Hi Janice,
Heaters can be useful, but rarely do we use them unless it gets below
25F here in Ohio. Right now it is -2F barns are mostly closed up. I use
the dog blankets to put on the animals if they are having difficulty
keeping themselves warm. Takes alittle bit of time for some animals that
have never had one on to get use to them. But they cover the chest and
back areas great.
Back to heaters we use they are quail heaters
,www.gqfmfg.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=40 this is the
link for the heaters. They hang from the rafters but if they are put low
enough they radiate heat pretty good, we put them in the creep feeder
areas for the crias so they hang pretty low 5' is the highest. If you
are concerned about the cria getting cold please try to keep her in out
of the weather if the others don't come in she won't and that could lead
to problems. It all depends on your herd and situation.
I do some shearing here and have started to on the older girls that do
not grow fleece, some farms have me leave 1/2 inch on them so I just tip
them, and some of the older Suris I shear everyother year, and usually
hand shear so we can leave on even more fiber. Not as pretty but it
helps, some of the dog blankets will fit a 200 lb alpaca 3xxx is the
largest size I found.
www.chicksaddlery.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=CD\
B250 is the link for dog blankets.
Back to shearing what time of year do your animals get shorn? I can't
see them being cold like here the boys lay outside all night in sub-zero
as long as it is not windy, they will have frozen tears and frozen
persiration by their armpits. Remember in Peru it gets cold every night
and warmer during the day. Probably similar to your area. What we have
up north is very different than Peru, they do not have months of cold
straight and it can be very hard on all even alpacas, just because it is
day after day of cold and no sun. Fecal issues I deal with my vet and
run fecals very often. I don't worm other than the ivomec monthly for M
worm in our area there are deer every where. Now if my fecals are
positive for what ever I ask a few vets how they are treating and take
my steps from that. As for coccidosis it is treated differently in
crias and older animals so I will leave that answer up to someone else
that has more schooling than I. Yogurt can be administered for a upset
belly just like probias which is another product you can keep on hand,
but remember to give these only if your vet says it is ok.
Hope these ideas help.
Mary Jane Fox
Up-Close-and-Personal-Alpaca-Shearing
Kirtland, OH
216-272-8887
--- In AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com, houckj@... wrote:
>
> <<<<Good morning Janice,
> some items: Banamine-some vets will let you keep a couple of shots
after
> you learn to give shots and when it is needed
> Vet wrap
> blankets-dog blankets work great measure the
> animal from the center of the chest around the side to the tail
> yogurt-full fat and plain
> heaters
> straw
> towels
> first aid kit for you and the animals there
> are inexpensive ones at the box stores
> Hope these items are never needed!
>
> Mary Jane Fox>>>>
>
>
> Thanks Mary Jane, all good suggestions. Anyone else have their list
of
> suggestions?
>
> I have wondered about a heater, and almost used one the first week
Merry
> was born as it was quite cold that week and she was shivering, even
with
> her cute little coat on, but I feared fire danger more than anything,
so
> instead opted for a light bulb in a reflector hanging low from the
> rafters, still a fire hazard t ho and doesn't put out much heat at
all.
> We will not get above freezing for the next 3 days with wind chills
> below zero at night (and I'm in GA, can't imagine how the rest of you
> manage) and tho she has a coat on (and is now 2 wks old and gaining
> steadily!!) I am still concerned about them. Ususally they lay out in
> the pasture all night (instead of in a protected place) and are
covered
> with frost from head to tail in the morning, so they must like the
cold,
> but not last night! This morning they were all in the little
barn.....a
> place they never/rarely go willingly as that is our "hospital and
> treatment" room. But they were crammed up in there this morning :-).
> Tonight and tomorrow night much much colder.
>
> What sort of heater? I have a little electric one, but with all the
hay
> out there strewn all over the floor I am just way too scared to leave
a
> heater on all night? Actually tho the alpacas should be better able
to
> stand the cold than the horses? However I have noticed their coat is
> only about half grown out since their shearing in June, and our winter
> will soon be over. Is he shearing too close? Is there a way to shear
> not so close so as to leave enough of a coat on them that will be full
> by winter?
>
> I almost always have yogurt on hand....what do you use it for with the
> alpacas?
>
> Blankets for lying on or for draping over? Or both? I have tons of
old
> blankets, not particularly dog blankets, that's why I'm asking. They
> can easily be folded up to lay on, but I don't think the alpacas would
> stay on them!
>
> I have always wanted to keep Banamine on hand, but so far no vet I
have
> used will give me any to keep on hand. There are several presc meds I
> would like to keep on hand, but they won't get up off them :-(.
>
> Do you keep anything on hand to treat for coccidosis?
> Something I've never had here that I know of, I frequently see "balled
> stools" in the pasture, but no one ever appears ill or puny and I
don't
> know who it comes from. Balled stool is all Dr Evans says in his
> manual, so I don't know what else to be on the look out for, or what
> coccidosis does or is.....just that it is dangerous to young ones.
>
> Warmly (ha!) Janice
>
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