topline february 2013

Top LineQuarterly Newsletter of the

Ohio River Valley Llama Association

February 2013 Volume 26, Number 1

Pat LinkhornORVLA TopLine Editor56032 Claysville RoadCumberland, OH 43732

Place Stamp Here

Offering Llamas Worth

Looking Up To Since 1995!

McFarland’s Llama Farm ...3 Generations Committed to Excellence! www.McFarlandsLlamaFarm.com 740-393-2309

Our Boardof

Directors

937-376-2980 • [email protected] • www.spittincreek.comGreG & Debbie ShellabarGer • 1225 NaSh roaD, XeNia, ohio 45385

At Spittin’ Creek, noteverything is black & white…

SPCl SterliNG Silver’S aleXaNDrite

Dam: SPCl Chilean black Diamond



SPCl Silver liNiNGDam: SPCl

Chilean black Diamond



SPCl MakaNiDam: SPCl resurrection’s angel


SPCl Mahalo SilverDam: MGF renaissanceSPCl Mahalo SilverDam: MGF renaissance

SPCl SterliNG SilverDam: MGF renaissance


Sometimes it’s silver!

NO LONGER

available for

outside breedings!

If you are interested in one of

Silver Peru’s outstanding offspring,

please contact us.

Silver PerU

Silver PerU

SPCl eMiNeNCeDam: MGF renaissance


132ORVLA February 2013 ORVLA February 2013

A quarterly publication of theOhio River Valley Llama Association

ORVLA website: www.orvla.comEditor: Pat Linkhorn

740-9638-5041 [email protected]

The opinions and articles in TOPLINE are views expressed of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ORVLA or the newsletter editor. This newsletter and ORVLA will not be responsible for the opinion or validity of statements expressed by authors or advertisers, nor do we assume anyresponsibility for typographical errors in submitted articles.

Members and friends of ORVLA are invited andencouraged to send articles, advertisements, editorials, letters or suggestions. The purpose of this newsletter is to provide information only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional advice. Neither ORVLA or the TOPLINE editor will be held responsible for any losses resulting from a reader’s failure to heed this cautuin.

ORVLA belongs to a newsletter network. We may reprint articles from these newsletter, unless specifically noted by the author of the article. In turn, they may reprint articles that are submitted to our editor. If you write an article that you do not wish to have to have used elsewhere, please indicate that to the editor when you submit your work.

Newsletter deadlines for articles and advertising are January 15 (February issue), April 15 (May issue), July 15 (August issue), and October 15 (November issue).

The next newsletter deadline is May 15, 2013.

TOPLINE Contents - May 2012

ArticlesPresident’s Message 2U.S. Mills for Llama and Alpaca Fiber 4Daffodil Classic News 7We Are Remembering . . . 6Silver Anniversay OH State Fair Llama Show 8Hopefully Mt. Hope 9Never Pass Up a Teaching Opportunity 10Camelidynamics, Computers and Camelids 11Whose Baby Is This, Anyway? 16How to Contribute to YOUR Newsletter 21Spilling the Beans 24Raising Liam 25 Membershipn Application 29

SHOWS EVENTS MEETINGS

Board Meeting Minutes 5Calendar of Events 30

DEPARTMENTS

ORVLA Board & Committees 2Editor’s Message 3Sunshine Report 15ORVLA Sponsored Veterinarians 31Treasurer’s Report 32Advertising Information 32

ADVERTISERSDoran’s Suri Alpaca & Llama Farm Inside Back CoverHillcrest Llama Farm (Johnson) 7McFarland’s Llama Farm Back CoverSpittin’ Creek llamas & Alpacas (Shellabarger) Inside Front CoverHartland Llamas 23

Plus 40 Business Card Ads

Topline Advertising Information and RatesTopline is a quarterly newsletter of the Ohio River Valley Llama Association and remains one of the most affordable ways to advertise your farm or business. Special rates are offered for members and for ads paid for one year in advance. Newsletter deadlines for your ads are January 15 (February issue), April 15 (May issue), July 15 (June issue), and October 15 (November issue). Payment is due ten (10) days after receipt of Topline.

ADVERTISING RATE INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS One Issue Four Issues Discount (1 yr.)Full Page (7 1/2” x 9 3/4”) 45.00 180.00 150.00Half Page (7 1/2” x 4 3/4”) 30.00 120.00 100.00Qtr. Page (3 5/8” x 4 3/4”) 20.00 80.00 60.00 Inside & Back Covers (First come - first serve basis) 75.00 300.00 280.00Business Cards 5.00 20.00

ADVERTISING RATE INFORMATION FOR NON-MEMBERS Full Page (7 1/2” x 9 3/4”) 55.00 220.00 200.00Half Page (7 1/2” x 4 3/4”) 40.00 160.00 140.00Qtr. Page (3 5/8” x 4 3/4”) 20.00 80.00 60.00 Inside & Back Covers (First come - first serve basis) 85.00 340.00 320.00Business Cards 10.00 40.00 CLASSIFIED ADS: $5.00 per ad up to 25 words. Each additional word after 25 is .20 cents per word.

INSERTS: $30.00 per page for members and $35.00 per page for non-members. 120 copies are needed per issue. Copies must be on regular weight paper - no card stock. Only five pages will be accepted per issue.

Submit your print ready copy and payment for ads (payable to “ORVLA” only please) to:Pat Linkhorn56032 Claysville Rd.Cumberland, OH 43732 or email [email protected]

Expenses

Topline Printing 296.40Topline Postage 180.00 Ballot Postage 42.30 Alsa National Fiber Sponsor 200.00 LMRG-Conf. Call 25.00 Libby Rush-Hike 100.00 KCHP-Donation/Hike 50.00 Roberta’s-Christmas Meeting 1,382.96 Gifts-Departing Board & 114.00 Give aways Drawing-Becky Sprouse 775.00

Total Expenses 3,165.66 Beginning Balance $15,126.37Income 4,959.81Expenses 3,165.66Ending Balance $16,920.52

Beginning Balance $15,126.37

Income

Membership Dues 1,455.00Show Inserts 30.00Topline Ads 405.00T-shirt Sales 85.00Raffle Tickets 290.00Christmas Meeting 1,207.8150/50 Drawing 175.00Donation 50.00Silent Auction 1,262.00

Total Income 4,959.81

Treasury Report October 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

ORVLA February 2013ORVLA February 2013 2 31

President’s MessageAs I write this, your ORVLA Board of Directors just completed a full day planning and organizational meeting at Kris and Russ Millers’s farm. See Secretary Cindy Wilson’s summary of our actions and discussions in this issue of Topline. We welcomed new Board members Dustin Newton and Tom Ross and I am honored to be selected again as your President. So, this is the first of my four new rambling messages for the year!

The ORVLA Summer Solstice Llama show will again be at the Coshocton County Fairgrounds, in Coshocton, Ohio. Full entry details are in this issue. We are again offering a full ILR Show Division sanctioned show with some great judges and will have a Chinese auction to raise funds to support the show. Our new co-superintendents, Janice Schilling and Kris Miller, are busy making final arrangements. Hope to see all members there, even if they aren’t showing, for this first ORVLA sponsored event of the year. I hope too that you will continue to support all the llama shows in Ohio again this year. Without everyone’s support these shows won’t survive. See the calendar of events for upcoming shows.

For the fall we are planning for another llamas hike, combined with a general member meeting, to be held at the Knox County Horse Park again. There are some new things being organized for the event, so get this one on your calendar and plan to be there. Naturally, see upcoming issues of Topline for details.

The Board is also already planning for another great Christmas meeting and silent auction. Kris Miller has generously again volunteered the upstairs of Russ’s hanger building for it! Details will be forthcoming as they are finalized .

We still have some 2012 limited edition ORVLA t-shirts available. Kris Miller will have them at most of the shows and functions again this years. Get yours while they last.

It’s that time again to renew your annual association memberships and I urge you to support your favorite llama and alpaca organizations and associations (especially ORVLA!). Without your support and participation they won’t survive in a continuing slow economy. You are needed. Don’t look around for someone else to do it... yes, you. I’m looking at you. Come on, join in!

“ORVLA, where the fun begins, in 2013”

Bill Safreed

Charlene Arendas, DVMLarge Animal Veterinary ServicesLlamas - Alpacas - Sheep - Goat - Equine330-559-2773, [email protected](ORVLA member)

Joy Bishop-Forshey, DVMThe Joy of LLamasWauseon, OH419-337-0015, [email protected](ORVLA member)

Country Road Veterinary Services Inc.Polly Modransky, DVMPO Box 69East Springfield, OH 43925-0069740-543-1419Recommended by Vicky & Alan McMaster

East Holmes Veterinary ClinicEric M. Shaver, D.V.M.Amity Wise, D.V.M.Aaron Wise, D.V.M.Austin Hinds, D.V.M.Kristem Mierzwiak, D.V.M. 5503 County Road 120Berlin, OH 44610330-893-2057, [email protected](ORVLA member)

Rocky Knoll Large Animal Veterinary ServicesMarylou Rings D.V.M.Dublin, OH 937-243-1224Recommended by Kris Miller

Spring Meadow Veterinary ClinicMarnie Lahmon, DVMRachel Hesselschwardt, DVM1746 St. Rt. 60Ashland, OH 44805419-289-2466, www.springmeadowvet.vetsuite.comRecommended by Lee Ann King

Tri-County Veterinary Service, Inc.Timothy Woodward, DVM16200 County Rd 25-AAnna, OH 937-693-2131Recommended by Dawn Lusk

Donald Waltman, DVMPO Box 3, 221 East Main St.Baltic, OH 43804-0003Recommended by Jean Ames

ORVLA Recommended Vets

Recommend your Vet!

ORVLA members are being asked to help create a veterinarian database for its members. This database will be valuable in the event that you are in search of a good camelid vet or your current vet is unavail-able and another vet is needed. The list will help you find a vet in your local area and receive help.

Please check with your vet first to see if they would like to be included. Their information will be listed on the website, in the directory and Topline. Also, to keep our vet’s current in our camelid world, they will receive Topline with our thanks for all they do for us.

Send your veterinarian’s name, address, phone and web information to Pat Linkhorn, 740-638-5041, [email protected]

ORVLA Officers

PRESIDENTBill Safreed (2014)[email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTTom Ross (2015)[email protected]

SECRETARYCindy Wilson (2013)[email protected]

TREASURERKris Miller (2015)614-879-3276millersfarmatdcsbcglobal.net

BOARD MEMBERS

Fred Tarr (2014)[email protected]

Dustin Newton(2015)[email protected]

Janice Schilling (2013)[email protected]

Darlene Sutton (2014)[email protected]

Doug Targett (2014)[email protected]

Committees

BUDGET/FINANCEKris Miller, Bill Safreed, Cindy Wilson, Darlene Sutton, board liaisonsELECTIONDustin Newton, board liaisonPat Linkhorn, [email protected] Targett, board liaisonJudy Ross & Gail Targett,Chairs740-867-4267, [email protected]@gotsky.comHISTORIANCindy Wilson, board liaisonJean Haumschild, [email protected] Tarr, board liaisonLibby Rush/Char Neel, [email protected] Web PageJanice Schilling, board liaisonPat Linkhorn, [email protected] Schilling/Bill Safreed, board liaisonsPUBLIC RELATIONS/MARKETINGTom Ross/Doug Targett, board liaisonsPUBLICATION/TopLineCindy Wilson, ChairPat Linkhorn, [email protected] Wilson, board liaisonLinda Pohle, [email protected] Newton, board liaisonDeb Arendas, [email protected]

www.orvla.com

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK

ORVLA February 2013 ORVLA February 2013330

Message from the Editor

Hello Everyone,

It’s been a winter to write home about! But spring is on the way. Time to start thinking about the shows coming up. It’s always fun to see old friends again and find out what’s been happening over the winter.

Make sure you do your part and contribute to the newsletter. I would much rather post articles about things our members are doing and are interested in! Fill out “Spilling the Beans About Me” and send or email your responses to me.

I’ve re-printed the list of fiber mills in this issue. The number of members who are getting involved in fiber is continually growing and it’s such a great way to use our llamas for more than keeping the grass down.

Get involved in the Camelid Companion Certification process. It will add value to your llamas, plus it’s a just plain fun to work with your critters.

Visit http://www.icinfo.org/ and download a few bro-chures on packing and llamas as therapy animals. There’s a blank box on each brochure where you can type in your own farm contact information. Keep a few with you at all times so you always have one to hand out to people who have questions. We’re seeing more & more llamas sneaking in there on television ads so we need to do our part to get our own animals out there!

April 20, 2013 - Fairfield Llama Show - Lancaster, OH - Judge: Mike Haumschild. ILR sanc-tioned show. Entry form in this issue of Topline.

April 27, 2013 - Daffidil Classic Llama Show - Coshocton, OH - Halter: Cathie Kindler and Performance: Mke Haumschild. Entry form in this issue.

May 11, 2013 - ORVLA Summer Solstice Show - Coshocton, OH - Halter: Darrell Anderson and Performance: Beth Meyers. Entry form in this issue.

May 17-18 - Ohio River Llama Festival - Ohio Horse Park, Franklin Furnace, OH. Youth Performance starting on Friday evening, and also offering Novice and Advanced performance. We also have some new and exciting things planned. More details to come.

June 1, 2013 - Mountaineer Llama Show - Reedsville Horse Park, Reedsville, W VA. Show Time: 9:00 a.m. Halter Judge: Debbie Shellabarger, Performance Judge: Mike Haumschild. Entry form in this issue of Topline.

July 11 – 14, 2013 - International Camelid Health Conference - Magruder Hall and Large Animal Hospital, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OregonThis is the premier camelid health conference for veterinarians. It will be a joint effort of OSU Veteri-nary College, the Australian Veterinary Group, and the North West Camelid Foundation.Watch for details: http://oregonvma.org/international-camelid-health-conferenceand http://www.nwcamelidfoundation.org/index.html

July 13, 2013- Camelid Owners Health Conference - Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OregonHeld in conjunction with the Intl. Camelid Health Conference for veterinarians. Please watch the NWCF web site for details on conference topics, speakers and social activities. The evening events will give owners the opportunity to mingle with the Australian Veterinary Group visitors and other national and international attendees at the ICHC.http://www.nwcamelidfoundation.org/index.html For more information, Contact:

North West Camelid FoundationGlen Pfefferkorn, President3472 S Via del PapagayoGreen Valley, AZ 85622(520) [email protected]

July 19-20, 2013 ~ Ohio State Fair “Silver Anniversary” Llama and Fiber Show. Fair-grounds in Columbus, Ohio. A time to celebrate! Excellent facilities, motel accommodations, halter show, awards, judges, crew, and fiber show! Halter Judge is Niki Kuklenski from Bellingham, Washington. Performance Judge is Mike Haumschild from Warsaw, Ohio.Fiber Judge - Fran Soukup from WisconsinAll information can be accessed at www.ohiostatefair.com after first part of April. Questions - Donna Moore - 740-605-7400

Calendar of Events SAVE THE DATES

April 20, 2013Fairfield Llama Show

April 27, 2013Daffodil Classic Llama Show

May 11, 2013ORVLA Summer Solstice Show

May 17-18, 2013 Ohio River Llama Festival

Triple H FarmBev & Krystle Frye3390 Millersburg Rd.Martinsburg, OH 43037

740-668-4845

ORVLA February 2013ORVLA February 2013 294

US Mills for Llama and Alpaca FiberThese mills will work with 100% llama/alpaca fiber without the

need to blend with wool

Alabama: The King’s Mill Blountsville, AL www.thekingsmill.comConneticut: Still River Mill Eastford, CT www.stillrivermill.comIndiana: Wooly Knob Fiber Mill LaOtta, IN www.woolyknobfibermill.comKansas: The Shepherd’s Mill Phillipsburg, KS www.kansasfiber.comMichigan: Stonehedge Fiber Mill East Jordan, MI www.stonehedgefibermill.com

Frankenmuth Woolen Mill Frankenmuth, MI www.frankenmuthwoolenmill.com

Zeilinger Wool Co. Frankenmuth, MI www.zwool.com

Pufpaff’s Fiber Processing Nashville, MI www.fibermill.yurtboutique.com

Natural Fiber Works Willis, MI www.naturalfiberworks.comOhio: Morning Star Fiber Mill Apple Creek, OH www.morningstarfiber.com

The Black Sheep Sardinia, OH www.theblacksheepfiberfarm.com

Ohio Valley Natural Fibers Sardinia, OH www.ovnf.com

Oklahoma: Ozark Carding Mill Durant, OK www.ozarkcardingmill.com

Pennsylvania: 84 Alpacas Fiber Mill Eighty Four, PA www.84alpacasfibermill.com

Falls Edge Farm & Mill Benton, PA www.fallsedge.com

Stramba Farm Mill Wampum, PA www.strambafarmalpacas.comTennessee: New Era Fiber Processing Lebanon, TN www.newerafiber.comTexas: Ingrid’s Custom Hand Wovens Paint Rock, TX uts.cc.utexas.edu/~llama/ingrid/Vermont: Hampton Fiber Mill & Spinnery Richmond, VT www.hamptonfibermill.com

Ohio River Valley Llama AssociationMembership Application 2013

Dues: $25 per calendar year

Quarterly Newsletter - Membership Directory Quarterly Meetings - Great Way to Advertise

_____ New Member ____ Membership Renewal

Primary Name:_________________________ Additional Name: _____________________________Farm Name:________________________________ Youth Name: ___________________________Address:_____________________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________ State: ______ Zip + four: ______________ County: ____________________________________________Home Phone: _______________________________ Work Phone: ___________________________ Cell Phone: _________________________________ Fax: __________________________________E-mail:____________________________________________________________________________Website Address: ___________________________________________________________________ ____Linked on ORVLA website (to be linked, member must agree to link back to ORVLA’s website.)____I agree to place a link to ORVLA on my website.Census: (optional)Number of Llamas: Females____ Males_____ Geldings_____Number of Alpacas: Females____ Males_____ Geldings_____ Membership Fee @ $25.00 ____________ Business Card Ad in Topline for one year (include card) @ $20.00 ____________ Business Card Ad in Directory (include card) @ $5.00 ____________

Total Amount Enclosed ____________ ____I am enclosing a check (insert check #) _____________ Please make your check payable to ORVLA and mail with this form to:Libby Rush & Char Neel19590 Harrisburg-Westerville Rd.Beloit, OH 44609-9507

ORVLA Youth Group Membership also available. Questions: [email protected] or 330-938-9935


ORVLA Board of Director’s MeetingJanuary 5, 2013

Millers Farm at Darby CreekGalloway, Ohio

Members present: Bill Safreed, Tom Ross, Doug Targett, Dustin Newton, Darlene Sutton, Janice Schilling, Kris Miller, Fred Tarr and Cindy Wilson. Others present: Pat Linkhorn and Marie Safreed.

The meeting was called to order by president, Bill Safreed. New Board members, Tom Ross and Dustin Newton were welcomed.

Doug Targett moved to approve the December 1, 2012 Board of Directors minutes. Kris Miller seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion carried.

Kris Miller distributed the 4th Quarter Treasurer’s report. Janice Schilling entertained a motion to approve the Treasurer’s report. Dustin Newton seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion carried.

Officers were chosen as follows: President – Bill Safreed; Vice President –Tom Ross; Secretary – Cindy Wilson; Treasurer – Kris Miller. Board Liaison for committees are: Budget/Finance – Kris Miller, Bill Safreed, Cindy Wilson, Darlene Sutton; Election – Dustin Newton, Chair – Pat Linkhorn; Fiber – Doug Targett, Co-Chairs – Judy Ross and Gayle Targett; Historian – Cindy Wilson, Chair – Jean Haumschild; Membership – Fred Tarr, Chairs – Libby Rush/ Char Neel; ORVLA Web Page – Janice Schilling, Chair – Pat Linkhorn; Program – Janice Schilling and Bill Safreed; Public Relations/Marketing – Tom Ross and Doug Targett; Publication/Topline – Cindy Wilson, Chair – Pat Linkhorn; Sunshine – Cindy Wilson, Chair – Linda Pohle; Youth – Dustin Newton, Chair – Deb Arendas.

The next Board of Directors meeting will be held April 20, 2013 at 9:00 a.m., prior to the Fairfield County Llama Show in Lancaster, Ohio. A Board of Directors meeting and our General Meeting will be held prior to the Picnic/Hike, tentatively scheduled for October 12, 2013 at the Mt Vernon Horse Park. This will be a “brown bag” affair. We are looking into having a CCC (Camelid Companion Certification) certifier there to certify your animals. This is something many of our 4-H clubs may be interested in. Fred Tarr will contact Libby and Char and Bev Frye to set things up. Our Christmas Meeting will be held December 7, 2013 at Millers Farm at Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio.

Board members discussed allowing non-members to view the on-line version of the Topline. After much discussion is was noted that the newsletter is one of the amenities of being a member of ORVLA and therefore shouldn’t be extended to non-members. Janice Schilling will be putting together a list of questions which members can use to prepare articles about themselves to be submitted to Topline.

The ORVLA Summer Solstice show is scheduled for May 11, 2013 at the Coshoction County Fairgrounds. It will be an ILR sanctioned show. Show superintendent, Janice Schilling, reported that she will be out of town during the show. She has asked Kris Miller to fill in for her the day of the show. The Halter judge will be Darrel Anderson and the Performance judge will be Beth Myers.

Fred Tarr reported for the Membership committee. As of today ORVLA has 59 paid memberships. 39 have not yet renewed their memberships and we have 1 new member.

continued on page 6

According the International Camelid Institute, it is recommended they are getting fed 10-15% of their weight per day. So a 30 pound cria needs 3 lbs. of milk minimum which equals about five 8 ounce bottles a day. But smaller, frequent feedings are preferred if you can work it into your schedule.

We weighed Liam daily until he reached about 40 lbs. Ideally, you should see a weight gain of about a pound a day but for the first month it was one step forward two steps back with him. We just kept at it and never gave up.

Liam started eating grass when he was 2 days old. He had alfalfa flakes and calf manna/grain available in the creep feeder.

In the first few weeks, I gave him about a teaspoon or two of the probiotics gel to help with getting his gut right.

Liam


Doug Targett reported that the 2013 Farm Science Review is scheduled for September 17, 18, and 19th. Doug will contact OABA to see if they are interested in participating again this year. Tom Ross made a motion to do Farm Science Review if OABA is willing to participate again and share costs. Janice Schilling seconded the motion. All in Favor. Motion carried. Kris Miller moved that ORVLA waive the $75.00 fee for our members to participate in the Farm Science Review on a first come basis. Janice Schilling seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion carried.

A donation to Research was discussed extensively and was tabled for further discussion when we see what our membership numbers are going to be.

Fred Tarr reported for the Library. Korenke’s have had no contacts for several years to use the material from the Library. Libby Rush will make arrangements to pick up the materials. Many of the materials were donated to ORVLA over the years but do belong to ORVLA. Fred Tarr made a motion to dissolve the Library and to put the library materials up for auction on the ORVLA web site. Winners would be responsible for postage. Doug Targett seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion carried.

The possibility of future on-line voting for elections was discussed and was tabled for further discussion.

Tom Ross suggested that we try to get Topline advertising from companies that members of ORVLA frequent such as Tractor Supply Company and feed mills that we use.

Darlene Sutton made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Doug Targett seconded the motion. All in favor. Meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,Cindy Wilson, secretary

continued from page 5

morning. It was definitely a struggle for us the first week. Finally I found the perfect fit for Liam. Winn Dixie was Liam’s full sister. She just turned a year and she took right to Liam. She let him “nurse” even though she didn’t have milk. I read an article saying that maidens can lactate in these situations. Although, Winn Dixie never produced any milk for Liam, she was his source of comfort and support. She let him kush next to her especially on the cool nights. This was a huge relief and peace of mind for us.

My husband and I both worked full time so I knew I had to enlist in the help of others. It just so happened that one of the 4-H kids that came to my farm was also home schooled. Heidi was thrilled to come and help out during the day. Once school was out for the summer, I planned on hiring my neighbor boys to come as they only lived two doors down and had been interested in helping out with the animals. Other 4-H families, friends and neighbors were kind enough to help us out as well. Now I just had to arrange a schedule for everyone.

The first three weeks were the toughest. I weighed Liam daily. It seemed one day he’d gain and the next day he would lose. I was still bringing Maggie up at least once or twice a day to let Liam nurse. I think that immensely helped with Liam’s survival. I researched what the best milk replacement was to give him. I found a recipe online for mixture of Vitamin D milk, half and half, and plain yogurt to keep his gut in good shape. I also heard that Goat’s milk was the best and easiest on their stomach. I had a neighbor that raised dairy goats so I bought a few gallons and tried that. What worked the best for Liam was a milk replacer that I got from our local farm store. It is called Advanced milk replacer and is good for many different species. He drank that eagerly and thrived from then on. I think we passed a corner after those first three weeks.

It worked out perfect to have my neighbor boys come during the day to feed Liam. I had them come twice during the day and I also paid them to do some chores. I had peace of mind and they earned some spending money. It was a win win situation. Their mom even got involved in feeding Liam.

Finally we reached the weaning stage. We had all survived! Liam was 5 months old and weighed about 120 pounds. I had been gradually cutting back on the number of bottles Liam was drinking until we were down to one feeding. I put Liam and Devereaux (my other 5 month old boy) in a smaller paddock away from the house so he wouldn’t pester me for a bottle when I went to do chores. This seemed to work out great. Of course, the first few days of hearing the cries were tough, as with weaning any baby is. Liam continues to do well and will be gelded in the next few months. My vet and I agreed, that it is better to geld sooner than later with Liam being a bottle fed baby.

Liam will be staying on at Ol’ Serenity Hill. Everyone has grown quite attached to the little guy and stole everyone’s heart. We would like to thank all of those that helped in the last few months with the care of this little creature.

We were very fortunate to have supportive neighbors, family and friends to help us with Raising Liam. As of mid-December, Liam is 7 months old, weighs 150 lbs. and is easily handled but respectful of our space. We hope this article might be helpful for someone that might have to raise an orphan in the future.



ORVLA February 2013 ORVLA February 201326 7

Hello everyone. I know spring will be coming sooner than I think when I start planning the Daffodil Classic for 2013. The show will be an ILR division show with Cathie Kindler the halter judge and Mike Haumschild as the performance judge. The show will once again be at the Coshocton County fairgrounds in Coshocton Ohio. I look forward to seeing everyone and having a wonderful time showing our beautiful animals in halter and performance. This is a great show that helps the 4-H youth in Holmes and Tuscarawas counties with their llama projects. Over the years I have always appreciated the commitment you have given to this show with your attendance and sponsorship and I hope this will continue.

I am looking forward to a great show and great times. As far as I know we will once again be having a silent auction by the Holmes County youth.Hope to see you there.

Janice Schilling

Daffodil Classic News

week old boy so we knew she had lots of milk. My first plan was to get Maggie to be a surrogate mom. The challenge was to convince her to nurse another baby (not so easy). We discovered if we put Maggie in the chute, she would let Liam nurse. I encouraged her to stand still while I fed her grain. She did stand without kicking Liam off which was huge in itself. This would have to work while I figured things out. I had a powdered milk replacer that I was also feeding Liam. He was an eager drinker so that was also a plus.

I emailed a few llama breeders that I knew hoping that they might have a lactating female that would happily accept Liam if Maggie wouldn’t. I also contacted the llama organization to see if anyone else in the group could help or have any suggestions. I received some great ideas and suggestions but it seems as though we would be raising Liam right here at our farm.

The first few days were truly exhausting trying to figure this little guy out. It was just like parenting all over again. I went out in the middle of the night and lead Maggie into the barn to the chute so Liam could nurse. Her own baby, Devereaux, cried like a banshee at first when we locked him out but he seemed to catch on by the second day what was going on. From then on, he stood on the outside of the fence and waited patiently as his mother nursed Liam. When Liam finished nursing, he got a bottle of milk replacer too. A half of tube of probiotics became part of his daily intake as well to help with keeping his tummy on track.

Of course I had many thoughts and worries going thru my mind: the demands of feeding an orphan around the clock, what if Maggie wouldn’t accept him? And concerns of raising a male cria. Berserk llama syndrome (aka Aberrant Behavior Syndrome) crept into my mind. I remember seeing a berserk alpaca on a farm visit and it was not a pretty sight. I tried to gather as much info on the subject as possible. I read John Mallon’s article on Aberrant Behavior Syndrome. I printed off copies and handed them out to those who would be helping me bottle feed Liam. After all, I didn’t want Liam to end up like that crazy alpaca. The most important thing I learned from reading Mallon’s article was to keep it business like. It’s not the actual bottle-feeding that causes this behavior but the CUDDLING, TALKING, KISSING and COOING. And as soon as Liam was done with his bottle, I immediately walked away from him and let him go back to the herd to bond. I knew it would be hard to do especially when those big eyes are looking at you and the little sounds that an orphan baby makes tugs at the heart. But I knew I had to do it if Liam was going to survive. I made it very clear to everyone that helped feed him that they must do the same, as Liam’s life literally depended on it. I kept Liam, Maggie and her baby in the front pasture, closest to the house so I had easy access to them. I was trying my hardest to convince Maggie to accept Liam. I rubbed her milk all over him hoping she would smell it and think he was hers. Liam could snitch a drink or two from Maggie while in the field but I still had to put her in the chute to let him nurse. I could tell Maggie was becoming more stressed by the end of the first week. She wanted to graze in the back pasture where the grass was greener and the rest of her pasture mates were. She stopped eating one day and I decided I couldn’t compromise her health so I released her and her baby to the back pasture.

I needed a new plan. I read some more and found an article that said not to discount the maidens when looking for a surrogate. So I decided to bring up Summer, an eighteen month old. Unfortunately she didn’t want anything to do with him. I brought different llamas up to the front pasture to hang out with Liam and keep him company. Liam didn’t want to drink at his night feedings and I was beside myself with worry. I would go to bed thinking that I would find a dead baby in the

Bob & Barb JohnsonHillcrest Llama FarmChandlersville, Ohio

www.hillcrestllamas.net • Email: [email protected]: (740) 674-4544

HF Stacey (Sired by Amici)

ILR Show DivisionChampion

ILR Universal AwardsHalter Champion

continued on page 25


“Silver Anniversary” Llama Show at the Ohio State Fair

by Donna Moore

I know it may seem early but the crew is already working on this year’s “Ohio State Fair Llama and Fiber Show”. The show will be held on July 19-20 at the Fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio, with the crew coming in on July 18th.

This will be a very special show because it will be celebrating its “25th anniversary” ... making it the longest running llama show ... anywhere ever! We are excited

Plan to wear our theme colors - red, white and blue - every day .... even in the show ring! They have proudly represented our show for many years and you should feel very proud of what you have helped accomplish.

As we have done in the passed couple of years, a special meal will be catered in for all of you prior to our Exhibitor Meeting.

In addition to our full class schedule and beautiful awards, we will have special classes and awards throughout the show. Our judges will be:Halter Judge is Nikki Kulenski from Bellingham, Washington. Performance Judge is Mike Haumschild from Warsaw, Ohio.Fiber Judge - Fran Soukup from Wisconsin

We have one of the best facilities to house our animals and whole show and a great State Fair staff with whom to work, who truly appreciate our llove of our animals. We also have the best group of people - our show crew - unselfishly working to make this a really good weekend event for you as they have for 25 years!

Don’t forget to email me 3 pieces of information to add your “very special llama” that you have lost at any time and who showed at least twice at our show over the past 25 years: 1) llama’s name, 2) owner’s name, and 3) one to two words that best describes him/her. Bev Frye will make him/her the most beautiful inscribed nameplate and add it to our “Memory Plaque of Ohio State Fair Exhibitors”. This will be its third year at the show.

For ALL the information you will need to enter the show, go to www.ohiostatefair.com around the first of April. Any questions you may have then or now, feel free to contact me. The deadline for our show is ALWAYS June 20. We will work with you if you have travel or job concerns. The show will begin promptly at 2:00 PM on Friday, July 19, and end for you after your last class on Saturday, July 20, with a lot of great stuff in between!!

Have a safe and easy rest of winter. Donna ~ [email protected]


Raising LiamBy Michele Strupp

Reprinted from the January 2013 Issue Volume III of the Midwest Lama Association

Raising an orphaned cria wasn’t exactly what I had planned on during this past summer but life happens and you learn to adapt to the situation at hand. He was silver in color and was born sometime during the night of May 16, 2012. I named him Liam and it was a fitting name as it meant: strong willed, warrior. And that he was!

Shakira didn’t have any problems with prior births and we didn’t anticipate any with this delivery either. She was an easy going, gentle soul. I estimated that she was a week overdue but that wasn’t unusual for her. We checked on her the previous night around 9 o’clock. The entire herd was happily grazing in the back pasture of our five acres. My husband and I both agreed that Shakira would probably have the baby the next day. She just seemed a little more “open”.

Llamas normally give birth between the hours of 9am and 3pm. That sounds crazy but it is a survival mechanism that Mother Nature installed long ago. That way the baby would be up on its feet and ready to run by sundown when lurking predators come out of hiding. So when my husband, Steve went out that morning at 5:45 to check on everyone, I was surprised to see him come back so quickly to announce that he could see a new baby running around in the back pasture. I knew Liam must be a few hours old already if he was running and his fiber was already dry. Although babies stand within the first hour of life, they aren’t typically running for a few hours.

The back pasture is about a football field in length to our house. As we headed towards Shakira, I could tell that something was wrong. She was standing up and the back half of her was enamored in red. I knew this wasn’t going to be good. I was mortified looking at my poor girl standing there with her insides literally hanging out. I had never seen a prolapsed uterus and never wanted to see one again. I called the vet immediately while she stood there looking at me. I imagined that she was pleading for me to help but I felt helpless. All I could do was talk to her to try to soothe her.

My vet answered right away and said he was on another farm call close by. He would be over shortly. He gave me a few instructions before hanging up. He said to get a bucket of warm water and clean rags. Pour the water gentle over the uterus. Steve had to leave for work so I was alone in the field waiting for help to arrive. I did as the vet asked but the whole time I was thinking this is the most horrifying thing I have ever seen.

In the five years being involved with llamas, I never had this occur and didn’t know what to expect. When my vet arrived, he said although this isn’t common among llamas, they usually make a full recovery. He slipped on a glove, cleaned with antiseptic and basically pushed everything back in place. Unfortunately, due to prolonged exposure, Shakira developed a uterine infection and didn’t recover. Sadly she died the next evening leaving her baby boy behind.

I had to put a plan of action in place if we were going to save Shakira’s baby. Liam was able to nurse for a few times from Shakira on the first day. I had also given him some extra colostrum that I had on hand. He had a lot of things going for him. He was a big boy and weighed in at 30.4 lbs with a fighting attitude which he was going to need. We also had Maggie, another mom that had a two


HOPEFULLY MT. HOPE

Since the mid- 1990’s I have attended the camelid portion of every Mt. Hope Exotic sale. The reason for attending has changed with the times. Because of the questions asked by other attendees, each sale became an opportunity to share information with buyers, potential buyers, as well as sellers, breeders, and others. At each sale someone would ask: “Is it OK to feed llamas rabbit food. . . is it true llamas do not need water . . . and what should I feed the 2 week old cria we just purchased as a surprise for the grandchildren”? I would respond with an offer to mail the questioner a packet of information that addressed their questions or concerns. From 1996 to 1998 the days following the sale would be spent researching, photocopying information and making custom informational packets - followed by a trip to the post office. By 1998 it was more efficient to prepare packets in advance and distribute them at the sale. This was a quiet act of love for the species. The packets were identical to those I developed for the Greater Appalachian Llama and Alpaca Association after becoming Librarian in that same year. Today’s “Llama and Alpaca Care Kits” are far richer in content, a healthy evolution of information. And today the auctioneer announces during the auction that anyone who wants a free “Llama and Alpaca Care Kit” should raise their hand to receive one.

Held three times each year, the sale has changed along with the buyers and the fate of many of the consigned llamas and alpacas. For a couple of years the auction owner and I have discussed the possibility of an information table, tended by knowledgeable owners during the camelid part of the Mt. Hope sales. For 10 years the only group that has been permitted to provide information during the sales is an Ohio group that lobbies to protect animal owner rights.

This is an opportunity to educate but not politicize. . . which is perfect. We could promote 4H camelids, and camelid fiber use to get started. The sale dates for 2013 are: Saturday, April 6; Saturday, September 14; and Saturday, November 2. The llama and alpaca sale starts at 11 AM and usually lasts a couple of hours. The information table could run from 9 AM to 2 PM.

I am willing to design a basic booth with photos and cover the costs of all handouts and any other costs associated with this effort which will conserve ORVLA’s funds for other projects. Please call (724)22-9441 or email caradv@juno,com if you are interested in helping by tending the booth.

About Cynthia Rossi: Cynthia Rossi lives with 38 pet llamas, mostly rescues, at Tara Hill Farm in Washington, Pennsylvania. Since age 11 her life dream was llama companionship, a dream realized in 1993. A member of PLAA and GALA, she has served as GALA’s Librarian since 1998. For 33 years she has owned and operated an award-winning advertising and public relations agency, which supports her “habit”. As for rescuing llamas, she admits that it is the llamas who rescue her.

SPILLING THE BEANS ABOUT ME

Let us know something about you. Send your responses to Topline editor.WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

FAMILY MEMBERS-

EDUCATION AND MEMORIES-

PETS AS A CHILD-

OCCUPATION-

FAMILY LIFE AS AN ADDULT-

WHEN DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN LLAMAS?

INTERESTING EXPERIENCES WITH YOUR LLAMAS- (FUNNY,GOOD,EMBARASSING)

OTHER ANIMALS THAT YOU OWN AND LOVE?


We were asked to help another 4-H club by giving a demonstration on how to show Llamas. This opportunity is somewhat exciting because that means there will be another 4-H club showing Llamas at the Fairfield County Fair this year. Or should I say camelids, Llamas and Alpacas. Of course the scheduled evening is never a good time when it comes down to it. I was enjoying a cookout at the neighbors and had to drag myself and my son away to go to this meeting. He is President of our littleclub and if I have to go then he should come too!

So off we went, over the river and through the woods to a 4-H meeting we will go! Wow, what a meeting. The pole barn was stuffed full of parents, kids were sitting on hay bails and a special table was setup for the officers. Oh yea, and a couple of Alpacas were hanging out in the middle of it all. This was a lot bigger than what we were expecting. There were over 50 people there, it looked like thousands to us.

Now I’ve concluded that they’ll start the meeting and then we’ll work with the Alpaca people on the side. I guess that was wishful thinking, after they completed the opening ceremonies we were quickly introduced as the Llama experts. Speech! Speech!

Now I wasn’t quite prepared for this, but took my place up front with my son and our inflatable Llama head. I explained some of the basics taught by Marty McGee Bennett with Camelid Dynamics. I kindly demonstrated on my son how Llamas do not like to be spooked near the eyes or patted on the head. They are much more comfortable with a nice stroke on the neck, gently with the back of your hand. My son didn’t like the stroking so much and reminded me that we had the inflatable Llama head for demonstration. Fortunately he did not spit on me!

After we demonstrated halter fit and proper methods for putting on and taking off the halter we started on showmanship. We made a make shift ring in the back of the pole barn and began going in circles. We then lined up side by side, 1 inflatable head with person attached and 2 Alpacas. I was very impressed with how well the boys handled the animals! They did very well.

Now, we needed to explain positioning of the animals, even with the nose of the first animal, proper distance between the animals, and proper stance. Along with this lesson is the unfortunate necessity of pulling them out of line to reposition the animal. The first boy did this ok, but turned away from his animal. I politely asked him if I could borrow his Alpaca to demonstrate the proper method for turning.

This started OK until I turned into the Alpaca. He did not like that! I crossed that invisible personal space boundary. This is never a problem with a Llama, but I think my hand was just plain to close to his nose and he let me know. In front of all those people he spit on me! That certainly was a crowd pleaser! Of course, like a good performer I carried on and finished the showing demonstration.

People are always so nice and pleasing. Many said they enjoyed the lesson and they learned a lot. There is also the explanation of how this Alpaca has only been on the farm for 2 weeks and is very skittish. They even said I handled her quite well!

I’m not sure if I buy all that, but I do know we are better now than before and we are still learning. The best way to learn is to teach. We enjoyed the experience and made new friends in the process. Maybe,just maybe, someone there learned a little too.

Never Pass Up a Teaching Opportunity!by Marty Hartman of Hartland Llamas

Rosero’s Legacy

MCFL Big Brown

Studs for Service or SaleHartland llamas

740) 215-2696

MCFL Chip


Think about advertising in the newsletter. Promote your stud, highlight animals or equipment for sale, and keep your newsletter solvent at the same time. Encourage others to advertise, not just members, but also businesses and services that might benefit from advertising to our members. Business card ads and classified ads are inexpensive, and larger sizes in our newsletter are very reasonable. If you aren’t sure how to put together a camera-ready ad, ask a computer literate friend for help.

Our newsletter is the one single piece of communication we can count on to reach every member on a regular ongoing basis with news and information about our organization, as well as items of concern throughout our region. Not everyone attends all of our meetings and conferences, nor can we count on everyone receiving our organization’s email communications. Our newsletter is one of the most important membership benefits we receive. And that includes “giving to” the newsletter as well as “taking from” it.

Reprinted from The Orgler(Wisconsin Organization of Llama Enthusiasts, Inc.)December 2006

Camelidynamics, Computers and Camelidsby Marty McGee Bennett

Like it or not I spend as much or more of my time at a computer these days than I do working with camelids. Based on many conversations I believe I am not alone. Computers are a fact of life, our vocabulary is peppered with new words that didn’t exist even 20 years ago. People often come to camelids from disparate walks of life, many with no previous livestock experience, but with a wealth of life experience - much of it on the computer. In my work, teaching, training, and handling techniques I often think in and use metaphors and analogies as a way of helping people relate to the concepts I am teaching.

I began to think about how the problems and solutions we encounter on our computer screens hit the handling nail right on the head (metaphor intended)! Who hasn’t been caught in “screensaver” mode with mouth hanging open and eyes a bit glazed? How many boomers are feeling like the sum total of their life experience is leaving their brain/hard drive a bit full and in need of “defragging”?

While struggling with the computer issue the other day, I made the decision that I was not going to fix the problem and could live with a “work around”. Later that day I was having lunch with a friend and alpaca breeder. We were discussing a male alpaca she owns - we will call him “Oscar”. Oscar has been to several sessions of Cameliddynamics Camelids Camp. Camelids come to camp for four days with their name clearly marked on their undies and their favorite snack. The human students work with the assembled animals and amazing transformations take place with both four and two legged. The last day is “parent’s day” and the owners arrive in the afternoon to pick up their animals, learn about what we have been working on and how to continue where we leave off.

While Oscar has made progress in many areas, his basic issue of extreme halter resistance persist. It occurred to me that a “work around” was not only practical, but also the best and safest course of action. Tackling a problem like this head on (pun intended) with repetition is akin to picking a scab or, to use the computer metaphor, is just exactly like the endless loops we find ourselves in when the same warning window appears each time we execute the same set of commands. It is no more logical to assume that an animal will magically change with rote repetition than to think that the computer will fix itself just because we are frustrated and want it to. Just as with the computer, if you don’t like what you get when you hit a key, don’t keep hitting that key.

The more we humans insist on getting a halter on by wrestling and fighting, the more we unwittingly teach the alpaca to resist more effectively. Oscar is an animal that is determined that he will not wear a halter and Leslie has no other choice. He is a big male, is very strong and agile, and is extremely frightened. My guess is that he is a victim of a particularly unpleasant early haltering experience-perhaps innocently forced into a halter that didn’t fit with the disastrous first leading experience or tied. A young animal in a halter that doesn’t fit, that panics on a lead, is tied to a static object, or can easily pull the halter off of the nose bone. In this case the halter can compress the cartilage and partially or fully block the airway. When animals can’t breathe they panic iand struggle, ironically need even more of what they can’t get - AIR. When this happens accidentally it is unfortunate, however the deliberate training practice of haltering weanling alpacas and llamas and tying them to a fence to let them “sort it out” is not a safe training shortcut in my opinion. The downside risk is creating what I call a “drowning victim”.




Drowning victims are petrified of “THE HALTER” and will hurt themselves and anyone that tries to make them wear one and, just like Oscar, they are often very reasonable with other aspects of management. Once faltered Oscar is a dream to lead, easy to trim toenails and, surprisingly, once in balance, he will accept the TTouch all over his face, nose, and mouth. Issues that involve haltering or surprise movements around his head will cause this fellow to react suddenly and violently and he has connected more than once with the head of a person working with him.

We can’t simply decide to never touch this animal again - it is time to accept a work around! (Options below)• to put a halter on and leave it on. In some cases the best way to do this may be with the sedative. Once haltered we must periodically check the safety and comfort of the halter and make sure that the pasture is as safe as it can be... No hooks or wire left sticking out, etc. This is not a perfect solution, but it is a good option for an animal that must be shown or transported and a halter is not optional.• Use a different way of managing that doesn’t involve a halter. As it turns out, this is a perfectly fine solution for Oscar.

I firmly believe that this and many issues can benefit from a “work around”. For example, when alpacas are llamas become absolutely unreasonable and determined that they will not allow humans touch their legs, I teach people to trim toenails while the animal standing on them. Simply use the nippers to trim off the overgrown part of the toenail without picking the foot up at all. Trimming toenails on the ground is a compromise to be sure, but a perfectly fine “workaround” in a perfectly acceptable alternative to a knock down drag out fight.

Using a sedative when doing things that animals cannot tolerate without high levels of restraint is another “work around” is absolutely reasonable and can be far safer in the long run. In order for a camiled to let go of “looped behaviors” we must figure out a way to get the job done without doing things that reinforce the behaviors we wish to eliminate.

In the case of Oscar (and many more drowning victims that I have had the opportunity to work with) he is easy to lead and very cooperative. My suggestion for this fellow is to manage him using containment. Oscar can be led using a long lead rope attached to a collar placement of high on his neck as possible. This provides a reasonable amount of leverage and control. He can also be wormed, receive injection and shorn without using a halter. If he is to be used for breeding, the female can be brought to him or the owners can use a laneway to herd him to a neutral breeding pen or use a combination of a lead rope attached to the top of the neck offering a reasonable amount of leverage and laneways to get him where he needs to go.

There are other computer metaphors that can help us understand our decidedly animate companions.• System Freezes: ask an animal for too much too soon or do too many things at one time and we overload the system (think high strung weanling at a huge show) and it freezes. It is more efficient and safer to do periodic maintenance and ask for less... But when the system freezes there is nothing to be done but shut down and begin again. Backing up to much easier tasks with an animal can help to reboot. When working with animals that are very resistant to having their toenails trimmed, I will often ask the animal to pick up and IMMEDIATELY put the foot down. I repeat this 15 to 20 times per

Newsletter editors the world over will tell you the hardest, most frustrating part about the job is lack of submissions received from members. All of us look forward to seeing that familiar newsletter in our mailbox as we anticipate a “good read”. If members don’t contribute the content - articles, calendar items, helpful hints, photos, ads - there is no newsletter. An editor edits, which is defined as “to prepare an addition of” or “ to direct the publication of”. That doesn’t include writing all the copy or beating the bushes for ads. That’s our job as members of this organization.

Many people aren’t comfortable writing. They don’t know where to start, or they don’t think they have anything worthwhile to say. Others are worried about their spelling, grammar or use of words. Still others feel they are just too busy to set aside any time for contributing to the newsletter. If any of those excuses sound familiar to you, here’s how to get over them.

If you’re not comfortable writing a piece for the newsletter then “talk” it. Tell it to tape recorder or have your spouse or friend copy down the main points as you tell it to them. We’re not asking for a major epistle, just a short item or two. Once the gist of what you want to say is down on paper (or the computer), then you can play with it and change or refine it.

If you don’t know where to start, just start anywhere. You can always go back and put a beginning on your story. When I worked as a reporter for a daily newspaper, I had to work fast. If I wasn’t sure how to start a piece, I didn’t have the luxury of sitting around until inspiration hit. I just dove into the story and then checked afterwards to see if it had a logical beginning, middle and end. Have a friend read it and give you their reaction.

Everyone has something worthwhile to say and share. Maybe it’s a simple trick or two in setting up your barn that makes feeding easier, or a way of handling your animals at shearing time that makes everything less stressful for them and for you. Maybe there’s a special event coming up that you want others to know about, or maybe you attended a great conference and have information you want to share with others. Everyone has a fun llama or alpaca story they tell their friends - why not write it down for the newsletter so others may enjoy it too?

If you’re worried about your spelling, grammar or use of words, have your spouse or a friend read your copy with a critical eye (there’s no more critical eye than that of a spouse). Though computers can be helpful with some spelling errors, beware of totally relying on spell check features. The computer won’t catch words that are spelled correctly but not used properly. Ask the editor to proof or clean up your copy if you’d like. As editor on a variety of magazines and publications over the years, it was my job to edit articles and make them read well. Most editors will be happy to do this.

You don’t have enough time? Certainly over the course of a year you can manage to submit one item to the newsletter. If every member submitted only one item a year, the editor of a quarterly newsletter would be awash with material for publication. Just put it on your calendar and follow through. If you have the time or inclination to contribute more than one piece, all the better. Consider it your responsibility to your organization, just like paying your membership dues.

How to Contribute to YOUR Newsletterby Sheila Fugina


continued on page 13 continued on page 22


foot before asking the animal to allow me to hold the foot up for even a second or two. Repetition of this successful behavior will build lost confidence in the handler and reboot the behavior.• Fixes: when attempting to diagnose a problem, it may be better to address one thing at a time instead of the more scattershot approach we often take to problem solving. Trying too many fixes at the same time may result in a system crash or if you do manage to fix the problem you won’t know which fixed combination of fixes did the trick.• User Error: computer problems are just about always the result of user error, but we humans love to swear at and blame the machine. The same thing is true of our relationship with our animals... Handling error is the cause of 99.9% of the difficulties we have with our woolly buddy and, just like a computer, animals don’t lose any sleep over our decision that isn’t their fault! The sooner we realize we bear the responsibility, the sooner we can set about figuring out the solution.• Garbage in/garbage out: as wonderful as the computer is, the quality of the output is only as good as the input. Handle your animals well and you train them to do good things, handle your animals badly and you train them to do bad things. Using methods that are unkind and disrespectful seldom result in a truly good solution.• Incompatibility: load a Mac program on a PC or try to use a program that is too big for the capacity of the RAM and incompatibility becomes a problem. Some animals and some owners are just not a good fit and there is no shame in making that decision. One person’s bain can be another’s blessing. Some animals do better in a large herd, others in the small herd. Some camelids are not cut out for the show ring regardless of how lovely they look. Some males are too aggressive to live in company, others are too easy going to be good breeders. Some females are not good mothers. Some animals are not appropriate for new owners. Recognizing and then accepting that you have an incompatibility issue can give you peace of mind.

That just about exhausts my list of computer comparisons. I think I will say so long, happy handling and go outside on this beautiful day to spend some quality time with my llamas and alpacas!

… Did you come to a clinic and get really excited about the techniques, but then lost touch with the ideas and your commitment to them after you got home?… Have you had problems with an animal and wanted the counsel from someone that understands the way you want to do things?… Do you want to learn more about kind, efficient respectful and fun handling?… Do you want to teach others the Camelidynamics approach?… Are you interested in using Camelidynamics to officially market your animals or services?Consider the Camelidynamics Guild!For more information about the Guild, Camelidynamics and Marty McGee Bennett visit www.cameliddynamics.com

FENDER’S FISH HATCHERY & LLAMA FARM50527 T.R. 220

BALTIC, OH(740) 622-0681

fendersfishhatchery.com


http://pinehavenlamas.com

http://www.roundhillfarm.com

http://fendersfishhatchery.com


If you haven’t renewed your membership yet this will be your last issue of Topline!

http://www.lallamas.com

http://www.linkhornllamas.net

http://www.midwestfiber.com


Sunshine ReportCards were sent to Doug Targett

A reminder that we need ALL of you to help keep up with the cards that we wish to send to our members or the flower/memorial donations that will be sent in the sad event of the death of an ORVLA member or their immediate family member living at home. Please let us know by sending an email or phone call to:

Linda Pohle, Sunshine Committee Chairemail: [email protected]

phone: 740-943-3876

great support to our supposition that the decisions and boundries drawn by mom and baby are much more clear and definite than drawn by humans between mom and her baby. This would appear to be another significant reason for the low success rate in complete weaning even when we have separated them for three months or longer. Combine this with our attempt to wean at a significantly younger age than is done, on average, by the moms themselves, and it begins to make sense why it is that we humans have such a difficult time getting “our” weaning program to stick.

Though this arrangement has worked extremely well at our farm, we have a fiduciary responsibility to the health and welfare of our alpacas and llamas. It is important to keep ourselves from getting stuck in the thinking “ALL moms wean ALL their babies EVERY year by themselves.” Not true. Some years they all do but not always. Circumstances such as health, sex of babies, pasture arrangement and so on can play a significant role and these situations can change from year to year. It is possible, although somewaht rare, for a precocious little six-momth-old male to attempt to breed and and even inpregnate any open female in his pasture. Though we have moms wean as late as the beginning of the eleventh month with no weak crias and no low IgG levels, one must be prepared to intervene if necessary. In our particular case, we felt it necessary to intervene at the eleventh hour on one occasion and discovered on another that the mom had made the decision at nearly the same instance as we had. We did not have any problem with development of a fresh new bag of milk and good colostrum. The “late weaning” moms dried up completely within days (a process they all begin slowly over a period of time long before wening is complete - it is, in fact, a natural part of the weaning process) and a healthy bag had developed before the arrival of the new baby.

The health of your llama or alpaca is important. We have not found “self weaning” to be an issue for moms who are in good condition. Those who are “down” in weight, have an abcess or elongated teeth, lack luster in their wool and/or any other malady may not fare well physically. Not only is it possibe that their physical condition may be further compromised by their self-imposed time frame of weaning, the overall pregnancy, welfare of the unborn cria, birth and milk production may be compromised as well. It would be prudent not to breed a female who is not in good condition. Should a female become “down” after she is bred, we assist in any way we can which may include weaning her current baby ourselves. The same considerations are present for a a mom and her baby REGARDLESS of any weaning practice we may employ. It is important to pay attention to your herd members. In working to understand the seemingly never-ending range of expression and behavior, one becomes better able to know when an intervention is necessary.

We, the two and four-legged’s at GENTLE SPIRIT LLAMAS, enjoy the natural process of weaning. It has worked extremely well and has certainly reduced the stress level surrounding weaning for all of us. This has been a controversial topic for years and we have been criticized for not showing more responsibility for the moms and “our” babies. But that is just it - they are not “our” babies! Looking in the mirror, I noticed I am not an alpaca or a llama. As such, is it possible that I may not really know how to teach one to be one or when it is the right time to wean a particular baby? We have made the commitment that we shall do our best by our llamas with the things we do best and try to allow them the opportunity to do those things at which they are best. The result has been a much more relaxed and confident herd . . . not to mention us!

Originally published in The Journal - Rocky Mountain Llama & Alpaca Association newsletter - Summer 2008.


http://www.doransalpacallamas.com

http://www.bakercompanyllamas.com


Whose Baby Is This, Anyway?by Cathy Spalding

Weaning . . . a subject full of controversy, confusion and complicating factors. To wean means, “to withhold mother’s milk from the young of a mammal and substitute other nourishment.” The definition also includes “to detach from that which he is accustomed or devoted.” The weaning process is an issue every llama and alpaca breeder must face often, causing a good bit of angst to both the llamas and/or alpacas and their humans. As with most anything, there are a things to consider regarding the weaning process. How are your pastures arranged and what sort of fencing exists? How many animals do you have, what age and sex, any babies relatively close in age and are they the same sex? In addition, there are important things to consider with each mom and baby -- each year.

I would guess most everyone experiencing the gift of a newborn cria on their farm has tried their hand in the weaning process. We always weaned “our” babies at around the six month mark. It was traumaticf or both the four and two-leggeds and not something we looked forward to doing. However, in trying to do the best for our animals as “herds keeper”, it was our necessary responsibility. We tried a variety of methods including different fields, out of sight from one another, within sight, removing baby from the main group and leaving mom, removing mom and leaving baby, separated by a mere fence, separated by several fences, with a gelding, with other babies, with a group . . . for one month, two months, three months or more. Some weaned easier than others but without exception, there were those first long days of pacing and crying. Sometimes the baby would cry, sometimes the mom would too. We had cases of urine burn, sore teats, mothers and babies trying to nurse through the gates and fencing. We had one little fellow jump a five foot fence. Through it all we continually reminded them, as well as ourselves, that this was for their own good.

We began to wonder if there could be another way to handle this. We talked with a number of other breeders about letting the moms wean their own babies. Many had been breeding llamas and alpacas much longer than us and had experienced many more births and ultimate weanings. Almost all concurred that it did not work. We decided to see for ourselves. One of our most important discoveries was timing. Our mentors were absolutely correct -- moms weaning their own babies did not work if WE chose a particular date by which they should have that baby weaned. Timing -- that date -- seems to be where we get stuck. Our concerns around this subject most directly relates to length of time -- the age of the baby.

We returned the responsibility of weaning back to our llamas nearly twelve years ago with nary a regret. That is NOT to say there are never occasions when we find it necessary to intervene. That IS to say that with a few exceptions, most all of our moms (15 on average) wean their babies every year they have them, all by themselves. In the process, we have discovered some remarkable things. On average, most moms on our farm wean their babies sometime during the age of nine months. Occasionally some are weaned around seven months and some not until the gae of ten months. Given the nine month average we have witnessed here, is it possible that the age of six months is way too early? I have often wondered how the six month mark was decided. . .

We have drawn some interesting conclusions based on our “observational dada.” Those babies usually weaned earlier than the nine-month average are usually males (though some are female) who are very independent and quite precocious. Often times they are larger, as well. Those weaned later than the


nine-month average appear to fall into three categories:1. Babies who are quiet, shy, clingy - a “momma’s kid’.2. Babies of first-time moms or of older moms who have had the a number of offspring but never had

the experience of weaning their own baby. In the second instance, usually about the time we decide to intervene, we discover the mom has decided the same thing. The second year of weaning by these moms is much more “to schedule.”

3. Some moms, if not rebred, do not seem to ever wean their last baby even if they have normally done so. Naturally, it is simply responsible as “herds keeper” to intervene if this last baby is a male. If mom is not rebred, in good condition and there are no known compromising factors, we have left female offspring with their moms and noted occasional nursing for up to two years.

The same mom does not necessarily wean each bay each year at the same time. For example, a mom who has weaned six babies may have weaned four at around the nine-month average and one earlier and one later. It seems to depend on the specific personality and growth (mental/emotional and physical) of that particular baby. We truly feel the weaning process is much more involved than the simple matter of nourishment. What other lessons about “life as an alpaca or llama” occur during those extra few months which we, as humans, do not readily “see?”

In our experience, young males are typically weaned earlier depending on their “personality.” Those who are precocious, have larger testicles, are independent and “aggressively” playful than those who are more of a “momma’s boy” - quiet and shy. Young females are often weaned around the nine-month average or later. We have noticed that those babies who have been weaned exclusively by their moms appear more independent and confident after weaning. They tend to stand “on their own two feet,” rarely run to mom with their tails up over their back are less fearful in new situations and training and have already established thier own distinct place in the herd. When mom says they are finished - no further nursing - they are indeed finished. Perhaps these are some of the lessons we, as humans do not readily “see.” Those we have weaned ourselves seem to flounder and appear much less confident in themselves. They often struggle for their place in the herd, receiving far more “spit lessons.” During this struggle, they tend to run to mom more often with their tail thrown over their back. Should they try to nurse, mom often appears confused - a yes-no, maybe, I’’m not quite sure - response. Sometimes, even after a long separation, mom will give in and nursing resumes. It seems to make sense. Those mothers have never made the personal decision nor established the boundries of nursing with their baby we did! We have been astonished by the ramifications of the moms, establishing time fames and boundaries with their babies versus us imposing our time frames and boundaries.

In the first few years of our returning the weaning process to the mothers, we witnessed a birth situation here, which forever sealed our commitment to allowing our moms to do the weaning when at all possible. Corona had just given birth to her third baby. Baby #1 which WE had weaned and Baby #2, which SHE had weaned, were two of the first at the scene. As Corona stood over her struggling newborn, both Baby #1 and Baby #2 decided to check out the milk situation. Baby #2 (mother had weaned, now a yearling) was immediately and severely reprimanded and told in no uncertain terms that they were thtough with that. Surprisingly, Baby #1 (now a two year old which WE had weaned) was allowed to begin nursing until suddenly it was as if Corona thought “wait a minute,” stood uncertain for a brief moment, sniffed her newborn and then simply moved away from Baby #1. This event lent

continued on page 17continued on page 18