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WOOL COLUMN

I recently participated in the Flagstaff Wool Festival. This was a two day
event held at the Arizona Pioneer Museum, and the weather Saturday, June 5
was perfect for llama wool items. It was COLD and windy. Frank and Janine
Rotter had some of their llamas there and there were several Alpacas
breeders represented. The Flagstaff spinning and weaving guild had members in
attendance demonstrating various arts. Despite Saturdays weather, we had a
good turnout both days, and Sunday was gorgeous. Alpaca breeders had both
fiber and finished items for sale, and I had an assortment of fibers. Sheep
shearers participated, and Marti Walters snuck her two angora goats in for a
shearing as well. This was a great opportunity for adults and especially
children to learn about fiber producing animals. With our high tech
lifestyles, we tend to forget that not too long ago, we didn't have all the
equipment to make clothes and it was done by hand. Personally the most
memorable part of the event happened on Sunday when to pre-school girls
stopped by with their father and watched me spin. They were very interested,
and I was able to help them spin using a drop spindle. It helped me think
about how to break down the spinning process into steps to teach spinning.
In other bits of news, don't forget that the next pool for RMLA is being
collected in August. You must be a member of RMLA to participate in the
pool; fiber must have guard hairs removed and fiber be washed prior to shipping.
The summer issue of Spin-off has a very nice article on spinning and
knitting with alpaca fiber. I was pleasantly surprised to read that I use some of the
same techniques in working with llama fiber as the author uses. And if
reading this article gets any interested in spinning, Louet is offering a
10% discount on spinning wheels through the end of July. I am willing to pass
this discount on to any customer who buys from me during this time. Louet
wheels are very affordable, so please give a call if you are interested.

Go take a hike with your nicely shorn llamas!



SUMMER TIME

Ways To Help Your Llama to KEEP COOL
In The Summer Heat

Last summer I spent quite a lot of time researching this topic. I would
like to share with you what I have found and have put into use. I know some
of these you already know about.

1. Shearing, there are many patterns used. Some prefer one to another. From
my research the belly band seems to be the most popular. What ever pattern
you like take off their wool coat for the summer.
2. A sand pit in the shade that is always damp. The cool wet sand helps
pull the heat out of the body while they kush on their bellies. I have heard of
people with sprinklers on timers to sprinkle these sand pits during the day
to keep these areas damp. If in pens keep the floor of the pen damp where
they kush during the day.
3. Water tubs, such as bath tubs, metal sheep water tanks or those plastic
child's swimming pools. Llama's stand in them cooling the blood as it flows
thru their legs in the water cooling their internal body temperature.
4. Shades, non-metallic seem to be preferred. The metal shades heat up
during the day and hold heat down not allowing it to escape. Shade screens
allow the heat to escape, keeping it cooler under the screens. Large trees
are excellent for shade too.
5. Misters mounted on the frame of the shades keep the air cooler, place
them on the side where the majority of the breeze comes from. Where I live
there usually is a breeze from the South-West. My pens run east -west, I
have placed the misters on the south side running east and west so when the
breeze blows it blows the mist under the shades.
6. Fans on the ground, I have placed the fans in the corners blowing out
into the pens. The llamas lay in front of these fans. Keeping air
circulating 24 hours a day. I have one fan per llama blowing all summer
long. My females have already shown the crias the fans and are using them.
7. Avoid putting the animals in enclosed stalls with little or no
ventilation on the ground where they lay. Holding the heat and humidity in like an
oven.
8. Feed low energy feeds such as grass hay (Bermuda, Rye grass) and cool
grains such as corn. Stay away from oats, barley and alfalfa hay which are
hot feeds, they generate more body heat to digest. Better yet feed
manufactured feeds. During their manufacturing they are "pre-digested" which
means the animals body does not have to break them down to digest them
causing less body heat to be generated. Myself I feed MAZURI llama feed 1
to 2 parts rolled corn.
9. The large meal should be given in the morning. The body heats up while
digesting the food. If fed at night the majority of the digestion is done
after 3 a.m., during the monsoon season this is the highest humidity.
Which is why most llamas experience heat stress in the morning hours. The
veterinarians I have spoken to say that the majority of llamas
experience heat stress in the morning hours. The owners find them out on the
ground dying from heat stress. Feed the hay in the morning so the majority
of the digestion is done in the afternoon or evenings. Since they are grazers I
feed a large quantity of Bermuda hay or Rye Grass every morning, they nibble
on it all day. By evening it is just about all gone. At night I feed the
llama the a 1 pound coffee can 1 part MAZURI pellets and 2 parts rolled corn
plus the supplements in # 12 & 13.
10. To make them drink plenty of water in the summer I water each animal
with a 5 gallon bucket with electrolytes in the water. Mixed per the
instructions of the electrolytes. In most cases I only need to replace the
bucket once a day. Since these animals like fresh water and monitoring
their water intake is needed during the summer heat I do not use either automatic
waters or large water barrows. The water ponds they stand in usually are
too filthy and they do not drink from them.
11. Iodized salt, you can free feed loose salt or buy a block of iodized
salt. Iodine also helps to regulate the internal body temperature. It is
not recommended to feed llamas "mineral salt blocks" because it contain too much
cooper for their system and you end up with copper toxicity which attacks
their liver causing death. If you want the blocks make sure you get the
iodized salt blocks, not mineral blocks which are for horses. Keep
these salt blocks in the shade so they will not heat up with the afternoon
sun.
12. Thiamin (B-1) helps the body to regulate the internal body temperature.
This may be bought in manufactured buckets in sizes of 2 * pounds or larger.
A full grown llama would get * oz a day with their grain ration. You can
also feed brewers yeast, which is high in B-1, however this is a powder. I
have found with my llamas they do not like any powder. So I feed the
crumbles which are quite palatable.
13. Vitamin E & Selenium crumbles - the selenium is lacking in the feed
here for what the llama needs and should be added. I mix the B-1 (thiamin)
crumbles and the Vitamin. E & Selenium crumbles half and half and give each

llama 1 tablespoon on top of their grain every morning and night.
Surprisingly they eat it all. The bucket is empty when it is time for their
next feeding .
14. Remember when the heat (air temperature) plus the humidity add up to
150 your llamas are heat stressed. Precautions should be taken before these two
numbers total 150.There is so much do to get ready for the summer heat, I
hope I have not forgotten anything. I hope that this list of suggestions
will help others in their fight to keep your llamas cool during this
upcoming summer. These can not be all the precautions people use, I would like to
know of other ways to help llamas survive the summer heat. If you want to save
money (most people do) check out your livestock catalogues. I used Omaha
Vaccine 1-800-367-4444 the Vita-min B-1
crumbles, 20 pounds were $39.95 and the Vata-Min E & Selenium crumbles, 20
pounds were #$49.95 + shipping. I can not find Selenium by its self. Omaha
did carry it but the manufacturer quit making it. I know other catalogues
carry these items shop around for the best prices.

Thank you

Beverly Martin-Smith
Submitted by Lorraine Falkenburg