What are the precautions for raising alpacas?
As an emerging breeding project, alpacas produce fleece that is favored by many people, and many people have seized on this promising industry newly introduced to China and begun large-scale breeding. However, after all, there are not many experienced breeders, so everyone lacks a correct breeding and management method. How to make alpacas grow high-quality fleece, and how to manage them so they grow and develop normally, is the first problem many people need to solve now, so the editor brings you the precautions during alpaca breeding.
1. Numbering
When raising alpacas, numbering them is the most important thing, because numbering first allows effective planning for selective breeding and matching, and also prevents inbreeding. Numbering alpacas is an indispensable management item in alpaca breeding and management. The numbering work can use the ear tag method, hanging the number on the alpaca's ear, taking care to avoid blood vessels, then disinfecting the spot to be pierced with iodine. This prevents wound inflammation and continuous bleeding.
2. Immunization
Immunization of alpacas is a method of giving them active immunity, and it can effectively prevent and control infectious diseases. Because the immune mechanism alpacas produce themselves is relatively slow, but the incidence of disease is relatively high and hard to control, and illness is the most serious thing for alpacas, it can also cause incalculable losses for breeders. For immunization, foot-and-mouth disease type O vaccine and others can be injected into alpacas. Once each in spring and autumn, mainly to prevent the occurrence and spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
3. Deworming
Deworming is to better protect the fleece on alpacas and reduce damage to the fleece. First, medicinal bathing can be used to reduce parasites on alpacas, avoiding parasites absorbing the nutrients of the fleece and causing a decline in fleece quality. Do it once each in spring and autumn, and at other times decide according to the alpacas' growth condition and the breeding environment. Before bathing, prepare medicine that can remove parasites, such as trichlorfon. Grind the tablets into powder, mix it into water in proportion, and keep the water temperature at around 40 degrees to prevent the alpacas from catching a cold. Injectable deworming shots and oral deworming medicine can also be used.
4. Sand bathing
Alpacas have an innate hobby: they like rolling on sand, commonly known as sand bathing. The reason alpaca fleece is much better in quality than wool is that alpaca fiber is finer than sheep's, and its elasticity and toughness are also better. If some debris gets tangled on the alpacas, this debris will tangle the alpaca fleece together and lower the fleece quality. So giving alpacas sand baths can effectively remove debris from their bodies. Prepare an appropriate amount of sand and let them play in it; this not only effectively satisfies the alpacas' hobby, but also cleans off the debris. Note that the clean sand needs to be replaced once every evening.
5. Shearing
Raising alpacas is for their fleece, so shearing is needed once a year. When shearing, it is relatively important to cut off the alpaca fleece smoothly. First, comb the alpaca fleece. Comb the alpaca fleece smooth to prevent the fleece from tangling during shearing, and stretch the alpaca's skin tight to prevent cutting the alpaca's flesh. Store the cut fleece well, place insect repellent, and also take care to prevent the alpaca fleece from changing color.
The above are some precautions to note when raising alpacas. When raising alpacas, the first thing to note is deworming and immunization. Because there are not many diseases that harm alpacas, the most harmful is still foot-and-mouth disease, so doing the immunization work well can effectively prevent the occurrence of disease. Improving the breeding quality of alpacas can also effectively raise the economic benefits of breeders. This article is for reference only, and I hope it is helpful to everyone.