Twenty-five years of working with alpacas has culminated in the production of a robust, 120-page, A5, Glove Box Guide to Alpacas. The first half of the guide contains information on husbandry, cria care,…
Twenty-five years of working with alpacas has culminated in the production of a robust, 120-page, A5, Glove Box Guide to Alpacas. The first half of the guide contains information on husbandry, cria care,…
The onus for the health and welfare of alpacas (and other livestock) on your farm is, and has always been, up to you, the owner/manager. On 1 October 2017, all cattle, sheep and…
There was talk by Tasmanian alpaca farmers a couple of weeks ago about how to reduce mossy pastures. Here is a small case study in pictures for you to ponder. Mossy, unproductive…
All people handling livestock, be they owners, managers, employees or contractors, have an ethical and legal Duty of Care to animals in their care. Australian state and territory laws may vary a…
If you spot an alpaca having trouble giving birth: Observe the female quietly from a distance for 5-10 minutes to see if she is progressing and more of the cria appears. If…
Following a small survey of milk constituents in 5 lactating alpacas in south-eastern Australia, it was revealed that the average milk fat content was 4.4%, the average milk protein content was 4.2%…
Urea is a non-protein source of nitrogen that can be used by fore-gut fermenters such as alpacas, goats, sheep and cattle as a source of protein. The microbes in the first compartment…
The chart above illustrates alpaca cria growth rates under Australian conditions. The solid line represents what is reasonably and ideally achievable by alpacas grazing pasture with appropriate supplementation, whilst the dotted line…