I completely agree here, though I am sure to some I am wrong also. I live in WA and this year, we had a very mild winter. No snow, some very cold nights during our cold snaps, but nothing consistant, and the amount of rain and cold together was close to non-existant. The result? Our fleeces are very short, and will probably not make it to 3" by shearing. The density is there, but length is horrible.
Last year, it was rediculously cold, tons of snow (The most WA had seen in a very long time. I think it was something like 30 years) and lots of winter came at once. The alpacas were little fiber machines. We had tons of fiber on them with lots of density but all still kept their fineness.
We have them on the same feeding regimen we had them on last year, and the quality of hay is the same if not better. They have been on the same feed for years and have always done well on it weight wise, but I am convinced that without the weather to demand the growth, it is going to be hard to get tons of it. I have also always believed that while micron and fleece can be genetic, you also have environmental factors that play into density, growth, and micron. Either way, I know what you are saying here, and it can be very frustrating to not get good growth because they weather just was not playing right. I like warm, but not if it's going to play with my herd's fleece. :-)
Maegan
Cedar Grove Alpacas
WA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard & Robin Vasquez" <rv@lovethemalpacas.com>
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 7:48:34 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] What's new? Temp and fleece
| Hi Laura, I think temperature does make a difference in fleece but most of the experts don't agree with me. I know my dogs coats change and are thicker when it is going to be a long cold winter in California. I do notice that east coast alpaca arrivals have a denser fleece and after a year or two here don't seem to have the same handle. Older production gals don't have very good fleece but some of our girls that have the worst fleece of the entire herd produce the crias with the best density and length. Can't judge a book by its cover so to speak. I currently have one dam that looks like heck but she has produced several champions in her lifetime and her last cria will be in our show string this year. I was going to whine and complain about our rain and mud but after a few stories of the snow you folks are dealing with I thought I best be silent. We don't have freezing temps or frozen water or any of those things. I give you much credit. I am a total California sissy girl.
Robin
Richard and Robin Vasquez
R & R Ranch LLC 325B Denio Avenue
Gilroy,CA 95020 Phone: 408-842-5233/ Cell 408-710-0676/710-7911 LTA
--- On Thu, 2/11/10, Laura A. Roberts <laura0554@hughes.net> wrote:
From: Laura A. Roberts <laura0554@hughes.net>
Subject: RE: [SPAM][AlpacaTalk] What's new?
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7:33 AM
Dh has decided we must have a generator and I agree. The most important thing for me is being able to get water…..so his plan is to get one that we can switch over to for some of the power needed in the house, the well pump and the outlets in the barn that the buckets are plugged in to. I have three new alpacas in our quarantine paddock and barn that I had hoped to put with the rest of the herd this week, but haven't been able to, yet. THEY adventure out a bit, but the others (12) are content to sit on their behinds eating and pooping. I have lived in VA since 1978 and this is the most snow I have ever seen. We got 20" in Dec (unheard of that early) then about 18" late January, then another 15" and the last one this week dumped about 6". The temps are up this week in the mid thirties during the day so the snow is melting. It is dropping to teens at night, though, so anything melted freezes. The kids have been out of school since last Friday. I have no idea what they will have to do to make up the time. I also have another question that I have never seen raised before. We bought an older gal from CA who has been bred regularly. Her fleece is thin and sparse compared to my girls. I realize age and gestating and lactating have an affect on their fleece, but I am also wondering if animals exposed to lower temps have denser fleece? I know alpacas are raised everywhere, but is it possible alpacas raised in snowy and cold climates have more fleece? Like the dogs whose coats thicken up for winter…do theirs? I have one girl expecting in April and I hope we see Spring before then! The thought of a cria in this cold makes me shiver! Laura R Half Pint Farm Spotsylvania, VA
From: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro ups.com [mailto: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro ups.com ] On Behalf Of Emma Urban
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 8:49 AM
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro ups.com
Subject: Re: [SPAM][AlpacaTalk] What's new? I used to live in Stafford before I moved to MI and started to raise alpacas. I have often thought about what I'd do to water the animals if we lost power. It is definitely a very important thing to think about. Glad you posted and gave us some ideas. I keep thinking about getting a generator for the day when I lose power, but I haven't made the investment. I don't give ivermectin in the winter because everything is frozen. This is really a hotly debated topic and no one really has a definitive answer. I guess it really is a personal thing. I am probably one of the unusual ones (in not giving the shots year round). I also provide Evan's Vitamin E blend as a free choice mineral. I put DE (diatomatious Earth) in with it. The alpaca love the stuff, I have a hard time keeping the mineral bins full. I do not give my fiber herd any pellets, so they really go through the minerals. I count on the DE helping with internal parasites. I started in the fall and plan to do a fecal in the spring to see where we are before I do any worming. I'm hoping they're clean and I don't have to worm. Twenty inches of snow is A LOT for VA. Stay warm and enjoy it while you can. Did your alpacas go out and check it out? Thank you, Emma D. Urban
Urban Dreams Farm, LLC
9667 W. Van Buren Rd
Riverdale , MI 48877
www.urbandreamsfarm .com
989-463-5150 (h)
989-436-5061 (c)
|
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