Re: Re : [AlpacaTalk] Advice
From: Laura A. Roberts <laura0554@hughes.
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro
Sent: Mon, May 3, 2010 12:15:59 AM
Subject: RE: Re : [AlpacaTalk] Advice
Your mention of your skin and bones girl made me thing of our old girl. I bought her sight unseen and when she arrived, I was shocked to find her skin and bones. She weighed 115 and her health records indicated her weight at 152 when healthy. She was diagnosed with EPE….Mycoplasma Haemalama……(spelled wrong most likely) and treated with Biomycin. This was last Fall…….she arrived at our farm Nov 1st.
WELL, I am so happy to say she now weighs 146 and is STILL nursing her cria……who is long overdue for weaning. Also, amazingly enough, she was bred before we got her and she is still pregnant.
Our vet says we did a great job in getting groceries back on her……….all while nursing a cria, battling our horribly cold winter and recovering from a serious blood bourn illness.
These old gals are so much more sturdy then I ever considered!
Laura Roberts
R Half Pint Farm
Spotsylvania, VA
From: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro ups.com [mailto: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro ups.com ] On Behalf Of Judith Korff/Ladysong Farm
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 6:57 AM
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro ups.com
Subject: Re: Re : [AlpacaTalk] Advice
Yes it is, until you find 2- and 3-year olds nursing on a dam who lets anybody in! I have an older female who - up until I weaned her a month ago - was allowing her 2009 cria, her 2008 cria, her 2007 cria and her sister's 2007 and 2008 crias nurse - sometimes all at the same time! There are times you couldn't find this gal in the crowd around her. One of her nieces even tried to snag colostrum while she was delivering last summer!
It was very upsetting to watch and worry that the newest baby wasn't getting what she needed (although they all seem pretty healthy and hardy EXCEPT the nursing mom, who is nothing but skin and bones no matter how much supplement and other nutritional support she gets). I've retired this dam because it's just too hard on her, and since she's already given me 7 crias - the last three girls - I think she deserves a rest.
So yes, it's great to have a nanny when you have an orphan or a cria whose own dam doesn't have adequate milk; it's not so great when they harm themselves and jeopardize their current offspring in the process.
Judith Korff
LadySong Farm
Music to Your Wallet
Randolph, New York 14772
Cell: (716) 499-0383
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