Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

Monday, March 02, 2009

Re: [AlpacaTalk] RE: Electric fence

I would definitely NEVER put hot wire or any other type of wire on the
inside of a fence or the animals will get hurt. Ours is all on the outside. Our
current is high and it does kill the occasional rabbit, squirrel or bird but
humans can touch it, which you will never do again after the first time. It
shocked our barn cat, who took off and never came back after the second time
it happened. However, the coyotes just have to sniff it or touch it and
avoid the entire area now. Our alpacas can't touch it but our horses can in
their pasture if they reach over the top of the fence or push the bottom of the
fence hard enough to touch the outside bottom wire. They learned not to do
that very quickly. Buy a tester or use a heavy wooden stick to push the hot
wire up against metal to check often to see if its on (it will spark). Weeds
growing against it or fallen tree branches can break the current.

SUSAN OLSON
Alpaca Loco
Riverside, CA

In a message dated 3/2/2009 6:01:13 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
houckj@aol.com writes:

<<<<2. The next farm had hot wire, not sure why along the bottom on the
alpaca side also, boys started to wrestle and fight and one of there
beautiful boys got tangled up in the hot wire and died from
electrocution.>>>>

See what I mean! Every time I think I have it settled, along comes
something else to confound me! This is just too scary. And I will have
hot wire along the bottom and top - inside - to keep the goats in which
I am told are real escape artists and will put the horses to shame

When I questioned the person that I am hiring to help put the fence up
and mentioned some fo the things I have read here, he said that the
voltage (I think it was voltage, maybe it was amperage - that stuff is
so confusing to me) is so low that it wouldn't kill anything, and
besides, he said, the bird, or the cat, or the child would have to touch
the hot wire and the ground wire at the same time. He said the wire is
so small anyway that a cat is not going to land on it. He said the
stories I am hearing here must be household current - which *will*
electrocute, but not the standard fence chargers.

So, Heather and Mary Jane, HOW are these animals getting electrocuted?
If the wire is breaking and they are getting tangled up, wouldn't the
current be broken?

Thanks! Janice, days away from putting up a fence, and cannot afford to
make a mistake and would DIE if anything I did caused the death of one
of my precious pacas

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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posted by Chaddo at 6:48 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

[AlpacaTalk] RE: Electric fence

<<<<2. The next farm had hot wire, not sure why along the bottom on the
alpaca side also, boys started to wrestle and fight and one of there
beautiful boys got tangled up in the hot wire and died from
electrocution.>>>>

See what I mean! Every time I think I have it settled, along comes
something else to confound me! This is just too scary. And I will have
hot wire along the bottom and top - inside - to keep the goats in which
I am told are real escape artists and will put the horses to shame

When I questioned the person that I am hiring to help put the fence up
and mentioned some fo the things I have read here, he said that the
voltage (I think it was voltage, maybe it was amperage - that stuff is
so confusing to me) is so low that it wouldn't kill anything, and
besides, he said, the bird, or the cat, or the child would have to touch
the hot wire and the ground wire at the same time. He said the wire is
so small anyway that a cat is not going to land on it. He said the
stories I am hearing here must be household current - which *will*
electrocute, but not the standard fence chargers.

So, Heather and Mary Jane, HOW are these animals getting electrocuted?
If the wire is breaking and they are getting tangled up, wouldn't the
current be broken?

Thanks! Janice, days away from putting up a fence, and cannot afford to
make a mistake and would DIE if anything I did caused the death of one
of my precious pacas

__._,_.___
Message posts are the opinion of individuals posting and are not necessarily endorsed or approved by Yahoo! or the moderator of this group. The purpose of this discussion group is to ensure that all points of view can be aired. It is the responsbilty of all individuals who post to treat others with respect and civility.
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posted by Chaddo at 6:03 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

[AlpacaTalk] RE: electric fence

<<<<My favorite combo is the Redbrand and a hotline on the top about 5"
above the fenceline.
Slainte~
Rachelle>>>>

Thanks Rachelle. I am leaning towards the woven wire with a strand at
the top and a strand at the bottom (for the goats and digging
predators). I see the 5 strand suggested in goat books and it looks
more affordable, but I just don't see it dependably keeping critters in
AND out. If the goats weren't going to be sharing the new alpaca
pasture part of the time (night) I wouldn't even be putting electric
wire over there at all. I have *never* had a paca challenge a fence and
their fence is very cheap, old, and loose. Your boy sounds like
something else!

On a different note, I have wanted to thank you for being SO adament
about my separating my male. Some folks may have been offended by your
forthrightness, but I was not. It takes that sometimes to get me to
listen; as I know there is a best or preferred way to do things and then
just the way that *can* be done. As I am not a breeder, I take a lot of
what you guys say along those type of lines with a grain of salt.....I
am just a little ole homesteader trying to scrape by best I can on my
own and loving my alpacas. Had you not been so forceful, I would not
have done anything. But due to your continued harrassment <g> and
Heather's, I DID separate my male. It is a hassle every day as I don't
really have the set up to do that and we (my 10yo and I) are out several
times a day moving everyone around so they all get a turn at the "good"
pasture and the good hay and so noone has to be alone all the time. But
we have gotten into a routine with it, so it is not so bad.

And Merry Morning is doing great!

Thanks again,
Warmly, Janice, wondering how Jim's paca girl is doing? Any news?

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posted by Chaddo at 5:49 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

Re: [AlpacaTalk] Poisonous Plants

Hi Ridgley,
We haven't had any cases of plant poisonings, but we do make sure to
pull any weeds that we know are toxic, like tansy ragwort, for example.

What kind of Laurel do you have? Where are you located? It looks like
Great Laurel and Cherry Laurel (neither are true laurels) are
poisonous. Indeed, any rhododendron species can be toxic, especially
that one used widely in California as an ornamental, but I don't find
it attractive at all...

I just googled "laurel" and many plants called laurel are toxic,
whether in the rhodie family or not! However, it appears that true
laurels are not poisonous.

I would make sure to remove any toxic plants from pastures, and cut
back any branches that might grow over your fencelines into the
pastures.

Alpacas generally don't eat anything poisonous as long as they have
adequate forage and hay, but why take a chance?

Heather

Heather Zeleny
White Lotus Alpacas
Creswell, OR

Holistic Farm and Elite Fleece
http://www.whitelotusalpacas.com
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AlpacaTalk/join

On Mar 2, 2009, at 3:38 PM, rollinridge wrote:

> Hi All,
> Newbie question here. I am doing LOTS of research in hopes of
> purchasing alpacas. My husband has had horses of and on all of his
> life, me for 14 years. (Though I rode for years as a kid). And we've
> competed and bred dogs for many years. We also have chickens. I never
> really thought twice before purchasing a horse - just did it. But
> since Alpacas are so "different" I figured I better look into them.
> And boy am I finding out alot. I just finished reading "Caring fo
> Llamas & Alpacas" by Clare Hoffman DVM. So - my qestion concerning
> poisionous plants. There is a long list of poisonous plants in the
> book. With our horses we have never had a problem with anything
> poisionous. Of course, I could also be very ignorant to some of the
> plants on the list I did know about and we don't have those on the
> property. But some of the flowers - we have let the horses into our
> backyard to graze and they have stayed away from what they shouldn't
> eat. But - some of the others - we do have all around us that are
> poisonous to Alpacas - such as laurel (we back up to woods) for one.
> I've read different message board posts about poisonings. Do Alpacas
> eat the poisonous plants they shouldn't-just becayse it's there? Are
> Alpacas really that sensitive that they die that easily from all of
> these plants? I don't mean to sound harsh if that is the way this is
> coming across - just trying to understand how to keep them separated
> out from detrimental environmental issues.
> Thanks for any help.
> Ridgley
> Rollin'Ridge Farm
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

__._,_.___
Message posts are the opinion of individuals posting and are not necessarily endorsed or approved by Yahoo! or the moderator of this group. The purpose of this discussion group is to ensure that all points of view can be aired. It is the responsbilty of all individuals who post to treat others with respect and civility.
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posted by Chaddo at 4:41 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

[AlpacaTalk] Poisonous Plants

Hi All,
Newbie question here. I am doing LOTS of research in hopes of
purchasing alpacas. My husband has had horses of and on all of his
life, me for 14 years. (Though I rode for years as a kid). And we've
competed and bred dogs for many years. We also have chickens. I never
really thought twice before purchasing a horse - just did it. But
since Alpacas are so "different" I figured I better look into them.
And boy am I finding out alot. I just finished reading "Caring fo
Llamas & Alpacas" by Clare Hoffman DVM. So - my qestion concerning
poisionous plants. There is a long list of poisonous plants in the
book. With our horses we have never had a problem with anything
poisionous. Of course, I could also be very ignorant to some of the
plants on the list I did know about and we don't have those on the
property. But some of the flowers - we have let the horses into our
backyard to graze and they have stayed away from what they shouldn't
eat. But - some of the others - we do have all around us that are
poisonous to Alpacas - such as laurel (we back up to woods) for one.
I've read different message board posts about poisonings. Do Alpacas
eat the poisonous plants they shouldn't-just becayse it's there? Are
Alpacas really that sensitive that they die that easily from all of
these plants? I don't mean to sound harsh if that is the way this is
coming across - just trying to understand how to keep them separated
out from detrimental environmental issues.
Thanks for any help.
Ridgley
Rollin'Ridge Farm

__._,_.___
Message posts are the opinion of individuals posting and are not necessarily endorsed or approved by Yahoo! or the moderator of this group. The purpose of this discussion group is to ensure that all points of view can be aired. It is the responsbilty of all individuals who post to treat others with respect and civility.
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posted by Chaddo at 3:38 PM 0 comments