Educational Alpaca Articles

Some Hard Truths About
the Alpaca Industry

By Sheila Scroggins of Colusa Riverside Alpacas

Published in International CQ Camelid Quarterly magazine in the June 2011 issue

f you have not yet looked at the AOBA 2010 Membership Survey results you probably should. The information is startling. In the last decade the lowest year for alpaca business start ups was the year 2000.(1) So what was going on in the year 2000 to affect the alpaca business? The short answer is, a recession. What is the new business startup in the year 2010? There were nearly an identical number of business startups in 2010 as in 2000.(1)

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recession is impacting the alpaca industry

The Perfect Storm: Case Study of a Septic Cria

By Sheila Scroggins of Colusa Riverside Alpacas

Published in Alpacas Magazine in the 2011 Herdsire issue

his case study is about Moon River, a beautiful alpaca cria that was born healthy. She appeared by all measures to be normal, but lived for only four short days. Moonie, as we nicknamed her, succumbed to an infectious process, the result of insufficient amounts of colostrom in the first hours of her life. All this was unbeknownst to her owners, until it was too late. My hope in writing this case study is that you develop an understanding of the consequences for a cria who fails to get enough colostrom in the first 12 hours of life. "Sepsis is a severe illness in which the bloodstream is overwhelmed by bacteria."

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septic crias

EPDs - They’re Heeere!

By Sheila Scroggins of Colusa Riverside Alpacas

Published in International CQ Camelid Quarterly magazine in the spring 2011 issue

An EPD is an Expected Progeny Difference (EPD). It has been my experience that when you ask an alpaca breeder if their alpacas have been EPD tested and what are their herdsire's values, I usually get a look of utter astonishment. They have of course, heard of EPDs, but seem to be confounded by the thought that someone might ask. I doubt if a person was shopping for a bovine stud they would get the same response from a breeder.

Alpaca Registry, Inc., (ARI) and Ideal Alpaca Community (IAC) have recently joined together for the good of the alpaca industry and will have one registry for EPD determination and dissemination.

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alpaca EPD's

How Productive is Your Website?

By Sheila Scroggins of Colusa Riverside Alpacas

Published in the Calpaca
Connection in March, 2011

In 1990, with lightning speed, the means for finding information for the general public went from the library to the Internet. The Internet started by linking universities and quickly spread to its use by the public. Hence came the vernacular "Google it". So when someone wants information about alpacas they will "google it". The words they choose to seek information will depend on many variables; however the results you want is for that person to link to your website. The only way to do that is either pay a significant amount of money each year to a web optimization service or to do it yourself.

Most alpaca literature indicates the most common means of generating sales for an alpaca business today is through web searches. A majority of alpaca are purchased over the Internet, sight unseen.

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alpaca websites

Confessions of New Alpaca Owners or Better Said: “Who would have thought.”

By Sheila Scroggins of Colusa Riverside Alpacas

Published in the Calpaca
Connection for the first quarter of 2010

My husband Dave and I started a new alpaca business just like you. We were three months into the business and all I can say is what did people do before the Internet. Thank goodness for the Internet. Of course, it was a recession, right, we couldn't start with two alpacas like everyone else. No, no, we started with 10 alpacas and two llamas. You know the thinking, why start with two when you can get 10 for the same price. Sounds good, right? Who thinks like this? Someone with no knowledge about alpacas? I hope you enjoy my look into the past with humor and I hope you can say to yourself, thank God I am not there anymore too!

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new alpaca owners

Making a Case for Necropsy in the Alpaca

By Sheila Scroggins of Colusa Riverside Alpacas

Published in the summer 2010 issue of International CQ Camelid Quarterly magazine

There is an old saying in medicine, “When you hear hoof beats, don’t look for zebras.” It loosely suggests that, when a doctor, or in this case a veterinarian, sees symptoms of a disease, the most common cause of the symptoms is usually the culprit. In the case of a common infection this adage is a simple reminder for doctors that a fever is more likely a cold or flu – and not infectious endocarditis.

Which brings me to the purpose of my article which is to inform my fellow alpaca ranchers of a rare illness found in one of our alpacas. In other words, the rare hoof beat that was in fact, a “zebra.” More importantly, I hope to alert you in how not to miss that alpaca with the rare disease. The one that can add to the body of knowledge for all alpaca owners, enabling them to better understand disease in the alpaca...

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necropsy of alpacas

Make the Most of Your Local
Veterinary Resources

By Sheila Scroggins of Colusa Riverside Alpacas

The cost of veterinary services can be one of the most prohibitive expenses for the alpaca owner and breeder. During this recession, we all know alpaca sales are down, but expenses can be up. During these times, any way to save on costs would be welcome by any alpaca owner. One novel way to cut some of the costs is to allow veterinary technician students to provide some of the services that you would typically have your veterinarian, or paid ranch help, provide. Especially those once a year type of services you need completed for your entire herd...

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