• In this article, you are about to see that the South American Camelids appear to be a physiological and anatomical blend between cattle, horses, pigs and cats! I will point out these similarities as the article progresses. more »
  • Areas of discussion • Blue eyed whites are not deaf! • Alpaca is lighter than wool! Alpaca has a thermal insulation, 30% better than wool and Cashmere due to its hollow fibre! • Alpaca does not retain water! • Alpaca is 7 times stronger than sheep's wool! Alpaca has 3 times the tensile strength than wool! • Alpaca is prickle free! • People are not allergic to alpaca due to no lanolin/grease! Alpaca does not have lanolin in the fleece! • Alpaca resists solar radiation! • Alpaca is more durable than sheep's wool! more »
  • Generally healthy, well-fed female alpacas give birth to strong and robust babies. But anyone who has raised livestock knows there are occasional problem births and babies that have a difficult time surviving shortly after birth. With birthing season upon us, it seemed only fitting to find a strong article on how to deal with problem births. There are few ecstasies in life greater than saving another living thing. Brad Smith, Karen Timm, and Pat Long were kind enough to allow the reprinting of ‘Birth to 24 Hours of Age’ from their excellent book Llama and Alpaca Neonatal Care. more »
  • We have been fortunate to have experienced almost one hundred births at the Alpaca Hacienda, and every birth is just as exciting as the first. Here, we would like to cover some of the things we have learned about this most amazing, but sometimes stressful time in owning and breeding alpacas. more »
  • Most normal crias will start attempting to stand by ½ hour, succeeding by 1 hour after birth. Once they are up, they start attempting to nurse (usually start trying around 1 hour, succeeding by 3-4 hours). Once the dam and cria have bonded (usually when nursing is established), start dipping the navel with iodine or chlorohexidene 0.5% (repeat 2-3 times daily for 1-2 days) and weigh the baby. Normal (“average”) alpaca babies weigh at least 12 pounds. more »

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