Our Amazing Camelid Creatures – Stories of Camelid Behaviors

By Karen Nicholson of Stepping Stone Farm Alpacas, Stowe, VT

Eric Hoffman, in his book, The Complete Alpaca Book, writes: “Understanding how alpacas communicate is both entertaining and an extremely valuable management tool. After 6000 years of domestication, alpaca behavior has been modified by human management and breeding, but communication among alpacas is still rooted in their ancestral past. A look at behavioral research gives us insight into the amazingly broad repertoire of communication alpacas have inherited.” (2^nd edition, pg. 33)

Below are a few stories where llamas and alpacas exhibited interesting communication and behavior:

Beyond Survival Instinct

Brad Kessler in his book Goat Song tells an amazing survival story of a ram and his protector, a llama, living in the wilds of Vermont.

A neighboring farm had a dozen or so sheep and a guard llama. The owner’s interest in the animals was to trim their fields. For fencing they had a few strands of rusted barbed wire.

The llama did his job well until one summer a pack of coyotes began to take the sheep one by one. By September, all that was left was an ewe, a ram and the llama. The llama had a haggard look. The ram never left his side. The ewe was doomed with fear. Sure enough by frost, only the llama and ram were left. Then one day – gone.

Hunting season came and went, winter, and early spring passed. One day, late spring, the llama and ram were spotted nearby. The owners of the animals were contacted, the llama and ram caught and put tight in a barn. Somehow they still managed to escape twice until finally, the barn was so secure that they no longer could.

Reproductive Instinct

One day I put one of our breeding male alpacas in the pasture with two females (with crias at their sides) that needed to be bred. This has and continues to be our preferred method of breeding. In that pasture there was also a maiden female gestating at 11 ½ months.

The sire went over, sniffed the manure pile to see who was receptive and then went to check the females against his findings at the pile. Then he began chasing one of the females. I left the pasture to go do other chores and would check back to see if any breeding was taking place.

Minutes later, my son came running to tell me that the sire was breeding the very pregnant female! My son explained that he saw this female approach the sire and cush. He then mounted her. Concerned for her well-being and the unborn cria’s, I ran to get a halter to get him off of her! I put him back in his pasture and then examined the pregnant female. She remained cushed, like a receptive female would. I inspected her vulva and observed her for a while. All signs were that she was fine – ears forward and an overall relaxed body posture.

I took the opportunity to do fence clipping so I could keep an eye on her. About an hour later I saw a pair of feet dangling out. She had an easy delivery, a vigorous cria and she passed a healthy placenta.

In hindsight I believe she cushed for him because she knew it would help to bring on labor. In humans and other species, intercourse is thought to help bring on labor. The sperm contains prostaglandin which can help soften the cervix.

Exceptional Guarding

We have a small herd of four females plus crias. In the warmer months they rotate on pasture with access to a 3-sided barn. There is no question that Opal is the herd guard and we hear her warning calls from time to time when an unknown dog walks by or wildlife lurks in the forest beyond their pasture. She’s discerning with her alarm and only alerts the herd when there is true danger.

One day, she was alarming. I went to investigate and for the first time ever she was facing the house, not the forest nor the logging road where neighbors walk their dogs. She went on and on and I could not figure out what she could be alarming about in the direction of the house. The rest of the herd had banded behind her staring intently in the same direction.

After about 10 minutes of this, suddenly there was a great cracking sound and half of an old maple tree came crashing across the driveway, exactly the direction she had been facing and alarming. After the tree was down, she discontinued her alarm and went back to grazing. Two weeks later she delivered a male cria. We named him “Timber”.

Mothering Instinct

Stardust is our ‘star’ when it comes to reproduction - exceptional crias and ability to nurture her young. In her 5 years of production, she has had 5 flawless births, all vigorous crias and they grow strong and healthy. This spring she surprised us with a cria one week before 11 months of gestation. Just after birth we usually stay back and give the cria the opportunity to walk and nurse independently and bond with its dam. This little one did not get up and did not sit prone position so we intervened. Upon investigation we found her temperature to be 4-6 degrees below normal.

After a couple hours we were able to get her temperature up and then hold her up to get her nursing. For the next 30 hours we had to check her temperature, hold her up under the dam to attempt to nurse, and syringe small amounts of goat collostrum into her mouth. At one point in the middle of the night she appeared dehydrated and assumed the death position so with no 24 hour vet available we injected IV fluids under her skin and tube fed her. All the while, Stardust allowed us to do all this to her cria. She stood perfectly still while we tried to get the cria nursing and hummed calmly to her baby.

Just about 30 hours after birth, the cria was finally able to get up and nurse on her own for the first time. I was relieved but not secure that she was going to be fine. I checked on her two hours later and to my great surprise this dam, who had just hours before let me do anything to her cria, screamed at me as I approached and covered me with spit from head to toe. Despite my efforts to get close to the cria, I could not. Finally, in complete frustration, I had to relent and trust that our star knew she could take it from there and that it was her time to bond with her cria. Of course, I checked on them a few times in the night, but from a distance. A week later Stardust resumed her old ways; she ceased screaming at me and let me near her cria as she has let me near her others.

Communication

We had a male alpaca that came to us difficult to handle and not very trusting of his human caretakers. After a few months of positive handling, he came to trust us and greet us when we entered the pasture.

 One day while cleaning up manure in the pasture, he walked right up to me, stared right into my face, hummed loudly, and then walked over to the pile and urinated. He repeated this two more times. It wasn’t until the second time he behaved this way that it occurred to me that he was trying to tell me something. On the third time I found what he wanted me to find, he was straining to urinate at the pile.

I called the vet and he indicated that it was most likely a UTI (urinary tract infection) and that I should treat it. He said it sounded like it was caught early since he had a fair stream of urine but with obvious straining. The vet said he should improve within 1-2 days. He was obviously feeling much better on day two when he stopped coming over, humming in my face and going to the pile. I later found the source of his UTI. My children had mistakenly given him a whole bale of alfalfa instead of hay when they were doing chores.

Cooperation with Other Species

On our farm we have: 2 alpacas, 10 sheep, 2 goat does, 3 Lowline Cattle (bull calf, cow, steer), 3 Red Wattle Pigs (sow, boar, meat), 1 Maremmma LGD and 25 Guinea Fowl. Everyone eats together without any problem. Everyone sleeps in the same general area unless there is weather and they all have their distinct shelter areas that they go to. The sheep all stick together, the pigs and dog all stick together, and the cattle and the alpacas stick together. The goats float between the three groups.

One of the alpacas, a bred female, spends most all of her day with the cattle grazing or sunning. One interesting thing I have come to notice is that General (our LGD) is on duty at night and sleeps most of the day. Our pregnant female, Beana seems to take over the day shift. She is on high alert and whenever she hears something suspicious, she will take off running toward it. Her alarm alerts General (LGD) and he wakes up and takes over while she herds everyone together. It is very neat to watch.

We used to have three LGD's and each had a job. General was the baby of the group and was the herder. Now that it is just him, he seems to work in cooperation with Beana, the alpaca, and has given the herding role to her. They seem to work very well together. I'm not sure how often the perceived threat is an actual one, but there have been instances of coyotes in the area. We kind of have a three-pronged security system as the guineas or Beana, the alpaca, seem to sound their alarm first, and General (LGD) takes over the investigation while Beana herds the animals together. It is fun to watch and perhaps as a result we are a predator-free farm for the most part!

Our camelids have an amazing array of interesting behaviors to observe:  body postures such as the alert stance, submission, the standoff, or relaxed position; ear, tail and head signals; vocalizations such as humming, the alarm, orgling; scent such as flehmen when the male alpaca sniffs a dung pile to decode the scent and reproductive status of his females;  locomotion displays such as pronking or fighting; herd response such as banding or offensive aggressive herd response. Every camelid farmer should take time out in the day to observe their herd, perhaps even keep a diary of interesting behaviors observed and, for sure, - share your stories!

Karen Nicholson, of Stepping Stone Farm Alpacas in Stowe, VT, has a herd of nine alpacas bred and managed for valued traits including: fiber excellence, conformation, reproductive vigor, hardiness and temperament. Also on the farm are:  two French Alpine dairy goats, Indian Runner ducks, broiler chickens and several laying hens all integrated into their farm management program. Karen writes for three farming journals and keeps a blog: stowevermontalpacas.blogspot.com. Any comments, questions or stories can be directed to: stowealpacas@gmail.com

Gaining an Insight into Alpaca Herd Activity

By Cathy Spalding

Historically, alpacas have never been a wild species. To date, no rogue herd of wild alpacas is known to exist anywhere in the world. It is thought that over the many years, alpaca behavior has adapted itself to a domesticated life with humans.

It is important to gain a basic understanding of the general dynamics of alpaca herd activity, as well as the dynamics specific to any one particular group of alpacas. This understanding can make it much easier to recognize the more subtle cues that may be cause for pause and further investigation. Without it, we have little to no solid foundation upon which to base an assessment. There are many generalities that could be noted as the more common behaviors in any random group of alpacas. There might also be behaviors specific to a particular group. Each group naturally consists of individual alpacas with individual personalities and traits. This unique, and often random, mix can also create behaviors that are specific to a particular herd or grouping.

Most alpacas are very herd oriented. They normally prefer the company of other alpacas as opposed to that of another species. In a mixed herd of suri and huacaya, it is not unusual to find the suri alpacas moving or sleeping together as a group and the huacaya alpacas together as a separate group. While they definitely do well together in a mixed group, it appears they may clearly see a difference. Social interaction is ongoing between individual alpacas and entire groups. Group security and support can even allow for a compromised alpaca to appear "normal."

A single herd or herd groups (as shown) have an intricate social structure. Alpacas have social as well as health and welfare needs. Through observation of body language and various behavioral cues, you may be able to note pieces of the social order in a particular herd. There may be specific family groups, ones who are good friends, some that do not get along well, leaders, followers, guards and even “baby sitters." Mothers teach their babies a great deal about appropriate alpaca behavior, as well as warn them of potential dangers-- including possible humans. Some mothers are very attentive and constantly keep track of their cria. Others are much more casual in their attention and care. The herd will take an active role in raising and disciplining young alpacas. Growing youngsters often receive a quick spit from elders as they learn boundaries and appropriate behavior. Sometimes specific family lines hold a higher or lower place in the herd.

Anytime dynamics in the social structure are changed, there is a period of adjustment and reorganization. Many alpacas will visibly mourn the death of a fellow alpaca and certainly that of their own offspring. Exchanging herd members through buying and selling can be stressful for a herd. It can create momentary difficulties and shifts. Is it possible we have just sold the guard in a particular group and another must step into that role? Have we sold another's close companion? A new alpaca coming into a herd will often struggle for a time as it tries to gain acceptance, make new friends and find its own place within this "new" herd social structure. While it would not seem possible to eliminate these disruptions, it is important to notice any obvious difficulties and to mitigate them where possible. There have been instances wherein a new addition to the herd is not readily accepted, resulting in ill health and even death.

Possibilities For Concern

To consider what may not be usual, we must first have a basic understanding of what is the ongoing norm within a particular group of alpacas. It is important to know the animals, both as a herd and as individuals. What are the usual groupings? Are some close pasture mates while others may not get along well? Are some at one feeding station and never at another? Is anyone a loner? What is the seeming social structure? Who seems to rule the pastures and who might seem to cling to that last rung? What is the usual activity for the alpaca holding those positions and what is the usual activity for those in that range in between?

With a general understanding of the dynamics within any specific herd or group of alpacas, it becomes much more obvious when something may require further investigation. Is one who is not normally a loner now off by himself? Is the herd queen suddenly seen to be weaker, receiving spit from much more neutral herd members and backing away? When moving the herd, is one who is normally out front or in the middle of the group now one of the stragglers? Is the entire herd up and about grazing in the morning sun while one remains kushed in a shelter? A more subtle question: Is the entire herd up grazing and only one is kushed right there amidst the grazing group?

This group of alpacas is grazing in the morning sun with only one member kushed. It is a gorgeous day and the herd has moved all together, out to the pasture. Seeing this positioning from a distance, it might be easy to assume this lone kushed alpaca is simply resting...enjoying the warmth of the sun. She is right there amidst the group. Though her neck is a bit forward and not as upright as would be the norm, she is kushed upright and her ears appear to be resting at half-mast. Might she just be enjoying a lazy summer morning?

In this instance, the strong behavioral cue that something may not he right is that she would be kushed at all when the remainder of the herd is up grazing. This cue is supported by the subtler cue that she is holding her head and neck more forward than the norm. Taking a closer look will help determine whether she is fine or whether there might be a potential problem. As a side note, I have received many calls and letters from alpaca owners around the world who have become aware and acted on this very cue. More often than not, they have discovered a problem. They have expressed sincere appreciation that notice of this specific behavioral cue made it possible to discover an issue in the earlier stages, thus potentially life saving.

Upon closer inspection, this little gal may not be well. Her head and neck are held farther forward than normal for the usual upright kushed position. Her body is somewhat hunched with her legs appearing uncomfortably hugged in beneath her. Notice the outline of her face. The lower lip is clearly pulled back, indicating a tensing of muscles in the face. While shadows make it difficult to tell in the photo, the obvious tensing of facial muscles, indicated by her lower lip, would have likely caused drooping of the eyelids.

An often-repeated phrase throughout the alpaca community is, “Alpacas are very stoic. It seems that by the time they truly show they are ill, they are really ill." As keen observers of alpaca behavior -- the subtle behavioral cues expressed as individuals, as well as in relationship to a herd group -- we add an important dimension to our skills as herd managers, handlers and trainers.

The behavioral cue of only one alpaca kushed while all the other herd members are grazing is quite subtle, yet very significant. Does what we observe or think we observe mean that it is? Perhaps. And then again, perhaps not. What is of serious importance is that we have noticed something and acted upon it. In addition to the notice of specific cues or indicators, it is important to consider the positioning and surrounding circumstances in which any cue is noted. Behavioral cues can mean different things with different animals at different times in combination with different accompanying cues.

About the Author

Cathy Spalding and her family live in Olympia, WA where they enjoy their herd of 18 llamas and alpacas. With over 20 years experience, Cathy has a wealth of expertise in camelid behavior and training. She has written numerous articles, produced publications including the camelid behavioral textbook on CD-ROM, "Llama Talk" and "Alpaca Talk."

Keep Those Llamas Happy!

By Bev Henry, Reprinted from The Camelid Quarterly, June 2009

When we think of herd health, let us not forget the mental well-being of the herd, as well as physical health. As with humans, stress has a tremendous adverse influence on llama health. A secure environment will go a long way to keeping stress to a minimum.

Llamas are extremely sensitive animals, needing the security of familiar surroundings, familiar herd mates, and a predictable routing if they are to thrive.

What do we need to do in order to achieve this?

Those few breeders with large herds on large acreage have more management options, allowing them to come close to approximating natural conditions. By "natural" I mean the herd groupings and feeding patterns one would likely find in the wild.

But the majority of llama owners in North America today are keeping llamas on small acreage. With these limitations, we need to pay close attention to herd dynamics. In a restricted area it is much easier for a dominant llama to bully a more timid animal, or to exclude one from the feed source. If dog packs or wild predators are cruising the neighborhood, llamas confined to a small area may feel very vulnerable.

How can we ease the stress?

The first and most important thing we can do is pay attention! Every time you go out to feed or clean up poop, take a deep breath, slow down, and spend a few quiet moments watching your critters. This quiet time with our llamas not only provides the opportunity to pick up on health or behavioral issues, it also has the added benefit of reducing our own stress level.

Make sure each animal has free access to feed and shelter. Be alert for any unusual behavior; watch for the animal that is isolating itself or being forced into isolation by its herd mates. Perhaps the addition of only one gate or one simple fence — fencing in a corner, for instance — will provide more security for a new llama or one who is being bullied.

Being sold and relocated is one of the most stressful events in a llama's life. He has lost his herd mates, his human companions, and his secure and familiar environs. Watch any new introductions to any grouping very carefully for several days. It takes only seconds for disaster to strike.

Females will usually accept a new female after an introductory period but they will often chase and isolate the newcomer for several days. You may need to feed a new introduction separately until she has been accepted.

Males tend to be more aggressive with newcomers. An adult intact male is a powerful and potentially dangerous animal. A full-power body slam from an aggressive male can break ribs and rupture internal organs.

On rare occasions, even geldings have been known to attack and kill newcomers, particularly in confined areas where llamas have no opportunity to establish their own zones. Be very cautious introducing a llama to your herd and do it by degrees if at all possible. House the new llama in an adjacent area to allow him or her to get to know the herd across the safety of a fence.

Be sure all fighting teeth are trimmed — start to check these around the age of two, if not earlier — and watch that the rough stuff doesn't get out of hand with males housed together.

Some intact males are so territorial they simply will not tolerate other males and need to be housed separately. If you have a stud like this, he will be happier with some sort of companion. Neutered male goats often work well. Everybody needs somebody!

Make sure fences separating males and females are safe and secure, and, if possible, provide a buffer zone between fences separating intact males and breeding females. Check that your fences are secure from roving packs of dogs if that is a problem in your area.

If you are breeding, try to plan for at least two crias to arrive in that season. Babies need company for normal social development. Should you be stuck with a single cria in any one year, do leave the baby with its mom as long as possible. A single female cria shouldn't need to be separated from its mom at all, and a male cria is probably safe with the female herd until at least ten months of age. By this time, his dam will likely have already weaned him.

Single male crias can get pretty bratty and disruptive about this time, and need the company of older males to teach them some manners. In other words, they need to be sent to boot camp. Moms and "aunties" tend to be far too lenient with younger males, watching their antics with rather bemused "isn't he just the sweetest thing!" looks, rather than snapping him to attention and demanding respect, as the boys would.

Throwing a ten-month-old weanling male in with the boys can be deadly though, so be very cautious here. It may be safer to isolate baby with an older gentle gelding for a time, one who is willing to be a "nanny" to the youngster until he has learned a few basic manners and his place in the scheme of things. A yearling male may bond with the weanling and make a good playmate. Some studs are exceedingly tolerant of newly weaned youngsters.

Remember that a weanling will not be able to successfully compete for food with older animals. Unless you have unlimited good hay/pasture available, the baby will need supplemental feeding for at least the first year to attain his full growth potential. Make sure you can isolate the youngster at feeding time.

Aging animals in your herd may suddenly need extra care. They may have lost their position in the herd and need supplemental feeding. They may be experiencing problems with worn teeth, so be alert for dropped wads of wet, partly chewed hay or lumps or swellings along the outside of the jaw. If you see a problem have your vet check to see if filing off sharp points (floating) of worn teeth may be necessary.

To ensure that your routine procedures, such as shots, shearing and nail trimming, are as stress-free as possible, try to get to a workshop put on by a Camelidynamics practitioner in your area. A simple change in your approach may make a world of difference.

Being alert and observant at all times will go a long way towards keeping your herd happy and healthy.

About the Author

Bev Henry has been involved with pack llamas since 1997 and is now breeding athletic pack stock along with husband Barry in Barriere, British Columbia, Canada. Bev and Barry are focusing on preserving the old style Ccara llamas. Bev comes from a background of a lifetime training and riding performance horses, is an amateur outdoor photographer, and an artist who interprets her images in pencil and watercolor.

NEONATAL RESUSCITATION CLIENT EDUCATIONAL HANDOUT

DONALD P. THOMPSON, DVM, FAAVA

EMILY K. BOND, DVM

VERMONT INTEGRATIVE VETERINARY ASSOCIATES

2089 Laporte Road, Morrisville, VT 05661

802-888-4201

vtintegrativevet@aol.com

www.vtintegrativevet.com

• Before you begin to assist a mother with the delivery of her cria, be sure to have a sterile 20 or 18 gauge needle handy.
• If you deliver the cria and it is not breathing, insert the needle immediately at the position shown above; the correct insertion site on the newborn cria is on the midpoint of a line connecting the bottom of the nostrils.
• You must forcibly tap the bone with the tip of the needle — if you do not feel bone with the needle, redirect your insertion angle or continue deeper. Bone will be approximately ½ to ¾ inch deep to the skin surface.
• Act as though you are trying to wake the cria with your tapping — you are!!
• If you tap for 5 minutes and the cria does not breathe and you see no visible heartbeat on the chest, the respiratory centers of the cria's brainstem are damaged beyond reasonable help.

Taking Care of the Rumen

By Karen Nicholson

We've all experienced it at some point - some major stress in our life or we've altered our diet less than gradually or taken medication or something as simple as drinking different water while on vacation and it results in serious digestive upset! Well, camelids are just as susceptible or more so to gastrointestinal upset than we are. While discussing camelid digestion can be quite involved, I'll attempt to offer a few simple ways to ward off potential problems.

Digestive Flora

Scientists estimate that we humans have trillions of microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi and assorted parasites) living on the outside of our body and hundreds of millions in our digestive tract. Our bodies coexist with these living microscopic organisms, keeping us healthy most of the time and helping us digest and absorb vitamins and minerals from our food and water. These microorganisms (bacteria, protozoa, fungi, etc) are also teaming within the camelid.

The population dynamics of the different species found in the forestomach will depend on the camelid's diet. This brings me to my first Tip: Avoid abruptly changing the diet for exactly this reason — the microorganisms are specific to the diet. If you change the diet abruptly, the camelid now has a population that is designed to serve a different diet and they can wreak havoc while simultaneously the forestomach has no population of the microorganisms to work with the new diet. This results in stress and a gastrointestinal challenge for the animal.

Stress

Stress impacts all the physiological systems including gastrointestinal function and health. Stresses such as: too much heat or cold; too much, too little or the wrong kind of food; aggressive companions or crowded conditions or transport and shows can lead to digestive tract problems such as colic, constipation, urinary tract problems, parasite problems, ulcers and so on. These range in seriousness from mild to life threatening. Tips: As their keepers, this is one of our tasks — stress management. We can also breed for this trait choosing camelids that are not compromised under stressful conditions. Always be alert for signs of digestive tract upset such as reluctance to eat, reluctance to stand, diarrhea, constipation, gut ache, self-isolation, change in eating habits, and food preference.

Parasites and Deworming

Parasites are one of the most important considerations in the digestive and overall health of the camelid. We'd need an entire article to address this completely. But here are a few tips that can keep parasites in check. Tips: Keep stocking density low per pen; pasture rotation is a must; when necessary, use dry lot feeding to help control a parasite problem; quarantine animals coming onto the farm; keep animals in good condition; and run fecal exams on a regular basis. For deworming - Tips: It is best to treat the individual animal, not the herd. Giving dewormers to animals that don't need them only upsets their digestive flora unnecessarily and encourages parasite resistance to the drug. Also consider giving probiotics after any medical treatment to encourage the reestablishment of gut flora.

Water

Water is one, if not the most essential, nutrient critical to proper digestion. Fresh, clean, high-quality water should be available for free choice at all times. Tips: Abrupt changes in water can lead to digestive troubles. Consider bringing your own water to shows, in transport and when relocating an animal to a new farm. It could make all the difference in your animal's health during this stressful time.

Feed

It's worth the time it takes to learn how to determine if feed is of good quality. While there are so many factors, there is one simple thing to know that can make a world of difference for your camelid. Tip: Have you ever eaten a lettuce from a plant that has bolted (gone to seed)? It tastes horrible, it's difficult to digest, and has poorer nutritional content than an immature plant. The same holds true for your hay and pasture grasses. Always try and put animals on immature pasture (mow if necessary) and the same for hay.

Crias and Weaning

The newborn cria is a non-ruminant animal. Milk is digested in the third compartment whereas in an adult, about 50%+ of digestion takes place in the forestomach or first compartment. It takes the cria about 12 weeks to ruminate as an adult and even then, only at about 80-90% of adult function. Tip: Before weaning, make sure you have observed healthy ruminant activity, then gradually wean the cria from the dam (together at night but not daytime). If transitioning to a new farm, consider weaning at 5-6 months and observe healthy behavior and digestive function before the cria leaves the farm. Also, the temperament of the camelid and the situation it will be going to will greatly impact their success at weaning and the impact it will have on their digestive upset.

Other Tips

• At changes of season, gradually put on pasture and take off. It takes the rumen two weeks to adjust to new feed.
• Consider having hay from the same source available at all times so that the camelid can use this as its base of food at all times while taking in new food (different pastures or moving to a new farm).
• Avoid forced grazing where the selection of food is limited and scarce. They will eat things that upset them before starving.
• Be very careful to not let camelids get into grain bins causing potential forestomach acidosis. Use bungee cords to secure them closed.
• Gradually change grain products or hay.
• Consider bringing all your own hay, water and grain to shows/events or to send along with an animal relocating to it's new farm.
• Sit and watch your herd for 5-10 minutes a day to make sure they are eating, ruminating and pooping/peeing normally.

Summary

High quality feed and water — gradual changes — manage stress — breed for hardiness.

Karen Nicholson, of Stepping Stone Farm Alpacas in Stowe, VT, has a herd of nine colorful alpacas bred and managed for valued traits including: fiber excellence, conformation, reproductive vigor, hardiness and temperament. Also on the farm are: two French Alpine dairy goats, Indian Runner ducks, broiler chickens and several laying hens all integrated into their farm management program. While the information shared is not meant to replace the protocol set up by your veterinarian, these methods are being successfully used with many different types of livestock including camelids. Any comments or questions can be directed to: Nicholson@websticker.com.