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Spring is Here!
News from
Alpacas of Ohio,
LLC
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Alpacas of Ohio, LLC
Spring
News Letter
Volume No. 100
Issue No. 1
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Articles in this
issue
- Spring Cleaning on the Farm.
- Here Come Those Spring Births!
- Preparing for Parasites.
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Halter
training Alpacas in a pinch!
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Because of the harshness of this winter,
it has been difficult to get out and halter train those
spring show animals. Many of us are now in the
situation of trying to train our juveniles in only a few
weeks. I have found that if I am consistent with the
cria, and halter them everyday, even if it is only for a few
minutes each, they are easier to actually train when the
weather breaks. |
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| Spring
Cleaning on the Farm. |
Now that the weather is breaking, it is
time to get the pastures ready for the summer. We
usually overseed sometime in Feb - April, on a warmer day,
and fertilize at the same time. This gives the
pastures a headstart for growth for the summer, and as the
alpacas are still eating mostly hay, they do not miss having
to stay out of the pastures. While we are seeding, we also
keep an eye out for areas that have settled or
holes that were created by critters over the winter.
These need to be filled in so no one hurts a leg when
running in the pasture. We also
take a look at our fencing and gates, making sure all is
still secure and lining up after the winter freeze.
Another thing we are inspecting this spring
is our barn roof for problems,
lifted shingles, etc. that will need to be repaired, or
improved upon.
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:: TOP :: |
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Now is the time
to take preventative measures to keep parasites out of your
herd. We try to get our alpaca areas cleaned up
quickly after the winter. Make sure to keep up on body
scoring, as an alpaca's long winter fleece can hide a very
thin animal, possibly due to parasites or poor quality hay.
We also treat with Panacur
and Dectomax on a very regular basis. If you have a
high pasture density, then the pastures need to be cleaned
up more often to lessen the parasite problem. With
these preventative measures, and testing for parasites if
any signs are shown, you and your herd will be well prepared
for parasite season. |
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| Here Come
Those Spring Births! |
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We've waited eleven months to get a glimpse of the new
little crias, and now the dates are almost here. So,
now is a great time to get prepared for these exciting
births. If you have a cria kit, make sure everything is still in it, and that you have enough of all
the supplies. If you don't have a cria kit, it's time
to get one. A great resource is the Llama and
Alpaca Neonatal Care book by Bradford Smith, Karen Timm,
and Patrick Long, DVMs. It's also a great resource to
help you review what to do before, during, and after alpaca
birthing, and also what to do in dystocia situations.
One thing we are also doing is getting the
barn cameras up and working after the winter,
especially the low light/night time camera, to keep an eye
on the girls even in the early morning hours.
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:: TOP :: |
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Alpacas of
Ohio, LLC
1281 Wilbur Rd.
Medina, OH, USA 44256
email:
info@alpacasofohio.com
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