"It has been very easy and pleasant to work with the ILR staff on our Traditional Llama Coalition banner ads in the ILRe-port, and our membership has continued to increase from the exposure. Thanks for all of your hard work and willingness to help."
Heather Bamford for Traditional Llama Coalition
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IWantALlama.com
The I Want a Llama website is active! Check it out - you'll be glad you did! We are ready to add features to it - keep sending us your photos. Read this month's "From the Registrar" column soliciting help with the focus group web pages on the I Want A Llama site. Check it out at www.iwantallama.com
Events Calendar
Check it out on the ILR web site
www.lamaregistry.com/events.php,
and add your event! It is only as good as the input you provide. If
you prefer to submit your event over the phone, please call or fax
our office. We will be glad to put it up for you. Call 406-755-3438
Mon. - Fri. 8am to 4pm MST. Or fax your event information to 406-755-3439.
Tell Us Your "Llama Tales"
Has your llama done something that you would like to share with other llama owners? Submit your "llama tale" to us at ilr@lamaregistry.com with "Llama Tale" in the Subject line and it may be published in the ILRe-port like Glacier The Bell Ringing Llama. Don't forget to send photos if you have them.
From the Registrar - Involvement - October 2005
From the Registrar - Jan L. Wassink
Involvement
The low temperatures here are now dipping into the twenties with regularity so there is no doubt that fall has returned. Does that mean that winter is not far behind?
Just in case you haven’t heard, the llama community will have a presence at this year's FFA convention in Louisville, Kentucky on October 26, 27 & 28. Darrel Anderson, Mark Smith and Barb Baker are working hard to put together a presentation from the llama community. ALSA, LANA, CCI and the ILR are cooperating to fund the project but the above three volunteers are doing the work. The next time you see one of them, be sure to say "Thank You".
There are many other volunteers in the llama community, too numerous to mention individually, that also deserve a “Thank You.”You know who they are in your area so be sure to thank them next time you see them.
Now, I’m sure that all of you have all been breathlessly waiting since last month for me to elaborate a little on ways you can get involved in the ILR. The greatest need we have right now is for new members on the ILR Focus Groups. We started out with seven groups – Color, Classics, Fiber, Minis, Packing, Showing and Suris. Since then, both the Minis and the Suris have signed contracts with the ILR to do their office work and have their own websites so the need for ILR groups to promote those types of llamas has diminished. The board has recently decided to add a group on "Youth".
All the groups will be reorganizing to some degree over the next month or two and some of them will undoubtedly need at least a few new members. Their most immediate charge will be to complete their work on designing their particular pages for the I Want A Llama website – www.iwantallama.com .
The qualifications for becoming a member of a focus group are fairly simple: 1) a motivating interest in the subject of the focus group; 2) the time and desire to work on this for a relatively short period of time to get the web pages up; 3) the ability to respect and “play well with others;” 4) the ability to give up some personal preferences in order to accomplish the overall goals of the group.
So, if you are interested in any of the above topics and meet the qualifications, send us an email at ilr@lamaregistry.com offering to help on the group of your choice. We can not guarantee that your offer will be accepted at this time because we may have more volunteers than we can use. However, we will let you know if particular groups are filled up and we may be able to use you on another group.
Lastly, if you have an interest in an area of llamadom that needs to be presented to the public and we do not currently have a focus group covering that area, send me an email at ilr@lamaregistry.com offering to head up or work on a focus group on that subject. I will present your idea to the Board of Directors at their next meeting.
The Heart of a Champion - October 2005
The Heart of a Champion
by Darrell D. Anderson, Solid Rock Llamas
For most of us, we have used the term “the heart of a champion” to describe the mental attitude and toughness possessed by some individual or team in a sporting event. It is that extra edge that some competitors seem to hold over the competition as the race or game comes to the final seconds. It might be described as “desire” or “will to win” and is usually thought of as a nebulous, intangible attribute that is difficult to measure or even define.
That was the assumption until they autopsied the great thoroughbred Secretariat. As most of you sports enthusiasts remember, Secretariat was perhaps the greatest horse of all time. He won the Triple Crown in 1973 – first time a horse had accomplished that feat in nearly a quarter of a century. While doing so, he set a new track record at the Kentucky Derby, a new track record at the Preakness Stakes, and a new world record at the Belmont Stakes. His performance at the Belmont may well be the greatest single achievement by any athlete in the past 50 years as he beat the very best horses in the world by an unbelievable 31 lengths!
Think about that – 31 lengths and if I remember it correctly, he was stretching his lead with every stride. He was the epitome of a horse with the “heart of a champion.” Ironically in 1989, when Secretariat died at Claiborne Farms in Kentucky, his autopsy revealed that his heart weighed approximately 22 pounds – a normal horse’s heart weighs 8.5 pounds. Wow – he was a “big-hearted” champion – literally!
The story gets even more interesting, so please hang with me, because I really do have a point I want to make regarding the breeding of llamas today. After extensive genetic research was conducted, it was determined that this incredible heart is a genetic trait that is carried on the X chromosome. That means that it is a sex-linked trait that is passed down the female line – stallions can pass it on to their daughters, but not their sons.
Even more interesting is the fact that in researching the genetic lineage of this trait, the first reported case of an unusually large heart was traced back to a horse called Eclipse that was foaled in England in 1764. His heart weighed 14 pounds, more than double the normal weight of hearts of that time period. And as you’ve guessed by now, Secretariat and many other famous track winners can be traced directly back to Eclipse.
By now I’m sure you’re thinking that it is at this point in this article, that I give my impassioned plea to continue to keep registering those llamas, because you never know when you’ll want to go back 240 years to uncover some unique genetic trait. While that’s not a bad message, and I do think this story is a strong reason to keep up the pedigree base of your herd, believe it or not, that’s not the main point I want to make with this commentary.
Remember, that the first crop of foals sired by Secretariat, were considered by most to be a failure, as few stakes winners were produced. Now we know why, as the one trait that made him a champion was only being passed onto his daughters and not his sons. As a result of this sex-linked genetic trait, most large-hearted sires that were successful racehorses have a consistent pattern of producing better daughters than sons – and get ready here comes the main point – they are not truly appreciated until 10-12 years later, when their daughters begin to produce outstanding racehorses.
Do you see the connection to our business today? How many times have we all tried to evaluate the success or failure of a new herd sire by their first cria crop, results at the first llama show or how many top-selling llamas they produced? Is it possible that maybe it will be their daughters kept back for replacements that will truly have the generating power that could impact not only your herd, but maybe even the entire llama gene pool?
My entire professional life has revolved around the pedigreed livestock industry, and yet the study and application of it continues to amaze me. Let me encourage you to study the pedigrees, identify those sires that continue to have an impact in our industry, and design a program around them. Take advantage of the incredible capabilities of the pedigree search feature available on the ILR web site – your time invested in researching the pedigrees of potential herd sires will be time well spent.
And above everything else, be patient as you never know when you might be working with an animal that has the “heart of a champion.”
Suri Llama Association News Release - October 2005
NEWS RELEASE - Suri Llama Association (SLA)
Suri Llama Association (SLA) Announces Office Grand Opening
The Suri Llama Association & Registry Office is now open! The new, dedicated phone number for the Association and Registry is: 406-755-8040. Our new mailing address is: PO Box 1834 , Kalispell , Montana 59903 , with FedEx/UPS continuing to use 11½ South Meridian , Kalispell , Montana 59901 .
Over the next several months we will be sending multiple emails to an extensive list of people who are potentially interested in owning and raising suri llamas. These emails will update you with information on the numerous projects being planned by the Association. To unsubscribe from this list please click here.
For now, please mark your calendars and save the dates of June 1,2,3 & 4, 2006, for the Inaugural SLA Conference; “Wave of the Future” in Estes Park, Colorado! It promises to be a history making event “designed to build camaraderie among suri llama breeders, further educate everyone about breeding suri llamas, provide hands-on information about suri fiber and its uses, and the opportunity to display and keur your suri llama into the SLA Registry. This will be an event you simply cannot afford to miss.
If you would like more information on suri llamas or becoming a member of the Suri Llama Association, please click here: www.surillama.com .
The Suri Llama Association & Registry Staff:
Jan Wassink, Registrar
Salena Adams, Office Manager
Dar Wassink, Event Coordinator
Toxic Plants - October 2005
Toxic Plants
Editor’s Note: For information on these plants and others, contact your local county
agricultural agent. Additional information can be obtained by writing to: U.S. Department of Agriculture Science and Education Administration Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory Logan, Utah84321
Poisonous plants can cause physical malformations, abortions, weight loss, poor health and death. Most noxious plants contain substances that poison by more than one toxic principle. Some of the most powerful poisons are the alkaloids which generally affect the nervous system. The alkaloid is usually distributed throughout he plant and is active whether it is fresh or dry. There are no antidotes for alkaloid poisoning. Some of the common alkaloid-containing range plants are locoweeds, larkspur, groundsel and lupine.
Glycosides are toxins that are particularly dangerous to ruminates. These are compounds composed of a toxic agent combined with a sugar. The toxic agent is harmful when released from the glycoside. Cyanide (HCN, Prussic acid) is the most common toxin in glycosides. Ruminants are more susceptible than monogastrics to poisoning because the microflora promotes cyanide release. Cyanide is generally not retained in plant tissues after drying. Glycoside levels in the plant are often related to freezing, wilting, drought, crushing, and other stressful conditions. Some potential cyanide producers are chokecherry, johnsgrass, and arrowgrass.
Excessive absorption of certain minerals may be dangerous to livestock. Probably the most common in our area is selenium. Certain plants accumulate selenium because it is needed for growth, while others absorb it for no reason. Some plants in the latter category are barley, wheat, and alfalfa. Plans containing more than 5ppm selenium are potentially toxic. Selenium intoxication can occur as acute or chronic poisoning. Some signs of acute poisoning are loss of appetite, depression, polyuria, dyspnea, coma, and death. Chronic poisoning can cause rough hair coat, emaciation, dullness, lameness, and loss of hair. Contact your county agent for information on selenium in your area.
Many plants, both weeds and crops, such as oat and hay, sorghum, corn, Kochia, Russian thistle, and nightshade are examples of plants that accumulate nitrate. Often the type of soil and the form of nitrogen therein influences the amount of nitrate that accumulator plants may contain. Drought conditions and the use of herbicide 2,4-d may cause excessive amounts of nitrate to accumulate. Plants containing more than 1.5% nitrate dry weight may be lethal to livestock. Crops that can accumulate nitrate should be checked for nitrate content. Livestock may be poisoned from eating either harvested or non-harvested forage. In ruminates, nitrates are converted to nitrate and the nitrate causes the production of a type of hemoglobin that cannot carry oxygen. Thus, the effects of nitrate poisoning result largely in oxygen starvation, or in effect, suffocation.
Other toxins are oxalates compounds causing photosensitivity and resinoids. Non-ruminants are more susceptible to oxalate poisoning than ruminants because the large rumen capacity enables the animal to detoxify small amounts of soluble oxalates. Animals that become hypersensitive to light may have swelling about the head, blistering, and a sunburned appearance. Resins are found in milkweeds, marijuana, water hemlock, and chinaberry tree. There are also many plants in which the toxin is unknown.
Each of us has our own unique situation and conditions under which we care for our llamas. Therefore, I would like to give some general rules to follow to help avoid poisoning by toxic plants:
Know the poisonous plants in your area and conditions under which they are dangerous. Certain species of toxic plants grow earlier in the spring than desirable forage, so animals should not be allowed to graze until there is an adequate amount of good quality forage present. Other plants are poisonous in the fall or only in the fruiting stage of growth.
Provide adequate salt, Vitamin A, and mineral supplement.
Provide an adequate quality and amount of forage and water. Most poisonous plants are unpalatable and will be eaten only if other good quality forage is unavailable.
Do not overgraze pastures as this can encourage growth of toxic plants. Poisonous plants are natural components of ecosystems and may increase in abundance during drought or as range conditions decline.
Herbicides may be used with certain plants and in appropriate situations. However, keep in mind that herbicides often increase the palatability of toxic plants and therefore, animals should be kept away until all plants are desiccated and removed.
Purchased hay should be examined for poisonous plants before feeding.
Since many of us are from adjoining states, such as Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Nebraska, we have a few poisonous plants in common. Some of these are chokecherry (particularly toxic to ruminants), deathcamas (toxic alkaloids), hemp dogbane (glycoside poison), larkspur (alkaloids), locoweed, milkweed (certain species), Gembel and Shinnery Oak (more than 50% of diet), and Western Waterhemlock (extremely poisonous).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Plants Poisonous to Livestock in the Western States, United Stated Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 415. This book is excellent but appears to be out of print. You might try writing to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402
Poisonous Range Plants of New Mexico, by the Cooperative Extension Service of New Mexico State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
An Annotated Checklist of Poisonous of Injurious Range Plants of New Mexico, by the Cooperative Extension Service of New Mexico State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Choke Cherry (pictured above)
LEAVES: Alternate, simple, 2"-4" long, tapering or rounded at the base, abruptly pointed tips and sharply serrate margins, bright green above, paler beneath.
TWIGS: Stout, smooth, light brown to reddish brown, with numerous yellowish lenticels. Unlike Fire cherry, the lenticels are not evidently horizontally elongated. Bruised twigs have a disagreeable odor.
FRUIT: A juicy, dark red to black drupe, about ½" in diameter, in open, elongated, drooping clusters. The flavor is harsh and astringent.
BARK: Young trunks shiny, smooth, brownish, peeling off in thin film-like layers exposing the green inner bark. Older trunks dark gray, roughened by shallow fissures.
GENERAL: A fast-growing but short-lived shrub or small tree, rarely exceeding 25'. Found in a variety of open habitats, thickets, roadsides and upland woods throughout the Commonwealth, but more abundant in the western counties. One of the first species to revegetate cleared areas, it is attractive in spring flower and provides food to several dozen species of birds and mammals.
Llama Routes Coyote - October 2005
IN RESPONSE TO OUR REQUEST FOR ARTICLES ABOUT YOUR LLAMAS, here's an adventure by a heroic llama, Chex, written by Meg Steensland. Thank you, Meg!
Llama Routs Coyote - Saves 11 Sheep!
by Meg Steensland
On Tuesday, August 9, 2005 ~ 10:45 PM, my neighbor called to report a commotion at the road pasture beside a bean field next to his house on US Highway 42 in central OH. We both drove cars over and pulled off the road – shining car lights on a llama caught as he was trying to jump the fence about 3 posts in from the road. We got the llama MFL HEAVY RUNNER'S CHEX, a young gelding, off the fence and into a halter. I left the car and walked him to the next house (mine), where the barn was. It is rather a long walk along another bean field. In the barn lights, I could see that he was cut up from the fence on his underside, so I sprayed a disinfectant on him and left him in the barn with a pasture companion I was readying for a show on Friday. Overnight, I decided he had to go back to his owners at Mohican Forrest Lamas to determine if he needed further attention. I took him back and reported the incident to Les Roth who said the llama likely was so intent on the coyote, he probably just ran right at the fence. At that time, we were just guessing it as a coyote as Chex had been pastured here more than a month with no known escape quests.
I left Chex at his home recovering. When I got back home, I walked the part of the pasture near the highway and looked more closely at the sheep – I had counted in the morning light but did not inspect. I found one sheep, a yearling, Katahdin, with dirty scratch marks on her, but no skin breaks (see photo to left). I did not find marks on any of the others, including 5 Jacob adults and four 2005 lambs.
There were two female llamas in the pasture who apparently chose to stay with the sheep while Chex persued the predator. At this writing, it is unclear if Chex will come back to my pasture. It would be nice if we could predict that he learned just to chase and then stop at the fence, but we cannot presume that. Maybe hanging some reflectors on the fence would be a good idea.
Feed Weighing Accuracy - October 2005
How Are You Feeding: Feed Weighing Accuracy
by Daniel Linden, MS and
David E. Anderson, DVM, MS, Dip ACVS
The Ohio State University
College of Veterinary Medicine www.icinfo.org
Reprinted from the Newsletter of the Willamette Valley Llama Association The Llama Lletter Vol. 20, No. 5 September/October 2005
Measuring feed for llama and alpaca consumption is not as easy as it sounds. At a recent conference, we asked 48 people to place 1.0 pound of commercial camelid pellets into a feed bowl. The bowl was then weighed on a portion scale to determine the amount of feed that was actually present. Four groups of people were represented in this trial: 9 veterinarians, 7 veterinary students, 12 veterinary technicians, and 20 owners and breeders participated. The participants were classified as successful if they were able to measure the feed within 0.25 pound (+/- 0.25 pounds) of the 1.0 pound goal. One pound of feed was used as the target amount because the commercial pellet that was used was designed to be fed at 1.0 pound of feed per 175 pounds live body weight.
How accurate were the different groups? Of the 48 people that tried, fewer than 1 out of 3 was accurate. Veterinarians were the most accurate with 44% of them able to estimate to within 0.25 pounds, which was our mark of success. They were followed by the owners and breeders of which 35% were able to come within 0.25 pound. The veterinary technicians followed in third place with 33% of them within 0.25 pound. Veterinary students were in last place with only 14% within the 0.25 pound allowance.
However, it is not as simple as all this. The veterinary students had the lowest percentage of people within 0.25 pound, but were the only group to not feed in excess of one pound. The owner and breeder category had an average weight of 0.71 pound, which was the closest to 1.0 pound of any of the groups, but also had the highest standard deviation of the four groups. This means that the range of answers was larger than any of the other groups, from 1/8 pound to nearly 2 pounds.
What does it all mean? Simply ut, most of us, over 2/3 of us, were unable to accurately weigh the proper amount of feed for our animals without a scale. Many owners say, “Well, I feed by cups,” which is fine as long as one knows the number of cups, cans, scoops, or whatever to accurately feed the recommended amount of feed for your animals. Until this amount is known, scales are recommended. Appropriate portion scales can be bought at most restaurant supply stores and many grocery stores for a reasonable price.
Another thing to consider is feed type. Every feed is different. Pellets weigh differently by volume depending on the manufacturer. A feed with molasses will likely weigh more by volume than a composite feed. If you change from one feed to another, another weight should be obtained and your scoop marked to know how much of the new feed to use.
Group Mean Stand. Dev. Range
Vets 0.67 0.34 0.25-1.25 lbs.
Vet Students 0.43 0.29 0.13-1.00 lbs.
Vet Techs 0.64 0.38 0.25-1.50 lbs.
Owner / Breeders 0.71 0.40 0.13-1.75 lbs.
SMALL 36IN. MED. RED MALE - ALMOST 2YR - MINIATURES IN BACKGROUND - $600 -
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- (254)965-6555 or 965-6168. (10-05)
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Best Offer Llamas for sale. Good Quality and Bloodline, ILR Certified and 4H.
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I am deaf person.(9-11-05)
MOONSHADOW FARM - eye catching, well formed, nicely fibered llamas for
sale, show, breeding and wool. Visit us at
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or contact us for sales list,
hh@moonshadowllamas.com(5-12-05)
TILLMAN LLAMAS are selling show quality females bred to HCLA Bolivian Over Exposed.
Prices start at $1,500.
www.tillmansranch.com
541-389-1065.(1-12-05)
Championship herd of beautiful Llamas from silkies to suris. Also raising Miniature
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Services
GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL with a llama. Either watch or compete in the arena
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Miscellaneous
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ILRe-port October 2005 - Advertisers
Advertisers' Index
We encourage you to support the following advertisers. They make this information possible.
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Llama Futurity Show and Auction
Llama Futurity Assoc. www.thelfa.org
I left Chex at his home recovering. When I got back home, I walked the part of the pasture near the highway and looked more closely at the sheep – I had counted in the morning light but did not inspect. I found one sheep, a yearling, Katahdin, with dirty scratch marks on her, but no skin breaks (see photo to left). I did not find marks on any of the others, including 5 Jacob adults and four 2005 lambs.
