Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Calving, part 3


Thing to do before calving.

Having an appropriate calving place that has good grass and plenty of water (moving water) to ensure recovery of the females after the calving.





Have ready the roosts clean to ensure proper rotation and avoid the presence of some diseases com diarrhea.

Having iodine, ready to be used correctly in disinfecting the navel and thereby prevent the entry of different enfermeades like piosepticemia cord.



Things we do during the calving

Ensure that the number of animals entering the farrowing extension relates to a grassland to prevent overpopulation would cause overgrazing.


Observe carefully every morning to pregnant animals, and keeping track of those showing signs of labor, to help if they can not give birth or present some problems as childbirth distosic (difficult birth).

Ensure that the female has given birth. this with her newborn calf, to avoid being denied.

Observe that labor ends with the expulsion of the placenta to avoid complications in the parturient mother's uterus.


What we should do after calving

Allow the mother to develop her character maternal breeding.

Immediately disinfected with iodine, the navel of the newborn.



Ensure that the new calf take its first milk or colostrum within the first hours after birth. If you can not do on their own, subjecting the mother to suckle the calf.



Avoid at all times meet parturient females to males, because for breeding must have a break of 15 postpartum days. This will garanriza the uterus or womb return to normal size.

The Calving, part 2


Should we do?

The main technical criteria recommended are:

Perform breeding from January to March for a concentrated calving in the months of January and February, months that have plenty of grass and water available to the laboring mother, ensuring rapid recovery of mothers and new offspring.



Practicing controlled calving consideando uns following:

  •   Separate groups of animals (A and B)


Group A: Tuis males tuis females, pregnant females, females calving

Group B: Players males, females empty the previous season and suitable for breeding.

Calves born in group A will be maintained for 15 days to prevent the males to find females, rolled and cause them injury.



After 15 days, the females that have calved in group A will be transferred to their offspring the group B, for breeding

However, when the flock is more than 100 animals is necessary to make a system for large herds calving.


  • The herd is divided into 3 groups:


Stay in group 1, only pregnant females and females calving until the next day delivery, and then be transferred to their offspring, group II, the group called collector




Of this group after a postpartum period of 15 days, mothers and pass to another gupo CIRAS III where you start the breeding or what is called "breeding group"

It is important to practice these calving systems by the following advantages:
- It avoids the congestion of females that have calved, females give birth and are empty.
- There is a mjeor health control and management of the females that have calved.
- Females mating before entering the rest have 15 days postpartum to ensure a new pregnancy.

The Calving, part 1


So what is the partition?

It is one of the most important tasks of the alpaca calendar, by producing the birth of new offspring.

The number of offspring obtained depends capitalization flock to have new replacements, and make a better selection of reporductores both males and females, as well as performing a more planned out.






Main problems

Generally at the community level (farmers and small producers), encontramo alpaca herds with males and females together throughout the year, resulting in matings and births occur without contorl in any era.

Most herds in paricoin period (January to March) found pregnant mothers, some with calves of different ages and both male breeding alpacas, llamas and sheep. In these conditions it is difficult to track in the management and health of the herd.

Other times, Mahos looking for females in heat, run over to the offspring, causing them trauma or injury that can cause death. Males is common that are bothering you or trying to cover females that are calving.

Most producers do not know the different attentions should give the mother and the new cria. For these reasons die approximately half of the offspring.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The estimation of age in American camelids

The main way to place the age of the animals is through teething. In the case of South American camelids. Llamas and alpacas have 32 permanent teeth. The first molars appear in the 6-9 months of age, the other at 2 years. Camelids are unique in, in spite of being a ruminant animal, possessing permanent insicivos. The first incisor appears at 2 years of age, the next to the last pair 3 and between 3 and 6 years.