Mariah Hill Alpacas Livestock Exports

Cleaning Alpaca Fleece

2012-02-10T17:59:00.002+11:00

http://thealpacarosa.com/fleeceomatictumbler.html
This is a very interesting concept, a must for the avid Alpaca breeder who wants to present their fleece for show. But most of all, we get paid more for clean fleeces.
Great Idea

Alpaca Fleece- Fibre density

2012-02-10T17:55:00.004+11:00

Fibre density is one of the most misunderstood traits ofalpacas. High fibre density is strongly correlated with low average fibrediameter. Conversely, low density is strongly correlated with high fibrediameter. By the way, science to date has shown us there is little causalrelationship between the two traits - in other words, there is something deeperoccurring that influences their relationship. The problem is that broad fibrewill feel denser than finer fibre because of its greater mass. In other words, abroad fleece will feel denser because of its diameter, than a finer fleece,even though the finer fleece is likely to be more dense.

Performance trials with sheep and alpacas have shown thatcomparing fleeces using an index on fleece weight with AFD is the most effectiveway to increase fleece value and will have a positive effect on density.

The most effective traits to breed for are fibre diameter andstandard deviation because they are the most important traits in terms ofprocessing performance. The positive coincidence is that these two traits arethe two most heritable fibre traits. Heritability scores of about .55 and.40 respectively. Fibre density is about .30.

Paul Valleley

Alpaca Fleece-One of the hardest things to breed for

2012-02-10T17:53:00.002+11:00

One of the hardest traits to breed for is secondary to primaryratio.
This trait has a reported heritability score of only about .20.
Thereason is that the trait is highly influenced by pre-natal nutrition.

Secondaryfollicles develop during the last trimester of pregnancy with their numbershighly determined according to the female's intake of nutrition.

2012-01-05T09:30:00.001+11:00

We recommend that you always consult your local veterinarian to obtain specific advice.

The subjects that we are going to cover today are broad, but will cover the main requirements of alpacas.

Selection of your alpaca
Breed Standards
Conformation
Fleece Colour
When you first get your alpaca home
Fencing
Housing
Stocking density
Yarding
Moving animals to yards
Shearing
Identification of your animal
Reproduction
Breeding
Inoculations
Parasites
Record keeping
Our industry

Identification of your Alpaca

It is very important to identify your alpaca at all times.

When you have one or two alpacas, of course this is simple, but before long, you do have more than a couple of alpacas, and it is amazing when the babies grow up, especially if you are producing cria of the same colour and similar quality, how much they all do end up looking a like, and once they are shorn, or it is wet, it is very easy to mix up which actual alpaca is which.

We go to many farms where animals are not easily identifiable, and it is amazing, as each owner really are not 100% certain which animal is which, in one case, I know of in New Zealand, one owner accidentally sold the wrong animal, resulting in her loosing a very expensive alpaca and selling it for a very cheap price because it was not identifiable.

A lot of people do not like to place plastic tags in alpacas ears, but now there are different, easy and fairly inexpensive ways of getting around this, and in the long run, it is far better to be able to identify an alpaca from a distance rather than guess.

recognizeme [recognizeme@iprimus.com.au]

Light weight so that it doesn’t bother the alpaca
Simply to attach or remove (refer picture below)
Attaches to the existing IAR tag

Laser cut and engraved from UV resistant outdoor sign material
No need to punch another hole in your alpacas ears
Great marketing tool to impress your visitors
Great way to identify alpaca guests at your stud.
We have found that Black on white is easiest to read but if you want to colour code your herd we can assist

With name engraved= $ 3.00

Blank = $ 2.00

All flex

Visual Tags

Lazatag
The new Lazatag range combines the latest manufacturing technologies into the production of a product; designed by the customers for the customer this leading edge development has proven another winner in the Allflex stable of products.
IMPORTANT:
It is critical, to prevent damage when applying Electronic Tags, that the insert is removed.

Sheep tags - Flock & Flexitag
An ideal tagging option for those Wool and Meat Producers looking for a good quality tag at an economical cost.

Security Brass tags
This product has been held in high regard for years as a back up tag for the Dairy industry and a stud tag for Sheep and Cattle Breeders.

You are here: / Visual Tags / Accessories

Applicator

Brass security tags are applied using the One-shot applicator.
The uniqueness of this applicator means that no pre-cutting of a hole in the ear is required as the tag itself performs the cut.

Accessories

Tag Pens
The Allflex tag pen has been especially designed to use with the Allflex Lazatag range and gives customers the choice to mark their own tags. The pen ink is a special formulae designed to give the longest life possible with a tag pen.
To remove Tag Pen ink from material or carpet, the solvent Ethanol, should be used. Confirm on a small area that the solvent will not damage area to be cleaned.

This is a very easy way of identifying your animals.

Allflex tags can be purchased from any feed or Produce store.

It is more professional as well, when it is time for servicing your alpaca, and selling your alpacas, that you are 100% confident of the identification of your alpacas.

Registered alpacas do have a brass ear tag that is placed on the left ear for a male and on the right ear for a female.

We would place the allflex plastic tag on the opposite side to the brass tag.

The animal should be carefully restrained while the ear is cleaned. Applicators should be smooth, sharp, and thoroughly cleaned in disinfectant, (betadine solution), ensure the tags do not puncture a vein when inserting in the ear.

We then usually give the area and tag once tagged, a spray of tetracycline spray, (pink eye spray). Keep an eye on the ear, over the next couple of weeks, to make sure that the ear does not get infected or gunky, if unchecked, this can almost deform the ear.

In the majority of cases, the ear does not get infected.

Until recently, not all alpacas were registered.

Often males that were not going to be used as stud males, were never registered, but most breeders these days are registering all their offspring.

Arm Extensions

Marty Mc Gee, Cameldynamics, can be purchased in Australia.

When used as a pair, two wands are invaluable for herding and sorting your animals. The wand allows you to touch and guide your llama/alpaca from outside his flight zone.
By using the wand you won’t crowd your animals and make them nervous and reactive.
These wands are ideal for leading, initial work with legs and accept handling all over the body. They are especially useful for fearful animals. For herding and sorting you will want two wands.
The fiberglass wand is 4’ long and white in color for greater visibility. The wand’s balance and stiffness set it apart from other options and make it much more effective for training.
The wand features a flat button on the end rather than a handle, excellent for scooping up dropped lead ropes.

We sometimes use electrical conduit between 3-4 feet in length,

These wands are only used as Arm extensions, and not weapons.

Alpacas respect boundaries, and this is only giving them boundaries to guide them to areas, that you want them to go to.

Are very useful for herding alpacas, and catching alpacas.

Documentation

There are numerous alpaca programs around

Ultimate

Lama Logic

Alpaca management

And you need to look at these at your own time, and see if any of these do suit you.

You need to document when the alpacas have their inoculations, matings, and births

A simple excel format is ample, as you can document many details on each subject.

If an alpaca is sick, write up also and take note of symptoms, body temp, and any treatment.

This can also be referred to later on.

What you need in your First Aid kit

You must be prepared to be able to maintain an animal until the vet arrives.

Thermometer, and a spare thermometer

Blanket, or heat pad

Hair dryer

Betadine

Tetramycine spray (Pink Eye Spray)

Tetramycine creame (Pink Eye Cream)

VAM (Vitamin, Amino Acid, Minerals)

5 in 1….never 6 or 7 in 1

Worming Treatment

Saline Water

Sterilized Material Swobs

Cotton Wool, and Cotton Buds

Vitamin B Complex, B1 and B12

Vitamin C

Vitamind A D & E, not Vit A D E & C, we recommend Vitadec

Coforta and/or DCP powder

Syringes and needles ( we prefer green, but some vets prefer yellow or pink)

Protexin, Microb gel

BLUD satchels (you prbably will not need to use these often, but it is handy to have)

Scissors

Bandages, (self sticking, elastic type, you can get this from produce store)

Microsorb powder (Reids Stockfeed, Trafalgar, Phone 03 54 329273)

Stable bedding (straw)

Tweezers

Container to hold sterile fluid for cleaning wounds

Solaminavit

Electrolytes………..Vytrate is really good, if you cannot get your hands on that, and you need to give some electrolytes quickly, lucosaide is a good substitute.

The bst advise also is good, clean (no mould), edible green feed available at all times, (Lucerne, but meadow hay, rye clover is also adequate)

Handy Information

Body Temperature Normal is between 37.5 and 38.5.

It must be noted though, if it is a hot day, especially a coloured animal, the body temp will be higher than 38.5, and if the animals have been running, then again their body temp will go up.

The best way of determining if the heat of the day or exercise is to take the temp of a similar aged, and body condition alpaca, in the same group, and if the temp is similar then the higher temperature is not because of

Johne’s disease Market Assurance Programs (JDMAP)

You will hear breeders talk about JD, or Map 1 (I year of testing) Map 2 (2 years of testing) or Map 3 (3 years of testing, but to keep this staus you then have to test every year) or unassessed.

Johnne's disease was first diagnosed in Camelids in Victoria in 1993. There have been 33 clinical cases of disease since then, the last in a llama in 1999. The distribution of those cases has been 26 cases in Victoria, 3 in New South Wales, 2 in Queensland, and 1 each in South Australia and Western Australia. 20 cases occurred in alpacas less than 22 months of age. The youngest alpaca was 6 months of age, the oldest 6-8 years of age. There are currently 2 infected camelid herds in Australia (as of Sept 2003).
Johnne's disease (JD) is a serious wasting disease that thickens the intestinal walls and blocks normal food absorption in a variety of species. The 9 bacterial isolates of JD which have been found to cause disease in alpacas and llamas also affect cattle, goats and deer. Treatment is not possible. JD bacteria can survive in the environment for months to years, but bacteria do not multiply in environment. Direct costs to livestock industries in Australia are large, due to increased culling, weight loss, production loss (milk, meat, and wool), predisposition to other diseases and deaths. Indirect costs include loss of markets, restriction of animal movements and potential reduction in land values.

Young animals up to 1 year of age (especially the first 30 days of life) are susceptible to JD infection, but older Camelids may become infected. Animals become infected by eating faeces (e.g. on teats of dam) containing JD bacteria. Bacteria live in small intestine and are shed in faeces. Once infected, animals never revert to infection-free state. Clinical disease may be precipitated by stresses including parturition, low plane of nutrition, concurrent bacterial infection and social stress. Clinically infected animals may be ill-thrifty, lose weight despite a good appetite, and die after 1-6 months.

Transmission is by faecal ingestion, in utero infection and via the milk. The likely ways of infecting a camelid herd are by:

introducing infected cattle, goats, deer or Camelids (including strays, agisted animals, shared bulls/machos etc)
clean animals moving/straying onto contaminated land then returning to infect the herd
contaminated faeces entering the property via a channel/river/drain
introduction of infected milk e.g. goat/cow colostrum
dirty stock trucks

Mechanical spread of JD such as transfer of material on boots and tyres is NOT considered an important cause of spread over long distances. There is NO evidence of wildlife spreading JD in Australia. Semen and embryos are very unlikely sources of the organism.

Early diagnosis of JD in the live animal is difficult because bacteria grow slowly and do not stimulate the immune system in such a way that blood testing may detect an immunological response. For this reason, blood testing is not used to detect JD in Camelids in Australia. Few bacteria are excreted in the faeces in the early stages of infection and JD bacteria grow very slowly. Faecal culture, the definitive test for JD in Camelids in Australia, therefore takes 6-12 weeks.

Legal obligations – JD is a notifiable disease (for example in Victoria, under the Livestock Diseases Control Act 1994). Owners have a responsibility to notify their local Department of Agriculture if JD is suspected or confirmed on their property.

There are 3 mains forms of herd assurance available to producers to minimize risk of introducing JD into their herd:

Zoning. Different regions of Australia are zoned according to the level of disease risk. Disease control standards and movement restrictions are agreed for zones of different status. Go to www.aahc.com.au to see which zone you are in.
Check testing. A negative test of 50 adult animals in a herd with no suspicion of JD infection. Animals selected for testing are those in poorer condition, older or introduced from other herds. There are no herd management requirements, the test provides a low level of assurance but is NOT an Alpaca MAP status.
Market assurance programs - Alpaca MAP is a voluntary, standardized national quality assurance program. The broad roles of the Alpaca MAP are to protect 'clean' regions, protect non-infected herds, contain infection and control the effects of disease.

The Alpaca Johnne's Disease Market Assurance Program (Alpaca MAP) is based on animal testing AND property and herd management. Alpaca MAP does not guarantee that a herd is free of JD, but the higher the status a herd achieves, the greater the assurance that it is not infected. In larger herds, the level of sampling and testing gives at least a 95 % confidence of detecting infection if the disease is present in 2 % of Camelids over 1 year of age. In small herds, all adult Camelids are tested.

Requirements for entry onto the Alpaca MAP by Non-Assessed herds:

Herd and property risk assessment.
Creation of a Farm Management Plan to minimize risk of introducing JD onto the property.
Faecal culture of all Camelids over 1 year of age to SCREEN herd.
Follow-up investigation of reactors (by further faecal culture or post-mortem).
If all testing is negative, then the herd is allocated MN1 status.
JDMAP properties undergo an annual audit to remain on the program. Animal testing is carried out every 2 years until herds reach MN3 status, then testing occurs every 3 years.

Herds participating in the Alpaca MAP provide a pool of animals from which buyers can source Camelids with a low risk of buying an infected animal, facilitate movement of low risk Camelids between zones, allow herds to demonstrate their status so they can sell breeding animals and reduce the risk of JD being spread at shows and sales.
As testing has been unreliably slow, costly, and sometimes will give false positives, a lot of farms did not go through the testing phase, as in the early days, of JD, strict movement rules were put into place by the Assoc, which has contributed in the success of not spreading the disease through out the industry.

To confirm that the property you buy or agist from has not got any history of JD, this information can be obtained from The Department of Primary Industries.

But it is law that if you ask the vendor, if he has had JD in the past, he has to tell you.

As the above article states, 99.9% of Australian herds, do not or never had JD, but it is always safe to ask.

Q Alpaca has since been introduced, which will bring you up to MAP 1 status.

Details of Q Alpaca are on the AAA webpage, but it is considered higher than JDMAP, as Q alpaca involves all diseases and not just JD.

My recommendation is for you to look into Q Alpaca.

Illnesses and treatments, you may encounter with Alpacas

Hyperthermia See pages 6-7 in Part 2

Hypothermia See page 6-1 in Part 2

Abscess See page 13

Dams loosing weight due to cria feeding.

Often, especially depending on the season, and also the size and demand of the cria, dams age also plays a big part in keeping body condition on for feeding dams.

Dams body condition should be monitored almost weekly, when they are feeding crias.

It is amazing how much condition a female can loose when feeding , especially a demanding cria).

You need to maintain the dams body weight as much as possible, as it is easier to maintain weight, than to try and put weight onto a female after the cria has been weaned.

Good supplements with Lucerne especially, meadow hey and Rye clover are also good to keep weight on, but always have extra supplements for the dam to pick if she needs to.

If feeding a lot of animals, round bales in the middle of the paddocks are also a good source of supplementing feeding the group.

Extra supplements may also be needed, as the dam is currently under stress, feeding a cria, quite often pregnant again, and for the cria to get the most out of the milk, the dam needs good quality feed to produce enough good quality milk.

Never place a nursing mum in an overcrowded paddock, as she does not need competition for feed.

After delivery, she is going to be more susceptible to worms, and so a good wormer is advisable. Also top her up with ADE, and Solaminavit.

Solaminavit can be used instead of VAM, or you can use VAM

If she is going down in condition rapidly, she most likely will be anemic, and so BLUD ( 1 tablespoon diluted in water, and then drenched daily for 3 days, and then weekly), Yakult ( a bottle a day for 6 days) at this stage or protexin, (as per directions on the pack), would also aid her, as this is putting the bacteria back in her gut to process her feed properly.

If she does not put condition on, she may be forming a stomach ulcer, and vet treatment is needed to confirm, and advise on treatment required.

Monitor the dam, and any concerns contact the vet.

Cuts

Clean thoroughly with sterile water, with diluted 10:1 strength Betadine solution.

Determine if stitches are needed and consult vet.

Weanlings

Weanlings are under stress as soon as they are weaned.

Depending on the cria, some will adapt very well, and others will fret for the dam.

If possible wean weanlings together, and usually not separately, always have a companion animal for the weanling.

Weanlings, as they are under stress are more susceptible to worms, and deficiencies.

Monitor weanlings, and identify which weanling is going to be stressed more.

It is advisable to give protexin on weaning, which helps with the bacteria for the gut.

Rye Grass Staggers

Some alpacas seem more susceptible than others. In particular the younger animals appear to be more susceptible. This research project has indicated that this is so, with the vast number of responses being in relation to alpacas under 12 months of age.
Even cria only weeks old can display symptoms, although whether this is passed through dam's milk, or ingested directly, is unclear.
Research has been done in sheep that indicates that there is a strong genetic susceptibility to ryegrass staggers.
WHAT DOES RYE GRASS STAGGERS LOOK LIKE?
It is sometimes hard to notice the early stages of ryegrass staggers. It usually begins with a slight tremor of the head that is most noticeable when an animal is stressed. It can worsen quite quickly and a noticeable shake may soon appear. In bad cases an animal will stagger violently, trip over and even fall down.
The symptoms of the damage become exaggerated when the alpaca is under any form of stress, including management, and
even movement.
Staggers tends to affect alpacas grazing the seed heads, as the endophyte concentrates in the forming seed heads,
What actually happens when susceptible alpacas graze on high endophyte concentrations is that the toxin in the endophyte has a specific damaging effect on the cells of the part of their brain that co-ordinates movement. The damage can quickly become permanent. It can be prevented, and mitigated by pasture and animal management, and treatment in its early stages. It cannot be cured.
It is worth noting that Rye Grass is not the only grass to create "staggers-type" symptoms. In sheep, staggers symptoms have been noted to a very extreme extent on Phalaris grass pastures, and similar "rye grass" symptoms can be seen in animals suffering from a magnesium deficiency.

PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT:
Prevention is by far the best way of managing this problem, and prevention starts with pasture management.
Either do not have endophyte rye grasses in your pastures, or have some paddocks that are free of endophyte rye grass to keep your most susceptible animals in at the high-risk times of year. However, because most basic farm paddocks are primarily endophyte rye grass, for most of us that means spraying out and re-sowing paddocks - an expensive, time- consuming, and not always successful process.
Next, if you have rye grass paddocks, practice regular topping of these paddocks to avoid seed head creation. Avoid these paddocks if they are well eaten down during drought, and especially in periods of lush growth following drought.
If you do have alpacas that develop rye grass staggers, there are a number of early stage mitigation techniques, but the most important is to remove the affected alpacas immediately and entirely from the rye grass. Because stress exaggerates the staggers effect, taking a couple of companion animals along as well for company will minimise the stress of being isolated form the herd. Move them onto a specially sown paddock, or feed hay. But remember that hay made from toxic endophyte rye grass will itself retain the toxicity, as hay!
Anecdotally, we have found that the following can assist in aiding an alpaca in the early stages of rye grass staggers:

Cocktail Vitamin B (e.g. mulitject - B) or Thiamine (B1), or "B Calm" injections.
Drenching with EHE (a horse mix of Cider Vinegar, Manuka Honey and Garlic) -- alpacas actually really love this mixture!
Drenching with Mycrosorb product used for staggers in horses that is supposed to actually stimulate excretion of the toxin.

Early signs that the alpaca is unwell

Alpacas are stoic and so will mask signs of illness.

Knowing your herd, and each animal’s body language, is the best way of identifying the onset of a illness.

If the body language of an animal is different from the norm, then there is a likelihood that she is sick, and needs care.

If you do not think she is well, separate her from the herd, and of course place a companion animal maybe in the next pen, Make sure both have feed and water, with electrolytes, and monitor to see if she is off her feed, or if there is actually something wrong, as you observe them.

As these animals can actually pretend not to be sick, when observing make sure that the alpaca cannot see you, maybe hang clothes on a line, and pretend not to be watching.

Take the body temp, if high then call the vet.

If in doubt, do not muck around. And get a vet.

These animals unlike others, really can go down hill quite fast, so it is best to be safe than sorry.

Phospherous deficiency

How to select your first Alpaca

When I am looking at an alpaca, I like to look at her square on, and see how well balanced she is.

Depending on the price I want to pay for the alpaca, as price is really determined on the quality of the animal rather than colour.

For my ideal Alpaca, which would be in the higher price bracket wise.

Would be exactly

Feet of the llama and alpaca
The foot of the llama and alpaca is divided into two and each half has a toenail which grows like the hoof of sheep and goats. You can use the same tools for foot care of the llama and alpaca as are used for the feet of sheep and goats. The toenails of these animals can be trimmed

Feet of the llama and alpaca

The foot of the camel
The camel's foot is flat and soft and divided into two. There is a toe nail at the end of each side.

The foot of the camel

Sharp objects such as nails, wire, glass and thorns penetrate the sole of the foot causing wounds. The pain from the wound can make the animal lame. Sometimes the foot swells from walking on hard roads.
Simple wounds can be treated with tincture of iodine (see Unit 73). If severe lameness occurs you must ask your veterinary officer for advice on treatment.
Sometimes the camel's foot can be covered with thick cloth or leather to stop the swelling becoming worse.

Foot problems in camels

The camel's foot is adapted for sandy soils and can be described as a tyre filled with fat instead of air.
In these days the camel walks on tarred, hard surfaced roads and ground which is littered with sharp objects such as nails, wire and broken glass. These may cause damage to the foot and result in lameness.
Llamas and the alpaca have two toes on the foot with toe nails which vow like the hoof of sheen and gnats.

The camel's foot is flat and soft and divided into two. There is a toe nail at the end of each side.

The foot of the camel

Alpacas...Colic

2012-01-05T09:16:00.000+11:00

Received this today from a Pet owner we sold alpacas to a number of years ago.
I thought it would be of some interest to the reader or alpaca owner, who has come across similar.
It is .........., who purchased Zambucca & Alcazar from you, 6 years ago this weekend actually. I am sorry to say that Zambucca passed away yesterday, very upsetting. He was fine the night before, and I went out early yesterday morning to fill up their troughs with fresh water for the hot day ahead, and he was down. He was wet around the nose and mouth, from dribble, and wouldn't get to his feet. I rang vet straight away who came out about 1 1/2 hrs later. She did not know what was wrong with him, and we tried an IV and a tube into his stomach to hydrate him, plus an anti-inflammatory for pain. He picked up a little, obviously the anti-inflammatory, but very quickly went down hill and was appearing to be in pain and very stressed. The only thing the vet thought was perhaps a twisted bowel, which they couldn't do anything with, so in the end we had to had have put down to save any further suffering. Very, very upsetting. When my husband came home, he said that at work someone else had an alpaca die over the weekend, and another had his horse die, all put down to "twisted bowel". I was speaking to someone today about it who had heard on the ABC country program a few weeks ago about some illness with alpacas happening recently. Researching it on the net, the program had said with the past few years being drought and this current year being very wet, that worm infestations had become quite pronounced, and that owners of alpacas and goats, to be mindful of worming their animals. Apparently they can go down within hours and pass away very shortly afterwards. Does this sound feasible to you? He was looking in his prime, a magnificent speciment for a stud male. Neither of my boys had been wormed for perhaps three years, I had been getting their worming and vitamin injections from you, but haven't had any for perhaps three years, but will definitely be doing so now, just in case that is what the problem was. Who knows. Could you please let me know what worming agent you recommend and the vitamins you used as well.
My answer

Dear ..............,
I am sorry to hear the passing of Zambucca, he was a magnificant animal, and so is alcatraz.
Both were show winners in their day, and were only sold as pets because we had plenty of their bloodlines in our herd.
I am glad thy both have gone to a fantastic home, and have been loved and cared for properly.

Twisted Bowel is caused when an animal rolls and for some reason, the bowel or stomach do not within the body.
This is not an uncommon occurrance with any animal, and they is no reason why or why not it happens, and is unavoidable.

My guess at the moment re worming, I do not think would be the problem, they had plenty of land to graze from, and no competition for the feed, so they were not left to feed off their dung pile.

the two main indications of heavy festations of worms, is Body Condition, & colour.
Body condition- they would be very skinny, stiff legged, and lethargic, and most likely for a couple of days before death would not be able to get up to walk, and when he would kush, he would not be able to to stay kushed, roll on his side, and then just lay there, and cannot get back to a kushing position or stand. Remember i showed you with you hand and the clock face to test for body condition.
Colour- you pull the bottom eye lid down, and look to the underlid, and see the colour of that, it should be reddish like your own, the paler it is the more the animal is anemic, and this is generally through worms. If it is white then yes he has bad worms.

Alpacas are not suppose to get colic, but we have had twice cases where i was told if this was a horse i would say it has colic.
Given warm beer, (which is an old remedy for colic for horses), not much in volume, does seem to settle this, and i have seen on one occassion when a horse person was around, when one of the cases being the first we saw, whilst we were waiting for the vet, who took forever to get there, gave the alpaca some warm beer, (basically placed in a glass, and held the alpaca to drink out of the glass. I would not have expected him to survive prior to this drink, and then ofered again, as they only sip a little at a time, withing say 10 mins, the alpaca was brighter.
and then within half an hour, he was good, and survived.
Not to say, this was the problem with Zambucca, but something to keep in mind.
We always have a bottle of beer out the the fridge just in case we have to use this again.
This particular morning, it was a freash beautiful morning to a warm day.
The alpacas were bought up to the yards early, and some ran. On this occassion, then went to the water trough, the water being one of those brisk mornings was cold, (not frozen, and the explaination to me, was drinking the extra cold water, on or just after exercise, gives this colic like reaction.
As i Said i only have seen this twice, and used the same remedy whilst waiting for the vets, and both times it worked.
When the vet came, he said well i cannot see anything wrong with the alpaca.

Twisted Bowel, or a twisted stomach, is different, they are in obvious pain, although they can get up, and walk in small steps,for a small distance, hunched, and can be drooling.
Sometimes, like a twisted uterus, A twist of an organ, is more likely to happen if on the side of a hill or slope, as the alpaca rolls, as i said, especially with the uterus which is weighed down by the foetus, the foetus and uterus is weighed down, and does not move freely with the body as it rolls, and then of course it is twisted.
The same if the bowel or stomach is uite full and weighted, when the animal rolls, which alpacas tend to do, and on that one occassion the organ does not roll with it.
Mind you, many other times under the same conditions the animal will roll, with no concequence.
Again, it is just one of those things that can happen, is unavoidable and upsetting for the carer/ owner.

My advice to you is to chekc the body condition and colour of ALcatraz's eyes, if in dought ring or email me again, and worm him.
Alpacas generally do not like to be by themselves, they are a herd animal, so if you are after a mate for alcatraz, we have one that suits age wise, available $250, white in colour.

There are other things around, these days like barbers pole, which seems to becoming more common than previously, because of change of weather conditions, but all these other things do not appear suddenly, animals that have had an of those other parasites have had to be in contact with your animals and have grazed and spread dung on your land, and even then, numbers, and conditions have to play in a great part, before they get to the stage of affecting your stock.

We use Cydectin, (cattle wormer), injectible, (not drench), and if there is a chance of worms (body condition and colour will give you an indication of this), then he would be done again in about 4 weeks.
Vit AD & E, 2 mls and 5 in 1 2 mls.
Sometimes, also it is good to put some Nutrimol into his water, not too much, and also this can give them some needed minerals.

Because of the small quantities needed, (2 mls of each), it is sometimes difficult to buy this, some vets will sell this to you.
if you cannot get it, and you are going past, we can place some in the letter box at the end of the road for you.
I hope 2012 beings you health, happiness and good luck, although it has been a sad start to the new Year,

Regards
Raelene

Here are some examples of what Anemia checking the inner eyelid membrane color looks like..:

	This is what good inner eye membrane color should look like- from a goat who is not suffering from heavy wormload.
	This shows a very anemic goat suffering from heavy wormload- the inner eye membranes are white- this is a possible fatal situation.
	The "bottlejaw" edema has traveled to the eye area in this photo- this goat is suffering from anemia due to coccidiosis

Alpacas greet Elyse each Morning..but it is great when there is a new baby sitting waiting for her

2011-12-30T19:14:00.001+11:00

Morning at Mariah Hill

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Sitting in the Shade, Mums and babies are ready for shearing

Alpacas

2011-12-30T19:01:00.001+11:00

Alpacas

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Vicuna

2011-11-09T07:32:00.002+11:00

The Paco-Vicuña Registry™

Grade Chart

Paco-Vicuña Trait	Vicuña Comparison Only	Premier Plus	Premier	Classic Plus	Classic	Standard Plus	Standard
Type Number	(Vicuña)	Type #1	Type #2	Type # 3	Type #4	Type #5	Type #6
Head Shape	Vicuña type	Vicuña type, with some variation	Vicuña type, with some variation	Thicker alpaca type to vicuña type	Thicker alpaca type to vicuña type	Thicker alpaca type to vicuña type	Thicker alpaca type
Eyes	Protruding	Protruding	Protruding	Protruding to normal alpaca	Protruding to normal alpaca	Normal alpaca	Normal alpaca
Body Conformation	Back-line slopes down to withers. Some natural cow-hock.	Back-line slopes down to withers. Some natural cow-hock.	Back-line slopes down to withers. Some level back-lines. Some natural cow-hock.	Back-line slopes down to withers. Some level back-lines. Some natural cow-hock.	Back-line slopes down to withers. Some level back-lines. Some natural cow-hock.	Back-line slopes down to withers. Some level back-lines. Some natural cow-hock.	Back-line slopes down to withers. Some level back-lines. Some natural cow-hock.
Body Size	Smaller (90-110 Lbs.)	Normal alpaca to smaller	Normal alpaca to smaller	Normal alpaca to smaller	Normal alpaca to smaller	Normal alpaca to smaller	Normal alpaca to smaller
Fine bone structure of legs.	Fine boned	Fine boned to heavy boned	Fine boned to heavy boned	Fine boned to heavy boned	Fine boned to heavy boned	Fine boned to heavy boned	Fine boned to heavy boned
Fiber fineness	8-13 micron	12-18 micron	13-20 micron	16-23 micron	16-23 micron	18-23 micron	20-26 micron
Guard Hair	Present	Present	Present	Present to none	Present to none	Present to none	Present to none
Fiber Growth minimum 3.5"	Shear every 3-4 years	Shear every 2-3 years	Shear every 2-3 years	Shear every 1-2 years	Shear every 1-2 years	Shear every year	Shear every year
Fiber Color Main Body	Vicuña color	Light vicuña color to dark vicuña color, a few white to black animals	Light vicuña color to dark vicuña color, a few white to black animals	Light vicuña color to dark vicuña color, a few white to black animals	Light vicuña color to dark vicuña color, a few white to black animals	Light vicuña color to dark vicuna color, a few white to black animals	Vicuña colors to Alpaca colors
Bib Color	White	White to similar to blanket color	White to similar to blanket color	White to similar to blanket color	White to similar to blanket color	White to similar to blanket color	White to similar to blanket color
Bib Length	Much Longer than fleece	Longer than fleece	Longer than fleece	Longer than fleece	Longer than fleece	Same or longer than fleece	Same or longer than fleece
Leg Wool	Very short	Very short	Medium to very short	Heavy to very short	Heavy to Very short	Heavy to very short	Heavy to very short
Disposition	Wild	Tame to Slightly wild	Tame to Slightly wild	Tame to Slightly wild	Tame to Slightly wild	Tame	Tame

Ó 2005-2011 Phil Switzer

Mariah Hill Showdown.. May 2009 in Quarantine at Mariah Hill Livestock Exports

2011-11-09T07:22:00.000+11:00

Seychelles my favourite alpaca

2011-06-29T06:58:00.001+10:00

Seychelles

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Resides in Canada owned and bred by Mariah hill Livestock Exports

A fleece to die for

2011-06-10T12:32:00.000+10:00

Accoyo Supreme, GIFT results can be viewed on GIFT link on our website

More alpacas at Mariah hill

2011-06-10T12:28:00.001+10:00

alpacas at mariah hill..aust

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ALPACAS AT MARIAH HILL AUSTRALIA

2011-06-10T10:47:00.001+10:00

ALPACAS

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ALIZE AND HE CRIA

2011-06-09T09:47:00.001+10:00

RESIDING IN CANADA....WITH MALE CRIA AND PREGNANT AGAIN

A VERY PREMIE CRIA

2011-06-09T09:38:00.000+10:00

ALWAYS USE MATING DATES.... AND ACCURATELY KEEP RECORDS ON MATINGS, SPIT OFFS.
IF PADDOCK MATING, THEN STILL KEEP ACCURATE RECORDS ON DAY THE FEMALE ENTERED THE PADDOCK AND DAY THE FEMALE LEAVES PADDOCK, AND ANY SPIT OFFS, OR OBSERVATONS OF MATINGS ETC.
OCCASSIONALY, BUT NOT VERY OFTEN, YOU WILL HAVE A PREMMIE, AND HAVING ACCURATE DATES WILL TELL YOU HOW PREMMIE THE CRIA IS.
THIS CRIA WAS BORN WITH VERY LOW BODY TEMP, WAS 6 WEEKS PREM.
YOU CAN SEE HOW SOFT THE BONES ARE IN THE LEGS - WITHIN 2-3 DAYS, THESE LEGS WILL STRENGTHEN UP, AND WILL BE FAIRLY STRAIGHT.
IF THEY DO NOT, THEN SEEK VET ATTENTION, SOME TIMES THEY ARE STRAPPED, UNTIL THE LEGS ARE STRONG ENOUGH.
VET ATTENTION IS ADVISED THOUGH, AS YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE ALL TENDONS ARE OK, AND STRAPPED NOT TOO TIGHT AS NOT TO RESTRICT CIRCULATION.

SNAKE BITE KIT

2011-06-09T09:31:00.002+10:00

NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH COMING 3RD WEEK DECEMBER.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

We are very please to announce the launch of the The Australian Snake Bite Kit.

We hope you will never have to use THE AUSTRALIAN SNAKE BITE KIT.

However, If you work and play in rural Australia, even on the fringes of Australia's cities,

there is a good chance that you will encounter snakes.

All snakes should be considered dangerous.

Should you be bitten by a snake, you can be confident that THE AUSTRALIAN SNAKE BITE KIT

includes the latest up to date instructions and the highest quality materials.

It is a must for the farm, the house, the ute, the saddle, and the bush walk !

To purchase a kit, just click the link below.

USEFUL I PHONE APP

2011-06-09T09:20:00.000+10:00

Hi all
if you load the free app called viber you can call any other viber contact for FREE anywhere in the world!!! When you go to your contacts it will automatically show who already has the viber app and the call will be free. there is another for free texting: 'whatsapp' which costs $1.19...
enjoy and share the news!

JET OUR RAINBOW LORIKEET

2011-06-09T09:18:00.000+10:00

JET LOVES FLYING AROUND, AND LOVES SITTING ON HEADS.
ELYSE IS OFF TO GO TO WORK, AND HAS A HELPER TODAY.

ALPACAS ARE SO EASY TO ROUND UP.

2011-06-09T09:13:00.001+10:00

wE USE A 4 X 4 RAV 4 TO ROUND UP THE ALPACAS FROM THE BACK PADDOCKS.
ALPACAS LOVE MOVING TO NEW PADDOCKS, AND WE USUALLY MOVE THEM AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, TO NEW PADDOCKS,
THIS WAY, THE GRASS IS NEVER EATEN TO THE GROUND, MAKING IT HARDER TO REJUVENATE. AND ALSO THE PADDOCK IS RESTED, LESS LIKELYHOOD OF WARM INFESTATION, LESS STRESS PROBLEMS CAUSED BY OVERSTOCKING.
LIKE US, THEY LIKE A CHANGE OD SCENERY, AND THEY DO HAVE THEIR FAVOURITE PADDOCK.
THEY ALSO LIKE TO SEE EACH OTHER, AS EACH GROUP OF ALPACAS WILL GREET THE OTHER GROUP AS THET ARE HERDED TO THE MAIN HANDLING YARDS.

FIRST STEPS

2011-06-09T09:00:00.000+10:00

BABIES, (CRIAS) WILL ALWAYS INSTINCTIVELY STAY CLOSE TO THEIR MOTHER.
THIS BABY IS JUST OVER 1 HOUR OLD.

MARIAH HILL SCANDOLOUS

2011-06-09T08:07:00.000+10:00

YOU CAN SEE THE CONSISTANCY OF THE STUD MALE, WITH SHOWDOWN, AND SCANDOLOUS, PURE POISON...SIRE - J. STEFANO (DEC.) (FULL ACCOYO).

MARIAH HILL SHOWDOWN

2011-06-09T08:04:00.000+10:00

MAGNIFICANT LUSTRE, THIS MALE NOW STANDS AT STUD IN BELGIUM

Mariah Hill Statement

2011-06-09T07:44:00.000+10:00

Now resides in the UK.
his fleece has the highest lustre.

Extrremely fine, and excellent density...opens cleanly like a book

Black Onyx

2011-06-09T07:40:00.000+10:00

Black Onyx resides in Belgium.
A must for any black breeder.
This fleece is just so amazing for a black breeder...crimp even stretching from front of chest to the tail.

Suri

2011-06-01T15:07:00.001+10:00

Of course we all know there are two types of Alpacas.
Huacaya and Suri
Huacaya are the ones we see more of, but the beautiful SURI, can never be forgotten.
Although both are same in temperment, and other features, the SURI, fibre is very different to the huacaya.
I see them like a curtain of silk, especially when they run.
there really is something to see a beautiful suri in his full fleece, when they frolick around the paddock, and this beautiful curtain of fleece as it flows like coral on a sea floor.

MIck dore

2011-06-01T15:01:00.000+10:00

THe property we live on was one of the Original farming properties of Victoria.
When it was settled, in 1841, this area was NSW and in 1851 when they separated Victoria away from NSW, this was the largest operating farm in Victoria at the time.
The family was the Dore family.
In 1851, they were then offered to purchase the land, as previously, they only leased the freehold, as that is how it was done in the early settlement days in Australia.
Mick Dore was the son of the original settler John Dore.
this tree is outside the old house, which my son Andrew is buying and has made home for him his fiance and his expected daughter in August 2011.
The Dore family imigrated from Ireland during the potatoe famine.
Don't you just love the dog in the tree behind Mick, and also his beautiful blue eyes.

This one photo

What is this

2011-05-27T10:01:00.002+10:00

I thought it pretty weird, a very cloudy day, and this beam of light coming through the clouds, there was no opening in the cloud, and it was there still for q good 10 minutes.
I just thought i had never seen something like this before.

Learning Day at Bendigo on Goat, Sheep and Alpaca Nutrition

2011-05-27T09:00:00.001+10:00

Victorian breeders you may like to attend a Learning Day at Bendigo on Goat, Sheep and Alpaca Nutrition, guest speaker will be Dr. Bruce Macgregor, attached is the invitation sent to me by Peter Greenfield, I felt that there may be many breeders who have not received this invitation and would benefit from the Dr. Macgregor's experience and at the cost to attend is very minimal, once again if you know of others who may like to attend please get them to contact Peter to make a booking. I feel that these information days are very important for all new breeders, so lets show our support and at least forward this invitation to others.

The day Sunday 5th June commencing 10am

The Venue Bendigo Club, Park St, Bendigo

VIC Road Map       P283   R 15 off crook st
Cost per person,    $10.00 There will be light luncheon provided
RSVP by 30th May 2011
Please contact Brenda or Peter for further information
email scud1@impulse.net.au    Ph 03 54394804

Fleece preparation to get you those big $'s

2011-04-26T13:44:00.001+10:00

Fleece Preparation (on the animal prior to shearing), as well as your shearing area is vital to keep as clean as possible to obtain those premium fleece prices.

Currently, there is good money and high demand for excellent premium fleeces....Ultrafine and Super fine, but equally, the preparation can let an excellent fleece fail, as explained by Paul Vallely from the Premium Fleece Workshops.

This is an excerpt from his paper he has recently put out to the public, to try and get the word through to the grower, that standards are still low in the preparation of fleece to be submitted for payment, whether it is for the premium fleece and Ultrafine bale, or to the local spinner down the road.

The effort you put in today you will benefit from tomorrow, because even that spinner down the road, if she is happy with your fleeces, not only will she be back for more next year, but her friends will come to...it is easier than finding new clients each year...by keeping the current clients happy.

The word of mouth is a great advertising tool, that is very cost effective.

One other word for the breeders preparing to shear...

My daughter ELyse who has completed the woolclasser course, when setting up the shearing shed prior to starting to shear.

She makes sure she has the First Aid Kit, and also disinfectant, and all is in order. she also checks around the shed, for any sharp objects, that you may have not noticed prior to the inspection, and remember your safety and the animals safety, all electric wires, and leads if possible anchor over your heads, not on the floor, and all objects, that can topple over easy like electric fans for example, to be anchored properly, before any animal enters the shearing area.

Aside from the shearing area, always make sure there is plenty of cool fresh water, and an area away from the shearers, for a tea break.

Set up your large bags, preferably made from cotton, than plastic, and set them up around the wall of the shed.

We still separate each fleece in it's own bag, but at one stage breeders were told to separate each fleece with newspaper, but if left over a long period of time, the newspaper begins to break down, and can contaminate the fleece.

It is advisable though to separate each fleece.

We always have a can of Tetracycline, (this is used also for Pink eye), i find this is a fantastic product for healing, and if an alpaca is accidently cut, spray this on over the wound if small.

If the wound needs stitching, then after the procedure, spray this over the wound, as this will really make it heal fast.

Super Glue...was originally invented to be used in the operating theatre to mend wounds.

My 30 year old son, has a huge wound from a very large operation when he was 10 years old, which was glued together, (his was also secured by a large plastic bandges over the wound), but many shearers these days will glue the skin togethet, wuick, easy, and it works well.

Please remember to just get the glue on the actual part you are joining together, and leave a small opening at the base of the wond, to let any fluid build up to drain away naturally.

Please take note of the following suggestions by Paul Vallely, for the preparation for shearing and your fleeces.

Don't forget your samples for the GIFT test, Paul will be sinding his offsider, kim to great Britain, I am told in May, and i think then over to Europe also in May to do some talks, and also testing of your fleeces.

GUIDELINES FOR SHEARING AND PRESENTING ALPACA FLEECES FOR THE PREMIUM FIBRE MARKET

The alpaca fibre market is witnessing an increase in demand for fleeces, particularly those suitable for the premium end of the textile market. In order to meet the criteria for acceptance into this market, however, fleeces need to be shorn and prepared in a manner that greatly reduces the incidence of contamination and reduces the variation of fleece types within fleece consignment lines.

While many years may be spent achieving genetic progress towards improving fleece type, and while a whole year may be spent trying to maintain suitable fleece quality standards, all these efforts can be wasted in the few moments during the time the respective alpaca fleece is shorn.

These guidelines focus on the consignment of fleeces for the premium suri and haucaya fibre market and therefore, concentrate on the shearing and handling of the saddle area. These guidelines can be applied to all other fleece types, however, their applicability might be dependant on the relative worth of fleeces.

This document was prepared, and ownership is asserted by Australian Alpaca Fibre Testing (AAFT). AAFT give permission for copying or reprinting the whole or portion of the document providing AAFT are acknowledged in the copy or reprint.

1 Pre Shearing Preparation

1.1 Plan order of shearing: Plan the order of shearing by prioritising the fleece types of your alpacas. The highest priority fleece types should be shorn first. For instance, shear the white superfine types first, then the broader whites followed by colours, lighter shades first. The aim of this practise is to avoid the more valuable fleeces being contaminated by fibres from the lesser valued fleeces. Further, lighter fleece colours should be shorn first as the darker the fibre, the greater the limitations on dying. If catering for the eco market where dying is replaced by using natural colours, it is still good practise to shear the lighter colours first.

1.2 Plan layout of classing lines. Plan where the various fleece lines will be placed so that the more valuable lines are furthest from the shirting table and shearing area. The reason for this is to ensure contaminant fibres from lesser grade fleeces are not carried past the more valuable lines.

1.3 Make a list of staffing requirements. Far too many alpaca shearings are carried out in a hasty manner, typified by taking short-cuts and dropping of fleece preparation standards. It is crucial that there is adequate number of suitably trained and/or experienced staff so that shearing is carried out in a careful and unrushed manner. The staffing needs to accommodate the work roles of alpaca handling at the point of shearing, sorting fibre at point of shearing, picking up fleeces, maintaining cleanliness of point of shearing, fleece skirter, fleece classer and general duties to help with herding alpacas and odd jobs. Obviously, some staff will be responsible for more than one work role and some roles might be shared with more than one person. Some shearing teams will provide their own staff, however, it remains the breeders responsibility to ensure there is adequate staff.

1.4 Ensure adequate and serviceable equipment is on hand. Before shearing commences, there should be a stock-check to ensure all relevant equipment such as shed sweeps, bale holders, wool packs, fleece bags, bale fasteners, marking pens, animal husbandry equipment is on hand and serviceable. Normal straw or wisp brooms should be avoided, as the fibres/straw will contaminate fleece lines. Plastic shearing sweeps should be preferred. Containers should be available for necessary small items such as bale fasteners.

All used wool packs and fleece bags should be turned inside out to remove remaining fibres before being re-used for fleece storage.

A suitable skirting table should be available. The table should be sufficient size to take two saddles from any one alpaca at the same time. The table can be square or round, made from wood or metal, and have about 20mm square gaps to allow short fibres to fall through. The design of the skirting table should avoid fibres sticking to the surface area.

1.5 Determine fleece classing parameters. Before shearing, it may be advantageous to speak to potential fleece buyers to determine preferred fleece line parameters, particularly with regard to acceptable limits on fibre diameter and fibre length. For this reason, it is a good idea to have fleece test data on the alpacas if available.

1.6 Ensure shearing and classing receives adequate lighting Lighting is critical for effective quality control during shearing in order to keep the area clean of contaminate fibres such as guard hair. Before shearing, a check on serviceability of lights is required and that sufficient lighting is available. Lighting should be provided by fluorescent lights or skylights (natural light).

1.7 Reduce exposure to wind. The shed or shearing area should be inspected to ensure the area is not at risk of wind as this will create significant problems for fibre contamination.

1.8 Ensure point of shearing has adequate flooring The most preferred flooring at the point of shearing is wood, with no cracks or sharp edges that can make sweeping the area a problem. With less desirable flooring such as concrete, a rubber matt of sufficient size might be used.

1.8 Clean the shearing area thoroughly As fibre contamination is one of the most common causes of devaluation of fleeces, the shearing area needs to be thoroughly cleaned before shearing. Items such as baling twine, old fleeces, feed bags, hay, dirt etc should be removed. It is worthwhile that yards and pens be also cleaned.

1.9 Ensure there are sufficient rubbish containers. Containers should be available for foreign articles found during shearing such as baling twine. Further, containers should also be available for unwanted fleece types such as guard hair. It is a good idea to clearly label these containers so that the staff know what goes where.

2 CONDUCT OF SHEARING

2.1 Brief staff on required work roles and standards. To ensure all work roles are covered by at least one person, areas of responsibility should be made clear to all staff before shearing commences. The briefing should not be carried out in a condescending manner, but should promote a team spirit in achieving professional outcomes. The briefing should acknowledge that a high standard of fleece preparation relies on every staff member, collectively and individually performing his or her work roles.

2.2 Clean alpacas before shearing. Some alpaca breeders give their alpacas a clean to remove vegetable matter before shearing. The worth of this practise may need evaluation as any vegetable matter easily removed before shearing would be easily removed during the initial scouring during processing. It may, however, be worthwhile if appearance is a critical factor, such as for individual selling at craft markets.

2.3 The saddle areas should be shorn from the alpaca in a manner that avoids contamination. Before the first saddle area is removed, many shearers remove contaminating coarse fibres around the belly area. When this is done, the coarse fibres should be collected before they have a chance of falling into the saddle area. Once the first saddle is removed, it should be taken to the skirting table. If the saddle is to be rolled for this, the sides of the saddle should only come into contact with the other side of the saddle, in other words, folded end to end. This avoids the coarse fibres at the edge of the saddle coming into contact with the centre of the saddle. If they come into contact with the centre of the saddle, it is extremely difficult to remove the offending fibres during skirting. The saddle should not be placed on the ground before (or after) skirting.

Before the second saddle is removed, some leg and neck fleece is often shorn. These parts of the fleece should be removed and placed in bags to avoid contamination. The second saddle should be removed and placed on the skirting table as with the first saddle.

2.4 Always sweep between each alpaca. The accumulation of guard hair and other coarse fibres left after each alpaca is shorn will substantially devalue fleeces. For this reason, the shearing area needs to be swept or wiped before the next alpaca is brought to the point of shearing.

2.8 If possible, sweep or collect guard hair as it is being shorn As previously mentioned, guard hair or coarse fibres can substantially devalue fleeces. For this reason, efforts should be made to continually remove such fibres during shearing. This should be carried out in a manner that does not jeopardise OH&S standards, nor impede the shearing process.

2.9 Eating and smoking should not occur near shearing area. Fibre processors have often complained at the amount of food containers and cigarette butts found in fleece consignments. For this reason, lunches etc should be eaten in an area away from the shearing area. An ashtray should be available outside the shearing area.

2.10 Husbandry practices during shearing. Many breeders trim toe nails and teeth during shearing. While these objects can be easily removed during intial stage processing, they do more damage to a reputation than to the actual value of the fleece. If possible, toe and teeth trimmings should not be allowed to enter fleeces.

2.11 Seek feedback from buyers. In order to identify areas for improvement in fleece preparation and classing standards, it is a good idea to seek feedback from buyers and/or processors. This practise also cultivates a credible reputation by showing you are concerned with meeting your ‘customers’ requirements.

3 SKIRTING FLEECES

3.1 Variation in fibre diameter over the saddle area. The degree of variation over an alpaca has been shown to be slightly correlated to the average fibre diameter. Most alpaca saddles, however, vary by about 2 microns, although at the edge of saddle, the diameter might increase by a further micron. At the edge of the saddle, some clusters of guard hair might be evident. This hair might be as much as 20 microns broader than the centre of the saddle.

3.2 Fleeces should be correctly skirted before storing or packing. A constant cause of contamination is the storing of fleeces in bags etc before they are skirted. When placed in bags, the risk of guard hair and other problematic fibres is very high. If guard hair finds its way through a fleece while being bagged, its value will be substantially decreased, or in some severe cases, made worthless. Once skirted, they should be placed immediately in packs or bags.

3.3 ‘High value’ fleeces should be covered/protected after skirting. ‘High value’ fleeces should be bagged in such as way that contaminants will not be able to enter the bag. Such bags should not have holes and the ends should be securely tied with no open ends. If these fleeces are placed in open fleece lines, the fleece bin or pack should be covered to protect the fleeces from airborne fibres or foreign articles.

3.4 Herd recording. Shearing is an ideal time to record comments regarding fleece type or fleece problems. Recording comments such as tender fleece, discolouring, high evidence of coarse fibres, fleece rot and fleece weights will help with herd improvement. These comments can also be included with fleece midside samples so that all fleece comments can be included with fibre test data.

3.5 Procedure for skirting and classing.

A Spread saddles out onto table with the tip side upper most.

A Remove obvious faults from centre of saddle such as guard hair, urine stained fibre, excessive vegetable matter and foreign objects.

B Any unwanted colour fibres should be removed

C Look carefully at middle area of saddle to determine the prominent fleece type for that particular fleece, paying attention to crimp and softness (to evaluate variation in fibre diameter) and fibre length. Then work around saddle to remove short fibres, guard hair and other coarse fibres. Normally, the problematic fibres should be confined to 30 mm to 40mm from the edge of the fleece. Guard hair and other coarse fibres are often identifiable by a pointier tip, a harsher feel and a flatter crimp definition. The important issue with this procedure is that skilling can only come with experience.

D Check for ‘soundness’ or tender fibre by holding a fibre bundle (about 5mm in width) and try to break it. Check a couple of fibre bundles to ensure the whole saddle is sound. If tender, the fleece will need to be placed in a ‘tender’ fleece line.

E Place in classing line according to predetermined classing parameters. The best method for determining average fibre diameter is a three point grid test. The next preferred method is to use the mid side test, although it needs to be kept in mind that the mid-side test will be generally between .5 to 1.5 microns finer than the saddle average. Finally, if no test is available, subjective appraisal will have to be relied upon.

FINAL COMMENTS

Following the above guidelines will assist in achieving high standards of shearing and fleece preparation so that fleece values can be maximised. Underpinning these guidelines, however, is the adoption of a diligent and determined approach to presenting premium grade fleeces to their maximum potential, combined with adequate skilling that can only be achieved through experience.

Our New Farming Apprentice

2011-04-19T18:38:00.001+10:00

Our little farm Boy

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Jessie loves the new crias, and at the moment we have a 3 week premmie female cria. As you can see, he just loves the babies, and is beside ELyses side with the crias.

Mariah Hill Alpacas & Exports: Selling Alpaca Yarn...on the Internet through Ravely

2011-04-12T08:19:00.000+10:00

Mariah Hill Alpacas & Exports: Selling Alpaca Yarn...on the Internet through Ravely

Selling Alpaca Yarn...on the Internet through Ravely

2011-04-12T08:06:00.001+10:00

https://www.ravelry.com/account/login

Are you Raveling yet?

by Kate Perez

first printed in the March 2009 issue of Camelid Quarterly

Wondering what’s the one thing that knitters and fiber-arts people can’t live without in 2009? It’s not self-striping sock yarn, Hello Kitty© stitch markers or the latest book by the “Yarn Harlot. “ It’s Ravelry of course! Ravelry.com has been called a social networking website, an online community and MySpace for knitters, but it’s so much more!
Ravelry gives each user an online area for storing fiber-arts projects with their photos, descriptions, patterns, yarns, needles or hooks used, and a rating scale for how the profile owner liked the yarn or pattern. There is also a heart icon which other members of the Ravelry community can click to “favorite” and store the project in their own profiles. Ravelry also contains databases of knitting and crocheting patterns, books, yarns, and contact information for those who sell those same products.

some of my projects in the Ravelry database in Jan. 2009

When a project owner types in the name or maker of a yarn, for example, Ravelry will look at the words and provide names of similar yarns stored in its yarn database. If a match is found, the yarn in the project is linked back into the database. Another member of the community can do a search on that yarn and find this project along with all of the Ravelry projects that were made using that yarn. The projects will include photos, descriptions and ratings for the yarn and the patterns used.

a search on alpaca yarns inside of Ravelry (shown above)

By the way, that same user can also see how many other “Ravelrers” have that yarn stored in the “stash” tab of their profiles and whether they are willing to sell or trade it. Often the photos of various yarns provided by the members of Ravelry are of better quality than those found on the websites and catalogs that sell those same yarns. And, seeing the yarn rated and knit up in many different colors and into many different projects, really helps fiber artists decide which yarn to use for what project.

my yarn " stash " photos in Jan. 2009

Inside of Ravelry, a “homemade” yarn can get the same amount of exposure as a commercial yarn. Ravelry provides its members with automatic links from their profiles to their websites, blogs, Etsy online stores¹, RSS feeds² and MySpace and Facebook pages. Even if they have none of these, a potential customer can still contact the yarn owner by clicking on his or her name under the yarn’s photo from inside of Ravelry. But, you may ask, what if the yarn owner is not a member of Ravelry?

What serious fiber artist or fiber arts business wouldn’t be?

Ever wonder about the future of the fiber arts in an increasingly electronic world? Way back on January 17th, 2008 when Ravelry only had 72,879 users, they did a survey of their members and found that the median age was 35. As of January 6, 2009 there were 253,955 registered users and 2,417 more on the waiting list. The average wait time was listed as 2 days, meaning that Ravelry is adding well over 1,000 new users each day. Did I mention that it’s free? No article could ever describe all of the amazing and intriguing features of Ravelry, so why not discover the rest for yourself? When you do join, don’t forget to “friend” me, Alpacagal.

“Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade.” – taken from http://www.etsy.com/about.php
“RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works” – taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format)

I do not want Autumn to go

2011-04-01T15:13:00.001+11:00

Some of my favourite alpacas..on a sunny day

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With hardly a summer to talk about, finally the past three weeks have been delightful. An average of 22 degrees, and just beautiful, calm, sunny days.

The sun gives you a joy

i have never seen so many beautiful and colourful butterflies in my life, we are seeing hundred’s every day, they are absolutely beautiful. All are so colourful, and we have seen some as big as my hand…although I do not have a large hand, it is big for a butterfly.

It has placed a little bit of joy in my life currently.

Hoping for good luck with some Feng Sui

2011-04-01T15:03:00.001+11:00

I am dealing with a lot of Chinese at the moment.

i thought maybe some good Feng Sui may help me through.

Miniature Alpacas

2011-04-01T12:37:00.001+11:00

Alpaca Babies ..are called Cria

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I just received a phone call today with an enquiry for Miniature Alpacas.

I was disturbed when the lady told m she has been told that you can buy Miniature alpacas.

There may be breeders who dispute this statement I am about to make, and which I told this lady.

There are no Miniature alpacas.

Any miniature alpaca is usually due to Failure to Thrive, and or a heart complaint.

It is my advice not to pursue either selling or purchasing miniature alpacas, as they will bring heartbreak to the new owners.

Failure to thrive can affect any species, there is no cure or remedy.

The cria usually develops ok until they have just been weaned, and then they just do not thrive. Again, it usually is because of a heart defect, and this animal will always die young.

The heart will only be able to pump enough blood until the cria is so big, and then it cannot pump enough for it to grow any more.

It is heart breaking for the owner of the cria, who has put a lot of effort, and love into the cria.

Although the cria will have quality of life, in my opinion, it is unwise to sell any smallish alpaca, unless it has been checked out by a vet first to confirm that the cria is totally healthy.

Benefits of living on a Hill

2011-04-01T10:18:00.001+11:00

After recent floods, it is more evident the advantages of your farm being on higher land.

Although we always said, if we flooded i would hate to be on lowland.

The last thing we thought of was that we could flood on top of a hill.

Well yes, our hill was a waterfall, and all the water funnelling into our laneways and driveway, which made a gushing river, flowing so fast.

Where the laneways met from a couple of directions, this caused an even stronger effect on the water, almost like you see water being expelled from the dam wall.

On the lower end of our road, dam walls were bursting, and so the effect of all the water from the hills and the dam, this caused the road into a torrent of water.

This I know is only small compared to those who suffered up north, and one who has not experienced the flooding we saw, it is hard to understand.

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The after effects of a flood, is what people do not think about.

On a farm, it is the first thing you think about.

After the waters disappear, yes you have a clean up, you have to monitor all animals, as stress levels can be delayed on different animals, after experiences they have gone through.

Eumonia, young cria, any late pregnant female under this stress can abort, or deliver a very prem cria.

Monitoring every animal, is essential, not just the initial days after.

Then the water disperses, and it makes it’s own way through properties.

Along with it, any faeces, worms (parasites), run off from neighbouring farms.

This runoff, you do not know.

Weeds, plants, pests (insects), and diseases which will establish themselves in new areas.

Top soil has washed itself downstream, along with plant, and animal matter from miles away.

This is an ideal way for biosecurity threats including plant, pests, diseases and weeds to spread.

This is the time to be vigilant and adhere to basic hygiene principles.

3 weeks after the floods at Mildura.

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The water lying around is perfect environment for mosquitos, and they carry so many deadly diseases.

When we visited Mildura recently, the radio said that Ross River fever spread by mosquitos, was spreading with hundreds of people affected within the first few weeks.

There are many arbovirus diseases spread by mosquitos, that effect our farm animals and wildlife.

Luckily for our farm, this is more in the warmer zones than down here, although i have heard up north NSW, disease zones have now moved south because of the flood waters.

Back to the topic of this Blog.

Our farm became an island, although our laneways and driveway did become a raging river, for many hours, the water did disperse down to the lower lands of farms lower than us.

Being on the highland, importantly we did not get that wash, loss of topsoil, or diseases, animal matter and weed seeds run onto our property.

We have always lived on a hill….hence Mariah Hill, even though we were attracted to hills.

Q Alpaca, also was developed so that farms could recognize biosecurity threats, and have plans in action for this.

Living on top of a hill has huge advantages.

Wool prices double for ultrafine

2011-03-15T09:27:00.000+11:00

SFE Quote Apr 11 1193
SFE Quote Apr 12 1090
AWEX Quote 21m MF5 Deliverable 1190 cents
Exchange Rate AUD/USD 1.0153 cents
Week End Sale Northern
Date Series 17 ųm 17.5 ųm 18 ųm 18.5 ųm 19 ųm 19.5 ųm 20 ųm 21 ųm 22 ųm 23 ųm 24 ųm 25 ųm 26 ųm 28 ųm 30 ųm 32 ųm Indicator
05/03/10 S36 1290 1226 1183 1150 1096 1021 971 955 939 925 835 680 579 446 395 349 944
12/03/10 S37 1273 1210 1176 1137 1090 1022 972 955 939 925 687 591 449 398 351 942
19/03/10 S38 1287 1222 1197 1159 1105 1034 983 967 949 937 863 700 599 457 403 353 953
26/03/10 S39 1285 1222 1188 1147 1108 1037 976 962 953 690 599 455 402 354 950
02/04/10 S40 1259 1192 1157 1109 1080 1007 952 933 925 911 587 444 391 350 930
16/04/10 S42 1247 1181 1140 1092 1069 997 938 918 904 880 580 436 382 349 909
23/04/10 S43 1248 1196 1157 1104 1071 999 943 923 907 880 580 445 388 349 912
30/04/10 S44 1247 1194 1157 1102 1067 991 935 916 898 882 585 447 389 350 905
07/05/10 S45 1251 1202 1162 1098 1059 977 932 912 894 878 593 451 398 352 902
14/05/10 S46 1255 1199 1154 1096 1057 972 924 913 896 881 694 597 451 397 352 898
21/05/10 S47 1266 1198 1160 1095 1040 967 919 902 892 878 830 698 601 451 402 355 894
28/05/10 S48 1266 1198 1172 1118 1070 988 930 917 902 883 834 613 464 412 356 905
04/06/10 S49 1278 1210 1180 1136 1078 993 941 927 904 886 614 468 424 356 913
11/06/10 S50 1281 1211 1183 1137 1091 1009 968 948 920 898 630 483 434 375 928
18/06/10 S51 1270 1197 1172 1137 1083 998 963 946 924 897 630 480 430 375 924
25/06/10 S52 1259 1196 1173 1129 1073 986 956 935 922 898 626 475 419 369 920
02/07/10 S53 1261 1202 1169 1131 1066 987 950 936 924 898 846 628 476 416 369 918
09/07/10 S01 1267 1202 1175 1135 1061 988 937 931 921 902 851 617 469 415 366 913
16/07/10 S02 1239 1184 1155 1128 1045 971 930 922 906 892 842 615 462 405 359 900
13/08/10 S06 1242 1190 1146 1111 1040 963 926 909 906 891 604 454 400 356 894
20/08/10 S07 1289 1229 1168 1125 1048 966 928 906 897 883 829 695 601 457 405 361 897
27/08/10 S08 1309 1243 1186 1140 1050 963 917 897 882 871 811 695 607 456 403 358 897
03/09/10 N09 1391 1294 1237 1166 1059 966 917 896 459 403 358 910
10/09/10 S10 1383 1293 1232 1165 1062 971 917 893 870 852 808 702 606 452 398 353 905
17/09/10 S11 1377 1288 1224 1152 1054 956 909 886 857 837 793 703 606 448 399 354 898
24/09/10 S12 1369 1277 1222 1154 1048 956 906 886 852 829 780 704 603 443 393 354 894
01/10/10 N13 1379 1298 1237 1157 1051 959 910 887 861 444 389 899
08/10/10 S14 1378 1299 1237 1168 1077 984 949 927 892 856 787 720 623 449 391 356 921
15/10/10 S15 1381 1309 1251 1181 1086 1003 963 943 905 873 803 754 653 450 399 356 936
22/10/10 S16 1403 1336 1279 1217 1114 1026 977 950 914 884 818 751 641 463 410 370 954
29/10/10 N17 1478 1412 1383 1304 1168 1067 989 950 913 981
05/11/10 S18 1643 1559 1466 1367 1233 1133 1043 996 962 909 839 765 672 478 423 388 1026
12/11/10 S19 1698 1609 1540 1431 1296 1168 1076 990 929 686 496 443 443 407 1071
19/11/10 S20 1795 1708 1632 1507 1306 1140 1039 1003 960 917 843 696 499 444 410 1077
26/11/10 N21 1813 1738 1620 1482 1275 1113 997 976 931 488 444 1059
03/12/10 S22 1698 1621 1481 1290 1121 1017 1002 944 902 671 487 444 414 1062
10/12/10 S23 1760 1679 1590 1454 1272 1105 1008 980 939 893 828 650 483 445 414 1053
17/12/10 S24 1790 1708 1631 1490 1306 1144 1034 1008 961 904 820 634 484 436 408 1073
14/01/11 S28 2042 1924 1857 1717 1555 1318 1153 1116 1069 1010 897 765 674 523 464 414 1208
21/01/11 S29 2182 2045 1953 1795 1544 1325 1145 1103 1058 1008 945 814 752 579 509 446 1251
28/01/11 S30 2186 2060 1958 1803 1560 1332 1147 1111 1060 1016 958 814 748 574 507 449 1255
04/02/11 S31 2332 2217 2077 1941 1638 1400 1203 1162 1110 845 748 567 503 448 1313
11/02/11 S32 2372 2261 2072 1896 1589 1371 1192 1137 1087 1038 760 558 500 445 1308
18/02/11 S33 2395 2240 2096 1882 1611 1388 1216 1155 1113 1055 773 580 517 458 1320
25/02/11 S34 2417 2288 2098 1865 1628 1432 1247 1188 1134 1081 899 790 617 543 479 1348
04/03/11 N35 2525 2369 2189 1949 1646 1444 1259 1188 653 579 521 1372
Average 1541 1466 1400 1314 1196 1080 1000 973 941 912 839 736 636 482 429 383 1005

Max 2525 2369 2189 1949 1646 1444 1259 1188 1134 1081 958 899 790 653 579 521 1372

Min 1239 1181 1140 1092 1040 956 906 886 852 829 780 680 496 436 382 349 894

Week End Sale Northern
Date Series 17 ųm 17.5 ųm 18 ųm 18.5 ųm 19 ųm 19.5 ųm 20 ųm 21 ųm 22 ųm 23 ųm 24 ųm 25 ųm 26 ųm 28 ųm 30 ųm 32 ųm Indicator
Micron Category
When no Northern sales are held Southern AWEX indicators are shown in italics.
Northern Region Auction Sales 04 Mar 2011
Micron Category

New Website for TB in Alpacas

2011-03-13T11:10:00.000+11:00

www.alpacatb.org
This is probably old news to some, but it is worthy a writing up this website, to let all know of the effects of TB.
I would like to congratulate Dianne Summers, for a great support and source of information for those that need it.
TB, is a shocking thing, and all must be aware of good biosecurity of their farms.

Wormer resistance in sheep.

2011-03-13T11:02:00.001+11:00

As alpaca breeders, we must learn from other species, to reduce any losses, and years of problems that other breeders of others species have spent sorting these problems out.
From time to time, I hear of alpacas becoming resistant to some wormers.
This is a serious problem if this happens, because then the wormers that are available are very harsh.
I hear all the time, we do not have worms on our property.
We test for worms, and they come zero.

Take this for a person who has to clear worms out of all breeding animals that are exported. You do have worms, and although they may be at a low level, they still need tobe treated.
Any time your animals come into stress....be it, sudden changes of weather, feed, or lack of, weaning, pregnancy, this is the trime, that worms do take over, and without a very keen sense of the body language of your alpacas, they can go downhill very quickly.
Here are a couple of very good articles on this problem

Wormer resistance in sheep
There are three different types of wormers available against gastro-intestinal
parasites in sheep.
These are:
Benzimidazoles (albendazole, fenbendazole, oxfendazole and mebendazole).
Levamisole/morantel.
Macrocyclic lactones (ivermectin, doramectin and moxidectin).
Resistance to all three types of wormers has been recorded in the UK. In a recent survey in Wales,
82% of farms that took part had benzimidazole or levamisole resistance or both.
Wormer resistance does not suddenly appear on a farm, but the wormer gradually becomes less
effective.
Continued
Contact details
VLA, Weybridge,
New Haw, Addlestone,
Surrey, KT15 3NB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01932 341111
Fax: 01932 347046
E mail: enquiries@vla.defra.gsi.gov.uk
Web: www.vla.gov.uk
Please contact your nearest VLA regional laboratory for advice on tests and services
available. Contact details can be found on the VLA website.
It would be wise to check, once a year, that the wormer you are using is
working well in your lambs. There are two tests for this.
The faecal egg count reduction test
Ten lambs are selected, weighed and marked. Faecal samples (a minimum of 10-15
pellets) are obtained and then the animals are treated for their weight with the wormer
(checking that the dosing equipment is accurate). Faecal worm egg counts from these
sheep are compared with those obtained from the same animals taken a set time after
treatment. The time between samples depends on the type of wormer used. Sufficient
numbers of worm eggs have to be present at the start of this test, for it to be accurate.
Resistance is suspected when the reduction in average egg counts is less than 90%.
For benzimidazoles, faecal samples should be taken 10-14 days after treatment.
For levamisole, faecal samples should be taken 5-6 days after treatment.
For macrocyclic lactones, faecal samples should be taken 14-16 days after treatment.
Doramectin or moxidectin, (the longer acting MLs) should not be used in this test.
Larval development test
VLA offers this test. It uses pooled faecal samples from a number of lambs. If sufficient
worm eggs are present then these are tested for benzimidazole and levamisole resistance.
Macrocyclic lactone resistance cannot be tested by this method at present.
Contact your veterinary practitioner for further advice.
May 2009

Worm Resistance and How To Avoid It

Disclaimer


There are many worming pastes and drenches available in Australia to treat the common worms in horses. Most of the newer products on the market are highly effective and safe, however, some worms have the ability to become resistant to worming drugs. If this occurs horses can carry heavy infestations of worms in their gut even though they are wormed on a regular basis.
How does resistance develop? How can resistance be avoided? Use an effective worming product Give the correct dose Rotate worming drug classes on an annual basis Avoid introducing resistant worms Use the minimum number of treatments Maintain good pasture hygeine Related Products
How does resistance develop? Top The horse parasite that is the most effective at generating resistance is the Redworm or Small Strongyle. If a worming product (or a range of worming products that belong to the same family of drug) is used continuously on a property for a long period of time, there is a high likelihood that the redworms on that property may develop resistance to that family of drug, making the products ineffective. Redworms have developed resistance to the Benzimidazole or BZ group of wormers in many parts of the world. If a horse from a property that has resistant worms is moved to a new property it can carry the resistant worm species with it and infect its new environment. The macrocyclic lactones or “mectin” family of worming product is the most common class of wormer used in Australia today, including Equimax (abamectin), Equimec (ivermectin) and Equest (moxidectin). These are very good worming agents however, one of the major fears in the horse industry is that resistance will develop to these products and they will lose their high level of efficacy. “Mectin” resistance has already developed in some strains of sheep, cattle and goat parasites and it is feared that horse parasites may eventually be affected.
How can resistance be avoided? Top In order to avoid or slow the development and spread of resistance particularly to the “mectin” products, a range of management and worming suggestions has been recommended by leading parasitologists:
Use an effective worming product Give the correct dose Rotate worming drug classes on an annual basis Avoid introducing resistant worms Use the minimum number of treatments Maintain good pasture hygeine
Use an effective worming product Top Do not use products to which resistance has developed. Continuing to use a product known to have generated resistance will only make the problem worse. Equimax is recommended as the ideal ‘mectin’ product as it treats all equine worms, including tapeworms with no reported cases of resistance. Using mixtures of drugs (from 2 different families of worming products) has also been recommended to slow the development of resistance. For example, Strategy-T Paste contains a combination of Oxfendazole and Pyrantel that work together synergistically, achieving a much higher efficacy against redworms than when either drug is used alone. Strategy-T is proven to be highly effective against BZ resistant redworms.
Give the correct dose Top Modern worming products are usually safe compounds – it is better to slightly overdose than to underdose. Underdosing increases the risk of selecting for resistant strains of worm. If possible horses should be weighed before worming or their weight estimated with a heart girth tape to ensure that their weight is not underestimated. Be careful to avoid horses spitting out paste wormers and therefore only receiving a part of their dose. Deposit the paste over the back of the tongue, not between the cheeks and the teeth, which makes it easier for the horse to “slobber” the dose out. After dosing, hold the horse’s head up for 15-20 seconds and rub the throat latch area to stimulate the swallowing reflex.
Rotate worming drug classes on an annual basis Top A slow (yearly) rotation of worming drug classes has been suggested as a means of slowing the development of resistant worms in sheep, goats and horses. However, it is very important that you rotate to a different chemical family, not to another product within the same family e.g. there is no advantage in rotating from one “mectin” wormer to another “mectin”. Strategy-T Paste being a combination wormer containing an active ingredient from two different classes of worming compound is an ideal worming product to use in an annual rotation program with the “mectins”.
Avoid introducing resistant worms Top New horses arriving on a property can carry worms that are resistant to certain worming products. It is therefore good policy to worm all new arrivals to a property with an effective all-wormer (e.g. Strategy-T Paste or a “Mectin” product) and to keep the new horses off pasture for 48 hours to reduce the risk of introducing resistant worms from another property.
Use the minimum number of treatments Top The more frequently horses are wormed the more likely it is that anthelmintic resistance will develop. However, if treatments are too infrequent pasture contamination with worm larvae and eggs will not be controlled. The ideal frequency of worming varies depending on the age of the horse, the housing conditions and the level of contamination of paddocks or yards where re-infection of the horse can occur. As a rule of thumb stabled horses should be wormed out when they first come into work and again 3-4 weeks later to remove the redworms that have been released from the bowel wall after the first worming. Following these initial treatments a regular worming every 3 months should be sufficient. Horses housed in a paddock or large yard should be wormed every 6-8 weeks, as they are more likely to become re-infested with worms while grazing. It is important to remember that up to 99% of worm larvae exist on the pastures and only 1% are actually in a horse. Ideally you should consult your own vet for advice to determine how frequently you need to worm on your individual property.
Maintain good pasture hygeine Top Pasture and yard hygiene is a very important part of worm control and can decrease the frequency at which you need to worm your horses. Manure should be collected at least once daily from stables and small yards, while in larger yards and small paddocks twice weekly manure collection is recommended. Frequent manure removal will help to decrease the risk of feed contamination with worm eggs or larvae. Manure should be composted out of reach of horses and fresh, non-composted manure should not be spread onto paddocks grazed by horses. Alternate grazing of pastures with cattle or sheep or prolonged destocking of the pasture will also help to reduce reinfection rates and decrease the frequency of treatments needed. By following these management practices, using effective wormers and rotating worming classes on an annual basis, we can hopefully slow the development and spread of resistance in redworms to worming compounds. This is particularly important as no new families of worming drug are thought to be close to commercialisation and we need to prolong the effective lifespan of the existing products for as long as possible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Article courtesy of Dr John Kohnke from ‘Health Care and problems of Horses, 9th edition’ published by Virbac-Vetsearch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Little Penguin first time I saw snow is so excited

2011-03-08T23:01:00.000+11:00

Just enjoy this beautiful bird...enjoy life.