Caring for alpacas over summer

ALPACAS ARE very susceptible to facial eczema, and it's essential to begin preventative treatments much earlier than for other livestock. Facial eczema is caused by toxic spores of a fungus that lives in leaf litter at the base of ryegrass-based pasture. Start planning preventative strategies now, and if you're unsure, talk to your vet about the best timing. Options include: Spray pasture with a fungicide

•60-70%

effective, depending on •works product and application rate.

best if done in early summer when spore levels are low. Zinc supplementation

• feed a powder sprinkled over feed – you need to add molasses to disguise the taste – or zincimpregnated feed pellets. Pasture management

•

understock your block and rotate alpaca around paddocks – animals are less at risk from ingesting spores if pasture is over 5cm long.

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sow pasture plants that don't support high spore counts, such as chicory, plantain, and tall fescue. •

grow fodder trees such as tagasaste, willow, and poplar, and use as a supplement feed throughout summer.