Yesterday it was the turn of the Alpacas
When the came for there morning feed, Martin shut them in the shelter ready for some maintenance.
They know there is something coming, being shut in and the two of us arriving, they are on alert see all those ears back.
We started with Daisy who is a nightmare when handled, she is the herd matriarch and puts up a fight when restrained, so getting her done first is less time for her to get worked up.
First it was a vitamin D injection into the hind muscle area, they need the Vit D every 8 weeks through winter because of our short days, Martin holds them and I do the deed, then its getting the Liver Fluke treatment squirted into there mouth, this is given as a preventive to Liver Fluke, as the land has previously been grazed by sheep and cattle. This is given to them annually, they have a worm treatment June/July time.
While we have hold of them we can trim there feet, white Alpacas nails grow a lot faster than dark ones, if trimming isn't done every few months, the nails will grow round and corkscrew, in the wild they are on rocky ground and it helps keep there nails in check, I am hoping with a concrete floor in the shelter it will help a bit with the nails, the boys nails are in bad shape, when we got them 3 years ago this month, there nails had started to corkscrew and no matter how much we trim them they will never come back straight. A body score is done while we are handling them, they all seem in good shape, which we need to get them through the winter.
Once they were all done they were let out, I couldn't get photos of there feet as it is a two person job, I must try setting up a video next time. It was great having a roomy dry area to deal with the Alpacas, no slipping around in the mud.
First it was a vitamin D injection into the hind muscle area, they need the Vit D every 8 weeks through winter because of our short days, Martin holds them and I do the deed, then its getting the Liver Fluke treatment squirted into there mouth, this is given as a preventive to Liver Fluke, as the land has previously been grazed by sheep and cattle. This is given to them annually, they have a worm treatment June/July time.
While we have hold of them we can trim there feet, white Alpacas nails grow a lot faster than dark ones, if trimming isn't done every few months, the nails will grow round and corkscrew, in the wild they are on rocky ground and it helps keep there nails in check, I am hoping with a concrete floor in the shelter it will help a bit with the nails, the boys nails are in bad shape, when we got them 3 years ago this month, there nails had started to corkscrew and no matter how much we trim them they will never come back straight. A body score is done while we are handling them, they all seem in good shape, which we need to get them through the winter.
Once they were all done they were let out, I couldn't get photos of there feet as it is a two person job, I must try setting up a video next time. It was great having a roomy dry area to deal with the Alpacas, no slipping around in the mud.
Everyone's treatment is recorded on a wall calendar, we can then see at a glance who is due what, Sol is due his this evening, he is easy to do just drops of liquid down his back.
We spent a bit of time discussing and pacing out were to build a new goat house, we are going for the same type of building but will be changing it to suit the goats needs.
We spent a bit of time discussing and pacing out were to build a new goat house, we are going for the same type of building but will be changing it to suit the goats needs.
So, you have 6 alpacas? What do you mean " just drops of liquid down his back" - what liquid.
ReplyDeleteYour shelter looks perfect for them :D
The worm and flea treatment for Sol the dog is given by drops that done down his back, I have no idea how it works but it does.
DeleteI love those types of discussions, planning for the future. I bet you're a dab hand at the alpaca working / trimming etc now. I need to give the sheep heptavac and think I will get the vet to show me how to do it for the first time and then do my own once they've shown me.
ReplyDeleteIts been great learning it all, I had a 10 minuet lesson when I got the boys thee years ago, since then its been a book, you tube and best of all the vet.
DeleteYou really know your stuff with those alpacas.
ReplyDeleteI love how dedicated you are to your animals-x-
I still have a lot to learn with Alpacas, there is only one decent book about them and its American.
DeleteThose Alpacas take a lot of care and you do it so well.
ReplyDeleteNot really a lot of care, no more than a dog really, just different
DeleteThat shelter turned out awesome- glad you got concrete to work on!
ReplyDeleteIts great having some-where dry and solid to work instead of sliding about in mud
DeleteThe wall planner is a good way to keep track of everything and there certainly seems a lot to keep track of xx
ReplyDeleteCant trust things to memory, there are too many things to remember
DeleteI hope the concrete helps to keep their feet in shape. I have a friend who runs a sanctuary for horses/ponies and they have made stony areas for them to walk over which replicates what they might have encountered when horses were undomesticated. Helps their feet, so hopefully your alpacas will benefit from their "rough" area.
ReplyDeleteAs I have said before, you are SO ORGANIZED!!!
we do plan to put a load of shale down around the shelter at some point, it will be good for there feet.
DeleteI love reading about how you care for your animals Dawn. You guys do such a good job on them!
ReplyDeleteWhen you have animals you have to take on the responsibility of there care, they are dependent on us.
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