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Monday, November 16, 2009

Re: [AlpacaTalk] Weaning crias..........exceptions to the rules

 

38 pounds sounds a little light to me to be weaned.  Don't forget that weaning is very stressful for both dam and cria, even when they can see one another and interact through a fence, and that sometimes weaning can precipitate stress-related illnesses including weight loss and neither dam nor cria are heavy enough to spare any pounds if that happened.  I think I'd hold off until baby is at least 50 and preferably closer to 60-65 pounds before weaning.  You might try adding some Sunshine Pellets (Blue Seal) to the dam's supplement; they're great for weight gain and helping to balance the digestive system since they have probiotics added.
 
Judith Korff
LadySong Farm
Music to Your Wallet
Randolph, New York 14772 
Cell: (716) 499-0383
 


From: Laura A. Roberts <laura0554@hughes.net>
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, November 16, 2009 9:22:52 AM
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] Weaning crias..........exceptions to the rules

 

            We have an old gal we just bought, sight unseen, with her 3 ½ mo old cria.  Mom is very thin and has been diagnosed with MH.  After lots of tests,  Biomycin shots, fecals and worming……..Mom is gaining.  She gained 6 pounds this week!  Baby gained 3 ½ and now weighs 38 pounds.  Our vet advised us to wean baby at 4 months.  She is eating like a little pig….and is healthy and we know mom needs to keep all those groceries she has been giving to baby. 

 

            So, with that in mind, we are doing a little reorganizing and mom is going into the "Big girls" pasture with two other adult females that are bred and little baby is going into the "little girls" pasture with three yearlings.  One of those yearlings is the daughter to one of the "big girls" and we were going to separate them since she is still nursing, also.  I don't think she is getting much, but she still tries.    We plan to do it all at one time when two of our "big girls" come home from their "rendezvous resort". (Herdsire's farm) These pastures are side by side and hopefully the transition won't be too stressful for either.  I do have a way to move them where they can't see each other but I am hoping this way will work. 

 

            This cria weighed 14 pounds at birth and weighs 38 pounds at 4 months.  Does this seem like a reasonable weight and satisfactory weight gain.  She will be four months old this Wednesday.

 

           

 

 

Laura Roberts

R Half Pint Farm

Spotsylvania, VA 

 

From: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro ups.com [mailto: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro ups.com ] On Behalf Of shirley
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 9:31 PM
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro ups.com
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] RE: female acting funny  

Hi Jim,

 

I agree the longer the better.  But 6 months is a little to short IMHO unless the cria is a male.  Females can and will nurse a little longer.  In my situation we thought the female cria had stopped nursing but had started again.  This is the first time we have let it go that long and wouldn't have if we had realized what was going on.  I think 9 months is a good amount of time to stop crias from nursing.  We wean the male crias at 6 months as they are mounting the open females and also the female crias.  This usually works for us.......

 

Sincerely

Shirley Dillon

 

Alpacas of Gemini Farm
Basking Ridge , NJ   07920

 

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posted by Chaddo at 6:47 AM

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