- But I was caught off guard by a recent question posed by a patron at our Guest House when they asked: “Do you have much competition?” I had to pause, as it spoke volumes to me concerning how we, the alpaca industry, have created our image, not through spoken words, but rather in our actions. Instead, I smiled through gritted teeth and told her yes, I had much competition. And then I told her about my opponents. I have to compete with synthetic fibers. I have to compete with the cheap manufacture. I have to compete with chemically altered “natural” fibers. I have to compete using an animal that takes long to see genetic improvement. more »
- Gastric Rumen Transfer, aka Transfaunation, is used for ruminants that quit chewing regurgitated food, better known as “cud.” Ruminants, have multiple stomachs. Most ruminants have four compartments: the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. Alpacas are frequently referred to as pseudo ruminants because they have three compartments: rumen, reticulum, and the abomasum. more »
- Performing regular examinations on your alpacas is critical to maintaining a healthy herd. Those of us living in whitetail deer & snail/slug territory have a regular reminder to do an assessment of our animals when we administer injections to prevent meningeal meningitis infections. A physical examination can take as little as one minute per animal and can be done many times by one person. more »
- I recently had a cria born with probable congenital/acquired joint angulation deformities of the forelegs secondary to malposition in utero. This is the second cria (incidence more »
- Over the past several years, I have seen firsthand, the importance of vitamin D supplementation and unfortunately, the consequences of vitamin D deficiency. In the most severe form of vitamin D deficiency, commonly referred to as rickets, problems include permanent deformities, bone fractures and ultimately death if not corrected in time. more »