I Have My First Alpaca

[Quail]

There are many people who just don't want to put any money into males and take them to the exotic auctions in Ohio where they usually go for meat. This alpaca was very lucky.

PEOPLE EAT ALPACAS!!!!!! Oh mi gosh, I can't imagine anyone eating my sweet Job! Not at all!! This just makes me tear up thinking someone could eat him!!

He's doing so well, too. He's got his own special feed, and he now comes to me when he sees me bringing his feed he runs to me. Big improvement over when we first brought him home! He doesn't like to be petted or handled, but he doesn't mind our presence with him now and doesn't run at high speed to get to the other side of the pasture from us.

$200 to have Job gelded is well worth it IMO, so I won't have to worry about aggression later.

Meat. I just can't believe it!

 

[MrsCountryChick]

How long do Alpacas or Llamas need to be nursed or bottle fed? 8wks like people do for dairy goats?

We researched for a little over a yr before getting Dairy goats. But that was also just due to the travel that used to be involved in Hubby's work & wanting to pick 'good' goats, not just any old goat we seen for sale. I loved learning so much about them. Same with my Sebastopol geese. We have had pygmy goats before in the past, but not dairy goats for milking, so that was a whole new experience. Now we have a little herd! With our bossy #1 in charge doe a Saanen & 3 Lamancha Does. Currently we milk our Saanen & 1 of our Lamanchas. We have 3 boys too. & a cute lil mini Nubian & our 2 buckling Lamanchas (haven't decided yet which one is to be the buck of our herd & which will be our wether). They say personality along with confirmation pays an important part in a herd sire.

It's nice to have the milk for homemade yogurt, buttermilk, ricotta, & I also let the yogurt thicken into sour cream or cream cheese.....tastes great into a cheese cake. Even Hubby agrees it's Delicous as cheesecake, smoother & a little less dense than regular cream cheese. Even using the same recipe as I use for regular store bought cream cheese cheesecake I make. I can't wait to make Mozzerella. Our family Loves pizza & salad.
Are your goats Dairy Goats? We have a relative who has a pygmy goat herd (not for milking or meat, just pets) & they really adore them.

We've had chickens before too but the Show Quality 'Pom-Poms' chickens I have now are by far my favorite.

So if it's 8wks then you wean the cria (Llama or Alpaca) can you then try to give them attension & get them used to 'some' affection & handling.... you know foot care, vacinations, just overall health checks where you may need to be close & touch them on their body, not to mention shearing? What I mean is how long is the time period after they're born that they're in danger of getting the Bererk Syndrome? I mean you can't have an animal have no human contact or they'd be wild & crazy the first time you need to shear them or trim hoofs.? Who wouldn't wanna start to pet those adorable lil guys. Wow the self control you must've had to not pet the little cria like crazy as you bottle fed it!

Job is Adorable, that is exactly the reason I love Alpacas too. Thank Goodness you Saved him & your friend saved the other Alpaca.

 

[ksalvagno]

Alpaca/llama crias are kept on their moms for about 4-6 months. Whether you wean them at 4 months or 6 months depends on a lot of factors, the main one being if the dam gets too skinny and the cria is a very good weight. I would not give affection to an alpaca or llama. At least not what we consider affection. You can give them treats. They like apples and carrots. You can work with them to train them so they accept being touched. The most "affection" I would try and give an alpaca or llama is a back scratch. Some really love a back scratch. But you always have to make sure you respect their space and they respect yours. I would highly recommend going to a Camelidynamics clinic http://www.camelidynamics.com/ with Marty Bennett or a Gentle Spirit Training with Cathy Spalding http://www.gentlespiritllamas.com/ Alpaca and llama farms host the clinics.

You can work with alpacas or llamas such as getting them used to their legs being touched, shots, oral wormers, halter training. It is the hugging and petting and kissing that causes the problems. Plus when you are bottle feeding, you are spending a tremendous amount of time with them as opposed to the regular training. Regular training can start right away. Usually people wait anywhere from a month old to 6 months old to train but you could actually start almost right away. You would want to make sure dam and cria bond and the cria is nursing and getting enough milk.

They are in danger of becoming berserk when you spend a ton of time with them. Bottle feeding is very intensive. You start out with every 2 hours around the clock. Then each week you increase the time in between bottles by half an hour still doing around the clock for close to a month. After that you drop the night bottles but you are still feeding about every 3 hours during the day when you drop that middle of the night bottle. As they get older, the bottles do slowly drop off and it gets down to about 2-3 bottles a day by the time they are about 4 months old. This is where the too much hugging, petting, kissing happens. The cria usually runs to you because he is hungry and you are the food source. You have to be strong and be willing to walk away without hugging or petting them. They have to find comfort with another alpaca or llama. Believe me, you get very attached and the desire to hug, pet and kiss that little face is very strong. All I can say is that it is a good thing crias are cute because it is exhausting to bottle feed when you have to do most of it yourself.

I've seen males that have been loved on too much and were "berserk." It is just a shame. The people only had themselves to blame and the males end up being neglected/abused or passed on to an unsuspecting person and then they end up neglecting/abusing them. Some end up at auctions and their fate is even worse.

I got Nigerian Dwarf goats. I wanted the milk and I liked that they were small and I could have more than just a couple. I'm looking forward to the milk and cheese/yogurt that we can make with the milk. Next year I should get some milk.

 

[Quail]

Job doesn't mind if I put a lead on his halter, but he doesn't like his face or ears touched.

I can pat his neck while he's eating his food, but that's about it. I might be able to get a back scratch in, but that's only if he's feeling generous. I'm happy to just stand close and talk to him. I love it when he looks at me when I talk to him!

He's not yet to the point where he'll let me touch his feet. He freaks out and kicks back. He kicks very well! My DH was standing beside Job when Job decided to kick, didn't get my DH, but Dh said he felt the wind off it. :/

Apples and carrots, huh?? I've plenty of both!! Wonder if Job would like to try one......

 

[ksalvagno]

If you stand that perfect distance from his back leg, you can end up with a nice alpaca foot bruise. And it is the perfect shape of their foot.

When trimming toenails or needing to be near the back end, stand as close to the alpaca as possible. Then if he does kick, the leg can't go far and it doesn't hurt.

 

[Beekissed]

Hey, Aly! Did you see that someone had a camel for sale on here? Hm? Hm? You don't have one of those.......

 

[Quail]

Hey, Aly! Did you see that someone had a camel for sale on here? Hm? Hm? You don't have one of those.......

I have no desire, or need, for a camel. Hmm...but I might want to look at that sale ad...........

Actually, I think Job will be having a buddy come December.

 

[MrsCountryChick]

I have no desire, or need, for a camel. Hmm...but I might want to look at that sale ad...........

Actually, I think Job will be having a buddy come December.

Camels are part of the camelid family.....hmmmmm. Job wouldn't like a BIG sibling.?

I'm an animal lover & always get teased from friends & family how we're slowly growing on our lil farm, lol. We'll see someone we haven't seen in awhile & they'll ask "what new animals do you how now?."

We even have friends who are buying a farm & so that'll be the Best fun to help them buy their animals. My son joked "why don't we just give them ours?"...... sarcastic teenagers!

Wonder why the Bezerk syndrome doesn't apply to other species of large animals like horses, donkeys or cows. Lord knows there are Alot of young animals that are 'well' loved on in other breeds of large animals.?

 

[MrsCountryChick]

I have no desire, or need, for a camel. Hmm...but I might want to look at that sale ad...........

Actually, I think Job will be having a buddy come December.

So how has Job been? I have a few alpacas myself (totally Love them). Can't wait till shearing!

 

[curious alpaca4]

Could I keep some alpacas in the same place chickens were? I heard someplace that it is bad for the alpaca because of the high copper requirement chickens have. I read that even the chicken's poop has too much copper. Is this true?