AlpacaMania the annual alpaca show which is organised by the State of Jefferson Alpaca Association.
Is now firmly back in the calendar for Columbus Weekend. Which in 2008 is October 10th through 12th inclusive. As always it is at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Central Point, Oregon. Monday the 13th is Columbus day.

This is a great show and billed quite rightly as the most friendly alpaca show in the world. You get to meet a great crowd of people show your animals and then head off on Sunday afternoon and you are on holiday on the Monday so you have a whole day to recover - perfect!

We are hoping that the judge of this years show will be David Barboza. David is an alpaca rancher and AOBA show judge from California so he won't have that far to travel to our show and being on the board of AOBA he may well have some interesting insights into what is going on in the US Alpaca Industry - communication has never been a strong point of the Alpaca Breeders and Owners Association.

Well I must press on I have to write my regular alpaca column for the UK Alpaca Magazine. Its amazing how the months roll around....happy farming.

After some really cold and very windy weather it is good to feel the warmth of the sun again. The farm is still asleep so the amount of work to be done with weeds or grass is minimal this is good news as it gives us time to do some other long standing chores that we just never get round to in the summer.

The sort of thing I mean is adjusting gates so that they open and close without hitting the ground and match up with the latch, small things but they make for an easier life in the long run.

The chickens are quite firmly on strike and haven't laid any eggs for a few weeks now. I am assuming its the lack of daylight but it might just be that they are coming towards the end of their productive life. They are only 3 or 2 years old so I confident that they will get back on the job once the weather warms up and the daylight hours get longer. We have lost a couple of old birds this winter so I think we will pick up a couple of chicks in the spring....call me old fashioned but daffodils and spring chickens are an essential part of the seasonal cycle of events here on the alpaca farm.

Just to be clear from the start this is a humorous entry....not a serious business proposition.... well at least I think it is!

Some of you may well remember a Blog entry from way back when, where I talked about how sheep racing was popular at some agricultural shows in England and where the jockeys were little knitted characters. As depicted in this picture where it all looks very exciting.

So I was fascinated this morning when I discovered the following picture of some actual sheep racing with real jockeys. Again from England and I am guessing that its from maybe the 1950's judging by the clothes that the two girls are wearing. It certainly looks like the girls are having fun...not at all sure about the sheep....I am sure this sort of thing is quite illegal these days under European law.


Well if you have any novel ways for using alpacas that are suitable for family entertainment let me know....

This information was sent to me today and although I hate to spread rumour and speculation the e-mail appears here exactly as it was sent to me.

"I received an email last night from an Empire member and thought it appropriate to send
the information out to the membership, although I must emphasize that at this point, it is
all speculative and nothing is proven.

Several farms have reported cria loses (at least 9). The symptoms are very similar:
refusing food; going down and dying within a short period of time. A couple have had
their fiber come out in tuffs. The necropsy on one showed aflatoxins toxicity. Necropsies
of two others showed only liver lipidosis.

A possible common denominator APPEARS to be Poulin Cria Pellets. The company was notified on Friday about this situation and is very concerned.

I want to emphasis that nothing has been proven at this point but you may want to contact
the company if you are using this feed. If you have had deaths with similar symptoms,
you may wish to contact Poulin and discuss this with your vet."

Steve McCarthy
Spruce Ridge Farm

Buying alpacas is very easy...selling them can be much more of a challenge...so SoJAA the local AOBA Affiliate of which I am president is organising a seminar to help our members and other alpaca breeders improve their marketing.

You bought 'em, barnd 'em, breed 'em and birth 'em, -----------now what??

The State of Jefferson Alpaca Association (SoJAA) has just the thing to help you out.
We are putting on a Marketing Seminar presented by Julie Wassom.
Julie is known as the "alpaca marketing lady". She is President of The Julian Group, Inc., a training and consulting firm with a specialty in alpacas marketing and sales. Her practical ideas work to help alpaca breeders increase sales opportunities, profitability, and the image of their farms and animals.

SoJAA is happy to have Julie for a full day of marketing education, Saturday March 15, 2008, at the Rogue Regency Inn in Medford, OR.
From 9:00am- 4:00pm you will receive loads of tips and have many discussions on
alpaca business marketing, with a buffet lunch in between. So, come one, come all.
Learn from the best and have a wonderful time.

SoJAA member's cost is $25.00 per person/$45 for two from the same ranch

Non-members cost $100.00 per person/$175 for two from the same ranch

For more information and registration contact

Diana Shultz @ 541-472-4060 or dshultz@uci.net

E-Mac or to give it its full name - Eimeria macusaniensis.



Dr Leslie Richardson my veterinarian recommends using Corid at a dose of 10mg/kg for 15 consecutive days (OSU's recommendation).

Corid comes in a 9.6% solution (96mg/ml) and must be diluted to ~1.5% solution (15mg/ml) to prevent oral and esophageal erosion.

Corid can also cause a die-off of the thiamine producing bacteria in the C1 which in turn can cause a thiamine deficiency and result in polioencephalomalacia...to prevent this she also recommends administering injectible thiamine every 2-3 days during the treatment.

Corid dose:
Per 100# body weight administer 4.7ml corid and dilute with ~25ml of water to a total volume of ~30ml and a resulting concentration of ~1.5%.

Thiamine dose:
The dose is 3-5mg/kg, the thiamine we have is 200mg/ml so you could give ~1ml per 100# body weight every 2-3 days.

If you are thinking about buying alpacas then you need to do your homework before hand and we have a simple and easy to use buyers guide which you can read before going on a farm visit just to whet your appetite.

In winter I open up the hay field and allow the alpacas to wander about at random. They really appreciate the big wide open spaces and in fact there is so much space I don't even bother to pick up the poop....it would take me hours to even find it. Now this may be contrary to what I was saying about parasites for the last two days and of course in the smaller pastures I pick up the poop every day.



Our nearest town is Ashland and it has been a safe haven for hippies and alternative types for many years so it is in no way typical of the rest of Oregon. Of course hippies and those living off trust funds grow older but their spirit remains and this car was I thought so typical of Ashland.
Firstly of course the car has to be a Toyota Prius Hybrid, next it needs some thought provoking bumper stickers and finally if possible a suitable licence plate...in this case REVOLT.



I really like the place personally and whether you are a local or a stranger everyone will smile and say hello no matter what their age and there aren't many places like this left... so if you are ever heading up I-5 just north of the Californian border call in and say hello.

Following on from yesterdays entry on parasites. De worming can be performed on a seasonal basis depending on your geographical location, open or closed herd, pasture – dry or irrigated, travel to shows, stocking density and so forth.
Periodic fecal sampling (as described yesterday) including fecal egg counts will provide you with information as to the types and numbers of parasites present. You should review your particular loaction with your veterinarian and in combination with fecal egg counts determine the best deworming program for your alpaca herd.
A general program for the Pacific Northwest where we are based would include twice a year treatment of all alpacas over 2-3 months. In the fall after a killing frost, the herd would be treated with an ivermectin-type product for intestinal worms, external parasites, and nose bots. Alpacas should be treated in the spring prior to majority of births with a fenbendazole-type product. The periodic fecal exams will determine if additional dewormings would be needed.

Several ranches do their own fecal samples and this is a good first line of attack however you really do have to know what you are doing and exactly what you are looking for. My own opinion is that my time is more effectively spent on the marketing aspects of the farm rather than on testing for worms. I can pay the vet to do that and have confidence in the results.
But that's just my opinion it is equally valid to do all the fecal testing yourself and pay someone to do the marketing activity.....as I sometimes say to new alpaca breeders you can do absolutely anything you want...its your farm and you're the boss. But you can't do everything because there just isn't time. So concentrate on the tasks you enjoy and can do well....

If you are thinking about buying alpacas then you need to do your homework before hand and we have a simple and easy to use buyers guide which you can read before going on a farm visit just to whet your appetite.

I often get asked about parasites and parasite control and its not easy to answer as every worming program should be tailored specifically to the individual alpaca farm: There is no "one size fits all approach when it comes to parasite control in alpacas.

So next time your vet is coming by take 15 minutes to talk through what you want to achieve. In general though, breeders need to be concerned about the potential
for parasite drug resistance in our alpacas since indiscriminate use of anthelmintics (these are drugs to treat internal parasites, e.g. Panacur, Safeguard, Ivermectin, etc) can lead to "problem parasites" and we only have a limited number of drugs at our disposal. For this reason, periodic fecal exams and occasional use of anthelmintic drugs is the responsible way to ensure that your alpaca herd remains disease-free.

Some alpaca farms may only require dosing for gastro-intestinal parasites twice a year and others may need to worm every 2 months. The frequency of worming depends a lot on your stocking density and management practices such as pasture rotation.

Always dose alpacas individually based on weights: Purchase a set of scales for your barn and use them before administering any drugs. Under-dosing is the easiest way to induce drug resistant parasites.

Fecal samples should be taken from individual alpacas and not from a communal dung piles. This is important because it allows you to identify a particular animals with problems and may show up patterns if you have a herd parasite problem.

Ideally use a latex exam glove with a little lubrication and take the faeces directly from the rectum. Collect a good size sample - about half a cup is ideal though labs can work with
less. Put it in a clean pot or Ziploc bag and clearly label with the alpacas name and the date. Take samples fresh and send away or give to your veterinarian the same day as soon as possible to prevent deterioration of the sample.

Parasites cannot be eradicated but you can keep the burden in each animal at a tolerable level

This morning we woke up to another light covering of snow, so once again we were very lucky.




The temperature stayed just one degree below freezing so I don't believe we have suffered any more frozen pipes. Once spring is here I will be installing the self draining faucets as recommended by a Blog reader last week.
All the alpacas are well and enjoy strolling through the snow covered fields and finding nice green pieces of new growth grass here and there. We have now laid out a layer of straw in the barn so that they can take shelter inside at night. But as always they would rather be outside than inside and who am I to argue?
Stay warm and dry and we can talk some more tomorrow.

Phew...well after all the weather forecasts we actually got off quite lightly and just had a powder coating of snow at our altitude but up on the mountain it dumped big time. In fact they have had 64" in the last 7 days so the skiing is probably excellent.

Still way too busy on the farm and with other projects to even start to think about skiing this week.

I have found some great tree stakes in a catalogue by a company called Gemplers each stake is about 30" long and has a blade so you can literally screw it into the ground and once in it has a holding weight of 2,500 lbs which is pretty impressive. You can boy a box of 12 for $60 so they are also quite affordable.

In England we always keep our ears open to hear the first cuckoo of spring, a sure sign that all is well in the world. In the North American world of Alpacas the first sure sign of spring is when Snowmass Alpacas send out their auction catalogue.

This years catalogue is as impressive as ever and is available as a PDF from the Snowmass Alpacas web site.

Anyone is welcome to attend this high class event which is held annually down in sunny Arizona.

Schedule of Events, Friday, February 22nd,
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm: Welcome, open pen alpaca viewing
5:00 pm: Cocktails & hors d’oeuvres & good conversations

Saturday, February 23rd
9:00 am to 12:00 pm: Open pen alpaca viewing
12:30 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm: The Making of Champions Private Selection Sale

The basic idea is that you show up and Don and Julie treat you to a wonderful time while Celebrity Sales separate you in the most pleasant way imaginable from your hard earned cash. On Sunday the happy punters get to go home with some decent Snowmass Genetics while Don and Julie head back to the ranch a few million dollars the richer. Now isn't that the American Alpaca dream?

Over the years Sonwmass have produced two really excellent brochures on fleece and these can be downloaded from the Snowmass Alpacas web site as PDF files:

Part 1 - 23 pages, written in 2003
Part 2 - 32 pages, written in 2005

Both brochures are well worth reading if you haven't already seen them.

Here on the alpaca farm the second snow storm is on its way and as I look out of the window and into the distance I can see that the pass over the Siskiyou Mountains into California must be closed as there are two solid lines of traffic stationary on the southbound carraigeway of I- 5. So much for spring!!

During the night it blew and it blew.
This morning we had several branches down and two trees well on their way to going over. Which I believe was a combination of the high winds and the rain loosening up the soil around the roots. A statement of the obvious I guess......



The second tree is still being supported by the John Deere mobile tree support system....I will wire it up when the weather calms down.



The worst piece by far was that one of the old hay barn doors was blown out at right angles. Bending and almost breaking the track in the process. The best we could do was lift it back into place with the tractor and then drive some carriage bolts through the door into the barn to secure it closed for now.





The weather forecast says that last night was the first of four storms that are coming our way.

The forecast is for severe winds so we are trying to batten down the hatches in order to minimise any damage.



The alpacas do not appear to find the barn attractive even when its raining and much prefer to hunker down in an open space than shelter in a barn where the wind is whistling around the eaves all night long.

Of course what falls as rain in the valley falls as snow on the pass and we are expecting up to six feet of snow on the pass in the next few days which must be some kind of record for this part of the world.

After two days of gale force winds today is calm and unusually warm for the time of year. But that makes doing the outside jobs that much more enjoyable in my humble opinion. the alpacas are all fine and enjoying munching around looking for tasty pieces of grass.

Macario and I have been busy pruning trees and bushes in the garden to try and get them into some sort of decent shape that is pleasing to the eye...all of which sounds very fancy but for the last two years we have been so busy with the farm that the garden has gone slightly wild in places.

Poor Gifford the Australian Shepherd is really suffering. He has allergies which make him scratch and he has created a number of sore spots over the holidays which are clearly making him very uncomfortable..... I think another trip to the vet is in order but he can't keep taking steroids and antibiotics for ever. We have had him on a hypo allergenic diet for weeks now but that doesn't look like it makes much difference and Jo has been treating him with essential oils which help with the symptoms but of course don't address the underlying allergies.

Still time to press on and get the last of the paperwork to the accountant so that we can start work on the tax filing. However, when the weather is so mild it is very tempting to be outside and enjoying the lifestyle....