Camelid Connections Magazine Issue 22

WebsitesforFarmers

Awebsitetodayisthebasisofmostbusinessmarke�ng-awebsitehelpsyousellyourlivestock, yourproduceorservicestothewidestaudiencepossible.

WEKNOW&UNDERSTANDRURALBUSINESSES

HereatOakGroveGraphicsweunderstandwhatittakestomakeagreatwebsiteforfarmers, becausewearealsofarmersaswellaswebdesigners!Weofferyouwebsiteop�onstosuityou, fromeasyselfmaintainedsitestowedoitallforyouop�ons,wedesignsitesthatarea�rac�ve, func�onalandindividuallikeyourbusiness.Fromthelandtothesea,ifyourbusinessisruralwe canhelpyoupromoteyourbusinesslocallyorAustraliawide.

AFFORDABLEPRICES

Ourcountrypricesaresomeofthebestyouwillfindanywhere.Contactusforafreenoobliga�on quoteanddowntoearthconversa�on,abouthowwecanhelpyourbusinessgrowthrough marke�ngyourbusinessontheinternet.

www.oakgrovegraphics.com.au EMAIL:julie@oakgrovegraphics.com.au|PHONE:0264932036

CamelidConnectionsispublishedbyOakGroveGraphics

POBox4059,CandeloNSW2550 Telephone +61(0)264932036 Email:info@camelidconnections.com.auWeb: www.camelidconnections.com.au

Editor

EsmeGraham Telephone:0457304868Email: esme@camelidconnections.com.au

Designer/Editor

JulieMcClentelephone0264932036Email: julie@camelidconnections.com.au

DesignedandProduced

ByOakGroveGraphics

POBox4059,CandeloNSW2550 Telephone+61(0)264932036 info@oakgrovegraphics.com.au www.oakgrovegraphics.com.au

Copyright

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WelcometoCamelidConnections

Wellit’sthat�meoftheyearagain-thesillyseasonisuponusandwhileweareawarethatmany ofourreadershavenothadabrilliant2022withinterestraterises,costoflivingproblemsand theeverproblema�cweather,IhopethatyoucantakeafewdaysoverChristmastoenjoyyour family,hopefullyhaveafewdaysrestandrecrea�onandtakethe�metoreadourmagazine.

WehaveastoryfromtheCentralCoastofNSWwithsomeholidayideasincludingavisittoa Lllamaandalpacafarm.Someniceaccommoda�onandrestaurantsforMumandDadandwhat childwouldn’tenjoyavisittoTreeTopsAdventurePark.KeithPayneallamabreederfromNew Zealandtellsabouthisllamawalkthroughthebeau�fulSouthland-lovelypicturesandagreat adventure.

Wehavear�clesonalpacabirthingtohelpournewerbreedersandaheartwarmingstory fromtheUKaboutanalpacawithlegproblems.ReadaboutMaxBergmann,whoislegally blindbutrunsacameldairywithhiswifeRonjainthehillsoutfromPerth.Ourgene�cs ar�cleisfortheseriousbreederofblackalpacasandarefreshforthosewhotookpartin theAAAwebinarwithLynnEdens.

MerryChristmasandabigthankyoutotheadver�serswhosupportourmagazine,it wouldn’tbepossiblewithoutyouandwewouldlovetohaveadvertsfrommoreof ourreaderstopromoteyourproductsoranimals.

WhynotgiveeitherJulieorEsmeacalltodiscusshowwecanhelpyou.

Youwillfindouradver�singratesaresomeofthemostaffordableanywhere,you candownloadallthepricinganddetailsinfofromourwebsite.

MeetTheTeam

EsmeGraham-Editor

MyhusbandandIhavebredsurialpacas forover20years,Iwasheavilyinvolved withbothregionalcommi�eesandthe na�onalboardoftheAustralianAlpaca Associa�onforanumberofyearsandhad thehonourofbeingselectedasalife memberoftheAssocia�on.

Mymajorinteresthasbeeninmarke�ngandeduca�onand tothisendIwaseditorofAlpacasAustraliamagazineforsix yearsandIhopethattheexperienceIgainededi�ngthat publica�oncanbeextendedtoeducateandinformawider rangeofalpacaandllamabreederswhoarenotnecessarily associa�onmembersbuthavealoveofallthingscamelid.

JulieMcClen-Designer/Editor

AbreederofultrafineHuacayaalpacasfor over20yearsatOakGroveAlpacas,I haveapassionforfinefibreandthe gene�cconnec�ontothe most diminu�veandfinestofthe camelids-the wildVicuna.

Istronglybelievethateduca�oninanyindustryisthekeyto success,sowithCamelidConnec�onswehopetoprovide interes�ngandinforma�vear�clestoassistallcamelid ownersinge�ngthemostoutoftheiranimalsand businesses.

IalsoownOakGroveGraphicsawebandgraphicdesign agencywhichisproducingthismagazine,andalsoallowsme toconnectwithmanydifferentpeopleinthecamelidrelated worldthroughmydesignandwebwork. www.oakgrovegraphics.com.au

Boston Fine Fibres is a specialty fleece processing mill located in the Southern Tablelands of NSW. Our eco-friendly facility uses no harsh detergents, bleaches or dying agents. We specialise in processing individual fleeces from alpaca, llama and other elite animal fibres. Our state-of-the-art mini mill is designed to maximise your options to suit your needs and the particular qualities of your fleece.

RemarkableRecovery

ByLizMason

Torecoverfromalegamputationisa remarkableachievement,buttodelivera healthycriafivemonthslateristestimonyto theresilienceofayoungfemaleownedby MichaelHendersonandSusanMyerscough ofLegacyAlpacasintheUK.

PussyGalorewas“thebestfemale”criabornintheLegacy herdin2019,Michaelsays.Withmorethan18years experienceMichaelandSusanareknownforproducing,and showing,qualityHuacayasandtheyhadhighhopesthis youngfemalewouldhaveabrightfuture.

Themaidenfemalewaspregnantwithherfirstcriawhenin DecemberlastyearMichaelwaswokentwiceinthenightby theunusualsoundofhisdogbarking.“Iwentoutinthe morning,ataboutfiveo’clocktofeedherandshecame hobblingupthefield,”hesays.

“IwenttogetsomepainkillersforherbutwhenIcamebackI sawthatshehadbrokenherlegasthebonewass�ckingout ofherleg.”

Heavyrainthepreviousnighthadwashedthesoilintothe moleholesonthelandandMichaelbelievesthebreak happenedwhenshesteppedintooneoftheholes.Hecalled thevetwhoseadvicewastoputhertosleeporamputatethe leg.

“Thatwasourvet’sfirstthought,butshewasreferredto LiverpoolUniversityHospitalVets.A�erthereferralthevet cleanedthewoundandsedatedhersowecouldmoveherin thetrailer.”

Thequotefromthehospitaltooperateandmendthebreak usingmetalplateswasbetween£4000-£5000.Butthiswas beforePussyGalorewasseenbythehospitalvets.

“WetookherdownthereandtheyX-rayedheranddecided thebonewasquitefragmentedsotheycouldn’tplateit. Instead,theyputpinsinaboveandbelowthebreakandtwo barsdowneitherside,”Michaelexplains.

“Shehadtheopera�oninthemorningandshewasupand walkinginthea�ernoon.Buta�eraboutsixorsevenweeks shebrokeoneofthebarsthatwasholdingthepinstogether.

“Thefractureopenedup,buttheopenwoundhadhealedso theydecidedtoputacastontoholdeverythingtogether. Butshealwayslimpedonthecast-shewasn’tcomfortable withthecast.”

A�ertwoweeksthecastwasremovedbutthewound,where thepinswereinserted,wassep�c.“Atthatpointthey decidedtheywouldhavetoamputateherleg,”Michaelsays.

Theyoungalpaca’slegwasremovedthemorninga�ervets discovereditwasinfected.Fivedayslatershewasableto walk,althoughvetshelpedtostandun�lshebecameusedto ge�ngupanddown.

MichaelandSusanhadwantedtohavethelegamputatedas theirvethadadvised.Buttheywerepersuadedbythe hospital’svetstogoaheadwithanopera�ontorepairtheleg forethicalreasons.Theaimwastosavethelegandgivethe youngfemaleagoodqualityoflife.

“Wewereworriedbecausetheopera�onwasquite complicatedandtherewerewelfareimplica�onsthathadto betakenintoaccountbecauseweknewshewouldhavea longstayinhospital,”Susanadds.

Successfulpregnancy

PussyGalorewasattheuniversityhospitalfor12weeks beforeshefinallyrecoveredandwasabletocomehome.But MichaelandSusanensuredshewasnotalone.“Wetooktwo girlsdowntobewithher,”Michaelsays.

Followingthetraumaofalegbreakandamputa�on,shehad madearemarkablerecovery.Notonlydidshecopewiththe lossofaleg,PussyGaloreheldherpregnancyanddelivereda healthyfemalecriainMaythisyear.

Michaeldiscoveredthecria,whoisyettobenamed,inthe field-herremarkabledamhaddeliveredthenewborn withoutanyassistance-althoughMichaelandSusanknew shewass�llcarryinghercria.“Alpacaswillabortwithin24 hoursofacriadyinginsidesoweknewitwasthere,”Michael adds.

BothMichaelandSeanaredelightedbythebirth.

SusansuggestsPussyGaloretakesa�erhernamesake,a ‘Bondgirl’inthefilmGoldfinger.“She’satougholdbird,”she adds.

Michaelsays:“Shedidreallywell-somealpacasIdon’tthink wouldhavecomethroughbutshe’sastronggirl.”

ReprintedwithpermissionfromtheBri�shAlpacaAssocand theauthorandmagazineeditorLizMason

DROMEDAIRY:WHAT’SALLITABOUT?

ByMaxBergmann

OriginallyfromasmallvillagenearHanoverinGermany,Max grewupspending�meonhisaun�esfarm,and,byage8,he hadarealpassionforfarming.Unfortunately,itwasalso aroundthis�methathewasdiagnosedwithRe�ni�s Pigmentosa(RP).RPisagene�cdiseasewherethecellson there�naarebeingdestroyed.Maxs�llhashisperipheral visionbutabigblindspotinthecentreofhisvision.Heiss�ll abletomovearoundusingtheperipheralvisionofftothe sideand,ofcourse,havingFawnwithhimisveryhelpful.

Atage16,MaxspentayearinMelbournewithsome rela�veswhichgavehimatastefortheAustralianlifestyle, andheknewthenthathewouldcomebackheretolive. UponreturntoGermanyforUniversity,Maxachievedboth BachelorandMastersDegreesinAgriculturalScience followedbyanotherMastersinManagementintheUK. MovingtoAustraliain2009withwifeRonja,theywerefirst locatedinSydneyandthenPerth,whereMaxdidhisPhD,at UWA.

WhilstMaxmaybelegallyblind,hecertainlydoesnotlack visionforachievinggreatthings,bothmentallyand physically.Duringhisstudies,Maxwasasemi-professional runnerandcompetedforthefirst�meinterna�onallyatthe

2004ParalympicsinAthens.Maxcompetedalmostevery yeara�erthat,inEuropean,WorldandAustralian championships,wherehewonsilverandbronzemedalsin Brazil,theNetherlandsandFinland.Withcompe��ve runningnowbehindhim,Maxs�llenjoysrunningforfitness –takingFawnwithhimwhenherunsonhisownbutis certainlykeptfitwiththephysicalnatureofthefarmworkof thecamels.

Itallbeganwiththreeyoungcamelsfromthewild,Elke, PetraandRita(nameda�erthebelovedneighboursofhis parentsinGermany).Maxquicklyfellinlovewiththe intelligent,kindandsome�mesabitstubbornnatureofhis camelsandsoonexpandedhisli�lecamelfamily.

Whenmilkinghiscamelladies,Maxno�cedhowso�his roughworker’shandsbecamewhenthemilkgotontohis hands.Hedidsomeresearchandquicklyrealisedthatcamel milkwasmoreeffec�vethananyothernaturalskincare ingredient.ThiswasthestartofDromeDairyBody+Skin.

Ethicallyrundairy

AtDromeDairyBody+Skinwereallycare aboutourcamelsandthenaturewelivein. That’swhywemakesurethefarmingwedois sustainable,ethicalandthatourproductsare 100%recyclable.

Westrivetobecomeacarbonneutralcamel dairyandhavejustinstalledourfirstsolar system,whichisequivalentofplan�ng199 treesayear!

Australiahasthelargestandhealthiestwild dromedarypopula�onintheworld!Yet,the governmentspendsmillionstocullthese beau�fulanimals.Ourmissionistosave Australia’scamels,buildupavaluableindustry andhelppeopletofeelgoodintheirskin-all atthesame�me.

Happycamels

OurcamelscomefromAustralia’soutbackand aretamedandtrainedonourfarminthePerth Hills.Weonlyusegentle,trust-basedtraining techniques,minimisingthestressonthe animalsandmakingsureherdstructuresare maintained.

Unlikeinotherdairies,thecamelcalvesarenot separatedfromtheirmumsa�erbirth.They staywiththeirmums,ensuringtheygetallthe milktheyneedandmaintainastrongbond throughout.

Camelmilkisalsoagreatnaturalmoisturiser andperfecttobeusedasabaseinproducts suchassoaps,lo�ons,shampoosand condi�oners.Inaddi�ontothis,Maxalso wantstohighlightcameldairiesasan alterna�vetoexpensivecamelculls,whichare undertakentoavoiddegrada�onofthenatural environmentandcompe��onwithother livestockforfoodandwatersources.

DromeDairyisaperfectexampleofthe enormouspoten�alofthesemajes�canimals.

Thehealthbenefitsofcamelmilkareamazing; theironcontentisupto10�meshigherthan cow’smilk.Itcontainsalpha-hydroxyacidsand proteinwhichmakeitaperfecttopical moisturiser.RichinvitaminsA,B1,B2,B12and carotene,italsohasan�-inflammatory proper�eswhichcanreduceskinrednessand irrita�on.

Camelmilk,beingpurewhiteincolour,isdeeplyand instantlyhydra�ngandrepairingandcontainsan�-microbial andan�-inflammatoryproper�es,makingitsuitableforall skintypes,ofanyage.ThemilkitselfisrichinironandB vitaminsaswellasnaturalacidsthatgentlyexfoliateand smooththeskin.Camelmilkcanalsohelpwithallevia�ngthe symptomsofskinproblemssuchaseczemaand psoriasis.Usingcamelmilkinyourbeautyregimecaneven helptoregenerateyourhairandskin,makingitshinier, so�erandstronger.FounderandManagingDirectorof DromeDairyBody+Skin,MaxBergmann,withaPh.D.in AgriculturalSciencefromUWA,saysthat"theunique molecularstructureofcamelmilkallowsforamuchdeeper absorp�onintotheskin,whichmakesitafantas�cingredient inskincareproducts."

Whatisaddedtocamelmilkskincare?

HereatDromeDairyBody+Skin,weliketokeepthefocuson thestaroftheshow:thecamelmilk.However,wehave foundthataddingall-naturalingredientslikealoevera, jojobaoil,andvitaminB5combinetocreateatrulyunique typeofskincare.Asweteamourcamelmilkwithnatural ingredients,allofourproductsareidealforsensi�veand problema�cskinandaresogentleyoucanevenuseiton yourbaby!"Wechosenaturalingredientsthathavebeen proventoworkandaresogentlethattheycanevenbeused onyourbabyandpets.Iusecamelmilkskincareproductson mysonTimandmyseeing-eyedogForest,whobothsuffer fromdryandirritatedskincondi�onsat�mes",Maxsays.

Innovativethinking

Maxsays-"I'vealwaysdonewhatIlove…includingthe camelsnow.IjustreallylikefarmingandIlovedrivingthe tractor.JustbecauseI'msightimpaireddoesn'tmeanyou can'tdoit.Therearewaysaroundit,andthetechnologyis absolutelyincredible..I'vegotablindspotinthecentreofmy eyeandI'vegotonlyperipheralvisionle�soIusewhatever technologyisavailable,aswellasmemorisingmovements aroundthemobilemilkingsystem.Exactlythreestepstothe le�,onestepforward,andthenyoutouchthisrope.Youdo this.It'sjustge�ngusedtoit,Obviously,whatIdon'tlikeisif thingsarenotintherightplace.ThenallofasuddenIlook likeablindperson."

Hehasalsosetupsystemstohelphimnavigatearoundthe property."Weputlarge,whitecorflutesignsonallour fences,andIputthemstrategically.Ifyoudotoomanysigns itgetsreallyconfusing,andImightdriveinbetweenthetwo wrongsigns—whichcanbeverydetrimentaltoyourfencing system.IhavehadaGPSauto-steeringcontrolsystem installedintothetractortonavigatethefarm.Whenyou're onthebiggermachinesandwedothecropping,youhave GPStechnologythatyoucouldliterallyputamonkeythere thesedays.Youjustneedtopressabu�onandthetractoris

perfectlystraight.Ialwayssayit'sagood�metobeblind becauseoftechnology.I'vedonemyPhDonacomputerthat hasascreenreader.Thetechnologyisjustfantas�c."

Some�mesthough,thesimpleideasarethebest.Dr BergmannsaiddesigningAustralia'sfirstmobilecameldairy requiredsomeinnova�vethinking.“I'mblind,legallyblind, it'squitehardformetocomeupwithplansanddrawings. So,whenwedesignedthatsystemIactuallyhadtoimagine it.I'malways'I'mablindguy,butI'vegotavision'soIhadto comeupwiththewholesystem,howit'sworking,andthe wayI'vedoneitwasbyactuallyplayingwithmykids.We usedLego,andwesetuptheyardsandthemilkingsystem andranthroughthedifferentscenariosoverandoveragain."

Wherescienceandskincaremeet

Inaddi�ontomilkingthecamels,thereisalsoaresearch elementtoDromeDairy,whereMaxandRonjaarealso workingtogetherwithveterinarystudentsfromMurdoch Universityanalysingtheproper�esofcamelmilkand inves�ga�ngthebenefitsontheskin(usingskinmodelsand lateronrealpeople).

In2017MaxandRonjabegananexpansionofthefarm, goingfrom8to40camelsandpu�ngmoreofafocuson providingcamelmilkproductstobesoldAustraliawideand eventuallyinterna�onally.In2019,theDromeDairyBody+ Skinrangewaslaunchedwithalipbalm,soap,handand bodylo�onandashampooandcondi�onerwhichisavailable inselectedstoresandonline.Overthelastyearourcamel familyhasfurtherexpandedandsowillDromeDairy's productrange.Ashampoobar,facecreamandpetshampoo arecurrentlyindevelopmentandwillbeavailableonline soon.

Manypeopledonotknowaboutthewonderfulhealth benefitsofcamelmilk,butevenfewerknowhowamazing thisingredientcanbewhenincorporatedinyourskincare regime.

Inagrowingandemergingmarket,thewonderfulhealth benefitsofcamelmilkmeanthatitisfeaturingasakey ingredientinhigh-qualityskincare-butthisdoesnotmeanit isarela�velynewidea.TheBedouinshavebeenusingcamel milkontheirskinforcenturies.Itisabout�metherestofus caughtup!

ExperiencesofferedthroughDromeDairy.

AvisittotheDromeDairycamelfarmisafunandunique experienceforthewholefamily.Ifyou’rewan�ngto experiencethefarmforyourself,DromeDairyoffersfreeentry tothefarmonthefirstSaturdayofeverymonth,whereMax willtakeyouonaguidedwalkingtourofthefarmandis happytoansweranyques�ons,alongwithofferingcamel facts,mythsandstories.Youmightevengettosnapa #camelfiewithyourfavouritecamel!Ifthese�mesdon’t workforyouthenthereisalocalPerthbusinessofferingtours toDromeDairy.

LumineerAdventureToursofferaGin/WineTas�ngDinnerin thePaddockTour.ThetourtakesyouthroughtheiconicSwan Valleyregionforgin/winetas�ng,beforetakingascenic routethroughtheAvonValleytovisitDromeDairy,where Maxwillgiveyouatourofthefarm.Youwillthense�ledown foraclassicAustralianBBQdinnerunderthestars,followed byabitofstargazing.

THEBEST

Thissugarcookiesrecipehasaclassic taste,crispytexture,andperfect sweetness.Thisrecipeuseslesssugarand butterthanotherrecipes,buttheendresult isasoft,fluffy,tastysugarcookiethat’sjust aspleasingtothepalate.

RECIPE

PrepTime:10Mins,CookTime10Mins.

Makesapprox.24Biscuitsdependingonthesizeofthe cookiecu�er.

3¾(468g)PlainFlour

½teaspoonSalt

226gUnsaltedbu�er(ifyouusesaltedbu�eromitthe previoussaltmeasure)

1Cup(200g)CasterorWhitesugar

2largeeggs

2teaspoonsVanillaExtract

Inamediumbowl,si�togethertheflourandsalt.Setaside.

Creambu�erandsugarun�llightandfluffy.(Donotskipon thisstep–creamingworksbestwhenthebu�erisatfirm roomtemperature,notso�roomtemperature.)

Addthevanillaandthentheeggsoneata�memakingsure eachiswellincorporated.

Addtheflourmixture.Combinewellbutdonotovermix.

Chill–transferthedoughontoaworksurfaceanddividethe doughintotwodiscs.Wrapeachinplas�cwrapandchillin thefridgeun�lfirmenoughtoroll.Atleast30minsto1 hour.(Youcankeepthedoughchilledinthefridgeforupto 4days.Youcanevenfreezethedoughforuptoamonth)

Oncethedoughischilled;rollthedoughonalightlyfloured surfaceevenly.Rolltoabout6mmthickness.(Usingarolling pinwithspacersmakesthisveryeasy)

Cutoutshapes-trynotto‘re-work’thedoughoverandover itwillmakethecookiestoughereach�me.

Youcanputthembackinthefridgewhiletheovenishea�ng up.Chilledcookiesarelesslikelytospread.

Heatovento180cconven�onalor160cfanforced.

Transferchilledcookiestotheovenandbakeonthemiddle rackfor8-10mins.(Cookiesshouldnotbedarkaroundthe edges.Assoonastheygetsomecolouronthebo�om,they areready.Theywillcon�nuetocookonthetrayasthey cool.

Coolonthetrayfor10minsthentransfertoacoolingrack. Storeinanair�ghtcontainer.Icecookieswhentheyare completelycooled.

STORAGE

Thiscookierecipecanbehalvedordoubledwithoutany issues.

Thedoughcanbekeptinthefridgeforupto4days,or

Frozenforuptothreemonths.Iffrozenthawinthe refrigeratorovernightbeforeyourollout.

Thebakedcookieswillstayatroomtemperatureforupto2 weeksbutarebesteatenwithinafewdays.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Whyaremysugarcookiesflat?

Always,followtherecipecorrectlyunlessyouknow whattheoutcomeisdifferent.Addingextraflourwill giveyoudry,crumblycookies.Toomuchsugaror bu�ercanmakethecookiesspreadandlosetheir shapewhenbaking.Rollingthecookiestoothinwill giveyouhardflatcookies.

Bakingcookiesinhotandhumidcondi�ons?

Yes,hotandhumidcondi�onscanbeachallenge, especiallywithbu�er-basedcookies.

Thebestwaytoworkaroundthisistorollthedough betweentwoparchmentpapers.

Letthedoughchillbeforeyourollthedoughand Chillagaina�eryourollthedough.

Cutthecookiesoutofchilleddough.Thiswillgive cleanprecisecutsandhandlingchilledcookiesare easiertotransferfromtheworksurfacetothebaking tray.

Whydidmysugarcookiesbecometoobrownonthe outside?

Ifyoubakethecookiesataveryhightemperatureor ifyoubakethemfortoolongtheedgeswillgetbrown quicker.180CisaguideIliketousebuteveryovenis differentsoadjustthetemperatureaccordingly.

Ifyouhavecookiesbakingquickerwithmostrecipes thenperhapsit's�metocheckifyouroven temperatureneedscalibra�on.

Whyaremycookieshardwhencooled?

Overbakedcookieswhencooltendtobedryandhard. Thisiswhyyouneedtobakethemun�ltheyarejust abouttostartge�ngsomecolourontheedges.The cookiescon�nuetocookandsetastheycooltoo.

ManagingBirths FortheNewAlpacaBreeder

ByAndreaTurnerfromLangfordFarmAnimalPrac�cesintheUK

Asweareexperiencingtheglorious summersunshineitistimefortheunpacking season.Inthethirdinasetofthree‘Alpaca bites’webinars,AndreaTurnerofLangford Farmanimalpracticediscussedhowto prepareforandmanageasuccessful unpackingseason.Thisisherreport.

Firstly,itisimportanttoknowifouralpacasarepregnantand roughlywhatdatearetheyexpec�ng?Asthegesta�onforan alpacaisonaverage350dayshoweverthereisalargerange tothisfigurethereforeitcanbeusefultohavebreeding femalespregnancyscannedtoconfirmpregnancy,poten�al ageingandgoodrecordkeepingwithrespecttounpacking datesandmanagementchanges.

Therearecertainmanagementchangeswhicharerequired whencominguptounpacking.Managementdecisionssuch asmakingsurevaccina�onandwormingprotocolsareupto dateandassessingnutri�onbybodycondi�onscoringcanbe beneficialforop�malunpackingandmilk/colostrum produc�on.Vaccina�onisespeciallyimportantasthepassive

transferofimmunitytothecriasviathecolostrumis essen�alforsurvivalandshouldbedoneatleastfourweeks aheadofthearrivalofcriastoensureenough�meforthe damstohaveop�malimmunityatthat�meproduc�on.

STAGESOFBIRTH

Inthissec�onwerunthroughanormalbirthforanalpaca andthe�mingsinvolved.Thiscanbeimportant,sowedonot interferetoosoonortoolateandcauseproblems.

Prepara�on(stage1): Thisstagenormallylaststwotosix hoursandini�allythedamseparatesofffromtherestofthe herd.Cervicaldila�onanduterinecontrac�onscommence, andthedammaypresentwithnooutwardclinicalsignsat thispoint.

Delivery(stage2): Thisshouldlastunderonehourand usuallywithin30mins.Thedamiso�enrestless,frequently movingupanddown.Thisstageiswhenthewaterbagis seen,andprogressionisevery15minstoemergenceoftoes andnose.Alpacasareo�enstandingwhentheyfinallygive birth.

Beforetryingtounpackyourself,makesurethedamis correctlyrestrainedtopreventanytrauma�cinjuryto herself,youorthecria.

GOLDENRULESOFUNPACKING

Beclean!Makesureyouhavethoroughlywashedyourhands withan�microbialskincleanser(ideally–orsoapatleast!) Uselongrectalglovesifpossible.

•Lotsoflube(lubrica�nggel)!

•Cleanholdingpen

•Adequaterestraintisessen�al

•Damwilllikelycon�nuouslyriseandlieun�lcriais engagedinpelvis

•Takeyour�me.

KNOWWHENTOCALLTHEVET

Scenariossuchastheonesbelowo�enindicatea professional'shelpmaybeneeded.

•Can’tfeelahead/leg-thiscanindicatetorsionandacsec�oncouldberequired

•Can’tcorrectlyiden�fywhichlegsarepresented

•Criawon’tfitthroughpelvis

•Damcan’tstand

•Youaren’tconfidentorhaveexceeded�melimit15/20minsofunproduc�veeffort

Oncethecriahasbeendelivered,thereareafewmoretasks tomakesurethemumandyoungsterhavethebeststartto theirnewlife.Thecriashouldbequicklycheckedoverfor possiblecongenitaldiseases.Itisimportantto:

•openmouthandchecknostrilsforacle�palate

•checkumblilcusforhernias-variableswellingsaround baseofnavel

•checkanusandvaginawiththermometer/glovedfinger tomakesureitispatentandhasn’tgotablockedanus (atresiaani)orvagina(imperforatevulva).

Thenextcrucialstepistodipnavelwithiodine10%solu�on orachlorohexidine0.5%solu�on.Thisistopreventbacterial infec�onsenteringthroughtheumbilicusandcausing poten�allyfatalproblemslateron.

Post-birthdamcareo�enrevolvesaroundpainrelief(eg: Metacam)andoccasionallyan�bio�csasprescribedbyyour vetincertaincircumstances.Checktheudderforcolostrum andmakesureallteatsarepatent.

A�erthesechecksitisnowvitalthatthedamandcriahave �metobond.Thiscansome�mesrequireonetoone segrega�onfromrestofherdandle�tose�le.

Furthercareshouldinvolvecloseobserva�ontoensurethe placentapasseswithinsixhours,otherwiseavetneedstobe calledincaseofproblemsandthatthedamisea�ngand drinkingandmakingsurethecriaissuckling.

Colostrum,asI'msureyouareallaware,isvitalforagood startinlife.Acrianeeds10%ofbodyweightwithinsixhours ofbirthforallthean�bodiestobeabsorbedtogive adequatepassivetransferofimmunity.Ifmums'colostrumis notavailablesubs�tutesofeitherfreshorpowdered colostrumareusuallyavailableatyourvetorlocalagsupply. Ifcolostrumisnotobtainedbythecriainthis�meoryouare unsureofintakea�er24hoursaplasmatransfusionmaybe required.

ReprintedwithpermissionfromTheBri�shAlpacaAssocand AndreaTurnerfromLangfordFarmAnimalPrac�cesintheUK.

LLAMASOVERTHENEWZEALANDALPS

ByKeithPayne

EdShandwasearlyonthellamasceneinNZ,keepingseveral onhislargesheepandbeefsta�onintheNZhighcountry.Ed andIhavecompletedanumberofllamatreksbothherein NZaswellastheRockyMountainsandwereeagertotackle theDoub�ulValleytrackupandovertheAmuriPassbefore descendingtowardsthewestcoastgoldfields.Last�meIdid thistrekwas8yearsagoanditwasatoughone!Butsince thenseveralhorseclubshaddoneworkonthetrailandbyall reportsitwouldbemucheasier.Itisoneoftheheritage routesoverwhichsheepandca�leweredriventohungry goldminers140yearsagoandisratedasDifficult/ ExperiencedOnly.

Wele�ourdeparturedatetowardstheendofMarch, possiblylateintheseasonforthistrack.Butwewere seasonedinthebushandourllamaswereexperienced.On dayonewearrivedatthetrailheadonscheduleandwere promptlyloadedandunderway.

TheBoyleriverwasourfirstchallenge,itwasabitswollen, runningswi�lybutwewerefullofconfidenceandsetoff withouthesita�on,Edinthelead.Wewerenotfarfromthe farbankwhenwithoutwarningEddisappearedintoahole, hisllamastruggledwithfoo�ngun�lhealsofoundthehole, managingtogetawayfromEdinthestruggle.Atthatpoint myboysuddenlydisappearedunderwaterandcameup figh�ng,toploadquicklydislodged,floa�ngdownstream,I

lostmyfoo�ngandwentunderbutmanagedtofindalead ropeandheadedbacktocatchEd’sboy.Edmean�mewas headingdownstreamtorecoverthefloa�ngtoploaditems.It tookusafewmomentstocollectourselves,calmthellamas beforefindingwhatlookedlikeabe�ercrossingspot.We wereverywetandcold,thellamasbeginningtoques�onour company,butwecrossedsafely,searchedoutthetrailand setoff.Thesunrewardeduswithsomeheat,Edsetaquick paceandthekilometresbegantodisappearbehindusaswe hikedalongthetrail.

Beforelongthewellmarkedtrackbegantoclimbbutasthe dayworeonwestartedtorealiseithadreceivedli�leusage forquitesome�me.Forahorsetrackitevidencedli�lesign ofhorses.Webegantospend�mesearchingforthetrackin areaswhereithadbeencoveredbylandslidesorswollen tributeries.

Butthellamaswerekeenandwepressedoncoveringintotal some16/17kmsbeforearrivingatanareacalledPhantom Flatby3.30.Itwas�metomakecampasdarkwouldarrive inthevalleyby5.15pmandthiswasthelastpossiblecamp sitebeforethefinalclimbuptotheAmuriPass.PhantomFlat wasfullofhunterswhohadbeenhelicopteredinwiththeir supplies.Fromthesefellowswelearnedthehorseclubshad discon�nueduseofthetrailsome3yearsagoasitprovedto bedangerousforhorsesandriders.

Wegotagoodstartthefollowingmorning,gruntedourway uptothePassanda�ershortbreakbegantoworkourway downtheWestCoastside.Ofcoursetherainwhichhasbeen lightallmorningbegantobuilduptoasteadydownpour, des�nedtocon�nuethenext36hours.Whenfinallywe bo�omedoutmida�ernoonwebegantoexperience difficultyfollowingthetrail,markersobviouslywashedor blownaway.About4pmwefoundaclearinganddecidedto makecamp.Shortlya�ertetheringthellamasabigstag rumbledintothecamp,beinga�ractedbythellamas.He frozeamongstthetentsforseveralsecondsbeforegivinga deeproarandsmashingoffintotheundergrowth.

Day3sawusupandunderwayearly,weknewthiswouldbe thedaytomakeorbreakthetrip.Thecon�nuousrainhad swollentheriveranditwouldcon�nueaswebeatourway downstream.Welostandfoundthetrailadozen�mesthat daybutmadeexcellentprogress,each�mewecrossedand recrossedtheriveritwasabitdeeperandthecurrentabit stronger.Towardstheendofthedayourluckranoutwhere SlatyCreekconvergedwiththeWaiheke,becomingtoo dangerousforacrossing.Fortunatelytherewasanoldbut comfortablehutnearbysowestakedoutthellamasandset aboutge�ngafirestartedinthehut.

Thenextmorningweweregreetedbyblueskiesandwarm sun,enjoyingastraigh�orward14kmtrekalongtheriverto ourfinaldes�na�on.Andalthoughwehadpassedthrough sometrulysceniccountrythepreviousdays(inbadweather), thatlastday’swalk(withdryfeet)reallydidtopoffthe adventure.

OurgoodmateTonyPearcewaswai�ngforus,weloaded thellamas,packedthegearandse�ledbackforthelong drivebackovertheAlpstoourhomesontheeastside.Andit isatthispointthatwemustcommentonthetwollamas.If eitherofthesefellowshadfalteredorexperienceda problem,thetripwouldhavebeendifferent.Buttheydidn’t!

EdwassupportedbyJoey,a16/17yearoldccarallama ownedbyTonyPearceofHanmerLlamas,withoutdoubtthe mostexperiencedpackingllamainNZ.Notabigfellow,but Joeyknowsonlyonedirec�on,anddoesnothaveastop bu�on.Manuel(11years)wascarryingmyload,bredand raisedonmyfarm,motherisguanaco/llamaandfatherfull guanaco.Verystrongfellow,greatathleteandlikeJoey, wouldneversay“enough”.Someoftheterrainwecrossed wasverydifficult,wet,slippery,sharpedges,boulderfields, windfall,swollenrivers,steepclimbs/descentsandsoon.Not oncedideitheroftheseboyshesitate,pullbackorslowour progress.Theyseemedtorelishthechallengeandif anything,seemedmoredeterminedwitheachdaypassing. Theyeachcarried70-75lbs.

Nextyear,EdandIwillbejoinedbyTonyforatrekthrough oneoftheotherpasses,hopefullyinbe�erweather.Three oldfellowsinmid70’s,youcanimaginethestoriesthatget toldaroundtheeveningcampfire...

Understanding The CoatColourGenotype

ByLynnEdens,SnowmassAlpacasJasonGill,CottonCreekFarms

Asmostofyoureadingthiswillknow,inearly2021webegan usinganalpacacoatcolourgenotypingtestofferedbythe inter-na�onalbiotechnologycompanyNeogenCorpora�on tolearnouranimals’basecoatcolourgenotypes.

ThistestisbasedonresearchbyDr.KylieMunyardofCur�n University,Australiaandspecifiesalpacas’geno-typesfor relevantsec�onsofthetwomostimportantgenesaffec�ng alpacabasecoatcolour.Italsorevealswhethertheanimal carriesamuta�onthatproducesthetuxedogreypa�ern.

Knowingthebasecoatcolourgenotypesofouranimalshas alreadymadeasignificantdifferenceinourbreeding decisionsandhasalsohelpedusmoreaccuratelyselectthe animalsinourherdthatarebestsuitedforourcustomers’ breedingprograms.However,theresultsofourfirstrounds oftes�ng,aswellasthoseofotherfarmswhohavejoinedus intheresearcheffort,alsomadeitclearthatwes�llhad muchtolearn,especiallywithrespecttothegenotypesthat produceanimalswithablackbasecoatcolour.

WeknewfromreadingDr.Munyard’sresearchthatshehad iden�fiedthreedifferentalleles—thatis,alternateformsof onegene,knownastheagou�orASIPgene,thatwhen pairedproducedablackanimalatleastsomeofthe�me. Thesealleleswerecollec�velydescribedwithasmall“a”in thereportswereceivedfromNeogen.Ifananimal’sASIP genotypeincludedonesmall“a,”weknewitcoveredblack. Ifananimalcarriedtwosmalla’s,ithadablackASIP genotypeand,assumingitwasnotfullydilute,couldbe phenotypicallyblack.

However,onlyabitmorethanhalfofthenotfullydilute animalsinourdatabasewith“aa”testresultsactuallyhad trueblack,bayblackorsilvergreycoats(silvergreysbeing blackanimalswithaseparatewhitepa�ern.)Almostasmany werebrownorrosegrey.Thissuggestedthepossibilitythat thethreeindividualASIP“black”allelesmightdifferwith respecttotheirimpactonphenotypiccolour.

WeaskedNeogeniftheycouldgobeyondthesummary resultspreviouslypresentedandgiveusthedetailed

genotypingresultsfortheanimalstheyhadtestedforusso wecouldstudythisfurther.Theycouldanddid.Other breederswhohadgenotypedtheirherdswithNeogenalso requestedtheirdetailedresultsandcontributedthemtoour researchdatabase.Fromthiscollec�veeffort,welearned thatthethreeindividualblackallelesdonothaveiden�cal impactsonphenotypiccolor.Twoofthemappear significantlymorelikelytoproduceablackanimalthanthe third.

Understandinghowallthreeofthesealleleswork,inboth homozygousandheterozygouspairs,greatlyimprovesour abilitytopredictcolouroutcomesfromindividualma�ngs. Wenowknowhowtomoreconsistentlyproduceblack alpacas,andhowtofocusontrueblackandminimizethe produc�onofbayblackswherethatisdesired.Wealsohave abe�erideaofhowtobestchooseanimalsthatarenot blackbutcoveritforablackbreedingprogram.Wediscuss theseresultsindetailheresoyoucanusethemtoinform yourownbreedingeffort.

TheASIPGene’sBlackAlleles

Theacronym“ASIP”standsforagou�-signalingprotein.The ASIPgeneencodestheinstruc�onsforproducingtheagou�signalingprotein,whichcontrolstheamountofpheomelanin (yellow)versuseumelanin(black)pigmentproducedbythe melanocytes.Whentheagou�-signalingproteinproducedis normalinform,bothpheomelaninandeumelaninare producedbythemelanocytesinpropor�onswhich,inthe absenceofdilu�on,resultsinananimalwithadarkfawnor brownbasecoatcolour.However,whenamuta�onresultsin theproduc�onofaproteinthatisalteredinawaythat makesitlessfunc�onal,lessornopheomelaninandmore eumelaninisproducedbythemelanocytes,resul�nginan animalwithadarkerorblackcoatcolour.

Somethingelsehappens,too:Whentheagou�-signaling proteinisnotac�veinthemelanocyte,ahormonecalledthe melanocyte-s�mula�nghormoneplaysagreaterrolein pigmentproduc�on.Thishormonedoesexactlywhatits namesuggests,withtheresultthatthemelanocytesproduce morepigmentthantheyotherwisewould.Animalswith“aa” genotypesthusnotonlyhavemoreoftheblackeumelanin pigmentbutagreaterabsoluteamountofpigmentintheir fibre.

ThethreeASIPallelesthathavebeenassociatedwithblack coatcolourinalpacasareallofthis“lossoffunc�on”type andresultinthemelanocytesproducinglesspheomelanin thantheyotherwisewould.Eachoftheseallelesinvolvesa changetoapar�cularsec�onoftheASIPgeneknownas Exon4.ExonsaresegmentsofDNAwhichcontainthe instruc�onsforproducingaprotein.Exon4ofthealpaca ASIPgeneis177basepairslong.Youdon’thavetoknow whatthismeanstofinditinteres�ngcontextforwhat follows.YoumayalsofindthepictureshowninFigure1 helpfulforunderstandingthediscussionthatfollows-wedid

whenitwaspresentedtous.

Thegenotypicalterna�onthatproducestheallelethat, followingDr.Munyard’sterminology,wedescribeas“a1” involvesadele�onof57ofExon4’s177basepairs.Asyou canimagine,thatrepresentsasubstan�aldisrup�ontothe codingfortheagou�-signalingprotein.The“a2”and“a3” allelesbothinvolvemuta�onsatindividualbasepair loca�onsinExon4.Bothoccuratloca�onswheremuta�ons areknowntoresultinsomelossoffunc�onoftheagou�signalingprotein.Interes�ngly,theloca�onofthe“a3” muta�oniswithintheregionthatisdeletedandthusmissing fromthe“a1”genotype.

Allphenotypicallyblackanimalshavetwooftheblackalleles describedabove:Twoofonealleletype,oroneeachoftwo differentblackalleles.

AlleleCombina�onsandTheirPhenotypicResults

Todiscoverpoten�aldifferencesinthephenotypicresults producedbydifferentblackallelepairings,wecombinedthe detailedgenotypingresultsofanimalsatfourfarmsto produceadatasetof181animalsthathad“aa”ASIPbase coatcolourgenotypesandcarriedeitherzerooroneMc1R genedilu�onmuta�ons.Thatistheanimal’sbasecoatcolour genotypesweresummarizedaseitherEEaaorEeaa,bothof whichcanresultinablackanimal.

However,thereareactually12possiblecombina�onsofthe three“a”allelesandthetwodilu�ongenotypesEEandEe. TheyappearinthetableinFigure3,onpage11,alongwith thespecificallelecombina�onswithwhichtheyare associated.Youcanusethistabletointerpretyourown detailedNeogenreportresultsifyouchoosetocolour genotypeyouranimals.

ThetableinFigure2summarizescoatcoloursofanimalswith eachofthesedifferent“aa”genotypes.Wechosethewaywe tabulatedtheresultswithsomecare.Trueblackandsilver greyanimalsarecountedtogetherbecausebothtuxedoand modernsilvergreyanimalsaretheresultofwhitepa�erns expressedwithinablackbasecoatcolour.Wecountedbay blacksseparatelyfromtrueblacks,eventhoughtheyshow together,toseeifwecouldiden�fyspecificgenotypesthat weremorelikelytoproduceoneversusanother.Wecounted rosegreysseparatelyfrombrownsbecausetheirgenotyping resultswerenotwhatweexpectedandwewantedto considerthemmoreclosely,whichwedolaterinthis discussion.AllanimalswithEEaaorEeaagenotypesthat werenotoneofthesecoloursweincludedinthe“other” category.Thegreatmajorityofthesewerebrown.

Itcanbeverytemp�ngtodrawsomerapidconclusions lookingatatablelikethis,butitisimportanttofirstassess thesta�s�calsignificanceoftheassocia�onswethinkwe see.Wewanttoknowhowlikelyitisthatweareobservinga realrela�onshipbetweengenotypesandcolouroutcomesas opposedtoapa�ernproducedbychance.Wewillexplain ourdegreeofconfidenceinthepa�ernsweseeaswe discussthem.

Basedonthegenotypingresultsforthe181animals consideredherewearehighlyconfidentthatan“aa”animal whichhasoneortwoofthe“a3”ASIPallelesislesslikelyto beregisteredastrueblackorsilvergrey(blackbasecoat) thanonethatdoesnothaveana3allele.Theoddsareless than0.1%thatthispa�ernweseeinthedataisdueto chance.BlackASIPgenotypesthatincludeoneortwoa3 allelesarealsomorelikelytoproducebayblackanimalsthan aregenotypeswhichlackana3allele.Morebroadly,over two-thirdsoftheanimalswithan“aa”genotypeinour samplegroupthatdonothaveblackfleecescarryatleast onea3allele.

Wedon’tknowwhythisisthecasebutsuspectthatthea3 muta�oneitherdoesnotreducethepropor�onof pheomelaninproducedtothesamedegree(leadingtoa warmer,brownercoloura�on),doesnotallowthe melanocyte-s�mula�nghormonetoassumeasmuchofa roleinpigmentproductasdotheotherblackalleles,orboth.

Thereisalsoapa�erninthedatathatsuggeststhatthea1 ASIPallelemaybemorelikelytoresultinatrueblackbase coatcolourthanthea2allele.However,wedon’tyethave enoughindividualobserva�onstobeconfidentthatthis pa�ernisnottheresultofchance.Thismeansthatfornow, wecannotreliablydifferen�atebetweenthelikely phenotypiccoatcoloursproducedbya1anda2alleles.We assumetheyhaveasimilarlikelihoodofproducingblack animals.Thisconclusionmayormaynotchangeaswecollect moregenotypingresults.

Finally,welookedatwhethercarryingasingledilu�on muta�on—thatis,havingan“Ee”MC1Rgenotype—reduced theoddsofananimalhavingatrueblackbasecoatcolour. Again,thisisapa�ernwethinkweseeinthedata.Basedon thedistribu�onofresultsandnumberofobserva�onswe havenow,thereisabouta90%chancethatasingledilu�on alleledoeshavethiseffect.Thoseoddsdonotrisetothe levelofconfidencetypicallysoughtbyscien�ficresearchers, butthisnonethelesslikelyeffectofdilu�onisworthkeeping inthebackofyourmindwhilewecollectmoredata.

Evenmoreimportanttounderstand,however,isthatevenif carryingasingle“e”MC1Rmuta�ondoesnotresultin differentphenotypiccoatcolourforan“aa”animal,itmakes anenormousdifferenceinthecoloursofthecriasthat animalcanproduce.Ananimalwithan“EEaa”genotypewill produceoffspringoffawnordarkerbasecoatcolour regardlessofthecolourgenotypeoftheanimaltowhichitis bred.Bycontrast,ananimalwithan“Eeaa”genotypecan producecriasinthewholespectrumofbasecoatcolours,

includingwhiteandlight,dependingonthecolourgenotype conveyedbytheotheranimalinthepairing.

UsingThisInforma�on

Basedonwhatwehavelearnedsofar,webelievethat breedersfocusedonproducingtrueblackandsilvergrey animalsshouldhaveapreferenceforbreedinganimalsthat carrythea1anda2ASIPmuta�onsrela�vetothosethatcarry thea3muta�on,allelseconstant.Thatlastphraseisvery important.Animalscarryingoneortwoa3muta�onss�ll produceoffspringthatareregisteredtrueblackandsilver grey,albeitatalowerfrequencythanthoseanimalswith “aa”genotypesthatdonotincludeana3muta�on.We wouldnotexcludethemfromtrueblackbreedingprograms, butrathermakesuretheyprovideaddi�onalincremental advantagestocompensatefortheirlessfrequentproduc�on ofthedesiredtrueblackbasecoatcolour.Superiorgene�cs forotherfleecetraits,gene�cdiversityvalue,andpoten�al brandingandmarke�ngadvantagesareamongthepoten�al reasonstoincludetheseanimalsinatrueblackbreeding effort.

Wewanttostress,too,thatbreederswillincreasethe numberofblackanimalstheyproducefromotherblack animalsiftheymaintainasmanyanimalsaspossiblethatdo notcarryadilu�onmuta�on.An“EEaa”animalbredto another“EEaa”animalwillneverproducealightfawn,for instance,whilepairingtwophenotypicallyblack,“Eeaa” animalswillproducealightfawn25%ofthe�me.Again, though,animalswithblackASIPgenotypesandoneoreven twodilu�onallelesmaybringotherimportanta�ributesto theprogramthatmakethereducedoddsoftrueblack offspringworththetrade-off.Forinstance,weareexcitedto breedanexcep�onalyounglightfawnmalewithaneea1a3 genotypetoblackfemalesinthecomingseason:Hisfleeceis incrediblydense,longanduniform,andhewillbring importantgene�cdiversitytothecolouredbreedingeffortat Snowmass.

TheRoseGreyBaseCoatColourGenotype

Aswemen�onedearlier,thebasecoatcolourgenotypesfor the51rosegreysforwhichwehaddetailedgenotyping resultssurprisedus.Ofthose51,closetotwo-thirdshad “aa”genotypes.Wepresumedthatwewouldseeamuch higherpropor�onofrosegreys—whichweperceiveas brownanimalswithawhitepa�ern—thathadASIP genotypesofAaorAA,becausemanybrownanimalshave theseASIPgenotypes.Instead,an“aa”ASIPgenotypewas mostcommon,andoftheroseanimalsinoursampleonly fourthathadbeenregisteredasrosegreydidnotcover black.Whenwewentbacktocheckthephenotypesofthose four,wediscoveredtheywereactuallyallfawnswithsome whitecontamina�onintheirblankets.Theywouldnotbe consideredrosegreyforshowpurposes,orbymost breeders.

Whenwecomparedthebasecoatcolourgenotypingresults ofrosegreyanimalstothoseofdarkbrownanimals,wesaw similari�es.Almosthalfofthedarkbrownanimalswehave testedtodatehavealso“aa”ASIPgenotypes,and90%of themcarryatleastone“a”alleleandthuscoverblack.By contrast,only18%ofthenearly100mediumbrownanimals wehavecolourgenotypedhaveblackASIPgenotypes. Seventy-fivepercentofthemediumbrownswehavetested carryatleastone“a”allele.

Itisinteres�ngthatrosegreyanimalshavebasecoatcolour genotypesthatintheirdistribu�onmostcloselymatchthose ofphenotypicallydarkbrownanimals,andthattheanimals thatwouldbedescribedbybroadconsensusasrosegreyin oursampleallcarryatleastoneblackallele.Wewouldhave imaginedthatananimalwithanEEAAcolourgenotype, whichtypicallyproducesananimalwithabasecoatcolourof darkfawntomediumbrown,alongwiththewhitepa�ern producedbyclassicgreyorroanmuta�onswouldalso appearrosegreytothetypicalobserver.

However,wehavenotuncoveredanysuchanimalstodate. Thismakesuswonderifthepresenceofatleastoneblack ASIPalleleisrequiredforanimalstorevealapa�ernthatwe woulddescribeasclassicormodernrosegreybasedon AOA’scurrentcolourclassifica�onsystem.Manyrosegreys havefleecesthatcombineblack,brownandwhitefibres.The imageshownatle�,whichisfromananimalthatwould showasalightrosegrey,isagoodexampleofthis.Thismay beaclue.

TheBlueBlackGenotype

Oneofourpersonalhopesforourstudyofblackgenotypesis thattheresultswillrevealthegenotype(s)responsiblefor producinganimalswithfleeceswewoulddescribeasblue black.Thereisnotyetagreementorevenmuchdiscussion aboutwhatablueblackalpacalookslikecomparedtotrue black.Whilewehopetoeventuallyquan�fydegreesof blacknesswithresultsfromaspectrophotometer(the

interna�onaltes�nglaboratorySGS,whichmanyofyouuse forhistogramanalyses,canprovidespectrophotometer analysisaswell)oursenseoftheblueblackphenotypeisas follows:1)theanimalappearsanespeciallydeep,coolblack evencomparedtoothertrueblackanimals,and2)itsfleece looksblackevenwhencomparedtodyedblackfabrics(some trueblackfleeceso�enlookbrownwhencomparedto commerciallydyedfabric.)

TheseanimalsarenotcommonintheUnitedStates.And theyshareotherfleecea�ributesbesidestheirexcep�onal blackcolora�on,becausethegreatlyincreasedamountof totalpigmentinthehairsha�softhefibresofablueblack fleecereducestheamountofcurvaturethatcanbe expressed.Thesefleecesaretypicallysilkyinstylewitha

bold,low-frequencycrimp,likethatshownbythecriafleece inthepictureabove.Theirlackofcurvaturemakesthem compara�velybrightaswell(and,wehavelearned,difficult tophotograph).

Weaskedthebreederswhosubmi�edtheiranimals’detailed genotypeinforma�ontohelpbuildourdatabasetoindicate whichoftheiranimalstheyfeltwereblueblackincolour.Of themorethan1000animalsforwhichwehavedetailedASIP genotypes,only11wereiden�fiedasblueblackbytheir owners.(Theirindividualstandardsforwhatcons�tutesa blueblacklikelyvarytosomedegree.)Noneofthoseanimals carriedana3allele,andwesuspectthismaybeanimportant aspectoftheblueblackgenotype.Eightofthe11carriedat leastonea1allele,andfourwerehomozygousa1a1.And9of

the11didnotcarryanyMC1Rdilu�onmuta�ons.

Digginginabitmore,ofthefouranimalsintheirownherds thattheseauthorsiden�fiedasblueblackusingthegeneral criteriadescribedabove,allwereoftheEEa1a1genotype, includingthecriawhosefleeceisshowninthepictureabove.

Thankstothewillingnessofotherbreederstocombinetheir genotypingresultswithourown,wehavecollec�velymade greatstridesinunderstandingwhichASIPandMC1R genotypesaremostlikelytoproducealpacaswithblackbase coats.Butevenwithourimprovedunderstandingofthe likelyimpactofthea3muta�ononcoatcolours,wes�llcan’t explainwhy4%oftheanimalsthathave“EEaa”genotype andlackana3allelearenottrueblackorsilvergreybutare insteadrosegreyorbrown.

Othermuta�ons,inASIPorperhapsothergenes,may provideananswer.Weareop�mis�cthatthoseanswerswill beforthcoming,too,becauseU.S.breeders’interestinand quickadop�onofcolourgenotypinghashelpeds�mulate moreresearchonthistopic.

Wewillcon�nuetosharewhatwelearnandwhatweare taughtaboutalpacacoatcolourgenotypesinthemonths ahead.

SpecificASIPAndMC1RGenotypes

CamelidTourism CentralCoastNSW

IrisLodgeAlpacaFarm

BySean&SharonHooper

Westartedourfarmmorethan9yearsagowithtwoalpacas, Bobby&Lucaswhoares�llinseparable.Atourpeakwehad 200alpacas.Allouralpacas,llamas,sheepandcowsarepets. Wedonotsellourpets.Wesellourfleecetovisitors.

In2020wedecidedtoshareourfarmwithotherssothey couldenjoytheseamazinganimalsandtoexplainhowwe havedevelopedthefarm,includingwhatwehavedoneto protecttheenvironment,suchaserosioncontrolalongthe watercatchmentandtheplan�ngoftreestoa�ractswi� parrotstothefarm.

We'vealwayshadastrongfocusontheenvironmentand conserva�onthroughprotec�ngthelocalwatercatchment whichflowsthroughourpropertyandplan�ngmorethan 12,000treesforthebenefitoftheendangeredswi�parrot andregenthoneyeaterandotherna�vebirds.Asaresultof thisfocusontheenvironmentwehavebeenabletoprovide ahomeforhundredsofbirdsincludinghawks,eagles, pelicans,blackswans,corellas,kookaburras,parrotsanda varietyoffinchesandmeatbirds.

Uponyourarrivalyouwillreceiveashortintroduc�onto yourllamaandyourguidewillcoverthedo’sanddon’tsof

llamahandling.Peopleofallageslovellamasbutthereis alwaystheques�onwilltheyspitatme?Mostllamaswon’t spitonyou,butyoumaygetcaughtinthecrossfire.Llamas don’tliketosharefoodsotheymayspitatanotherllama whogetstoclose.Llamaswillalsospitwhenanotherllama encroachesintotheir‘llamapersonalspace’.

So,youneedtomakesuretokeepthemhappybyknowing whattheylikeandwhattheydon’t.Whileitmaybetemp�ng towanttoscratchtheirfaceorrubtheirears;llamasarenot likehorsesandwouldpreferifyoudidnotdothat.What theydolikeisscratchesontheirneck,snacksandmore snacks,butnottoomany!

Llamasmakegreathikingcompanions,andinfactthe rela�onshipgoesfarbeyondthemsimplytranspor�ngyour supplies.Llamasarenaturallycuriousandveryawareoftheir surroundings,o�enthefirsttospotwildlifealongthetrail. Theyenjoynewsightsandbecomeverymuchapartnerin youradventure.

Wehopeyou’llcomeoutandexperiencefirst-handthejoyof hikingtheseincrediblelandscapeswithllamasasyour companions.WealsoofferuniqueLlamaMeetandGreet experiencesthatareonehourindura�on.Theseareidealfor familieswithsmallchildrenorthosejustwan�ngtogetup closeandpersonalwiththellamas.

WeachievedEcotourismcer�fica�oninJuly2021ina record�meof2weeks.

Recentlywehavebeenmarke�ngourexperiences throughoutSouth-EastAsiatheresultbeinganincreasing numberofourvisitorsarefromSingapore,Malaysiaand Indonesia.

WhentheNSWGovernmenttriedtointroducenew agritourismlegisla�onthatwouldhavehadasignificant nega�veimpactontheindustryweledacampaigntohave theproposedlegisla�onchanged.

DuringthiscampaignSeanappearedonACurrentAffair. LongstoryshorttheGovernmentlistenedtousandadopted largepartsofoursubmissionintothefinallegisla�on.Sean’s picturenowappearsonthecoveroftheAgritourismToolKit alongwithtwoactorsandourWil�pollsheep.

IrisLodgeAlpacasisaplacewherethewholefamilycanget upcloseandpersonalwithourherdof78alpacasand7 llamas.Duringyourvisityou’llalsomeetour70Wil�poll sheep,Anguscowsandhorses.

Weofferthefollowingexperiences: Breakfastwithalpacas

You’llenjoy1.5hourswiththealpacas,sheepandcowshand feedingthemfollowedbyadeliciousbreakfast.Throughout theexperienceyou’lllearnabouttheanimalsandtheir individualpersonali�es.

Alpacameet&greets

You’llgetinamongstourherdofalpacasfora45-minute experience,feedingthealpacasbyhandwhilsttheyenjoya goodneckrub.

Alpacafarmvisitsinthea�ernoons

Duringthis1.5hourexperienceyou’llspend�mewiththe alpacas,Wil�pollsheepandAnguscowslearningaboutthem andtheirpersonali�eswhilsthandfeedingthem.

Wearepartofthe“KidstoFarm”programwherebyall primaryschoolsvisitfarmstounderstandwheretheirfood andfibrecomesfrom.WearebasedontheNSWCentral CoastaboutanhournorthoftheSydneyCBD.

TheCentralCoastisagreatholidaydes�na�onwithmany andvariedplacesofinteresttovisitsowhynottakealong weekendorafewdaysofthekidsholidaystovisit.

TreeTopsAdventureParkhasplentytokeepthechildren (andadventurousadults!)entertainedintheOurimbahState Forrestareawheretherearealsowalkingtracksandbike trails.

HowaboutalonglunchatAngelSussurriRestaruantorastay attheirbou�queBnBstyleaccommoda�onormaybeavisit totheMilkFactorywhereLi�leCreekCheese,achocolate outlet,gi�shop,spaandmanyfoodoutletscanbefound. Plentyofaccommoda�onalsoavailablenearbyatThe MercureKooindayWatersResortandfarmstaysinthearea.

Formoreideasandinforma�onvisit: h�ps://www.lovecentralcoast.com/neighbourhoodguides?page=1 h�ps://www.lovecentralcoast.com/neighbourhoods/wyong h�ps://www.lovecentralcoast.com/ecotourism

AngelSussurriRestaurant

MercureKooindayWatersResort

LittleCreekCheese

BreedingaRoyalLine

Acautionarytale

ByStephenMulholland,Ph.D.-NZ

Theultimategoalofmostanimal breedersiscontinualimprovementof thebreedthroughcarefulselectionof sireanddam.The"average"alpacain NewZealandhasimproved tremendouslyoverthelast15years throughthiskindofselectivebreeding.

Whendiscussingbreeding,theterms"bloodline"or“blood” o�enemerge:animalsmayhave"goodblood"orproducea "strongbloodline."Comparisonstoroyaltythenoccur,and thiskindofthinkingcanbeseeninaquickperusalofthe registrywherehundredsof"kings,""queens,""prince/ princesses,"andothersuchroyal�tlescanbefound.

Onecommontac�cinbreedingselec�onistoselectthe"big names,"asthesefamousanimals,usuallystudmales,havea reputa�onforthrowingsuperiortraits.Asaresult,manyof thesefamousanimalshavehundredsofoffspring.Givena popula�onbaseofonly15,000inNewZealand,itisnot uncommontofindthesamenamespoppingupagainand againinapedigree.Thisiso�enusedasapromo�onalpoint, highligh�nghowcloselyrelatedtheanimalistoitsfamous ancestor.

Thistypeofbreedingsystemhasaclose(andveryrelevant) rela�onshiptomanyoftheroyalhousesofEuropebefore the19thcentury.There,apoolofafewthousandindividuals soughtma�ngs(marriages)thatwouldprovideclose rela�onshipstofamous(poli�callypowerful)sires(kings). Overaperiodofmanygenera�onstheseroyalhouseswould seekto"improvetheirbloodline"bycarefullychoosing partnerswhosepedigreeshadthemostlinkstofamous ancestors.Thisprac�cedidnotalwaysendwell.

RecentlyapaperbyAlvarezetalanalyzedtheSpanish HabsburgDynasty(1516-1700)todeterminehowmul�ple genera�onsofmarryingcloserela�ves(uncle-niece,first cousins,andotherconsanguineousunions)affectedthelevel ofinbreedingofthemembersofthathouse.Inbreedinghad beensuspectedinplayingaroleintheex�nc�onofthe dynasty,theAlvarezpaperprovidednumerical/sta�s�cal analysisofhowtheinbreedingcoefficientrosewith�me, andhowthatnega�velyaffectedoutcomes.Thedynasty

endedin1700whenCharlesII,physicallyandmentally disabled,dieda�erproducingnochildrenfromhistwo marriages.(Isuggestreadingthefullpaperwhichisavailable throughthePLoSONE,aninterna�onal,peer-reviewed, open-access,onlinepublica�on.)

Royaldynas�eshavetheadvantagethataccuratemarriage recordswerekeptoverawidelyextendedfamilyandmany genera�ons:thiscaseinvolved3,000individualsand16 genera�ons.Likewiserecordsofthehealthandmortalityof manymembersofthefamilywereavailable.

Thedepthofthefamilytreeallowedforanalysisof consanguinitybasedonremoteorancestralrela�ons.These distantrela�onshadasignificantinfluence,withthe inbreedingcoefficientrisingasthefamilytreewasmore deeplyexamined.

Ashallowstudyofapedigreeincreasestheriskof significantlyunderes�ma�ngthedegreetowhichindividuals areinbred.(SeeFigure1below).

Figure1:InbreedingcoefficientofselectedHapsburgkings.It requiresatleast10genera�onsofdepthbeforeanaccurate es�mateofconsanguinityiscalculatedduetotheaggregateeffect ofmanydistantrela�onsdeepinthepedigree.Notethata coefficientof0.25iswhatwouldbeexpectedfromabrother-sister ma�ng.CharlesIIwastheproductofanuncle-niecepairing.(Alvarez et.al.,2009)

Togetanaccuratees�ma�onoftheinbreedingcoefficient thepedigreehadtobeanalyzedtoadepthofatleast10 genera�ons!Sowhilethemarriagestocloserela�ons(uncleniece,firstcousins)drawsa�en�ontowardspoten�al inbreeding,themathema�calanalysisshowedthatthe cumula�veeffectofmore-distantconsanguineousunions deepinthepedigreehadasignificanteffectonthe inbreedingcoefficient.Evenifyounevermatefathersto daughtersorbrotherstosisters,ifthereareenoughthirdandfourth-cousinma�ngsinthetree,youcanendupjustas inbred.

Directevidenceforthenega�vehealthandsurvival influencesontheHapsburgfamilyfromtheirinbreedingcan beenseeninariseinchildmortality.30%ofHabsburg childrendiedbeforetheageof10,whereasSpanishchildren frommixedbackgroundsonlysufferedabout20%child mortalityduringthesamehistoricperiod,asignificant difference.Thedifferenceisevenmoresignificantifyou considerthatthenon-royalchildrencamefromamixtureof socialclasses,andwouldnothavehadaccesstothe significantclassbenefitsoftheroyalchildren,suchas nutri�onandmedicalcare.Thisdropinsurvivalisanexample of"inbreedingdepression,"whereevenintheabsenceofa singleacutegene�cdisease,thedecreasinggene�cdiversity resultsinlowersurvival.

Anydiscussionofgene�cstendstodevolveintotheuseof jargonwhichcanbeopaqueandevenin�mida�ngtoreaders withoutatechnicalbackground.Buildingacomplexmul�cellularorganism(likeahumanoranalpaca)obviously requiresdetailedinstruc�ons,andtheseinstruc�onsarein ourgenes.Eachgenecanbethoughtofasabookonasingle subject,andalibraryofabout25,000ofthesebooks(genes) isrequiredtomakeanorganism.Furthermore,ourlibrary hastwocopiesofeachbook,onefromthemotherandone fromthefather.Letussuppose(inthiscompletely hypothe�calexample!)thatoneofthosebookswas"howto growroses."Asweallknow,therearelotsofdifferentbooks onhowtogrowroses.Thesedifferentbooksarethealleles— theyalldealwithrosegrowing,buteachisslightlydifferent andsomebooksarebe�erthanothers.Infact,somebooks giveexcep�onallybadadvice("pouronpetrol,apply match").Ifyouhaveonlyonecopyofabadbook,then usuallythegoodcopy(allele)canstepupandprovideallthe informa�onyouneedtosuccessfullygrowroses(themore effec�vebookissaidtobe"dominant,"thelesseffec�ve booktobe"recessive"-thisisonlyageneralruleofcourse,in actualgene�csitcangetmuchmorecomplicated!).Ifyou endupwithtwocopiesthatsuggestpetrolandmatches,you willnotbegrowinganyroses.Suddenlyyouhavethe"norose"gene�cdisease!Youcangetlessextremeversionsof thiswhereyouendupwithtwocopiesofbooksonrose growingthataredownrightmediocre,sowhileyous�llgrow roses,yourrosesarenotnearlyascolourfulorfragrantas yourneighbour's.Thisistherootofinbreedingdepression. Asalibrarybecomesincreasinglyinbred,moreandmoreof the25,000book-pairsenduphavingtwoofthesamebook

(allele).Havingdifferentversionsmakesitmorelikelythat oneofthetwowillbeasuperiorversion,thisisknownas heterosis(alsocalledhybridvigourandoutbreeding enhancement).

Inbreedingdepressionandgene�cdiseasescanbeveryhard tospotinasmallpopula�on.Smallpercentagechangesin criasurvivalratescaneasilybemaskedbysomegoodorbad luck.Likewiseevenaverycommonacutegene�cdiseasewill, inanon-inbredpopula�on,onlyaffectoneindividualinafew thousand—aratethatwouldbeimpossibletospotunless youweremonitoringallthecriaborneveryyearintheen�re country!(Something,incidentally,thattheannualHealth Surveysaretryingtodo,keepingaconstanteyeopenforany pa�ernsthatmightsuggestlurkinggene�cdiseases.)For examplecys�cfibrosis(CF)isoneofthemostcommon gene�cdiseasesinCaucasiansofEuropeandescent,with nearlyonepersonin25beingacarrier(havingonecopyof theCFalleleandone"normal"allelethatmakesupforthe dysfunc�onoftheCFallelesothatthepersonappears completelyhealthyandnormal).Yetevenwiththishigh carrierrate,onlyonechildin2000hasCF.

Ofcourse,whenweareselec�velybreedinganimals,weare seekingtomakethetargettraits(fleececharacteris�cs, conforma�on,coatcolour,etc.)asstrong(orcommon)as possible.Thatinvolvesfindingthebestalleles(books)forthe genesthatdrivethosetraits.Ideallywewouldfindthebest possibleallele,andhavetwocopiesofittoensurethatno problema�callelesareavailabletopasson.Havingtwo iden�calcopiesofthesamegeneisknownashomozygosity. Youwillfindthistermusedmosto�enamongSuribreeders, whostrivetobreedanimalsthatarehomozygousfortheSuri gene.

Linebreeding(akainbreeding,wherethemateselec�onis usuallynotverycloserela�onslikefather-daughterand brothersister,butfirst-cousinandsimilarrela�ons)isa perfectlyvalidtac�cfortryingtoconcentratekeyallelesina popula�on.However,youwillbeincreasingthe homozygosityofmanygenes,notjusttheonesyouare targe�ngforthekeybreedingtraits.(Whenyou"fix"the copiesoftherose-breedingbooksinthelibrary,youmayalso be"fixing"thefruitbooks,theveggiebooks,thelawnbooks, etc.Areyoufixingsuperiorbooksinthoseslots,orduds?)It isnearlyimpossibletotellatthestartofalinebreeding experimenthowmanyharmfulallelesarelurkinginyour breedingherd.Youcannotpredictsuccessbeforehand; ratheryouproceedandhopetoavoidfailure.Youinbreed un�laveryhighconsanguinitycoefficienthasbeenreached (theyareveryuniformincharacterandgene�callyinbred), andifnoterriblegene�cdiseasesemergeandtheyremain generallyhealthyandvibrant,youweresuccessful.The dangeristhatifsignificantinbreedingdepressionoracutely fatalgene�cdiseasesdobecomeapparentinthepopula�on, youhavebredyouranimalsdownagene�ccul-de-sac. Restoringthegene�chealthofyourlinewillbelongand arduous.Ge�ngthemhealthycanbedonerela�velyquickly

(onlyafewgenera�onsofout-crosses),ge�ngthemhealthy butkeepingtheirhigh-gene�cvaluetraitscouldbeveryhard. (Youswapwithalibrarythathasagoodveggiebookto replaceoneofyourbadpair,butyoutakeachanceof replacingoneofyoursuperiorrosebooksthatyouworkedso hardtogettwocopiesofwithamediocreone.)

Buthasn'tlinebreedingbeendonebeforesuccessfully?Yes. Therearemodernhumancommuni�esthatprac�ce consanguineousmarriagesatasimilarfrequencytothe Hapsburgs(theurbanPondicherryinSouthIndiaandamong armyfamiliesinPakistan)withoutseveregene�c consequences.Why?Itmayhavejustbeenbadluckonthe partoftheHapsburgs:theymayhavestartedwithrela�vely moredefec�veallelesforcri�calgenes,leadingtosevere inbreedingdepressionandeventuallyacutegene�cdisease. (ItisspeculatedthatthelastSpanishHapsburg,KingCharles II,hadtwodis�nctseveregene�cdiseasessimultaneously, combinedpituitaryhormonedeficiencyanddistalrenal tubularacidosis,whichwouldexplainhismanymedical problems,infer�lity,andeventualearlydeath.)

Butdon'tpanic!Yes,asignificantpropor�onofthealpaca popula�onisconsanguineous(inbred)toagreaterorlesser degree.Thechanceofbadoutcomesiss�llprobablyquite lowatthispoint(Idon'thavethetoolstodotheactual calcula�onsoftheinbreedingcoefficientforouralpacasat present).Thegoalmovingforwardshouldbetoreducethe inbreeding-levelofyouranimals.Carefulselec�onofsires can,oversuccessivegenera�ons,effec�velyconcentratethe posi�vetraitsyouseekwhilesimultaneouslyincreasingthe heterosis(gene�cvariability)ofyouranimals.

Baseyoursireselec�onontraits,notonnames.Lookfor animalsthathavethetraitsyoudesire,and,be�eryet,for animalsthatdependablypassthosetraitsontotheir offspring.Checkpedigrees,andbewaryofsiresthatshare manyrela�ves-theaggregateeffectsofthoseseemingly distantrela�onscanresultinasurprisinglyconsanguineous (inbred)animal.Iflookingfora�e-breakeramongmul�ple equally-desirablesires,selecttheanimalthatisleastrelated tothedam.

Commercialso�warepackagesareavailablethatcan computeconsanguinityusingdatabasesliketheIAR.These mightprovideatoolforbreedersthatwouldhelpiden�fy whichanimalsareinbredandwhichma�ngswouldprovide themostheterosis.

References: AlvarezG,CeballosFC,QuinteiroC(2009)The RoleofInbreedingintheEx�nc�onofaEuropeanRoyal Dynasty.PLoSONE4(4):e5174.doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0005174IwouldliketothankJudyMcLaughlin (M.A.HumanGene�cs)forassistanceintheprepara�onof thisar�cle.

Reprintedwithpermissionfromwww.camelidhealth.organd theauthorStephenMulholland,PhD

ByMartyMcGee-CamelidDynamics

Getyourselfsomecowsandyouhad betterlearntheintricaciesofbarbed wireandcornerbracing,getsome horsesandgetreadytoreplaceboards thatarekickedasideorchewedin half…getsomefallowdeerandget readytobuilda10footfencebutget yourselfsomecamelidsandbreathea sighofrelief!

Neverpickupahammer,neverdigapostholeandnever breakasweat,simplyuselightweightpanelsinvarious configura�onsandyourhandlingandtrainingneedsaremet. Wehauledaloadof9x5footpanelsbackfromarecent camelidconferencelastyeartoaddtothe30thatwealready have.

Tobesure,Ihaveaspecialneedforpanelsformytraining Center,butIthinkeveryonecouldbenefitfromowningat least10-15ofthesetreasuresandIwouldn’tmindhaving20 more.Thehandlingandtrainingapplica�onsofsturdy, moveablepanelsareendless.

Stockpanelscomeindifferentlengths,heightsandweights. Panelsdesignedspecificallyforcamelidsarefabulous.These areusually9feetlongandcomeindifferentheights.My favoritepanelforcamelidsis9feetlongand5feethigh. Theselightweightpanelsareeasytomovearound,canbe hookedtogetherinaseriesandwhenyouusethemtomake apenitisjusttherightsizefortraining.Howeverasizeable ordeterminedcamelidcanupendorpushoveroneofthese lighterpanels.Thankfullythisiseasilyremedied.Youcan securethesepanelstoanexis�nganchor:atree,asturdy partofthebarnoraT-postpoundedacoupleoffeetintothe ground.YoucanprotecttheanimalfromtheT-postina numberofdifferentways.YoucanslideaPVCpipe3inches indiameterrightovertopoftheT-post.Heavy-dutycable�es areusuallyallthatyouneedtosecurethepanelstothe anchor.

Heavierpanelscanhavetheirplaceinyoursetuptooandare usuallyeasiertogetfromyourlocalranchandfeedstore. Regardlessofhowcumbersometheseheavierpanelsareto movearound…theycans�llbemovedandthatisthe wonderfulthingaboutpanels!

Panelsthathavesquaremeshinginsteadofrailsareuseful forsomeapplica�onsbutIdon’tlikethemforuseinhandling situa�onsuchasmedica�ngandtrimmingtoenails.An animalcouldinjurehisfootorgetalegcaughtinpanelswith squaresratherthanrails.Ifyouarefrustratedwhenyour animals�ckshisheadthroughtherailwhenyouareworking withhimyoucanmodifythepaneleasily.Thereareseveral cleverplas�cfencingproductsthatcanbeusedtoclosethe railopenings.Simplycuttheplas�cfencetothecorrectsize anda�achtheplas�cmeshtothepanelwithzip�es.

Thebeautyofusingpanelsoverfixedstallsorpensfor catchingistheirflexibility.Ifyouarehavingdifficultywitha par�culartechniqueoranimal,MAKEYOURTRAININGPEN SMALLER.Whenitcomestoanimalhandling,containmentis mucheasierandsaferthanrestraint.Muscleyourllamasor alpacasandtheywilllearntofightyou.Reducethesizeofthe containerandyoueliminatebothmomentumandthe incen�vetoescape.Withnothingmorethansomebaling twineormypersonalfavorite-thealligatorclipswithnylon a�ached-youcandivideyourcatchpeninhalfbymoving oneofthepanelstothemiddleup-rightthatdividesthe panelinhalf.

Youendupwitharectanglethatis4.5feetby9feet.Thisisa greatsizeforworkingwithacoupleofweanlingllamasor alpacasontheirfirsthalteringlessonsorforgivinginjec�ons toasmallgroupofalpacasoronellama.

Themostbasicuseforpanelsistocreatecatchpens… whereveryouneedthem!Regardlessofhowcomfortable youranimalsareinyourpresencetheywillusuallyoptfor hangingoutinthefieldratherthanplayingwithyou,which meansyouneedtohaveasystemforcatchingthem. Catchingtheaveragellamaoralpacawillusuallyrequireone ofthefollowing:anOlympiccalibrerunner,adartgun,or somesortofcontainerandasystemforherdingtheanimal toit.Acontainerthatistoobig(anythingover12x12)means trappingtheanimalinthecornerandusingtheneckasa meansofrestraint.Ihavewri�enreamsaboutwhythisis notagoodidea.Herdyourllamaoralpacaintoa9x9foot pen,approachhimfrombehindtheeyeandyourjobis exponen�allyeasier.(photo)Youwillbeabletohearan audiblesighofreliefcomingfromthedirec�onofyour animalswhenyouconsistentlyuseacatchpen.

Panelsaregreatforbuildingtemporaryareasbutyoucan alsousethemforse�ngupasemi-permanentbarnlayout. Panelsoffermanythreemajoradvantagesoverpermanent dividers.(photosofbarnlayout)

•Flexibility-changeyourlayoutwhenyouwantorneedto

•Ven�la�on-moreairflowinthesummerlesscoldspotsin thewinter

•Visibility-yourbarnismore“camelidfriendly”the animalsmuchpreferanopenfloorplantosmallboxes.

Inaddi�ontosepara�nggroupsofanimalsyoucanvery effec�velyusepanelstocreatehandlingfacili�esinyour barn.Panelscanbeusedtocreatealanewayleadingtoa scaleandthentoasmallhandlingarea.Createacircular handlingsystemandyourjobisaloteasier.Camelids naturallyfollowothercamelids.Alwayshaveananimalin frontandonebehindandthedaysofpushinganddragging areover.Asyourherdgrowsorthecomposi�onofyourherd changesitisasimplema�ertochangetheconfigura�onof thepanelsandtheareastheyenclose.

Itwouldbegreatifallllamasandalpacaswerebornknowing howtoleadbuttheyaren’tandtherearemany circumstancesunderwhichitisnecessarytoloadandhaulan animalthatdoesn’tknowhowtolead.Itisagreatideatouse panelsandincorporateasemi-permanentloadinglaneway intoyourbarnlayouthoweverwithpanelsyoucanalso createaloadinglanewaywhenyouneedone.Rememberitis nogoodtotrytoherdonellamaoralpacaawayfromthe rest.Ifyouareloadinganuntrainedanimalbyherdinghim intoatraileralwaysherdagroupofanimalsintothetrailer closethedoortothetrailer,hopinsideandthenherdoffthe onesyoudon’twant.Organizeyourbarnareasothatyoucan leaveyourtrailerparkednexttothebarnattheendofthe loadinglanewayandyoucanuseyourtrailerasahandling areatoo.Atrailercanbeagreatplacetrimtoenailsor medicateyouranimals.

Teachingacamelidtoleadcanbeanightmarewithoutthe rightset-up.Allamaoralpacathathasneverexperienced beinga�achedtoahumanwillruntotheendoftheleadand panicwhenhecan’tgetaway.Inalargeareathereisli�leor nothingthehandlercandotopreventtheseproblema�c behaviors.Insteadthehandlerisforcedtohold�ghttothe ropeastheanimalthrowshimselfwildlyaroundormustlet gooftheleadrope-neitherop�onissafeordesirable.

Usealongnarrowaislewayandanextralongleadforini�al leadingandyoucansimplystepinfrontoftheanimaltostop anyendruns.Theanimalcanworkoutthatheisa�ached andcanrunawayinsidethelaneway.Oncethecamelid studentisleadingwellyoucanleavethesafetyofthe lanewayforalargerareawithmuchlessdrama.

Tenpanelsmakeawonderful“teachtoleadsetup”.Setup threepensa�achedtoeachother9feetfromafenceline.A fewanimalsineachpenmaketheprocesseveneasier.By openingthepenattheendyoucancreatethelanewayanda convenientplacetoturnaround.

Tryaswemightwecan’tseeintothefuture.Noma�erhow manyfarmsyouvisitorhowcarefullyyouplan,yourbarnset upisgoingtofallshortatsomepoint.Ihaveonlyoneword foryouanditisnot“plas�cs”itispanels!

Withpanelsyoucan…createholdingareasthatcanbeused foreduca�onaleventswhenanumberofanimalsmaybe visi�ng,createholdingareasforvisi�nganimals,graze animalsonasmallareaofgrassthatisn'tfencedorseparate animalsphysicallybutnotvisually.

Forexample,whenababyisborninnastyweatherandyou wanttokeepthedamandnewbabywiththeherdbut preventthebabyfromwanderingawayorge�ngsteppedon inacrowdedbarn,createasmallpenformomandbabyin themiddleofyourloafingareawithfourpanels.Voila!You haveawayofkeepingthefemalewiththeherdwithoutthe babybecominginterestedinthebarnwallsorthewrong female.Thisisamuchbe�ersolu�onthansepara�ngthe motherandbabyinaseparateareasuchasastall.Pu�ng newbabiesinastallwithsolidsideswillo�engetthem interestedinadarkcorner.Theywillnurseinthisdarkcorner insteadoflookingformom’s“darkcorner”herudderandwill wasteprecious�me.Thishappenso�enenoughthatthese babiesarecalled"wallbabies."Panelshavenodarkcorners buts�llservethepurpose.

Panelscansavethedaywhenitcomestoalpacashearing. Shearingdayisonceayearsowhysetupaspecialareafor shearingthatwon’tbeusedtherestoftheyear.Onthe otherhanddisorganiza�ononshearingdaymakesthe processharderforthealpacas,thehandlersandthe shearers.

Constructspecialpanellanewaysandholdingareasespecially forshearingandherdthealpacastotheshearerandaway fromtheshearer.Herdingmeanslesswasted�meandno needtohandlethealpacasforcefully.

ColourCoatDNATests

ByKylieMunyard-Cur�nUiniversity h�ps://alpaca.asn.au/colour-coat-dna-tests/

TherecentwebinarwithDrKylie Munyardwalkedusthroughcolour geneticresearchaboutinheritance patternsandmolecularcausesofall coloursandpatternsinalpacas.

TheDNAtestsnowavailableoncoatcolourtes�ngcanbe organisedthroughtheAAAofficeeitherindividuallyorin conjunc�onwithmalecer�fica�onorparentageverifica�on –pleasecontacttheofficeat info@alpaca.asn.au formore informa�on.Costis$38.50forthetestonitsown,or$90 whencombinedwithparentageverifica�onand$310when combinedwithmalecer�fica�on.

DNAtestforiden�fyingcolourinalpacastohelpbreeders be�erpredictbreedingoutcomes.Thisisofinteresttoalpaca breedersofallcolours–whileanalpacamaylooklikeone colour,itmightactuallybesomethingelse!Youcanlearn howtoiden�fyhomozygousforthe“white”alleleandthen breedtoensureprogenyfromwhiteandfawnalpacawillbe white.

Coatcolourinalpacasisacomplextrait,involvingtwomain genesresponsibleforbasecoatcolour(ASIPandMC1R), andanasyetunknownnumberinvolvedwithpa�ern. Alpacafleecehas22naturalshadesthatrangefromblackto white,grey,fawntochampagne.Breedingforaspecificcoat colourcanbeacomplexprocess.

The‘classicgrey’phenotypecanbeproblema�cinbreeding duetoitsassocia�onwiththeblueeyewhitephenotypeand associatedpossiblehealthdefects.Classicgreycanbe hiddenorcryp�conwhiteorlightbackgrounds.

WiththereleaseoftheAlpacaCoattest,breedershavethe opportunitytotesttheirwhiteorlightfawnanimals,those withuncertainpa�ernsormuta�onsoranimalstheywishto determinethebasecoatcolourtodeducecommonprogeny colours.

Thetestalsoiden�fiesanimalswith‘cryp�cgrey’coat pa�ernsthataregenerallytoopaletosee.

ExampleofResults

Breederswillreceiveagrey/non-greystatusfortested animals,aswellasabasecoatphenotypeforthefollowing colours: