too short, badly skirted and often showing colour contamination from the shearing mat. Large forward orders meant that UK Alpaca struggled to reach the weights required for fine grade white fleece, more of which is always needed. Any breeders who still have their 2015 fleece clip are invited to sell it to us and we will be open for fleeces from the 2016 clip once shearing has started. Our stock yarns are available to our fleece suppliers at wholesale prices with no minimum order requirement.
NEW CHALLENGE FOR DANI UK BASED FIBRE TESTING SERVICE, AAFT - Europe, have announced the appointment of Daniela (Dani) Allen as Manager/ Technician from the 1st April 2016. Dani will be taking over from Trevor Selby who has held the position since 2012. Dani’s previous experience includes co-managing a family
owned and operated fibre mill and she is currently receiving training from Trevor, who has also kindly offered mentor support for her until she has achieved all levels of competencies to operate and manage the laboratory. As from 1st April, the AAFT service will be based at Dorset, with all contact details and address for
submitting samples to be published in this magazine at a later date. The executive of AAFT takes this opportunity to express its appreciation towards Trevor for the very high level of service he provided to AAFT- Europe’s customers and the alpaca community in general.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 5
Eilers Alpaka pacos - food supplement The soil conditions in our area contain less nutrients and minerals which results in an undersupply. The resulting reduction of vitamin d formation can negatively enhance the state of health. Together with Doctor Freitag (Aabach-Farm Münsterland Alpakas), we took some blood samples in the past. Resulting from that we were able to optimize and develop our alpaca-food. Eilers Alpaka pacos contain all the necessary minerals, trace elements and vitamins to balance the local lacks. Our recommendations: Feed your alpacas with Eilers Alpaka pacos twice a year for a period of 10 days for free disposal.
Benefits: - Uniform pellets ensure a stable diet. - High percentage of minerals, trace elements and vitamins offset local deficiencies. - Valuable fatty and oleic acids stabilize health and improve the structure of fibers. - High concentration of nutrients allows economical and low cost feeding.
Any questions? Visit our homepage to discover more about our Alpaka pacos and please do not hesitate to contact us +49 2572 96017-0.
- Does not lead to rumen acidosis.
Eilers Futtermittel GmbH & Co. KG • Lütkenfelde 6a • 48282 Emsdetten (GERMANY) Phone +49 2572 96017-0 • Fax +49 2572 96017-69 • www.eilers-futtermittel.de • info@eilers-futtermittel.de
www.lusialpacas.co.uk
Breeding beautiful black alpacas in Northamptonshire. Breeding females, stud males and pets for sale.
TEL: 07860 499419 6 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
EMAIL: lulu@lusialpacas.co.uk
Contact Roger Mount
on 01386 853 841 or 07711044106 Email: snowshillalpacas@btinternet.com Web: www.snowshillalpacas.com
Snowshill Alpacas,
Snowshill Hill Barn, Temple Guiting, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5XX
Snowshill Beethoven
Snowshill Ciscero
sire: Virococha Prophecy of Anzac dam: Merungle Audrey of Anzac
sire: Eringa Park Lionheart of Cambridge dam: Silverstream Escudo of Anzac
Snowshill Maserati
Snowshill Oberon (Suri)
sire: Snowshill Orlando dam: Snowshill Felicity
Snowshill Peregrin
sire: Wessex Cosmos dam: Hermione of Willaston
Snowshill Raphael (Suri)
sire: Andean Legacy of I-Spy dam: Snowshill Letitia
sire: Snowshill Raphael dam: Bozedown Dividend
Blackmore Vale Shaston Prince
sire: Coricancha Fernando of Wessex dam: Patience
Snowshill Shadow Dancer
sire: ARU Cambridge Ice Cool Lad dam: Cambridge Chocolate Button
Snowshill Romulus II
sire: Snowshill Remus dam: Cambridge Chocolate Button
Snowshill Orlando
sire: Virococha Prophecy of Anzac dam: Snowshill Perdita
Snowshill Ramises
sire: EP Cambridge Navigator of Accoyo dam: Snowshill Alexandra
Snowshill Vivaldi
sire: Blackmore Vale Shaston Prince dam: Snowshill Abbigail
Above is a selection of our Stud Males available for services in 2016. Fees range from ÂŁ350 to ÂŁ750. Significant discounts apply for multiple matings. Progeny can be viewed. We also have a number of alpacas for sale from pet to show quality. Please phone/email for details. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 7
ALPACA SHOWTIME
Alex Harrington Smith reports on Alpaca Showtime 2015
L
et me tell you, if you have managed to turn a two-and-a-half-hour journey into a more substantial six-hour trek involving everything from traffic jams to breakdowns there are few sights and receptions more welcoming than The Houghton Hall Equestrian Centre. Mick and Liz George of Houghton Hall Alpacas kindly hosted the 2015 Alpaca Showtime at their facility on the weekend of October 31st. This event is run by The Alpaca Stud, Bozedown Alpacas and Houghton Hall Alpacas and with 295 entrants in only its second year, it looks set to become one of the biggest on the calendar. The equestrian centre proved itself the perfect facility for an Alpaca Show. Upon arrival the atmosphere was already buzzing with music
8 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
playing across the sound system and a warm reception offered by the organisers and their many helpers. The experienced organisers of this event, along with their crew of volunteers, made sure that inspections were done quickly and efficiently so the weary travellers could put their feet up before a weekend of showing commenced. Saturday morning dawned and the hall filled with the bustle of exhibitors eager to see what the day would bring. After a lively exhibitors meeting and an introduction to our two judges, Rob Bettinson (UK) and Helen Testa (USA) it was down to the serious business of showing. The judges were thorough in their approach and offered up interesting oral reasons for the exhibitors and visiting public.
ALPACA SHOWTIME
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 9
ALPACA SHOWTIME
THE GIFT OF SOUND AND VISION Another innovative move by the event organisers was the introduction of the big screen which enabled the audience to get a brief glimpse of some of what the judges were seeing. This makes Alpaca Showing almost pass muster as a spectator sport. The judges and camera crew were all new to the art of working around each other and the alpacas but the kinks were soon ironed out and many viewed the addition of these cameras as a triumph for Showtime. Saturday lunch time saw the ring filled with some ghoulish goings on as Alpaca Breeders took up the light hearted challenge to don some spooky fancy dress. The effort and attention to detail was quite something and gave onlookers a good laugh and some light hearted fun away from the more serious halter classes! Two of the British Alpaca Society apprentice judges, Barbara Hetherington
10 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
and Jo Bridge, took up the challenge of awarding rosettes to this colourful collection of exhibitors and their very tolerant alpacas! Another of our apprentice judges, Julia Corrigan-Stuart, did an excellent job of putting the junior handlers through their paces in a friendly and encouraging manner. The Saturday evening dinner was a fun and relaxing evening with plenty of opportunity to catch up with old friends and make some new ones along the way. There was even a pre-dinner evacuation when the fire alarm sounded – fortunately this did not lead to burnt offerings but a great meal! The judging concluded on Sunday with Houghton Hall Alpacas winning both Supreme Champion Suri with Houghton Bright Spark and Supreme Champion Huacaya Houghton Day Breaker.
ALPACA SHOWTIME
Another innovative move was the introduction of the big screen... this makes Alpaca Showing almost pass as a spectator sport
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 11
UK Alpaca Ltd
Supporting British Alpaca Breeders
2016 Fleece Collection
UK Alpaca will buy ALL your huacaya fleece including leg and short neck. All grades of fibre have value and we are pleased to say that all your fleeces are used to make a variety of yarns in Britain with the lower grades going into cushions and bedding. Keep British fleeces in the UK. Support us in developing a reputation for supplying the best high quality British alpaca yarns into the wholesale and retail markets. Prices paid for the 2016 clip will be as follows. Contact us for your copy of our shearing guidelines including tips to maximise returns from your clip. Grade
Colour
Skirted Price/kg excl VAT
Unskirted Price/kg excl VAT
Baby
White
£12
£10
Baby
Coloured
£8
£6
Fine
White
£8
£6
Fine
Coloured
£5
£3
Skirtings, short neck, coarse and shearing waste
All
£0.40
Please do not consign your yearling necks to ‘waste’. They should be bagged separately and if the neck staple is more than three inches long will go into the top grades. UK Alpaca specialises in British alpaca yarns with full provenance and aims to support alpaca breeders by maintaining our reputation for high quality product. If you sell us your fleece you are entitled to buy back stock yarns at wholesale prices with no minimum order.
For more information contact Chas Brooke or Rachel Hebditch on 01884 243579 or rachel@alpaca-uk.co.uk UK Alpaca Ltd, Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8NB
www.ukalpaca.com
TRANSPORT LOC ALPACA Experts for the UK, Europe and Worldwide B Y R OA D. B Y S E A . B Y A I R .
• • • • •
Safe, stress free dedicated private charter and shared load transport All export documentation and overnight housing arranged if required Ifor Williams 511 trailers available for UK self-drive hire or with a driver Qualified, experienced and knowledgeable drivers Fully licensed and DEFRA approved
Tel: +44 (0)1306 710100 Email: info@locltd.com www.localpacatransport.com 12 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
Bozedown Alpacas Established 1989
World Class Alpacas
Shear Excellence over 26 years
Generations of Intelligent Breeding - our sure foundation The Premier British Alpaca Breeder A wise choice for both established breeders and beginners.
World-Class Champion bloodlines for Legendary Stud Services Reliable pedigree breeding stock at fair prices.
A family-run farm with 27 years experience, caring for our alpacas and the environment
Pregnant Females Landmark Stud Males Geldings as stock protectors and fibre producers.
Beginners’ Day Courses throughout the year Next course: 13th April. Please see our website for details.
Bozedown Alpacas: a wise choice for both established breeders and beginners. Sales, Training, Follow-up support, Stud Services
Founding member of BAS and originating sponsor of the
Please contact Mary-Jo Smith +44 (0)118-984-3827 +44(0)771-875-0303 maryjo@bozedown-alpacas.co.uk www.bozedown-alpacas.co.uk Just 7 miles north of M4, J12 ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 13
ASK THE VET
ASKTHE VET
CLAIRE E WHITEHEAD BVM&S MS MRCVS
Diplomate ACVIM (Large Animal) Director, Camelid Veterinary Services Ltd www.ukalpacavet.com
WINTER MANAGEMENT OF ALPACAS
T
he requirements for management of alpacas during the winter will vary greatly depending on country and region. This is largely governed by the temperatures and type of precipitation experienced in those areas. Being from South America, alpacas are accustomed to cold and snowy conditions: but it rarely gets too far below freezing. When the winters are harsh as happened in 2002, the mortality rate of alpacas is high because they are not accustomed to really cold conditions (colder than -10ºC) and deep snow: that winter, temperatures were reported at -25ºC with 30-70cm snow. For alpacas to tolerate these conditions well, they need assistance in the form of shelter and feed provision. In the UK, we do not have particularly predictable winter conditions – incessant rain, cold spells with or without snow, or mild conditions are all perfectly possible, and there
14 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
are still regional differences even in our small country. Differing conditions will call for different management, and UK owners need to be ready for anything. Weather conditions will also have a massive impact on other husbandry concerns: for example, mild wet winters allow parasite survival on pastures. What is certain however is that provision of shelter in some form is mandatory, and when pasture is covered with snow or frozen solid, supplementary feeding of forages is required together with concentrate feeding in order to maintain body condition, particularly in gestating/lactating females. Furthermore, alpacas will have different needs depending on their age, presence of disease, and status with regard to pregnancy and lactation. We will consider some key husbandry areas that will influence management in winter time.
ASK THE VET
HOUSING
Being from South America, alpacas are accustomed to cold and snowy conditions: but it rarely gets too far below freezing
Generally speaking, camelids can live outdoors throughout the year, but they do need some sort of shelter from inclement weather, especially rain. Camelids in fleece are well-insulated from snow in winter provided it’s not too cold and that they were not shorn late in the summer, but they can get soaked through and chilled in rain especially if they’re not 100%. Hedges and trees will provide some shelter from wind and precipitation but you should have some sort of shelter to be able to bring in any sick animals to care for them properly. A three-sided shelter facing away from the prevailing wind may be adequate in the UK but this sort of shelter needs to be large enough to allow even the recessive animals space to get inside. Barns can be made use of when there are larger numbers of animals. These can permit free access to animals that are outside in pasture, or the alpacas can be outside during the day when weather is good and housed overnight. Finally, alpacas can be housed indoors completely provided that they have sufficient space to exhibit normal behaviour, but this is usually not necessary in the UK. Housing may also increase the incidence of respiratory diseases and increase disease transmission risk. Alpacas need sufficient space to exhibit normal behaviour. This includes when animals may be brought in overnight. Divide accommodation so that animals can be housed in smaller groups. Females that are lactating or late in pregnancy should be kept in groups matched to suit their extra feed requirements. Ventilation is extremely important for animals housed indoors because odours from excretions (urine and faeces) and heat can accumulate inside. Poor ventilation may result in respiratory disease such as pneumonia. The building must allow movement of clean air through the building whilst not being overly draughty. Muck removal: Ensure that any bedding is kept clean: deep bedding (where straw is topped up daily) can be used although this can result in pathogens accumulating in the environment, along with an increase in the smell of ammonia
due to urine production, so care must be exercised if using this method of bedding. Try to remove the worst areas if possible before adding extra straw. Allow space for sick animals. Ideally these should be in a separate area from healthy animals to minimise the potential for disease transmission. Individual pens should always be available to treat sick animals and provide for their needs. Sick animals will not be competitive for food and may take a lot longer to eat. They will also need protection from the elements. Geriatric alpacas: Older alpacas are more susceptible to cold weather, as well as to changes in the weather. They grow less fleece and may struggle to maintain condition. Ensure that you check faecals for GI parasites and the teeth, and make special provision to feed these animals extra if they are struggling. Coats may be useful in colder or wet conditions. Housing overnight may help.
PASTURE & FEEDING The nutritional quality of grazing is likely to be poor during the winter months. Grass tends not to grow at less than around 7ÂşC. This means that even if your alpacas are able to be outside during the winter, they are likely to need supplementation of forages, and potentially also require some sort of concentrate feeding. This should be determined on the basis of regular body condition scoring, ideally on a monthly basis. Lactating females and those who are in the later months of gestation will have higher energy demands than other alpacas: growing alpacas will also need additional energy to provide for growth. Remember that although alpacas are generally better at surviving on poor quality forages than sheep or cattle, this will not provide the optimum nutrition for growth, reproduction, lactation, rearing crias and producing good fleece. Hay Analysis: Consider having the quality of your hay analysed: where different cuts or hay from different sources has different nutritional content, you can then prioritise the best quality forages for those animals that need it and feed the worst quality hay to non-productive animals in the herd who have only maintenance energy demands. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 15
ASK THE VET
Consider having the quality of your hay analysed: where different cuts or hay from different sources has different nutritional content, you can then prioritise the best quality forages for those animals that need it
Supplementary Feeding: Try to source feeds that are formulated specifically with alpacas in mind: rations designed for other species may not have the right levels of minerals for alpacas. For example, alpacas are sensitive to copper toxicity (similarly to sheep) so feed designed for cattle or horses may be too high in copper. Camelidspecific feeds should have supplementary vitamin D added to the ration due to their susceptibility to vitamin D deficiency. Additionally, I prefer rations that are pelletised rather than coarse mix: alpacas can be quite selective in the food choices and they may select certain parts of the ration while ignoring others such that they don’t receive a balanced ration. Try to avoid rations that are heavy on maize or corn (the order of ingredients on the label usually reflects the proportions contained in the feed) since this may cause acidosis and ulcers if fed at high levels. Oats and sugar beet are much less likely to cause ulcers and are a good energy source while protein needs can be met with alfalfa, lucerne, lupins or peas. • When introducing a concentrate ration, always introduce it slowly over a period of 10-14 days in order to give the gut microbes the chance to adapt to the new content of the diet. This also applies to any changes that are made to the ration. The gut microbes are extremely sensitive to changes of the gastrointestinal milieu and addition of concentrates can change the pH rapidly if care is not taken, killing the all-important microbes that are required for fermentation and digestion to occur. Alpacas need sufficient trough and hay manger space to all be able to eat freely. This should include space at hay troughs as well as troughs where concentrate feed is provided. As a general rule, think about providing 3 feet of room for one-sided troughs or half this if the troughs are double sided and can be approached from both sides. 16 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
BODY CONDITION SCORING An essential tool for monitoring the effectiveness of your feeding plan as mentioned above and to help you to make adjustments where necessary to optimise the health of your herd. If you find that animals are losing condition, you may need to increase either the amount fed or the quality of feed. There are certainly other causes of weight loss in alpacas, such as gastrointestinal parasites and dental disease and these should be considered if nutritional sources are not suspected. Body condition scoring is more useful than weighing because weight can be affected by the presence of a foetus or also daily changes due to gut fill. However, scales are still useful for weighing animals so that correct doses of medications can be provided and also for monitoring weight gain in crias, weanlings and any animals that you are concerned about. Perform routinely on a monthly basis with the results being recorded in the individual animals’ records. It can be done more frequently in animals that are either losing or gaining weight in order to assess the effectiveness of dietary changes. Due to the fleece, it can be difficult to judge the animals’ condition from a distance, so body condition scoring is essential. Forms an integral part of your parasite control strategy.
PARASITE CONTROL Winter is always a time that is harder for alpacas in terms of energy requirements needed to keep warm and continue to be productive. Therefore, any problems caused by parasite issues are likely to be more pronounced and cause more disease “stress” in alpacas so that they become more significant as a disease entity. It is key therefore to keep on top of your parasite control programme during the winter-time.
HANDLING AREAS Ensure that you have space to handle alpacas for routine husbandry procedures such as body condition scoring, weighing, dosing of drugs, pregnancy testing by ultrasound. In winter you will really appreciate having this indoors or under cover if at all possible to keep you out of the wind, rain or snow and will keep your notes dry.
WATER PROVISION Clean water must be available at all times. When it’s cold, troughs indoors can freeze, so ensure that these are monitored twice daily so that ice can be broken if necessary. Also consider how you will provide water if pipes supplying the troughs freeze. If you have a sick animal, try offering warm water in cold conditions as this may be considerably more attractive to drink.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 17
ASK THE VET VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION South American Camelids are susceptible to Vitamin D deficiency. In growing animals, this manifests clinically as rickets: affected animals exhibit stunted growth, angular limb deformities and lameness. They may also be lethargic, have depressed appetites, and may walk with a hunched back due to pain and are typically smaller than age-matched herd mates. Vitamin D is made in the skin by the action of UV light: it can also be consumed in the diet. During the winter time there is little possibility of vitamin D production in the skin since the amount of UV light is greatly reduced at locations away from the Equator and at low altitudes (eg Europe, North America, Australasia). This results in most animals becoming deficient in vitamin D and this has the most obvious effect on growing animals. Therefore supplementation during the winter months with Vitamin D is vital for growing animals. Vitamin D is also involved in immunity as well as improving foetal growth
Faecal screening of the herd will allow you to keep on top of things and, if treatment is necessary, direct you to the appropriate treatment. [Camelid Veterinary Services offers a faecal diagnostic service.] Faecal removal from pastures is by far and away the best way to minimise contamination due to hatching of parasite eggs and must typically be done every 2-3 days to ensure that eggs don’t hatch. Mechanised means for removal of faeces are ideal and will improve efficiency although access to pasture may become complicated in wet weather and necessitate adjustments in your parasite control strategy. Coccidia can be a particular problem in wet winters, particularly among susceptible youngstock and must be considered in development/maintenance of any parasite control strategy. Always maintain clean (ungrazed) pasture that you can move animals to in the event of a parasite problem. If treated animals remain on contaminated pasture, they will just become reinfested. Divide larger paddocks into smaller ones to enable this and don’t overstock.
FLOORING SURFACES AND BEDDING If you have an established herd, you probably already know where your problem areas are in the winter time – which areas become muddy, which fields become muddier… If not, by the time you read this article, you will be finding out. Think about what you can do to manage this. If you are having problems with areas of frequent footfall becoming muddy, consider putting down woodchip or straw as a temporary option to improve traction. If you notice that areas around feeders or shelters are becoming muddy, move them if possible. As a more long-term solution, consider what can be done once the ground dries out to improve drainage 18 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
and mammary development so adults can also benefit from Vitamin D supplementation too (1-3 times during the winter). Dosing Recommendations: You can use either injectable or oral products to supplement your alpacas or llamas with vitamin D. For prevention of rickets in growing alpacas and llamas, the following dosing programme is recommended: Using Injectable Vitamin D Products (eg Duphafral ADE) • Dose at 1000 IU of vitamin D per kg of bodyweight. This is given subcutaneously (SQ). • Injectable vitamin D lasts for 6-8 weeks at this dose, so repeat dosing every 2 months • Start in October and continue until April (Northern Hemisphere) • For Duphafral ADE, this contains 50,000 IU /ml: so the dose per 10kg is 10,000 IU or 0.2ml. Always check the label for the concentration of the particular product that you are using!
or access to all farm areas without causing a quagmire with vehicle use. For handling areas, consider concrete or hard-core flooring that might be easier to work on. It can be hard to spot overgrown toenails on animals that are standing in mud – and more annoying to have to pick up the feet to trim them. Make sure that you have enough bedding for the winter. Straw is best, especially for sick animals because it is insulates from cold floors but it will get into fleece. Rubber mats are insulating but quickly become very slippery and wet if animals don’t have another area to defaecate and urinate. Dirt floors are difficult to disinfect if you find yourself with a disease situation while concrete is much easier to clean.
TOENAIL TRIMMING Toenails should be checked on a routine basis, ideally monthly when you perform routine body condition scoring. Animals with dark toenails appear to require less trimming than those having clear toenails, while animals with poor foot conformation will develop long toenails that twist to the side, especially on the hind feet. Get into the habit of noticing the toenails on your animals (tip: this is easiest on hard ground such as an area of concrete standing) and trim them when required. This may every 2-4 months but will vary.
AND FINALLY... From the above it can be seen that there are many things that you can do to keep your alpacas in tip-top shape and to help protect them from disease and injury in the winter months. A few preparations can make all the difference and even help save you money in the long run. If you are struggling, please ask for help or advice from your vet, other breeders or myself.
Using Oral Vitamin D Products • Dose at 1000 IU of vitamin D per kg of bodyweight, but give orally every 4-6 weeks. • Take care to dose based on body weight and not per cria since there is a large weight range for crias! • Comes in large tubes: commonly containing 100,000 IU of vitamin D per 10ml (CHECK YOUR TUBE!): at this concentration, 1ml doses 10kg (5ml is the dose for a 50kg animal). Dispense into smaller syringes to enable accurate administration to crias. For treatment of rickets or vitamin D deficiency: • Dose at 1000-2000 IU of vitamin D per kg of bodyweight using either oral or injectable products. This dose can be repeated one month later. [NOTE: Dosing above these recommendations can induce vitamin D toxicity and is not advisable. Different products have different concentrations, so always check before dosing.]
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 19
AND... ARE ALPACAS REALLY SCARY
“And... are alpacas
Abbotts View Farm. Photo by Barratt Photography
20 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
AND... ARE ALPACAS REALLY SCARY
REALLY scary?” By Joanne Dell of Abbotts View Alpacas
W
ell of course they aren’t. Most of the time. Although I have met a few who like to give the impression that they are, particularly when you want to shear them. But if you are a 4, 5, or 6 year old little girl (or boy) who has a fear of animals, then yes, actually, alpacas are REALLY scary! I wrote this rhyming illustrated children’s story because I was so inspired by visits to our farm from children who arrived feeling quite anxious, but left feeling elated that they had overcome a fear. I have our 2015 orphaned cria, Dolly and Dot, to thank for their help and can’t take all the credit! Dolly was orphaned at 10 days old when her mum, Eclipse, died unexpectedly. The post mortem showed a calcium deficiency. Then 4 weeks later, Dot was born to Bambi, who
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 21
AND... ARE ALPACAS REALLY SCARY had a difficult pregnancy which culminated in a caesarean section on the 1st of July, the hottest day of 2015! As a maiden, Bambi really didn’t seem to realise she was a mum and, despite our best efforts, she never allowed little Dot to feed. So Dot joined Dolly as a bottle fed baby and they had each other for company. We timed visits to the farm around their feed times and they would run over whenever we approached their paddock. Their small size meant they were less intimidating for children to meet initially and having the rare opportunity to bottle feed them was perfect for nervous children. It was also a great opportunity to explain how careful we were being not to “tame” Dolly and Dot by over handling and fussing them, despite the fact that they were running over to us several times a day for their milk. And the temptation was HUGE because they were just sooo cute. “And..... are alpacas REALLY scary?” is about a little girl who visits with her mum, and teddy to keep her safe, who would rather be anywhere else in the world than on a farm surrounded by animals. But, with gentle persuasion and encouragement, she bottle feeds Dolly and Dot and then feeds the older alpacas from a tray. The watercolour illustrations are taken from photographs staged here on the farm and are really quite special. I have written the book to be read to children aged 3-7 years by parents or teachers, and for early readers. It is educational and endearing, with a page of alpaca facts at the back. I have also put together a story sack which includes a brown alpaca soft toy, like Dot, and “magic milk” bottles so children can act out the story. I am visiting local schools to read my story to the children and am hoping that the schools will be able to tie my book in with their studies of South America in the run up to the Olympics this year. It will be wonderful if children can learn about the native animals of South America.
THE WAY TO GO But it hasn’t been that long since I found alpacas really quite scary too. My husband, James, and I, along with our three daughters, bought some land in a small Buckinghamshire village that had planning permission for an agriculturally tied farmhouse in 2012, as a radical life style change after my cancer diagnosis aged 39. Not being
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from a farming background but having a love of animals, we decided that alpacas were the way to go, and bought a herd of 26. Taking on 26 when you really don’t know much about alpacas at all, is, let me tell you, quite scary. I am a lover of theory so had done as much research as possible before our herd arrived, but the practical side of moving/herding/handling alpacas was much tougher than the books I had devoured suggested. And their dislike of touch meant I really didn’t know how to reward them or handle them at all. I am sure we all wanted to reach out and stroke the fluffy top knots of the first alpacas we ever met – much to their disgust. We attended a Camelidynamics course three weeks after our alpacas arrived and it helped immensely in understanding them and having some practical hands on experience. It was also great to meet with other alpaca owners to share their enthusiasm and passion for these wonderful creatures. We built an off grid eco farmhouse and have set our farm up to run as efficiently as possible, with rainwater harvesters collecting the plentiful rain we have to provide drinking water for our expanding menagerie of animals, and the top soil we dug for the house build has been dispersed in different paddocks so the alpacas all have mounds to sunbathe on – their favourite spots! Our electricity is generated entirely by solar panels and our water is heated by the sun in the summer,
I am a lover of theory... ...but the practical side of moving/herding/ handling alpacas was much tougher than the books I had devoured suggested
AND... ARE ALPACAS REALLY SCARY and a log burner in the winter months. When we built our house we were the first and biggest off grid residential home in the country. To our knowledge, we still are.
RARE BREEDERS In addition to our herd of alpacas we now breed rare breed sheep (Manx Loaghtan and Greyface Dartmoors) and have a wonderful rare breed Berkshire sow called Peppa. We are gaining quite a reputation for our rare breed free range pork – certainly the most delicious I have ever tasted. Abbotts View Farm is also home to Buckthorn, an RSPCA rescue cob who has bought much joy and laughter to our lives as he is such a character. He is accompanied by a couple of miniature Shetlands and we also took on some pygmy goats from another local children’s farm that was closing down, who had their first kids here this year. We have Khaki Campbell and Indian Runner ducks who provide plentiful eggs for all of the cakes I make for our visitors. Three years on and we are enjoying farm life, despite the dreadfully wet winter we have all experienced this year. We offer alpaca experiences, group alpaca walks, birthday parties,
Photo by Barratt Photography
training courses, needle-felting workshops and have been visited by lots of specialist groups from Beavers and Cubs, to pre-schools, residential homes, WI groups, hospital groups with brain injured adults, MENCAP, charities, corporate groups and have even hosted a hen do. We will never be an open farm and all visits are booked in advance, but do open twice a year on Good Friday and Open Farm Sunday to the public. We now have a wonderful herd of 27 alpacas, a mixture of white, fawn and brown, who are a delight to be around – very different to when we started three and a half years ago. They have all responded so well to calm and respectful handling and the difference we have seen in all of our animals, has been very rewarding. As we have trained them, they have trained us. It really is a two way thing. We commissioned a young artist to paint some of our alpaca cria last year and as a result have some beautiful paintings which we have also had put on to bone china mugs. We are thrilled with them. Both our mugs and my book “And ...... are alpacas REALLY scary?!” can be bought via our website www. abbottsviewalpacas.co.uk and my book is also listed on Amazon, priced £6.99
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www.alpacaworldmagazine.com ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2016 | 23
SHEAR TREPIDATION
Shear trepidation By Gavin Lindhorst of African Alpacas. Photos by Metta Waldschmidt.
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SHEAR TREPIDATION
Alpacas were introduced to neighbouring Namibia in the last four years. Two new breeders purchased at our first Auction in April 2013 but couldn’t import them until March 2014 due to the South African/ Namibian border being closed to all livestock movement because of South Africa’s Foot and Mouth status. Over a year later we received a plea to help with the shearing. Metta Waldschmidt and Andrea Hoth invited my manager At Schlebusch to fly to Namibia to shear their alpacas. ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 25
SHEAR TREPIDATION Namibia is a hot country being mostly desert, not the verdant fields seen in the UK. Sand in the fleece blunts the combs and cutters very quickly. It was not practical to take a sharpening grinder by air so extra sets of combs and cutters were ordered. Two hand shearers, 15 combs and 45 cutters were duly bubble wrapped and carefully packed in my hard suitcase for the expedition to shear 27 sandy alpacas. My manger of many years accepted the challenge. At had never flown before. A holiday to him is a hunting trip with mates or the occasional coastal sail on my Westerly Fulmar. Problem started when the booked budget airline cancelled the flights two days before departure. Alternatives were available at double the price. I helped him through Cape Town International check in and off he went. On arrival in Windhoek in over 30 degrees there was a delay before going into the terminal. Each new arrival has their body temperature taken since the Ebola scare in Africa. His was too high and he was taken to one side – outside heat plus a degree of trepidation. After three quarters of an hour he was retested and allowed to proceed. On entry he had to disclose his destination. He only knew he was going to a farm near Omaruru and being collected by his hosts. No address, no farm name. After much deliberation he was allowed to proceed to the arrivals hall and get this information from the person collecting him – while they retained his passport. He has never been through airport arrivals before. All
26 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
passengers had long departed. The final straw was when they scanned his luggage. There is a lot of strange shaped metal in a suitcase filled with shearing equipment. “Please open this suitcase” the official asked increasing her size by taking a deep breath. He fumbled with the combination lock (it was my suitcase), trying various sequences unable to get it open. Eventually one worked. The official hungry to find some contraband started squeezing the bubble wrapped combs. One sharp comb blade protruded and then pricked her finger. Imagine the reaction. The investigation and interrogation intensified. Every item was unpacked and questioned. This was all in the green ‘nothing to declare’ customs exit. Fortunately he wasn’t asked to produce a work permit. Eventually after over three hours at the airport he was cleared into Namibia and arrived at his destination well after dark to a welcome Windhoek Lager ... or two. There were no facilities like shearing sheds. Alpacas had to be hand held, cleaned with a pressure blower and restrained with ropes secured between an SUV tow bar and a gate post! There are fewer than 100 alpacas in Namibia. It is a country renowned for their caracal sheep and game tourism. Alpaca fleece has found a niche in the local cottage industry and they are looking at future imports. The return flight was from the coastal town of Walvis Bay. This proved uneventful. At has been asked to visit again this year ... confident of passing the airport protocols with greater ease.
The official hungry to find some contraband started squeezing the bubble wrapped combs. One sharp comb blade protruded and then pricked her finger. Imagine the reaction.
Mid-Cornwall’s premier alpaca herd Our breeding aim is to maximise fibre production and improve fibre quality generation upon generation, with a view to providing the ultimate fibre for yarn production. alpacas usually for sale. Higher Carpalla Farm Foxhole St Austell 01726 338580 07974 796792 nigel@nigelretallack.co.uk
a pacas Nigel and Margaret Retallack
MARSHWOOD VALE alpacas
A lpaca A ssociation B enelux
See our w ebsite for furthe r informa tion: www.alp aca-ben elux.com
Due to the increasing demand for alpaca equipment and our wish to retire from breeding alpacas, we have a herd of approx. 60 alpacas for sale in groups of two or more. NO REASONABLE OFFER REFUSED. Beautiful mothers with cria, pregnant females, and open females eagerly awaiting a male of your choice. Adult males, plus we have two magnificent potential breeding males for sale and starter herds can be arranged. Also alpacas for pets and males to guard lambs/chicken are available. Friendly help and advice given before and after sales.
Home of the Alpaca Easy-Pen and Aluminium/Galv. Steel Hurdles! Please see website for details.
Geoff and Brenda Bugler
Marshwood Vale Alpacas
Dorset Tel: 01297 678181 www.marshwood-alpacas.co.uk Alpaca breeders since 1998
19 - 20 March 2016 INTERNATIONAL ALPACASHOW HAPERT (The Netherlands) Judge: Natasha Clark 1 May 2016 ALPACAHOW HASSELT (Belgium) Judge: Nick Harrington-Smith
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 27
BRILLIANT ADVENTURE
After you’ve been driving through the Altiplano for eight hours, things begin to look the same. Distinguishing landmarks are few and far between. The endless landscape of mountains and powdery earth blurs together, and the smothering darkness of night makes it nearly impossible to navigate after sundown. As our driver Carlos pulled over to the side of the potholeladen road, we peered out the bus window, attempting to figure out which tiny lights in the distance could be our destination. A woman (who will remain anonymous) on the bus stood, squared her body up to the hillside, and announced, “It’s over there!! My uterus is the best compass. It always knows the way!”
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BRILLIANT ADVENTURE
Brilliant
ADVENTURE By Katie Safley
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 29
BRILLIANT ADVENTURE
W
hile the women on the bus trusted in this innate, uterine wisdom, Mike and Carlos thought we should solicit directions from the couple standing beside their motorcycle at the edge of town. Carlos slowly pulled up and asked them if they knew the way to our destination, Mallkini Alpaca Ranch & Adventure, while waving a small handful of cash. The man excitedly said yes and pointed in the direction of the tiny, distant lights that The AllKnowing Uterus had told us to go. His wife ran to the open bus window to retrieve their reward while he hopped on the motorcycle. After following him for only a quarter mile, he stopped at the side of the road and pointed again. That was as far as he would go. The bus turned in the direction that he signalled, and our headlights revealed a faint, rocky path parting the endless sea of shrubs and desert grasses. We put our faith in this Peruvian roadside angel, hoping to god that he sent us down the right road. After about 20 minutes of driving blindly toward what we hoped was our destination, we arrived at Mallkini, the beautiful golden hacienda owned by the Michell family. A crackling fire, welcoming smiles and a delicious feast awaited us. After a lovely, restful evening at Mallkini, we left bright and early for Picotani. Giddy chatter filled the vans as we headed to the vicuña chaccu that was being presented as a special gift to us. The whole community gathered to start the sacred ritual with a coca ceremony. The town mayor led us through the prayers to the Apus, or spirits of the mountains, which they believe protect the people and life that harmoniously co-exist among them. We each took three coca leaves, said a silent prayer, and placed the leaves in a small cup filled with brandy.
DOWNHILL RUN When the ritual was complete, everyone headed for the hills. The whole town paraded up the mountain on foot, in trucks and on motorcycles. Some of us joined them in the hike, while others hid behind rocks to catch photos of the vicuña speeding down the hillside. Things took an interesting turn when lightning and hail stormed across the land we were standing upon. We turned off our cell phones and put up our hoods. We were a hardy bunch, and we would not be dissuaded from this once in a lifetime opportunity. Luckily, it passed quickly, and after about an hour, thousands of vicuña came barrelling down the slopes with hundreds of Peruvians and gringos waving their arms behind them. I have never seen anything so incredible. After the last of the animals passed by my hiding place, I ran freely behind them, feeling a wave of euphoria course through my body. The reality of 15,000 feet quickly pulled my head out of the clouds as I stopped to catch the breath that had completely escaped my lungs. As oxygen returned to my brain, I took notes from the wise people around me and walked the rest of the way to the corral. Once all the vicuña had been rounded up into a makeshift holding pen, we were led into an arena where we were led through yet another coca ceremony, this time focusing on blessing and giving thanks to the sacred vicuña. They brought in two young vicuña and led them through a “wedding” ceremony to ensure the health and prosperity of the herd. We were showered with colourful confetti and necklaces of ribbons as we listened to the local band play and watched young teens of the community perform traditional dances with wide smiles.
After the last of the animals passed by my hiding place, I ran freely behind them, feeling a wave of euphoria course through my body 30 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
AAFT - EUROPE Alpaca Fibre Testing Specialists On 1st April 2016, Dani Allen, Wimborne, Dorset will be appointed Manager/Technician for AAFT - Europe.
We thank Trevor Selby for the high standard of service he has provided the alpaca community, and wish him well for the future.
Dani Allen Mobile: 07834 457782 Email: info@aaft.com.au For booking forms, prices and information, please visit;
www.aaft.com.au
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 31
BRILLIANT ADVENTURE After the ceremony, we were honoured to witness the expert shearing a few vicuña and feel the fibre right after it cascaded off the animal. We shopped at the tables of Picotani’s incredible craftswomen, and I was thrilled to add a new alpaca hat and gloves to my growing bag of treasures to bring home.
TALES OF EL DORADO We stayed another night at the beautiful Mallkini Ranch, then headed out bright and early on our long journey to Macusani. We had all been heavily prepared by Mike and Amanda for the El Dorado, the dingy hostel that was to be our next destination. I had heard stories of guests being awoken in the night by stray cats in their bed and pieces of the ceiling falling on them, and I learned all the tricks on how to relieve one’s self on the non-functioning toilets and how to not get electrocuted by exposed wires in the shower. I was ready for just about anything. As we rolled up to the place we would lay our heads for the next two nights, the hostel looked nothing like what I expected. It was clean and inviting, and we were greeted by a beaming woman who was thrilled to host us. As it turned out, our lodging arrangements had been changed at the last minute, and we would not be staying at the El Dorado. I have to say, I was a little bit disappointed at first. I had prepared myself for the worst, and I secretly looked forward to the adventure and stories I was sure to gain from the experience. My disappointment quickly faded after dinner as I took a hot shower, used a clean, flushing toilet and snuggled into a cosy bed. Not so bad after all. The next day, we made the relatively short but nail-biting journey to the alpaca fiesta in Chacaconiza. The route included driving down into (and consequently up and out of) a deep canyon. The views are truly breathtaking, but
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the roads are narrow and guardrails are nonexistent. I quickly resolved not to look down. As gorgeous as the drive was, we sure were happy to arrive at Chacaconiza. There were a host of ladies tending their pop-up shops where they sold intricate, hand-made alpaca goods. Our four guides, Mike, Amanda, Jude and Cheryl, were invited to judge the alpaca and fleece shows, and they happily obliged.
SPIN TO WIN The most exciting part of the festival for me was the hand-spinning contest. About forty ladies gathered in their finest traditional clothing to
spin fibre from their own herds on a drop spindle. The speed, accuracy and fine skill of these women astounded me. It was not at all easy to choose the three winners! After carefully examining the yarn, our judges made their decisions, and the winners each received a large portable gas cook stove and large cooking pots. The women were beaming and thanked Quechua Benefit for bringing hope into their community. We returned to Macusani that evening in gleeful anticipation for the next day’s pinnacle of our grand adventure: Estancia Accoyo, the legendary ranch where Don Julio Barreda expertly bred the world’s finest alpacas. When we arrived at Accoyo the following day, I experienced a peace and contentment that I cannot really describe. We walked through the corrals and examined the gorgeously dense and uniform alpacas, moving slowly to appreciate each one. After marvelling at the exquisite creatures for a while, I broke off from the group and walked to the highest point on the property to embrace a moment of quiet solitude so that I could take it all in. I felt a deep sense of connection to the land and the lineage of alpacas that surrounded me throughout my childhood. The Peruvian Altiplano is not always an easy place to be. Altitude and food sickness are real. Hot showers and functioning toilets are few and far between. But I absolutely love it. All of it. Nothing compares to the humbling beauty of the sweeping mountainous landscape, and to the magic, hospitality and love embodied by the people of the highlands. There were 25 people on the last Peru Tour. The tour is one of our fundraising efforts. Participants pay a trip fee, which covers their expenses in Peru, and whatever is left goes to Quechua Benefit. Also, many people end up donating to Quechua Benefit after witnessing first-hand the effects we are having in the local communities.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 33
BESERK MALES (AND FEMALES)
WHAT TO DO WITH
MALES
(AND FEMALES...) By Julie Taylor-Browne of CamelidSense
In the fifteen years I have been training and working with camelids and their owners, I have seen and heard too many heart-breaking stories about ‘beserk’ alpacas who have ended isolated and/or neglected, abused or euthanized. I am contacted about male and female ‘berserk’ alpacas two to three times a month about problems that could have been prevented or ameliorated with the correct advice. 34 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
BESERK MALES (AND FEMALES)
WHAT IS A ‘BESERK’ ALPACA? I believe that the behaviour we label as ‘beserk’ is on a spectrum caused by inappropriate early imprinting. You may have an ‘over-friendly’ alpaca that runs up to investigate you all over and sniffs, clucks or snorts at you. It might also stand in your way and this can progress to biting your clothes or your hair or kicking at you when you try to move around it. Although they often like to be stroked on their necks they can switch quickly to being difficult to handle when you want to put a halter on or lead it. At one end of this unwanted behaviour spectrum are bossy alpacas that just want to be in charge of you. At the other end of the spectrum, they can be dangerously aggressive, running along the fence between you, screaming, spitting, rearing up and trying to bite you over the fence. If anyone were to go into their field it will leave the herd and come running over at speed to rear up, chest butt, knock them down, kick them or try and mate them. Which alpacas are most likely to become beserk? In my experience they often come from very small herds, and/or have owners who have followed bad advice on handling and hand rearing newborns, where lone cria that have been treated as cuddly pets and where ungelded, single males are used as stock guards. Marty McGee Bennett refers to this as Novice Handler Syndrome1. Any of these experiences compromise alpacas’ ability to develop normal herd behaviour, rendering them confused, frustrated and unable to relate appropriately to both humans and other alpacas. There are always warning signs about this behaviour earlier in the animal’s history and this behaviour may have been unwittingly encouraged, rather than positively discouraged. I hear things such as ‘the children liked to play with him’, ‘we thought it was cute’ and ‘I thought he loved me!’. Prevention is key as many of these problems could easily have been circumvented by encouraging the development of natural herd behaviours, coupled with skilful and appropriate handling and training. Even if an alpaca begins to exhibits these behaviours, early intervention can be effective. It is best to seek advice on training methods that increase the likelihood of desired behaviours and reduce the frequency of unwanted behaviours.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A SUSPECTED ‘BESERK’ ALPACA • Keep yourself safe. • Employ behaviour management and reward based training strategies • Take control, be the leader and teach your animal new skills.
1. KEEPING YOURSELF SAFE Buy some panels2 to make pens where you can feed and confine your problem alpaca, so that you can safely enter the field to poo pick or carry out training. Make yourself seems bigger. Alpacas are more likely to be subservient to people larger than them, and tend to eye up and bully smaller people, so wear an imposing hat, a padded jacket, or hold your jacket above your head. You could use a broom handle stuffed down the back of your jacket with a hat or another jacket on top. Carry a dustbin lid when you go in, you can use this as a shield to protect yourself if it tries to barge, bite or rear. These precautions should help to make you seem much less of a pushover.
2. EMPLOY BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT AND REWARD BASED TRAINING STRATEGIES If your alpaca is an uncastrated male, get him gelded. However, after gelding, testosterone levels can take several weeks to reach an insignificant level. By the time people phone me for advice on these matters they have normally got to a confrontational stage with a history of unsuccessful attempts to dominate the alpaca. In my experience, confrontational methods rarely work, and can make things much worse. Fortunately, there are kinder, safer and more effective ways to retrain your alpaca. Be specific about the problem; is it biting, barging or rearing? Your alpaca needs to learn that looking away is more worthwhile than biting, that respecting your personal space is better than barging and that keeping all four feet on the floor is more gratifying than rearing. You can do this by rewarding the behaviour you want and ignoring the behaviour (wherever possible) you don’t want.
Prevention is key as many problems could easily have been circumvented by encouraging the development of natural herd behaviours, coupled with skilful and appropriate handling and training ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 35
BESERK MALES (AND FEMALES) I suggest that you learn how to clicker train. Clicker training works mainly through positive reinforcement. Studies show that animals (including human animals) learn quickly and permanently through these methods. • Get a clicker and start by working over the fence from your alpaca or whilst it is in a pen. Alexandra Kurland3 who clicker trains horses calls this ‘protective contact’. • Find some yummy food that it really likes and have 20-30 small pieces of food. I find that pony nuts are usually very well received, plus they are low value, i.e. not fattening. However, I recently worked with a very aggressive alpaca that was exceptionally partial to guinea pig treats! • Part of safe handling is to deliver the food on something that gives you a bit of distance from the animal and protects you from being bitten. I use a large frisbee (the rim keeps the food on) to deliver the food. Hide it behind your back at all times except when using it to deliver the reward. • First, the alpaca needs to learn that the click means that it is going to get a treat. This is known as loading the clicker. Click (once) and then feed one treat. Repeat 5-10 times or more if necessary until you can see that when you click it looks for the food. Once your alpaca has learned that a click signals a treat, you can begin training it to behave better. Working from behind the protection of a fence or pen, start by training it to turn its head away from you, because if it is thinking of biting, rearing or barging, it will start by looking straight at you, whereas if its head is at a right angle to you, it will not.
Every time it glances away again from you, click and treat. Reinforce this behaviour by feeding one treat after every click (even if you messed up the timing). The click is not the reward, but it will ‘mark’ (pinpoint) the preferred behaviour, so perfecting the timing of your click is key here - the timing of the delivery of the food, less so. Make sure you feed where you want your alpaca’s head to be. You will probably need to progressively ‘shape’ (train) the preferred behaviour by marking and rewarding even the smallest head movement away from you. Don’t over-train; aim for a set of 20 repetitions, quit while you are ahead and leave it wanting more. To hone your clicker training skills, you could practice training a family member or pet to do a specific task. For example; I’ve trained some of my alpacas to stand still while I put a pack on them, my dogs to get into their beds, and my pigs to sit on command. You can find some great examples of clicker training many different species on YouTube!
CONCLUSION By working in this way you should get an alpaca who will ‘offer’ to turn his head away from you when you approach him, and also stop him mugging you for treats. In the next article we will discuss part three, (taking control, being the leader and teaching your alpaca new skills) including the next steps of haltering, working in the field, leading and building on your newly opened channels of communication. To learn more about clicker training, I recommend anything by Karen Pryor4 who is the doyenne of clicker training.
CASE STUDY Marvel was one of the most aggressive alpacas I’ve had to work with. He lived with two other alpacas but had very little to do with them. He was constantly ‘on guard’; watching for anyone who might try to approach ‘his fence’, so that whenever anyone walked near it, he would race over, rear up and try to bite them over the fence. He’d had years of practice and was very fast and determined. Because there was no pen in his field, I started by working with him with the fence between us. Fortunately he was more interested in the treats than biting me, and it only took about five minutes before he was consistently keeping his face parallel with the fence (and not over it). I then progressed to walking up to the fence, and each time he looked away (and kept his feet on the floor!) he got clicked and rewarded. I then taught his handlers how to click and treat the ‘look away’ whenever they approached the fence. We took a break and found some pens. Under cover of dustbin lids they were assembled, and feeders added. We then fed Marvel in the pen and shut him inside it, so we could train him (still using protective contact) in his field. Then we clicked and treated on all sides of the pen when his head was turned away.
1. Loading the clicker – keeping the food hidden, click... 2. ...and treat 3. Wait for the behaviour you want… then click 4. ...and treat. Feed where you want your alpaca’s head to be!
1
2 To learn more about CamelidSense training, courses and articles please see my website www.carthveanalpacas.com or contact me by email taylor.browne@clara.net
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4
Notes: 1. McGee Bennett, M. The Camelid Companion (2nd ed). Zephyr Farm Press, 2006 2. See my previous articles on www.carthveanalpacas.com 3. www.theclickercenter.com 4. E.g. Pryor, K. Don’t Shoot the Dog. Ringpress Books, 2009
Alpaca Feeds Mole Valley Feed Solutions produce two high quality Alpaca compound feeds in 3mm pellet form. Both diets have shown continuing success and now contain high levels of selenium.
The Alpaca Winter Pellets are formulated for balancing winter forage situations and are available from October to April.
Our high quality Alpaca feeds contain:
The Alpaca Grazer Pellets
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The Alpaca Grazer Pellets are available for the main grazing season.
Packed in 25kg plastic bags, these feeds are available for delivery direct to the farm in minimum 1 tonne lots or for collection from branch by prior arrangement.
For further information or to place an order call the feedline on 01278 444829
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 37
COCO ALPACAS
Once upon a time there was life without alpacas – but it fades into insignificance compared to the joy and excitement of owning my herd of huacayas, writes Jane Potts of Coco Alpacas.
“I should Coco”
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COCO ALPACAS
U
ntil 2007 I was a freelance farm secretary working for several different farmers in Herefordshire, but when I went to work at the Royal Show in Warwickshire I was smitten by the pedigree alpacas I saw being exhibited there. I found the huacayas aesthetically pleasing, loved the feel of the fleece and the products that can be produced from the wool and decided on the spot to buy two pregnant females from Toft Alpacas in Warwickshire. In the summer of 2007 two cria arrived, boys of course, and my journey had begun with breeding alpacas. My husband and I had been planning to move to France for some time, and eventually found an old Languedoc farmhouse in the south of France between Toulouse and Carcassonne which had everything we wanted - seven hectares of land with lots of outbuildings, two gites and amazing views of the Pyrenees. We moved to France in
March 2008 together with four alpacas, two horses, and two dogs. Everyone settled down very well and in the autumn of 2008 four females arrived with their cria to complete my small herd of alpacas. The climate suited the alpacas very well with hot dry summers and cold winters resulting in the pasture being much poorer than in the UK and the fleeces improved statistically which was very interesting. For the first two years we were there we ran holiday gites in the summer as well as having our own publishing company which was based in the UK. It was very busy but we loved the way of life and made a lot of new friends. Meanwhile I was slowly building my herd up and ended up with about 20 alpacas. I was sending the fleeces back to the UK to be processed by Farrlacey Mill and decided to start selling the yarn and hand knitted products locally. I managed to find some knitters, and so it began. I had Open Days at the farm so
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 39
COCO ALPACAS people were able to see the alpacas, learn about them, and feel how wonderful the fleece is. They became very popular and I also started to sell alpaca socks which also proved very popular with the cold winters, and being close to the Pyrenees for walking and skiing. At one of these open days I met a talented artist called Gill Masters, who had moved to France from Kidderminster in Worcestershire. She mentioned that she loved painting farm animals, and I jumped at the chance to have some pictures done of my alpacas, two of which are now adorning the wall of my shop in Church Stretton. Just as we were settling down to our new way of life in France we got the devastating news that my husband had been diagnosed with throat cancer. He was diagnosed in 2011 and after a brave battle he died in February 2013 in France. With two children living in the UK I decided to come back. Luckily I managed to sell the farmhouse, find a house near Church Stretton with some land for my alpacas and horses and also manage to be equidistant between the children. I moved back to the UK in October 2013 and all the alpacas that I had came back with me in drips and drabs. I had some pregnant females which I had to leave in France until the cria were old enough to travel so they stayed with Nigel & Ginny Cobb and arrived back in January 2014.
A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN After returning to the UK it was difficult to know what to do and whether I really wanted to carry on with the alpacas. I still enjoyed having them around so in 2014 I decided to start a small business from my new base in Church Stretton, Shropshire, and called it Coco Alpacas. My first female cria was born in France whom I called Coco after the iconic French fashion designer Coco Chanel, and of course alpaca wool is highly prized in the fashion industry. I found a very good local knitter who began to knit for me and started to go to a local market in Ludlow on a regular basis selling alpaca socks, hand-knitted hats, scarves, shawls, snoods, and mittens, as well as hand-woven throws and scarves, and yarn for knitting.
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For some obscure reason I’ve always wanted a small wool shop and the opportunity suddenly came up of a small retail unit in Church Stretton high street. It is in an ideal location and I was lucky enough to get it – there at the right time. This was in June 2015; it had to be completely refurbished, but with a very helpful landlord I was able to open it in November just in time for Christmas and winter. Apart from the alpaca socks and hand knitted products from my wool I also sell a selection of quality blended yarns made from combinations of Alpaca, Silk, Merino, Corriedale, Blue faced Leicester, Linen and cotton. I am also doing sock wool with some amazing coloured yarns that knit up into wonderful crazy socks! I have just started doing a range of handcrocheted alpaca toys made from my own wool which are quite unique. My clever assistant Jenny Bartl modelled them on individual animals in my herd: Keira is a grey alpaca with a white face, Derby is fawn and white, Wizard is pure white, Alfie is a mixture of two shades of brown, and Freddie is a light fawn with grey ears. The toys are tactile and squashy, and appeal very much to the inner child within us. I am hoping they will be purchased for children of all ages - from toddlers right up to eighty year-olds.
READ ALL ABOUT IT The launch day of the shop which was on Saturday 14th November was a huge success and people came from all over Shropshire to see us after they read an article about it in the regional newspaper, the Shropshire Star. Wizard and Derby, two of my alpacas, were on show for the public to admire in the town square which is directly opposite the shop – people always seem to find the alpacas fascinating. I found that tourists and shoppers were keen to discover what’s involved in caring for the herd, and even the moderately heavy rain didn’t seem to dampen the visitors’ spirits as they admired the boys. Wizard and Derby were very good natured and took it all in their stride. Since opening the shop I’ve had amazing support and people have been hugely complimentary. It’s been very busy which is great news and it has been a perfect time to open. Looking ahead, my aim is to make the shop a success and to keep on improving the quality of my fleeces to be able to use it for the hand knitted products. I’m definitely getting there but as we all know it takes a long time to get the results one is aiming for.
Winter is here—prepare your animals for the weather ahead Years’ of experience has led to the tried & trusted Eggs-Port Alpaca Gels Use Vitamin gel as a routine for all alpaca and especially the young, growing and dark coloured animals. Fastract Jump Start—invaluable at birth, weaning and for extra bloom and condition Now is the time to lay the foundations for next showing season. Keep your animals in great condition so the extra bloom required comes easily.
For information, advice, to order and prompt delivery
Call : Eggs-Port Ltd. tel: +44 (0) 1434 600602 email: enquiries@eggsport.co.uk www.eggsport.co.uk
Remember—what feels good on the inside shows on the outside
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North Wales Oxfordshire NE Scottish Borders SW Scottish Borders Shropshire S. Ireland, Co Meath South Wales Staffordshire Stirlingshire Wiltshire Worcestershire North Yorkshire NW Yorkshire Belgium Normandy, France
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Use Vitamin gel as a routine for all alpaca and especially the young, growing and dark coloured animals. Fastract Jump Start—invaluable at birth, weaning and for extra bloom and condition
Now is the time to lay the foundations for next Feed Camelid Complete Breeding & Rearing Formula and SEE thE DIFFERENCE For further information - telephone 08456 559 or contact your showing season. Keep your animals in 076 great condition solocal stockist the extra bloom required comes easily.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 41
MAINTAINING FIBRE QUALITY
MAINTAINING FIBR The Natural Fibre Company in Launceston processes suri and huacaya fleece for many alpaca owners in the UK and Europe alongside their work with rare breed sheep wools and mohair. Sue Blacker explains.
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The key point: Garbage in means garbage out!
It is ESSENTIAL to ensure that the neck, leg and blanket parts of the fleece are separated properly and stored separately at shearing. It is pretty much impossible to do this adequately by hand afterwards. It is not essential to separate each animal’s fleece into separate storage bags except for selective breeding and fleece analysis purposes.
MAINTAINING FIBRE QUALITY
RE QUALITY You could put all your white blanket together, for instance, BUT if one fleece has guard hairs and another does not you are effectively contaminating them by storing them together. IF IN DOUBT KEEP THEM SEPARATE. Read on to find out how to select the best fibre and most appropriate end use.
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MAINTAINING FIBRE QUALITY
Huacaya fleece
ABOUT FIBRE 1. Alpaca fibre on each animal is of three very distinct types: a. Neck hair: characteristically fine and soft but too short for spinning (can be used for felting though) b. Leg hair: characteristically long, coarse, stiff and straight – so too coarse and harsh for spinning into a yarn and not much good for felting – it is best for mulch, insulation or stuffing c. Body hair, the so-called Blanket: not as fine as neck and longer and not as coarse as leg – so can be suitable for spinning. 2. Defects in fleeces are as follows: a. Guard hairs: these are coarse hairs scattered throughout the blanket – they may be concentrated on the chest and along the back or may be completely all over. If present in a cria they will only increase with age, and most alpacas develop guard hairs to some degree as they age. Guard hairs make the whole coat coarser and will also work their way out of a spun yarn, thus increasing the propensity of alpaca yarns to shed hairs and go bobbly in knitwear. Guard hair is very common in our experience. b. Vegetation: this is particularly a problem with cria, and because of the fineness of the alpaca fleece it is more difficult to remove when processing, so a heavily contaminated fleece is not suitable for spinning however fine and soft it may be. c. Matted fibre: this will be from suri alpacas left un-shorn for too long (no more than one year if you want to use the fibre) or an animal rubbing against fencing or buildings, but matted fibre also often surrounds vegetation on young animals. It is relatively rare in huacaya alpacas compared to sheep but does result in rejected fibre. d. Other contamination: sometimes skin flecks from skin shedding – this should wash out when processing the fibre. Please note that marker dyes and pesticide stains are indications that the whole fleece should be rejected. Poor shearing technique, resulting in a large amount of second cuts 44 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
and short hair will spoil the fleece and resulting yarns even though much will drop out, but this will then reduce the yield as well. 3. Normally the best fibre is from cria: so-called baby alpaca. But beware! A cria may be genetically coarse haired and have guard hairs so even though it is a baby its fleece will not qualify as baby alpaca. Conversely, some older animals with genetically fine fibre may continue to produce first quality alpaca for several years. Generally older alpacas and those with lower health status for whatever reason will produce poorer quality and coarser fibre. 4. Grades of alpaca are roughly as follows: a. Baby: less than 20 micron, usually in the range of 15-20 microns on average b. First: 20-23 microns on average c. Second: 23-27 microns on average d. Thirds: over 27 microns on average Generally, only baby and firsts are worth spinning into knitting or weaving yarns. Seconds can be usefully blended with fine, medium or coloured wools where the smoothness of the alpaca fibre will add softness and the brightness of its natural colour will enhance or add colour to the wool. Thirds are only suitable for blending with at least 50% coarse wool for carpet yarns or for insulation and stuffing. 5. Although genetics provide the basic quality, fleece quality also reflects the health of the animal. Thus stress like birthing, lactating, worms, parasites, etc. will also affect the fibre quality – the worst cases can include the animals simply shedding the fleece, but more normally there can be staple breaks, tender fibre that just breaks if pulled, or general lower total fleece weight, lower crimp and lower quality. 6. Alpaca fibre (and wool) can be analysed in detail to establish the fineness, the standard deviation of the fineness across the whole fleece, the type and degree of crimp and many other factors. However, while the statistical analysis of one fleece may be very close indeed to the analysis of another, the magic combination of the characteristics of the whole fleece into the “handle” may differ,
such that a slightly coarser fleece may actually feel softer than a similar finer fleece. 7. Alpaca fibre hairs are much smoother than wool. This, along with fineness (but fine wool is recorded regularly at 15-18 microns), makes alpaca fleece and yarn feel very soft to touch. Along with the greater brightness and range of colours in naturally coloured alpaca, these attributes make alpaca both attractive alone and a useful fibre to blend with wool to create softness and add colour. However, the smoothness means that most semi-worsted and some woollen spun pure alpaca yarns will shed, although this does gradually stop over the life of a garment. The addition of some fine wool can help to reduce this as it will hold the yarn together better. It is also helpful to blend a range thicknesses of alpaca fibre, say between 20 microns and 25 microns, as this seems to work better. 8. However, alpaca has less crimp, memory and elasticity and is considerably more dense, so an alpaca yarn will weigh more for its length and consequently there will be less yardage in a weighed ball of alpaca yarn than in one of wool. Also, due to the elasticity of wool it is likely to knit up more economically. This is important when adapting or designing patterns. 9. Suri alpaca, like lustre wool compared to non lustre, is smoother than huacaya, so is more difficult to spin. Generally alpaca can be woollen spun or semi-worsted spun and suri will usually work for this too (though not always for semi-worsted). For full worsted spinning it is necessary to add a proportion of fine wool to hold the yarn together. Suri fleece
MAINTAINING FIBRE QUALITY
Ask the shearer’s opinion about fleece quality – they see more animals than you do! AT SHEARING 1. These notes are aimed at working within the normal constraints of shearing a herd. Please remember to observe bio-security – the BAS Shearing Guidelines are good on this (see www.bas-uk.com/node/1247). 2. Unless you have plenty of experience, do not be tempted to shear your own flock: a good shearer will ensure the best welfare and the least poor quality with second cuts, etc. 3. Make sure you provide enough support and facilities for shearing, whether you do it yourself or have shearers in. 4. Give your shearer clear instructions: if you do not mind mixing leg, neck and blanket, then you can say so! However, if you want the blanket to be useful, tell the shearer to be careful to leave out ALL leg wool when selecting the line to make the first cut along the blanket. It is better to have less, good quality fleece and a lot of poor quality with leg hair contamination. 5. Ask the shearer’s opinion about fleece quality – they see more animals than you do! 6. At shearing, ensure that the minimum of straw, hay, stubble or vegetation is present, either on the animals or in the shearing area.
7. Sort the herd as it goes into shearing – keep males, females and youngsters separated and this will make life easier for sorting types of fleeces. 8. Sweep the shearing board between shearing each animal. 9. Keep plenty of storage sacks available: one for rubbish, one leg hair (which can be kept together for general disposal unless you are also working on reducing the weight of leg hair within total fleeces and need to record it), one for each colour of neck hair (which can be kept together) and one for each blanket. 10. Alpaca can be stored in plastic bags, unlike wool, but not for too long. If you are storing alpaca, keep it in light (to deter moths), dry, cool conditions. Moths are the worst problem usually and if you get them it is probably best to destroy all the fleece likely to be at risk and start again. Washing fleeces significantly reduces their attractiveness to moths, so this is a good idea (and then you can also safely store in air-tight plastic bags) to prevent moth infestation. 11. Label each blanket sack with the name of the animal, and add the date if you are likely to store for more than one shearing/year).
12. Do not include belly and crutch wool with the fleeces – either throw it away, compost it or put in the rubbish fleece sack. 13. Shake out fleeces to reduce the amount of second cuts (which are useless as too short) – shearers tend to neaten things up to make a good-looking animal, and will go over longer bits again, but this actually reduces fleece quality: an alpaca with an uneven hairdo is unlikely to complain but your fleece customer will! 14. Do not include dags, brambles, branches, stones, bricks or the children as they are no use for making yarns and simply reduce the value of your clip. Baler twine bits should be avoided at all costs as they are almost impossible to remove and totally ruin the value of your fleece. You can use clean new baler twine to seal up bags, but this is risky too as they may be cut open in several places, which risks contamination with bits. Cable ties are cheap and simple and no worse for the environment than baler twine! 15. Keep notes of the alpacas with particularly good or particularly bad fleeces and include this information when selecting for future breeding and flock management.
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MAINTAINING FIBRE QUALITY PRICES
SKIRTING, SORTING AND GRADING A FLEECE
1. If you think fleece is a nuisance and only a welfare issue, it will be a problem for you as you are unlikely to have taken care to keep it at its best when coming off at shearing. At the least, you should aim for the value of the fleece to cover the shearing costs, which means you will have one welfare activity which costs nothing. 2. Alpaca, like wool, is a high performance, sustainable fibre, which can fetch good prices in its final form – but the transport, processing, design, marketing, etc. are all expensive and take time – a really good handspinner will take an hour to spin 100 yards of yarn, which has to be plied. Working by hand, from raw fleece to a hand-spun, hand-knitted pullover (without dyeing) will take an efficient and competent person around 100 hours. Machines are obviously quicker but need power, premises, employees and bureaucracy. None of this can begin without good fibre to start with and using these notes should help you to get the best value from your fleeces. 3. It generally costs around £15-25 per animal to shear alpacas and the weight of fleece is generally 2-10kg. A long matted heavy suri fleece may weigh plenty but it will not get as good a price as a clean, shorter one. 4. Fleece prices will vary: just because it is from a young animal, it does not mean that you will get a high price for fibre. Good baby alpaca can fetch £7-10, first quality around £3-5 and the rest pretty much has to be given away. A really good fleece can help pay for other animals to be shorn. 5. Shearers will know about local buyers, spinners, etc. and a great deal of other information besides – it’s worth asking and listening. 6. Even mulch has a value! Dirty fibre contains good nutrition for plants and composts quite slowly, so arguably is better than bark as a mulch. It also works well at the bottom of runner bean trenches to hold the water.
1. Shake fleece to remove dust, short bits, second cuts, and loose vegetation. 2. Lay out flat on a table. Shearers use slatted tables, and The Natural Fibre Company uses one with fine netting – a worthwhile investment if you plan to do a lot of this! If not, a plastic sheet over the table will enable the fleece to be moved around easily and should be swept after each fleece. It is worth starting with pale fleeces and moving through to darker ones if you have a mixture, to reduce colour contamination. 3. Let the rejected bits just fall on the floor and collect them afterwards for use as mulch in the garden. 4. If it is a loose suri fleece in locks, you cannot shake it out and a slatted or netted table (see 2. above) makes things easier. However, you should be able just to pick up the bits you want and leave the rest. 5. Pull off all dags, and any larger pieces of vegetation and straw, etc. 6. Pull off any felted, tangled or cotted areas (if you can pull apart the fibres, a machine will only chop them, which will reduce the quality of yarn) 7. Pull off any very short, coarse or dirty fleece – this is less important when making felt. 8. Pull off any areas contaminated with paint, dye or other colourants – again this is less important when making felt, depending on what effect you require. 9. You will probably now have reduced the total fleece by around 10%, and have removed most of the fibre around the edges. 10. Make sure that you have removed any odd locks of leg hair which can ruin a good fleece.
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You should be able to see what is coarser or finer and then check by feeling it
11. At this stage you can assess the fleece to decide whether it is all of one type or whether there is significant variation, and you can separate finer and coarser areas or sort by colour. Usually, it is fairly easy to sort the main dark and light and the merged boundary areas form the third colour – it is not practical to sort by individual hairs! 12. Review for guard hairs: if these are present all through the fleece you will need to decide whether to accept it as poor quality or consider de-hairing when processing. If the guard hairs are only in certain areas of the fleece: chest, spine, etc., then you can consider removing just these areas. 13. Grading is relatively straightforward at the simple level: you should be able to see what is coarser or finer and then check by feeling it – rub a few hairs from visibly different parts of the fleece between your fingers and you will begin to appreciate the variations. You can also lay them on a dark or pale surface, depending on the fleece colour, and spread them out to compare. To get a truly scientific result you need to go on a course or send the fibre away for analysis. 14. As you do more, you will begin to appreciate the variety in colour, texture, crimp, lustre, staple length, lock formation, etc. of the many different animals in each flock. However, you should also be pragmatic and decisive and not waste time choosing between individual shades of grey, or locks or hairs – that way lies madness!
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drum carders for The Perfect Carder ,ibre For Alpaca and All Fine Fibres preparation
www.classiccarder.co.uk Tel: 01746 714130 Email: info@classiccarder.co.uk ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 47
AMBERLY ALPACAS
investing in
HAPPINESS Set in the heart of the Clogher Valley in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Roger and Elaine Clarke began their alpaca adventure in 2006 by establishing Amberly Alpacas. Roger shares the couple’s journey from their herd’s conception to the present day and considers how Ireland’s alpaca industry continues to grow.
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AMBERLY ALPACAS
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 49
AMBERLY ALPACAS
T
he year 2006 was an incredibly important one for Elaine and I. Not only was it the year that we got married and moved into our new home, it was also the year that we met our first alpacas and like so many before us, lost our hearts to these enchanting animals. In these early years, alpacas were not very common in Ireland and so after much deliberation and numerous visits to one of the few breeders that we’d been able to find, we joined the British Alpaca Society, made our first purchase of three female huacayas and Amberly Alpacas was born. Thinking about it now, it seems like a life time ago and to reflect on the animals themselves, they were very far removed from the quality that stands in our herd today. Despite all of this, we loved our three girls. They were happy and healthy and provided that ‘hands on’ experience that helped us pave our way. As time went on and as our confidence grew, Elaine and I decided that the time was right to breed from our girls. A simple decision in theory, but one that would prove extremely difficult to fulfil and as we researched our options, the problem was clear. With the limited number of alpacas on the island, it was evident that most of the animals stemmed from the same bloodlines. This left breeding options limited and choice almost void. In the end, we did find a herd sire and as a result, enjoyed the arrival of our first cria the following year. This gave us immense satisfaction and invaluable experience for the years ahead. Similarly, and although we didn’t realise it at the time, our search for a herd sire also provided us with the opportunity to meet other Irish breeders and to forge friendships that we still hold dear today.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS… Following our experiences in those early days, one thing was always very clear. For us, alpacas were now a deep rooted passion and an actual ‘lifestyle’ that we loved and enjoyed. We couldn’t imagine ourselves without them and had an ever growing preoccupation to further develop our herd and expertise even more.
With this realisation however, there followed some very difficult decision making. If we were to develop our herd as we’d like, we were going to need to make a significant investment and acquire genetics that were capable of fulfilling our need and desire to advance our herd. As a consequence, our mission became increasingly clear. We needed to select a foundation herd of high quality animals; those that were healthy, had proven reproductive capability, carried advanced, reliable genetics and those that would contribute to and help deliver our future goals. In truth, the quest for our dream herd quickly developed into an obsession. We immersed ourselves in the science and researched the genetics until we were blue in the face. Despite this however, it was not until we began to make contact with and visit breeders on the mainland, that we really began to learn. Visiting farms, going to shows, attending conferences and training courses gave us the opportunity to get a real flavour of what was available in the market at that time. This helped us to compare animals not only in terms of their phenotype and accompanying fleece characteristics but also in relation to their genotype and associated genetic capability.
FIRM FOUNDATION As time went on and as we progressed, our search started to narrow and after what seemed like an eternity, we began to assemble our foundation herd. This group of individual animals were composed entirely of coloured huacayas and had been carefully selected to include some of the best genetics available in the UK from Peru, Australia, New Zealand and USA. 50 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
The quest for our dream herd quickly developed into an obsession – we immersed ourselves in the science and genetics until we were blue in the face.
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AMBERLY ALPACAS
The arrival of our new herd marked the beginning of something very special and brought with it new friendships, new opportunities and of course a new level of obsession! For Elaine, this obsession took the form of fibre and for me it was and still is, all about genetics. As our herd developed, so too did our knowledge and understanding of the components necessary for achieving success. We quickly learned that a sound herd management plan, was an essential part of the effective and efficient running of our herd and that a focus on breeding for ‘Quality rather than Quantity’ would enable us to achieve our goal of producing happy, healthy alpacas with advanced fleece characteristics, correct conformation and of course a people friendly temperament. We spent a lot of time assessing our animals, planning our matings and continued to introduce new genetics, all in the quest of sustaining an ongoing level of advancement overall.
REFLECTIONS When I consider our position today, it is amazing to think how far we’ve come. Not only have we developed our herd but we’ve also made significant progress as individuals and strive to act as ambassadors for the alpaca industry in Ireland and beyond. Although Ireland’s alpaca industry is still in its infancy, we have seen clear and continued development in terms of both the quality of the animals appearing on our shores and on the emphasis placed on producing high quality fibre. Elaine and I are active members of the BAS, with Elaine serving on the BAS Fibre Committee, the BAS Welfare Committee and the BAS Suri Focus Group. Similarly, we are keen members of the Alpaca Association of Ireland (AAI) and one of the founder herds of the Northern Ireland Alpaca Group (NIAG), of which Elaine continues to hold the position of Secretary and I of Treasurer. These groups offer a sound forum for breeders and keepers to work collaboratively and to share information and elements of good practice as well as providing the opportunity to facilitate the running of various events, geared towards the promotion of this industry as a whole. 52 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
In the past year alone, the NIAG have organised a ‘Fibre Day’ facilitated by Sue Atkins of Atkins Alpacas, a Veterinary Seminar, delivered by camelid specialist Bob Broadbent and an annual show, as part of Armagh Agricultural Show, Judged by Tim Hey of Inca Alpacas. Similarly, The AAI have held their annual shows at Mullingar judged by Shirley Bettinson of Toft Alpacas and at Dundalk judged by Rob Bettinson of Toft Alpacas.
TWO GROUPS? To some this scenario may seem strange and you may be thinking; ‘why have two groups?’. To this, the answer lies in our unique position whereby the island of Ireland itself, is split in two with the Republic of Ireland, a sovereign state covering about 80% of the island and Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, covering the remaining 20% of the island. As a result of this, both regions are independent of each other. They each have their own capital city, their own government, a different currency (with the Republic of Ireland using the Euro), and
Not only have we developed our herd but we’ve also made significant progress as individuals and strive to act as ambassadors for the alpaca industry in Ireland and beyond.
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ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 53
AMBERLEY ALPACAS
most importantly where the alpaca industry is concerned, their own departments of agriculture. As a result, our quest to help develop the island’s alpaca industry isn’t a straight forward one. As an example, there is currently no specific protocol that will enable Northern herds and those in the Republic to enter their animals into the same halter show. In effect, for this to occur, the animals would have to undergo a full European export to move across the ‘invisible’ border, and then be shown in a separate ring, with veterinarians present to confirm that no imported animals come into contact with those in residency. For the industry to progress, hurdles like this as well as others, will need to be addressed and if progress is to continue, Elaine and I genuinely believe that collegiality and education need to play a very significant role. We have both completed our BAS foundation stage assessment courses and I have gone on to complete the advanced stage. Courses like these are invaluable, not only to us as breeders, but also in being able to disseminate information and knowledge to others both within and beyond our regional groups. Similarly, and on a more personal level, Elaine and I value the importance of being able to host open and introductory days, as well as tailored alpaca courses on Amberly Farm. It is an absolute privilege for us to share what we have learned and to help equip others with the knowledge and expertise necessary for developing and managing a happy, healthy herd of their own.
SHAPING THE FUTURE In terms of the future, Elaine and I look forward with optimism. We will continue to promote all aspects of the alpaca industry in Ireland, as well as contributing to the wider UK industry as a whole. Most recently, we have developed links with Ireland’s first online fibre magazine and have made significant contributions to their first publication, with regard to all aspects of alpaca fibre. Opportunities like this are very important and serve as a very effective platform, 54 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
on which to showcase the value of alpaca fibre and the importance of producing animals with a commercially viable fleece. In addition to promoting the industry, the future will also involve us continuing to develop our own herd and indulging our personal interests in the fibre and genetics. Elaine enjoys all aspects of working with the fleece from felting to weaving and everything in between. With help and guidance from some talented fibre friends, she has developed her skills over the years and works very hard to not only utilise our fleeces but to showcase the potential of what a fleece can yield. Included in this, is Elaine’s absolute passion for all things Suri. We brought our first import of suris into Ireland in 2013 and are very proud to be Ireland’s first suri alpaca stud. The suris brought a different dynamic to our herd and a whole new learning curve. Most importantly for Elaine, they brought their beautifully lustrous fibre which frequently adorns her loom and has been the component of many a stunning scarf! For me, the future will most certainly involve a continued focus on further developing and advancing our herd. I am absolutely fascinated by the components of heritability and the impact that strategic breeding decisions can have on your herd. Whilst desirable genetics are increasingly
Elaine has developed her skills over the years and works very hard to not only utilise our fleeces but to showcase the potential of what a fleece can yield
accessible, it’s our aim to continue to breed using the best animals that we can and to remain true to our ethos of producing ‘quality over quantity’. This year, we have been particularly blessed by the fruits of our labour and vindicated in the decisions that we’ve made.
DO THE DOUBLE At the annual NIAG show we were thrilled to ‘do the double’, coming away with Champion Coloured Huacaya and Suri, Champion White Huacaya and Suri and overall Supreme and Reserve Supreme Champion Huacaya and Suri. This was one of the proudest moments of our lives and one that we thought would be the highlight of our year. We couldn’t however, have been more wrong. In September, we decided to enter three of our fleeces into Europe’s biggest fleece show, the Heart of England. We thought the feedback would be another avenue for us to learn about our animals and to help us make assessments for the future. Unable to attend the show in person, we had asked a friend to collect our fleeces and to let us know how everyone had done. What followed next came like a bolt from the blue but marked the absolute pinnacle of our alpaca journey to date. With our three entries we were awarded second place Intermediate Light Huacaya, first place Junior and Champion White Suri and first place Junior White Huacaya, overall Reserve Champion Huacaya and Best British Huacaya. For us, we couldn’t have been more thankful or fulfilled. It truly felt like all of our hard work and effort was finally being rewarded and that our continual efforts to improve our herd were all worthwhile. At this point, it is very difficult to say where we will go from here. Our alpacas are an intrinsic part of our lives. They have become a deep rooted passion and offer a lifestyle which is an exciting alternative to our day jobs, as a School Principal and Chiropractor. We are ever grateful to all of those who have helped and supported us along the way. For us, our investment in alpacas has been a genuine investment in happiness.
ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE | Winter 2015/2016 | 55
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BREEDERS DIRECTORY
Alpaca World Magazine’s
BREEDERS DIRECTORY
Book your space in the Alpaca World Breeders Directory now by telephoning Heidi Hardy on 01598 752799. An entry is priced at just £35 to cover FOUR issues.
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Rushmere Alpacas Jo Parker & Neil McAndrew, Little Cuppers, Rushmere, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 0DZ. Tel: 01515 237416. Fax: 01525 234068. Email: j.parker101@btinternet.com Website: www.rushmerealpacas.co.uk Quality herd on the Beds, Bucks and Herts border offering a superb service to new and experienced breeders. Pregnant/maiden females, stud and pet males. Free training and 24/7 support.
Alpha Alpacas Di Davies, Woodstock, Mapperton Lane, Melplash, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3UF. Tel: 01308 488661 / 07739 382483. Email: didavies@alpaca.fsnet.co.uk Web: www.alphaalpacas.com A small elite herd of Huacaya alpacas where top quality fibre, biosecurity and supporting our clients is paramount. The quality of our herd has been confirmed by their superb show record. Stud services available, breeding stock (male and female) and pet males for sale.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE Houghton Hall Alpacas Mick & Liz George, Houghton Hall Alpacas, Mere Way, Houghton, Cambs P£28 2BL. Tel: 01480 461510. Mob: 07764 469132. Email: info@houghtonhallalpacas.co.uk Website: www.houghtonhallalpacas.co.uk BAS National 2014 Double Supreme Winners. Proven Award Winning Genetics. Elite Stud Males. Top Quality Pregnant Females. Premium Huacaya & Suris in a wide range of colours. Pet Males. Full Support & After Care. We have an alpackage© to suit you. DEVON Classical MileEnd Alpacas Rachel Hebditch & Chas Brooke, Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 8NB. Tel: 01884 243579. Mob: 07970 415638. Email: rachel@alpaca-uk.co.uk Website: www.alpaca-uk.co.uk Professional breeding farm with 18 years alpaca experience. Show winning herd sires with British, Australian and American genetics available for outside stud servicing. Wide selection of quality alpacas for sale as pets or breeding stock. We maintain rigorous management of on farm bio-security including full farm perimeter wildlife fencing. Excellent customer support and training with visitors welcome by appointment.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE Pure Alpacas Jay & Hilary Holland, Torsend House, Main Road, Tirley, Glocs. GL19 4EU. Tel: 01452 780327. Email: jay@purealpacas.co.uk Web: www.purealpacas.co.uk A family-run herd of both huacaya and suri with a range for sale from pets and guards to elite breeding stock. Sensibly priced and all backed by professional, unrivalled support and advice. Our herdsires are all proven and available for outside services. We run a variety of courses which cater for all levels of experience. Exports to Europe a speciality. Snowshill Alpacas Roger Mount, Snowshill Hill Barn, Temple Guiting, Cheltenham, GL54 5XX. Tel: 01386 853841 / 07711 044106. Fax: 01386 854791. Email: roger.mount@btinternet.com Web: www.snowshillalpacas.com Breeders of prize winning Huacaya and Suri alpacas in Gloucestershire. We usually have alpacas for sale, from pet to show quality. Stud services available from a wide selection of proven sires. After sales support and advice. We also have fabrics for sale, all made from our own alpacas and spun, woven and finished in the UK. HAMPSHIRE Pennybridge Alpacas Joy & Peter, Pennybridge Farm, Greywell Road, Up Nately, Hook, Hants RG27 9PJ Tel: 01256 764824 / 07801 132757 Email: joy@pennybridgealpacas.co.uk Web: www.pennybridgealpacas.co.uk The Pennybridge Herd & Stud. Alpacas for sale. Most colours available, even the rare appaloosa. Quality starter herds, proven and potential stud males, stud services, pets and sheepguards. Free advice and after sales support provided.
58 | Winter 2015/2016 | ALPACA WORLD MAGAZINE
Watership Alpacas Keith Taylor, Greenacres, Thruxton Down, Andover, Hants SP11 8PR Tel: 01264 889206 Email: info@watershipalpacas.co.uk Web: www.watershipalpacas.co.uk Watership Alpacas invites you to visit and meet our prize-winning alpacas. We have all colours of BAS registered huacaya breeding females, young males, potential studs and pets for sale. Inexpensive stud services all with full support and guidance.
SOMERSET Tai Wind Alpaca Stud Lynn Pepper, Staffords-Mead Stables, Lower Rudge, Frome, Somerset, BA11 2QE Tel: 07790 674334 Email: lynn@lynnpepper.orangehome.co.uk Web: www.taiwindalpacas.co.uk Show quality black alpacas. Fast forward your genetics with our stud males. We have a selection of pregnant females and young stock for sale from our show herd. Import, export. WARWICKSHIRE
NORFOLK AzSu Alpacas Nikki Lenk, The Low Farm, Letton, Thetford, Norfolk, IP25 7TB. Tel: 01362 820097. Mob: 07798 522178 Fax: 01362 821333 Email: nikki.lenk@azsualpacas.com Web: www.azsualpacas.com Norfolk’s largest breeder offers potential and existing owners a friendly and complete service. High quality studs; breeding females and wethers for sale; practical training; caring agistment; fleece conversion; sound advice on all aspects of these magical animals. Burnt Fen Alpacas Ann Nickerson, Burnt Fen, Horning, Norfolk, NR12 8LA. Tel: 01692 630553. Email: annie.alpaca@icloud.com Web: www.burntfen.co.uk We are long established alpaca breeders and have developed a fantastic friendly herd bred from excellent pedigree stock. We sell quality breeding females through to gorgeous pet animals with genuine after sales support and processing advice for your fleeces.
Toft Alpacas Rob & Shirley Bettinson, Toft Manor, Toft Lane, Dunchurch, Warwickshire, CV22 6NR. Tel: 01788 810626. Fax: 01788 522347 Email: shirley@toft-alpacas.co.uk Web: www.toft-alpacas.co.uk Alpaca Stud Farm, est 1997. Pedigree stock for sale in all colours. Superior stud services. Stud males for sale or lease. Pets for sale. Introductory and advanced husbandry workshops. Fleece and fibre workshops. 24/7 advice and support. Holiday cottage on farm. Luxury alpaca products online and on-farm shop. YORKSHIRE Fowberry Alpacas Jenny MacHarg, Crambe Grange, Barton Le Willows, York YO60 7PQ. Tel 01653 619520. Email: info@fowberry-alpacas.com Web: www.fowberry-alpacas.com Supreme Championship winning herd, including the overall Championship winning Huacaya Sire of the biggest show in Europe (2012). We offer super-fine genetics; correct conformation and happy healthy alpacas; knowledgeable advice and after-sales assistance; regular introductory and advanced courses; on-line shop and as importantly, our support to achieve your alpaca goals.
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