Bought some Alpacas
Discussion
It started with needing something to mow the paddock. The wife tried to sort out agistment, but nothing fell into place. I wanted a few animals to gaze over as the paddocks in the view line from the house, over a solitary horse.
So I put something in motion. Originally I wanted Llamas but soon learnt that they aren't as common as Alpacas (here in Oz) and so they cost a lot more, and aren't as easy to find. They are meant to be more friendly due to their size and confidence.
Anyhow we found two female alpacas looking for a new home an hour away. They were being sold as the owners had run out of grass, so they had to supplement feed the animals. Upon first look they looked ok to our untrained eye, possibly pregnant the owners said. The owners had only had them for a year and knew little about them, believing them to be a few years old. So without much knowledge, we thought we'd give them a go.
So on the 16th of December we sourced someone with a horse trailer who helped us pick up the now to be known - Salt and Pepper.
Unfortunately having them around us in our lush pasture we started to realise that they were a bit on the thin side, and the brown one (Pepper) had diarrhoea. We knew that the brown ones front teeth needed clipping, but was eating from a bucket fine. Salt appeared ok.
We managed to hunt down an Alpaca shearer who would come out after Christmas.
Unfortunately in this time Pepper died. Just too thin and not in good health. Bugger.
Alpacas can't live alone as they die from loneliness, and with Salt being a lovely animal, it was either find her some friends or give her away. She was pining for a buddy which was soo sad to see and hear, so I set about finding her some friends.
Two days later I had organised for her to have some friends. I sent the wife and my visiting mother off with a hired horse trailer on a 6.5 hour (without stops) round trip. They left around midday hoping that the new alpacas would then mostly travel after the 30 odd degree heat of the day had subsided and turned up to our paddock at 9pmish.
We opened the door for them to not move for a while. But eventually they one by one walked down the gang ramp into their new home. Did I mention that I bought another unwanted flock of 5? Well anyway, we now have six as of Friday just past.
Salt came over to see who they all were and actually ran the last section towards them. Aww.
Saturday morning they were all in for a fright as we rounded them into a pen (built during the day Friday) to have them shorn, nails and teeth checked, then given a round of injections.
This is a very undignified process as their legs are strapped apart and they shrink in size with every pass of the clippers. Also a very troubling time to see how very underweight Salt is. Hopefully our fattening up plan will work for her. She loves to come say hello. The old owners commented how they run funny when chased around the paddock with a drone. So even though Pepper died and Salts not the best, it was worth trying to give them a new home.
So we now have 6 shaved alpacas. They look a lot less bulky now they have no wool!
So we currently have one male - assumingly still active. Three adult females that came with him. One baby Cria, but actually possibly two years old thinks the shearer, anyhow, female which cane in the group. Then Salt our first remaining female.
Need to decide if we want more with the (we assume) sexually active male, or if we corner him off, or sell him on.
In typical fashion as these five needed moving on due to being inherited with a property purchase, yet not wanted, their history is missing. They hadn't been shorn for possibly two years (should be yearly). Not sure who's mum to whom it dad, but hopefully now all shaved and given injections so good on that basis.
Just need them to adopt Salt. Early days so far.
She's sooo thin...
So I put something in motion. Originally I wanted Llamas but soon learnt that they aren't as common as Alpacas (here in Oz) and so they cost a lot more, and aren't as easy to find. They are meant to be more friendly due to their size and confidence.
Anyhow we found two female alpacas looking for a new home an hour away. They were being sold as the owners had run out of grass, so they had to supplement feed the animals. Upon first look they looked ok to our untrained eye, possibly pregnant the owners said. The owners had only had them for a year and knew little about them, believing them to be a few years old. So without much knowledge, we thought we'd give them a go.
So on the 16th of December we sourced someone with a horse trailer who helped us pick up the now to be known - Salt and Pepper.
Unfortunately having them around us in our lush pasture we started to realise that they were a bit on the thin side, and the brown one (Pepper) had diarrhoea. We knew that the brown ones front teeth needed clipping, but was eating from a bucket fine. Salt appeared ok.
We managed to hunt down an Alpaca shearer who would come out after Christmas.
Unfortunately in this time Pepper died. Just too thin and not in good health. Bugger.
Alpacas can't live alone as they die from loneliness, and with Salt being a lovely animal, it was either find her some friends or give her away. She was pining for a buddy which was soo sad to see and hear, so I set about finding her some friends.
Two days later I had organised for her to have some friends. I sent the wife and my visiting mother off with a hired horse trailer on a 6.5 hour (without stops) round trip. They left around midday hoping that the new alpacas would then mostly travel after the 30 odd degree heat of the day had subsided and turned up to our paddock at 9pmish.
We opened the door for them to not move for a while. But eventually they one by one walked down the gang ramp into their new home. Did I mention that I bought another unwanted flock of 5? Well anyway, we now have six as of Friday just past.
Salt came over to see who they all were and actually ran the last section towards them. Aww.
Saturday morning they were all in for a fright as we rounded them into a pen (built during the day Friday) to have them shorn, nails and teeth checked, then given a round of injections.
This is a very undignified process as their legs are strapped apart and they shrink in size with every pass of the clippers. Also a very troubling time to see how very underweight Salt is. Hopefully our fattening up plan will work for her. She loves to come say hello. The old owners commented how they run funny when chased around the paddock with a drone. So even though Pepper died and Salts not the best, it was worth trying to give them a new home.
So we now have 6 shaved alpacas. They look a lot less bulky now they have no wool!
So we currently have one male - assumingly still active. Three adult females that came with him. One baby Cria, but actually possibly two years old thinks the shearer, anyhow, female which cane in the group. Then Salt our first remaining female.
Need to decide if we want more with the (we assume) sexually active male, or if we corner him off, or sell him on.
In typical fashion as these five needed moving on due to being inherited with a property purchase, yet not wanted, their history is missing. They hadn't been shorn for possibly two years (should be yearly). Not sure who's mum to whom it dad, but hopefully now all shaved and given injections so good on that basis.
Just need them to adopt Salt. Early days so far.
She's sooo thin...
Added photos
Edited by Gingerbread Man on Sunday 30th December 03:15
Edited by Gingerbread Man on Sunday 30th December 03:17
desolate said:
Below the wool they are incredibly wiry animals. Much, much smaller than they look.
They also thrive on a really low nutrient diet so are you sure the food isn't too "rich"?
I'm no expert but the one that is shorn doesn't look bad to me.
They're all shorn now, I'll take some updated photos tomorrow.They also thrive on a really low nutrient diet so are you sure the food isn't too "rich"?
I'm no expert but the one that is shorn doesn't look bad to me.
Trying to get them to learn to drink from, the dam. Otherwise I need to sort out a more permanent solution to topping up water troughs. Current throughs are based around an IBC container, a solar panel, car battery, 12v pump and a trough hopefully gravity fed. Just need to hide this all from 'the view'.
Excuse the TV aerial in shot, I was on the roof at the time.
s2kjock said:
Gingerbread Man said:
Something that I need to research today actually as it's sat in bags in the back shed, so thanks for reminding me!
I only asked as my other half knits a lot, and also sometimes spins wool. Sheep fleece values seem to be very low in the hands of a farmer/crofter (even though the balls of wool/yarn end product can be very expensive), but I assume Alpaca has a higher value as I understand the yarn is softer or has other desirable qualities that sheep fleece does not.
So not going particularly well!
The male stopped eating yesterday. Well ate some but wasn't his typical self. We called a vet who said his rear teeth were shredding his gums and causing ulcers. We then fed him a food slurry which he ate more of but not a lot. Another dentist vet came out today to look, but she thinks it's not right and it's something else as Alpaca teeth basically look after themselves. He's been down a lot (on the floor) and getting worse, so it was decided it would be best to put him down. Bugger.
The vets wonder if they haven't been wormed in years before we wormed them and maybe it's from that. They're doing tests, and we might end up worming them all again with a superduper strong wormer which would hopefully clear anything out. Will see how the tests come back.
Hopefully we don't lose more. Sigh.
The male stopped eating yesterday. Well ate some but wasn't his typical self. We called a vet who said his rear teeth were shredding his gums and causing ulcers. We then fed him a food slurry which he ate more of but not a lot. Another dentist vet came out today to look, but she thinks it's not right and it's something else as Alpaca teeth basically look after themselves. He's been down a lot (on the floor) and getting worse, so it was decided it would be best to put him down. Bugger.
The vets wonder if they haven't been wormed in years before we wormed them and maybe it's from that. They're doing tests, and we might end up worming them all again with a superduper strong wormer which would hopefully clear anything out. Will see how the tests come back.
Hopefully we don't lose more. Sigh.
I believe their current problems have come with them so far. We've vaccinated, drench and sheared them. So they should be good from those angles.
The wive was a vet nurse, so she's on it. Although these are bigger animals to their past patients.
Buried the make alpaca yesterday, then just made a mess with the digger for the rest of the day.
The wive was a vet nurse, so she's on it. Although these are bigger animals to their past patients.
Buried the make alpaca yesterday, then just made a mess with the digger for the rest of the day.
In Oz but similar. We have no built shelter. Many trees for them to hide under.
We did make a pen so they can be caught easily if required. Have fed them in it so they often go in it on their own. Seemingly no bad vibes about it!
Useful for vets visits, inspection, shearing, injections etc.
As mentioned, not quite tame but some eat from your hand, and will come up to you, but are always on the back foot so can bolt if needed.
We did make a pen so they can be caught easily if required. Have fed them in it so they often go in it on their own. Seemingly no bad vibes about it!
Useful for vets visits, inspection, shearing, injections etc.
As mentioned, not quite tame but some eat from your hand, and will come up to you, but are always on the back foot so can bolt if needed.
We bought two more. Males this time to join our 5 females. A dad and son from 2 hours south. They came from a bit of an odd collection (we seem to pick them!).
The couple started with one male and three females. And before we bought the two males....they had accumulated 11 without buying any in. Think some inbreeding has occured in that group but we could be wrong. Some were a bit googly eyed!
Anyhow, within two minutes if that of leaving the float - no joke....
We are thinking of letting the dad have a bash as the son seems too young, not yet sexually mature. Then possibly castrate the dad and maybe the son, or leave the son for now. Depending what becomes of the girls.
11 months duration to an Alpaca I believe. See what happens this time next year.
Currently the females still wonder together and the males together away from the girls most often. They do come together but they all seem happy so far.
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