Stuff Happens.....

(Tube-feeding a cria- the mustard bottle is good for solo tube-feeding, I learned this from a Twitter friend!)

.... and sometimes it all turns out okay!

We had a cria crisis on Saturday when Mirian discovered a 2 day old cria in a violent seizure. I had checked on that group twice already that day, and he was as bouncy and normal as could be just two hours earlier. When I arrived at the barn, the cria was still convulsing and his temperature was 106.9 degrees! Vets couldn't be reached, wouldn't you know it was right before the start of the UK game and after regular Saturday hours?

We had a similar situation a few years ago, and short of a vet of putting in an IV catheter, I did everything I could remember to try. We wetted the cria down to help bring down his near-fatal temperature, I gave him some banamine to reduce inflammation, and he got a shot of Naxcel in case he had infection going on. After what seemed like forever (but was probably about 10 more minutes) the seizure subsided and his temperature then plummeted to 97. In fact we had to warm him back up with a blow dryer and cria coat in the warm stall!

The cria appeared to regain strength fairly quickly, but it was immediately apparent that he was now blind. I gave him a shot of thiamine, put a bit of karo syrup on his gums for energy, and left him to rest for a bit. Two of the three vets eventually returned my calls, and both confirmed that we had done everything correctly and to continue to provide supportive care including feeding (Thank you, Dr. Evans and Dr. Lipp's partner who was on call, the third vet never did return my call, and is getting very little of my business any more!)

We began the tedious regimen of milking out the dam (who wasn't exactly crazy about the idea- we had to lay her down each time) and tube-feeding the cria every 2-4 hours... night and day. We gave him as much of the dam's milk as we could get, and supplemented with Vit D milk as well, as we always use.

By the next day, he was much more bright, but still completely blind as we continued with the Naxcel and banamine for 3 days which the vets advised. By yesterday, it was clear that his vision was returning as he ran around the pen and turned as needed. Last night, we encouraged him to nurse and he just about hooked up- bless her heart, the dam was practically shoving him up under her (she'd MUCH rather he take the milk himself rather than us two-leggeds wrestling her for it!). We tubed him a little less than usual one more time and skipped the middle-of-the-night feedings. Hallelujah, this morning he's nursing!
So, what caused this? Dr. Evan's Field Manual says that it could have been caused by an electrolyte imbalance or infection, and isn't all that uncommon in 1-3 day old crias. He also said that if the seizure didn't recur pretty quickly, it will probably never happen again. The cria didn't have the tell-tale signs of septicemia (such as reddened membranes), and his temperature stayed stable once the seizure ended, so it wasn't likely an infection. So, we'll never really know. We will of course monitor the little guy even more carefully than usual, weighing him daily, etc.

I guess when you've had enough crias (we figure over 400 born on the farm over 18 years!), you'll see just about everything at least once. We are so thankful that this one turned out okay, and are grateful that we had the experience to know what to do this time, with some phone help from our vets. (The other cria that had the seizure a few years ago was fine as well).

Puppy-Paca?

What else can you call a cria that looks like THIS???!!!  This beautiful little girl (yes, we started 2010 with a female after long strings of males last year!) was born a few weeks ago early on a chilly 22 degree morning.  We found her already dry, nursing, and warm (in the due barn, of course) with her maiden mother who was attentive and maternal.  All looked great and normal!

Then, the next day her ears began to droop, and droop, and droop.  She wasn't droopy, in fact she was as spry as you'd ever want a cria to be, with straight legs and a good appetite.   We have had very slightly droopy ears before, and a variety of other aberrations of the ears on crias.  Sometimes their ears are a bit "inside out" for a while from the way they've laid in the womb, and we have had to tape them the correct way for a week or so and then they're fine.  This one was different, and I became concerned that perhaps her ears had been frostbitten following birth.

She was pitiful and cute and funny all at the same time!

We debated about taping the ears, but within a week they were looking like this- 99% normal, and now 100% normal!

All's well that ends well, and I've thought that perhaps those rather canine-looking ears are just and indication of future greatness!

Images from a week on the farm....

Always Learning

Isn't that what life is all about? Sometimes we don't learn things in time (that's called The School of Hard Knocks), but we tuck away those tidbits to apply in future situations.... That's all I can glean from the rather bad experience we went through with Maisy. She's the alpaca dam that we thought was perhaps going to have twins.... I'll write in more detail about it soon, but I'll just say here that we had almost the worst possible outcome. Maisy died and there were no twins, but we do have a male bottle-baby. Again, more details in time because I do have some helpful things to share about prolapsed uterus, bottle-feeding, and working with your vet. It's still a bit raw for me to talk about.

Okay, on a happier note!!!! One of my goals for the year has been to do more felting and subsequently more teaching here. As many of you know, I have lots of fiber interests- knitting, spinning, dyeing, and best of all for me, FELTING! I'd love to have you join me for this upcoming class on Sunday, October 18th! (If anyone can explain to me how I can insert a flyer such as this below so that it can be downloaded and printed, please let me know!) If you'd like for me to send this to you as an attachment, please just email me. Hope to see you there!

Change in the SCENERY

As I've mentioned in other posts, my word of the year is ADAPT, and it's been one of those cases of "Be careful what you wish for." Flexibility and thinking on my feet has been a necessity time and time again this year.

We have chosen NOT to go to Shaker Village this weekend as originally planned, but to have our own Alpaca Farm Day here at Seldom Scene Farm after all. The weather is very iffy for Saturday, and the ground will still be soggy on Sunday. After sitting through rain and trying to keep alpacas and merchandise dry last Sunday at Midway, we have decided it will just be better to invite people HERE, rain or shine.... and it's FREE! Our new barn is comfortable and dry, a lovely spot overlooking the fish pond, and a nice place to come learn more about alpacas and their fiber.
Please come out and see us AND our newest cria (above) on either Saturday, September 26th OR Sunday, September 27th between 12 and 3. I'll have apple cider and cookies available, fiber products, alpacas for sale, and will do a quick felting demo each day at 2:00. You can pet the alpacas, take a farm tour, or buy Christmas presents in our farm store! As a potential bonus, we have an alpaca due right NOW and after examining her, our vet thinks she may be carrying twins. After having over 400 births here in the past 14 years, we've never had twins so this could be a historic occasion! Complications with twins are common, however all we can do is be prepared and hope for the best (the dam, Maisy, is an excellent mother and milker so hopefully all will be well). We are watching her constantly on our barn cams.

Hope to see you on Saturday or Sunday, don't hesitate to call for information or directions at 859-428-8883.

Alpacas going Beserk! (Aberrant Male Syndrome)

Alpacas are normally quite safe for even young children to handle!

Alpacas and llamas can develop an issue that was previously called Beserk Male Syndrome (no, we're not talking about men going through mid-life crises or anything), but is now more commonly referred to as Aberrant Male Syndrome. This is basically a problem that is caused/made by inappropriate human interaction during a sensitive time in a cria's development.

It seems that crias that are overhandled (especially in conjunction with bottle-feeding) have their "brain wiring" mixed up. They may appear to be extremely friendly toward people, running up to you, nibbling at clothes, sniffing your shoes, getting into your space. Although it might seem cute in a small cria, these should be red flags of a potential problem, as this is not normal behavior and if not nipped in the bud early on, there can be irreversible dangers. The alpaca may appear more confident than most, which seems appealing, but watch out when "puberty hits!"

Alpacas and llamas, especially males, have a herd pecking order and can be territorial. To establish this hierarchy at maturity, they may chest-butt, mount each other, bite at ears, spit upon, or even tackle each other. This is normal and even healthy behavior that rarely results in injury. Males that have their identity confused by inappropriate bottle-feeding or handling can act in the same ways... toward people. Females with the same issues may also bump, jump on, or otherwise be very pushy or spitty. It is almost as if they aren't sure if they are human or you are alpaca... they are confused and if these behaviors are not discouraged at a very young age, the problem cannot be resolved later on, even by the best of camelid specialists/trainers. Sadly, many owners have had to make the difficult decision to put these animals down rather than put their children or themselves at risk. We actually heard of a man in Ohio who was bitten by a male llama with ABS (Aberrant Male Syndrome), and the bite hit an artery in his arm which could have been fatal! Biting is definitely NOT a normal behavior that alpacas or llamas engage in toward people!

Why is it that nearly every farm visitor we've ever had has recounted a story of being spit upon by a llama at a petting zoo? They tell me their sad story, and when I ask if it was at a petting zoo, they all ask how did I know that? It's simple.... petting zoos like to have friendly animals and bottle feeding produces that. It's not such a big deal with many species, but for alpacas and llamas it definitely is! Tragically, many of those petting zoo animals are sold when mature to unsuspecting newbies that are thrilled with such a friendly new pet... until they are knocked to the ground when they have their back turned, or their new pet starts spitting on them all of the time! Not every petting zoo llama or alpaca has been bottle-fed, but lots of hand-feeding can encourage some of the same behaviors.

So..... we have a bottle cria right now (though she is starting to nurse on her mom a bit more!) How can we prevent these issues from occurring? When we feed Belle we make every effort to do the following:

1. Refrain from talking to her. We routinely talk to many of our animals which is completely fine, but not a bottle cria.

2. Handle only when absolutely necessary.

3. Encourage as much interaction as possible with the herd, never separate her from her mother.

4. Don't make direct eye contact.

5. If one acts too friendly (ie. nibbling on clothes), give them a swift and matter-of-fact knee in the chest while saying NO and immediately leave the area.

Over the years, we have seen just a few crias develop over-friendly tendencies even though they weren't bottle-fed or overhandled- they just seemed to be wired this way. We handled these boys as little as possible and put them with slightly older ones at a younger age then usual to sort of help them be put in their place (not so that they would be injured, just so they wouldn't grow overly-confident).

For further reading about this topic, here are some excellent articles:

http://www.mallonmethod.com/llearning4.html (by John Mallon)

http://www.gentlespiritllamas.com/html/articles/berserk/berserk1.htm (by Cathy Spaulding)

Gratitude

We had some super nice folks visit yesterday, and the mom that called to schedule said that her daughter was crazy about alpacas but had never met one "in person." Kaylyn and her brother Jake had a great time meeting Maverick and all of the babies, and we were all thrilled to discover a newborn at the new barn, SSF Accoyo Gratitude, daughter of Drama Queen and Michelangelo. Kaylyn and Jake got to help dry off the cria and watch her take her first steps! I'm sure I'll be gushing some more about this cria very soon, as she's likely our best of the entire year! Here's a thank you letter I received this morning-

This is Kaylyn from yesterday. I just wanted to write you and thank you so much for taking time out of your day to show me your alpacas. It was so amazing. That was the best day ever. I learned a lot of new things about alpacas and I thought it was great that we were there when a baby alpaca was born. That made it even better. Everything about your farm was beautiful and serene. I loved it so much. You and your husband and daughter are very lucky. I haven't taken off my scarf or socks yet and I've read that alpaca book/magazine about 4 times already. :) I'm very glad we choose your farm to go see for my first time ever seeing alpacas. I can't even begin to explain how great my day was but I just wanted to thank you so much for letting my mom, my brother, my boyfriend, and I come see your farm. I really appreciate it. Well take care; and take care of the alpacas. Good Luck. -Kaylyn

We are very grateful for the opportunity to share our farm and the magic of alpacas with others- thank you also for coming to see us!

Eyecatcher's Little Girl!

Finally, Eyecatcher presented us with her beautiful brown female cria (sired by Maverick) this morning, all 22.2 pounds of her! Our other fall crias have been averaging around 16 pounds, so she was definitely a whopper and acted bright and mature from the start. She was up and nursing in a record 10 minutes, and Eyecatcher seems to be recovering just fine. Above, she's about 4 hours old and we let her run with the other crias for a while.

I got some pretty neat video of the birth! Before you watch the clips, I would advise making sure to turn down the sound. Eyecatcher is MUCH more vocal than most (many make no sound whatsoever) and was with last year's cria as well. Paul said she sounds like a dieing dinosaur, but he admitted he would, too, if he were having a baby! I don't know how to edit the sound, sorry.



We like to leave the dams with their herdmates during the birth if at all possible, (often on clean pasture if it's not too cold) and then will either keep them with the herd or isolate them in a stall to bond. It was cold today, so we quickly got them into the warm stall and partially blow-dried the cria after weighing, which was difficult as she was SO active! They are snug as bugs in the warm stall tonight, with Paris and her new cria to keep them company. Obviously, these are just partial clips of the labor and delivery- this one took about 15 minutes once she was in active labor.


Eyecatcher and her cria will be sold in the upcoming Belleau Wood Auction in Charlotte, North Carolina. Would anyone like to suggest a name for the cria?

A Little Drama Everyday

My friend Dianne describes farm life with animals as being like a series of mini-dramas going on all the time. That was the case yesterday when I got the call that Fury was in labor in the field at our top barn. We hadn't expected this cria quite yet, so it was an "all hands on deck" sort of event. Maybe I should say, "All feet on deck", because all four of our guardian dogs gathered around to watch, as did the rest of the female herd.

The cria was a little slow to come out due to one elbow being lodged in the tract, (which I corrected) and Fury went on to deliver just fine after that. Our very shy female Maremma guardian dog, Rosa, just couldn't wait to sniff the the little boy but Fury wouldn't have it! She chased off our other Maremmas, Dylan and Crockett, but Rosa just layed there while Fury threatened to stomp her. Oh how I wish I'd had my camera just then, as Rosa displayed perfect guardian dog submission to her, getting closer and closer to the ground, averting her eyes, and then laying on her back completely exposing her belly to Fury to gain her trust. Fury nipped at her ears as if to say, "Hey, I'm watching you", but didn't hurt her as she easily could have!

The Great Pyrenees, Yoda (our very own Head of Ranch Security), just ran in circles barking around the entire group, keeping his eyes on the sky for any buzzards, which he detests even more than tires coming up and down our road. I don't know what we'd do without our great guard dogs!

We got mom and cria to the cozy warm stall at the new barn, but the cria seemed a little bit weak and slow, and he wasn't holding his head up strongly as I would have liked. I was worried that he may have been slightly deprived of oxygen during birth, so we opted to give him a little from the oxygen tank we keep on hand. This is not something we do routinely by any means, but it worked great and the cria really rallied after that and was on his feet nursing in no time! Here he is today, a beautiful Maverick boy (this must mean that Eyecatcher's going to have a girl, right? She is finally isolating herself, so maybe the birth is finally imminent?)

We had some super nice visitors today, Rod, Betty and their darling grandson Ben. Congratulations to them for becoming new alpaca owners with their purchase of two females!

(Here is Ben and Rod with our very sweet Pink Pansy, who will be available in the upcoming Belleau Wood Auction in N. Carolina).

A Gentleman Country Vet- Dr. Norm Evans

James Herriot's books, such as All Creatures Great and Small (the tales of a Yorkshire country vet), had a huge impact on my interest in animals and even though I chose to be a teacher rather than a vet, biology has always fascinated me and vets are some of my favorite people. Our local vet and good friend, Dr. Ashley Keith, has been our hero-on-call many times, but the one nearest and dearest to my heart will likely always be Dr. Norman Evans.
Norm (he calls himself "Nearly Normal Norman") has been an integral part of Seldom Scene's success from the start, and has been worth every penny that we have paid him over the years (and there have been lots of pennies!), saving many animal's lives and helping us learn and move on when things haven't turned out so well. Early on, we had the painful experience of losing two beautiful, black female crias within 24 hours. I was inconsolable, and Dr. Evans sent us a very special book, signed by the illustrator (Nancy Noel) called, All God's Creatures Go To Heaven . I have always treasured it, and have read it to both children as they have experienced losses of pets. He has grown attached to several of our alpacas that he's seen over the years (especially our first female, Machuca), and has a remarkable memory for past issues of interest with our animals.

Aside from being such a kind and compassionate person, Norm Evans is a brilliant vet who has helped to formulate the alpaca feeds being used by most breeders in the US, and is one of the more popular seminar speakers and teachers on alpacas anywhere. He has written several editions of the indispensable Alpaca Field Manual (and apparently has a new rewrite coming out soon). In addition, he is on the cutting edge of skin follicle evaluation via skin biopsies, and has helped us identify strengths and weaknesses of the alpacas within our own herd (Our co-owned herdsire, El Nino's Accoyo Michelangelo has one of the highest follicle densities ever tested, and his offspring are testing very high as well!)

I hadn't intended to gush so much about him, but wanted to report on Dr. Evan's visit yesterday to do some ultrasounds, pre-purchase exams for the upcoming Belleau Wood Auction and Carolina Classic Show, and a few other items. Reproductive efficiency has been a vital aspect of growing our herd, so it's important to optimize each and every breeding and he helps us to do that.
There is just so much that Dr. Evans can see via a high-quality ultrasound machine using a rectal probe. Aside from confirming pregnancy, he can often tell if there is infection or scarring within the uterus, inflammation of the cervical rings or the status of the ovaries (Are they there? Are they developed? Is there a follicle that is "ripe" for breeding?). In addition, he can often detect twins (NOT a good thing), or abnormalities within the reproductive tract. It is essential to have a great, strong holder like our farm manager, Jamie, and it keeps things much safer for the alpaca, the people, and the valuable ultrasound machine! Strangely enough, the alpacas object more to being ultrasounded via the outside of their belly than rectally, and the internal probe gives a much clearer picture.

Norm's visit yesterday revealed that some animals need treatment for infection via an intrauterine catheter that he inserts for direct delivery of antibiotics to the uterus, some girls aren't cycling due to having large crias at side which are likely "draining resources", and some are pregnant as we hoped. Although we have detected pregnancies at just a few weeks, here's a shot of one of our best dam's Dulce's cria in utero (skull showing) at about 6 months- she's bred to our newest black herdsire, Snowmass Nova's Private Reserve. We always joke around that it looks like it must be a grey girl with awesome fiber! (Of course not even Norm can make that prediction, nor can he tell the gender).

We are so grateful for the assistance of all of our great vets, but especially to the humble and remarkable Dr. Norman Evans, DVM.

Waiting...and wondering

Waiting for the much-anticipated birth of a cria can be a little bit like watching paint dry... or waiting for the result of a heated presidential election! As the days tick by, you imagine the best and worst-case scenarios. Will the next president raise taxes, incite more war, help to improve the economy, or move our country forward? Will the cria be an amazing female with the exact color and exquisite fiber you hoped for? Will it be a phenomenal male with herdsire potential, the next Legacy or Michelangelo? Or... will the dam have trouble and lose the baby, or even die herself (a highly unlikely outcome).

Alpaca gestations are normally 347 days on average (around 11.5 months), though at our farm they average longer in the spring and shorter in the fall (closer to 11 months or 335 days). Nobody knows why this happens, and there are exceptions, but I do start watching earlier in the fall. Hot summer gestations tend to be longest, which is one of the reasons why we avoid breeding for late summer crias- we believe it is just asking for problems (weakborn crias, prematurity, lack of milk in the dam).

On the other hand, some females just seem to "bake them" faster! Shiva recently had her cria at just 328 days; he was over 15 pounds and appeared full-term in every way! This has been a trend with her, so we always know to start watching earlier than usual.

Many breeders have stories of watching their pregnant girl non-stop, and finally being desperate enough for something at the store that they take a quick look before leaving with no indication that the dam is going to do anything, then returning to a fully-born cria! I do believe that some females (especially distrustful imports, whose protective instincts can be more fully intact), can somehow "hold back" until they feel the time is right (ie. nobody around). This is one reason why we love the 4 barn cams we had installed at our newest barn- we are often watching via the internet (at the house, wherever) but the alpacas don't know it! We can also replay the video to see if everything looked normal, when/if the cria nursed, etc. which has proven invaluable since we started using them last winter.

So... here I am waiting and watching for Eyecatcher to have her cria (shown above calmly chewing cud, no signs at all), now at Day 344, (as well as anticipating a hotly contested election!) Will it be a winner... or a loser? As with the election, I am most of all hoping for a smooth and healthy process which will ultimately result in a good outcome for all! (Though I can still wish for an awesome grey female cria and ___________ for president!)

Later this week I will share some of the signs we watch for that tell us that a cria is imminent.... NEWSFLASH! I may lose all credibility, as I was just informed by our farmhand that Paris has just had a healthy female cria at Day 332, never showing a sign! Yeah, finally our male streak has ended!

Macho Monday- THE Maverick!

I've decided to feature one of our herdsires on occasional Mondays, so it seems appropriate with the election and all to start with my favorite boy... 419 Peruvian Accoyo Maverick (ARI #829623). We have owned Maverick since he was about 2-3 months old, having purchased him at his dam's side (he's now 8). We bought him at auction, and I had no intention of purchasing any whites or males at that particular time, but when I put my hands on his 16.9 micron fleece and that of his dam (carrying another Royal Fawn offspring), I knew I absolutely HAD to have him! That decision was pivotal for our breeding program... selection of breeding stock is the most important decision you can make when breeding for the future.
Maverick had a wonderful show career for us, both in fleece and halter (fleece and awards shown above), and helped "put us on the map" as only a great male can do. I very nearly sold him as a juvenile, but it was providential that it didn't work out! Highlights include 1st place at the 2002 AOBA Nationals and Champion at the Kentucky Classic. and his offspring are now winning quite a lot themselves (earning him several Get of Sire blue ribbons)! From what I can tell, at least 16 offspring have been champions or blue-ribbon winners, many multiple times. We were approached by our friends Jennifer and Sean Orr at Copper Ridge Alpacas about selling them half-interest, and made the decision to partner with them. This move helped their breeding program as well! (See us above winning Get of Sire at the 2007 Kentucky Classic). Due to a change in family circumstances, the Orrs recently sold their half-interest to our friends Stuart and Michele Ray at Catalpa Creek Alpacas in Louisville- this makes him a part of our co-owned stable of Thoroughly Bred Herdsires. He continues to reside full-time at Seldom Scene Farm. Maverick's fleece is incredible, and at 7 years it tested at an amazing 20.8 microns! It is most noteworthy VERY bright, with deep, bold crimp and great density that keeps it sparkling all of the time. He has a gorgeous head that he often passes on to his crias, as well as wonderful coverage. He can be led around without a halter, and although he is extremely gentle and jumps easily into my Suburban, he "rules the roost" and the other males don't mess with him! His calm demeanor seems to be passed on to many of his offspring. Maverick has an endearing habit of jumping up on the fence to get a better view or appear taller when there are females around! There are currently Maverick offspring in Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Ohio, Vermont, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and of course, Kentucky. Most noteworthy are: SSF Peruvian Pablo (brown), owned by Marcee Stephens of the Criation Station, SSF Per. Silver and Gold (silver grey), owned by Nancy Wright of Always Accoyo, Clayfarm Contessa (white), owned by Cas-Cad-Nac Farm, Destiny's Accoyo Carissa (white), owned by Destiny Alpacas, SSF Peruvian Smoke 'n Mirrors (silver grey) owned by Evergreen Elegant Alpacas, Copper Ridge's Alysheba (brown), owned by Mistletoe Alpacas, and SSF Peruvian Sheena (fawn), owned by Seldom Scene Farm. There are some other excellent Maverick offspring coming up- watch for SSF Runalong to make her debut at the OABA AlpacaFest! A Maverick cria will be sold at the side of his or her dam, SSF Eyecatcher, at the 2008 BelleauWood Auction in December.

Maverick's breeding fee is a bargain at $3,500, which includes 60 days of free board and confirmation of pregnancy. Please inquire for details! We hope you enjoy some additional photos of Maverick's beautiful offspring, the future of huacaya alpacas!