Failure To Thrive

Charlie

This isn't something I was sure I could bring myself to blog about. Partly from a sense of grief, and mostly from a sense of personal failure. We lost Charlie. The diagnosis was "failure to thrive," something I didn't know was a problem for young llamas until it happened to us.

Unfortunately, Failure To Thrive (FTT) is common in cria and weanling llamas or (alpacas). Although they appear normal at an early age, they later stop growing. Such was the case with Charlie. He never grew the entire time we had him. Pinpointing the cause is a slow, trial and error endeavor, often impossible because the causes are so varied: parasites, rickets, digestive abnormalities, iron deficiency anemia, immunodeficiency syndrome (JLIDS), low birth weight, birth defects, heart defects, thyroid problems, Coccidia even with CD/T immunizations, being weaned too young, Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVD virus or BVDV),  even genetics, to name just some.

We knew something was wrong because even though his appetite was good, he kept losing weight. Twice he had diarrhea, for which fecals indicated parasites, so he was treated for these, along with probiotics and an electrolyte/vitamin supplement because of the diarrhea. These problems could have interfered with weight gain, but even when everything was normal, he continued to lose weight.

I talked with other llama owners on a llama forum about feed and weight loss, and switched from the sweet feed recommended by the breeder I bought him from, to a llama formulation. When that didn't help, I started offering it to him twice a day. I continued to give him probiotics and made sure he had a good free choice mineral supplement. I offered treats of carrots and apples, but he really wasn't interested in these. He continued to get thinner.

As the days went by he grew weaker, though he was still eating and his beans (manure) were normal. I started taking him out to fresher grazing in the yard, worrying because he was having trouble getting up and seemed wobbly on his legs. I had to force him to get up and move, because somehow he seemed to stop caring. It was at that point that I began to wonder if llamas could have such a thing as failure to thrive. I started to research, and discovered that it is actually quite common with young llamas. Too often however, by the time FTT is identified it's too late.

His last morning he couldn't even lift his head up. I had already accepted that he was dying, but his death was no less devastating to me. When it finally came, I was flooded both with grief, as well as a sense of a burden having been lifted. Dan was on the road at the time, but we spoke by phone and agreed on a burial place in the woods, a small cleared spot where someone had dumped a pile of dirt a long time ago.

I clipped Charlie's fleece, feeling that this gave some small meaning to his short life of 11 months. After that the only thing I felt like doing was digging. I didn't think I could dig a burial hole deep enough, but I figured I could start. I figured I'd dig as long as I could, and Dan could finish it when he got home the next day.

I worked slowly and thought about Charlie. I had become very attached to him because I had worked so closely with him for training. I thought about what happened to him and what I could have done differently. When I started first researching FTT, I learned about Indian Creek Llama Sanctuary in Tennessee, where Pat and George Brandon provide permanent homes for "unadoptable" llamas, and have a special interest in FTT. I had gotten in touch with them, and George was able to provide a lot of helpful information, as well as give me some sense of personal peace about Charlie's death.

I kept on digging. The ground was wet so the clay soil was heavy, but with a weather forecast of more rain and snow, I kept on digging. I needed a physical outlet for my grief, a channel for my emotions. By the time the sun was low in the sky, I had dug a huge deep hole, big enough for Charlie's final resting place. I covered the grave with logs and branches, making a huge but neat pile. This was important to prevent some hungry critter from coming along later and digging up the body. I headed back to the house as the sun was beginning to set.

For Charlie, my best guess is that he was one who was weaned too young. He was advertised with a group of weanling llamas, described as approximately 5 months old. That means they had been weaned prior to that, though llama experts don't recommend weaning before 6 months of age. In all likelihood, his digestive system hadn't developed enough to obtain the nourishment he needed from grass, hay, and grains alone. He still needed his mother's milk. He was hungry and eating, but his body was not capable of absorbing the much needed nutrients, and the probiotics weren't enough to make a difference.

Even though I did everything I knew to do, it is hard not to take this as a personal defeat. As humans, we want to control the circumstances in our lives. We want to control the outcome of the situations we are in, and when they don't turn out as we wish, we demand to know reasons why. We are quicker to blame than to accept. In reality, nature is neither compassionate nor kind. Nor does it place greater value on life than on death. This is difficult for those of us in the modernized 21st century to understand. We don't have enough experiential knowledge of the natural world to understand its processes. We do not understand that some things are beyond our ability to control, and that these things require only acceptance on our part. We do not know how to cope with things that a less industrialized culture accepts with grace.

Will we get another llama? Unless someone mysteriously leaves one abandoned on our doorstep, no. For now we are doing well with our chickens, goats, and cats, and that is enough.

Farewell sweet Charlie

Failure To Thrive © January 2011 by Leigh 

at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Around The Homestead

My "Around the Homestead" posts are where I fill you in on project progress, updates, critter antics, and other odds and ends. This is what's been happening since last time.

Riley & Lord B

Chickens...  I had to clip some flight feathers. My Delaware and Ameraucanas are flyers. They loved foraging around the yard, but besides tearing it up, they started venturing farther and farther. When I found them in the garden, scratching up newly planted seed, I knew I had to do something. I confess I procrastinated, until one day  I heard a car horn, long and loud. I don't know if it was the chickens they were honking at, but I knew they'd made their way to the front yard. That wasn't good because the last thing I need is a complaint from a neighbor, or a chicken road pizza. Clipping flight feathers is easy, directions here. I waited until after they roosted and then helped myself to whatever chicken needed her wings clipped.

Goats relishing turnip greens

Petey... Our new buck is getting along okay. He has horns, so he pushes anyone out of the way, who stands in the way: the other goats, Charlie, the cats, and me. The number one rule about keeping a buck is to never turn one's back on him. Or any other animal with testosterone for that matter. Even though I try to be careful, he has run around behind me and tried to either jump up or otherwise rush me. I can't say I'll miss him when he's gone.

Baby helping herself

Goat breeding... The big question is, has Petey been doing his job? He's certainly willing enough. I've observed attempted matings with both Surprise and Baby, and marked these days on the calendar. If they don't come into heat again, after about three weeks, then I'll hope that means they are pregnant. Jasmine is just starting to get interested, but hasn't been receptive (yet).

Cats... Have been spayed and neutered. As to hunting, Riley has gotten off to a good start. So far he's gotten (that we're aware of), 2 chipmunks, 1 short tailed shrew, and a rat. He ate the rat. With relish. Katy hasn't caught anything that I'm aware of except bugs. She does know where the chipmunks hang out however. [UPDATE: I found a slightly mauled frozen mouse on the back steps when I came in from animal chores this morning. She was tearing around in the dark last night and wouldn't come in. Obviously she was hot on its trail! Way to go Katy!]

Squirrels... Neither Dan nor I are hunters, but the squirrels have been prolific around here, not to mention fat on pecans and acorns. Consequently we now have one dressed squirrel in the freezer.

Riley surveying his domain

Hawks... Remember Dan's hawk deterrent? Well, I'd been hoping to tell you that because of that, plus watchfulness on the chickens' part and my moving that silly fake owl around every other day, we no longer had a hawk problem. Actually, we didn't see any for quite a while. Then last week, we saw a red-tailed land in one of our big oak trees. That increased our watchfulness and over the weekend, Dan saw what we think was a peregrine falcon chase after one of our hens. It didn't catch her and fortunately we still have 8 chickens.

Welsummer hen,
wondering what I'm up to

Egg production... is down from 5 or 6 every day, to 1 or 2 every several days.   :( That's to be expected with shorter daylight hours and now that they've begun to moult. A light bulb in the coop could give them enough light to prolong egg laying, but DH is very much against disrupting natural cycles. I don't disagree with this, but have to make a decision about eggs. I managed to freeze 13 dozen, which won't be enough for the entire winter. I have to decide if I'm going to buy eggs, or just use up what we've got and then do without. Sourdough starter makes a good leavening agent, but we do love eggs. Still, if we're going to be food self-sufficient.....

Breeds & laying... For us, the Delaware started laying first but was one of the first to quit. The Welsummers were the others who quit laying early, and these were the last to start laying. The Ameraucanas and the Barred Holland are the ones still giving me occasional eggs. The Barred Holland was a slow starter, but she's laid admirably, though her eggs are smaller. My Ameraucanas have been steady layers, and had the largest eggs too.

My handsome Charlie

Charlie... I used to have a problem at feeding time, because the goats tend to rush around to eat everyone else's grain ration even before they finish their own. Invariably they would push Charlie out of the way to get his. I've tried a number of feeding arrangements, but now the goats are separated in the goat shed, two in each stall. I feed Charlie by himself outside. Well, the chickens help themselves to his, but he's no longer rushing to eat, which would sometimes make him choke. I know he likes this arrangement better because after he's finished, he comes over to me and let's me scratch his neck. If you don't know anything about llamas, being allowed to touch them is a privilege not to be taken for granted.

Food preservation & storage... My pantry's getting a tad fuller, because I'm still preserving things from the fall garden.

Updated pantry pic for Theresa

I'm still dehydrating Swiss chard and rapidly ripening green tomatoes, pickling beets, and making sauerruben from my turnips. It is very tasty by the way. In addition to those, we're also eating broccoli and carrots. Salad greens and radishes are getting big enough to pick. Hopefully cabbage will be ready soon. All this could be changed with a hard freeze. Until then, we're using very little of our preserved and stored veggies, so they may last longer than I originally thought.

Fall Red Pontiac potatoes

Garden... Speaking of the garden, I do have one small update since my November Garden Tour. We harvested our fall potatoes. Most were volunteers we failed to find in July, but a few were deliberately planted for a fall crop. That planting didn't do well, so I'll have to make some adjustments next year. We harvested enough to fill an 8 quart bowl, and I may just save these for our seed crop next summer.

New nursery plantings... Planted last month: a crabapple tree, a plum tree, and three new red raspberry bushes. I first thought of a crabapple when I recalled how much my brother loved crabapple jelly when we were kids. Then Dan said we could probably use crabapples for vinegar making, so the tree was a go. The plum tree is a Stanley, a free stone variety said to be excellent for dehydrating. The three raspberries replace one of the three I lost, which were planted last spring. Our annual dry spell wasn't kind to them. Still to plant, a couple of American cranberry bushes, which I've put in larger pots for the time being. Still to order, a few more elderberry bushes.

Well, I reckon that's about it. Unless you can think of something I forgot?

Around The Homestead © December 2010 

Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Grand Opening --or-- Charlie Leads The Way

On Saturday, we finally finished the fence. Saturday afternoon, we opened the gate and Charlie led the way to new grazing.

We have been taking our walks this way, through the gate and out into the field, so he knew where we were going. I called the Girls to follow us, chickens too, though all were fairly reluctant to venture into new territory.

Jasmine was the first to venture out and follow us...

... but Surprise and Baby hung back.

Charlie and I have come a long way since his "don't touch me" days. I still limit touching, and never pet. I massage his neck and back, and he doesn't mind that.

Surprise and Baby eventually made their way, albeit cautiously.

The chickens were another story. Lord B found the open gate quickly and lost no time.

The hens wanted to follow him, but being creatures of habit.....

... walked right past the open gate meaning they remained in the old field. Then couldn't figure out how he got out there.

How do they like it? I think these photos speak for themselves.....

The chickens finally made it too.

Being closer to the road means new things to see and wonder about.

Eating is more important than sight seeing though.

So everybody is happy with the new arrangement. I know Dan and I are certainly glad to have this project under our belts, even though there are a few things still left on the "to do" list. There are a few brush piles to be cleaned up, the blueberry bush to fence in, and a loafing shed to build. Still, we're relieved they're on better grass. Improving the first field is an important project on our list as well. But, that will be another project, and another story.

Related Posts:
Vacation Fence Project
Progress On The Fence

Grand Opening --or-- Charlie Leads The Way © October 2010 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Around The Homestead

Random updates, comments, and observations since my last Around The Homestead.

 I'll start with a report on my blueberry dehydrating experiment. Click here for what that's all about. After 7 weeks, I can report that only the blueberries that were dried the longest (15 hours) remain with no sign of spoilage.

Speaking of dehydrating, we've had a second round of cantaloupes so I dehydrated some of those too.  Many of you have told me how good these are, and I trust your recommendation!

In general, food production and preservation are slowing down to a point where I can start to focus on some other things. I'll have to do a tally post soon. Still to be harvested are the pumpkins (of which I have only two, very disappointing), sweet potatoes, popcorn, sunflowers, and amaranth. Okra, sweet peppers, and black turtle beans continue to produce well.  Everything else is getting to be slim pickings until the fall garden starts producing.

Piliated woodpeckers have moved into the neighborhood! We both love woodpeckers, but piliateds are our favorites. I hear them, but they're shy, so I've only seen one, feasting in our blueberry bush. We do hear them calling back and forth to one another though.

We've also spotted hawks again. We had them frequently when we first moved here, but they seemed to  migrate elsewhere after our neighbor clearcut all that acreage. Not only are they back, but they are surveying and hanging out on our property. I saw one take off from the very tree Riley and Katy got stuck in near the animal's shed.  With chickens and small cats, that's a concern.

Speaking of that clearcut property, it remains as is. No development, no for sale signs, no "improvements." It just sits there growing brush. It turns out that the property has been in the family for generations, with each generation receiving the benefit of selling of the timber.

I went out hunting for muscadines the other day. Actually Charlie and I did when we went on one of our walks. Nary a grape did I see!!! I am really disappointed about that, as wild muscadine jelly is my absolute favorite. There's still one vine in the woods that may have some. I'll have to go check. If not, perhaps I can find a local pick-your-own.

After all that work putting down landscape cloth in my battle to keep my strawberries and comfrey from being smothered out by the "wire grass," I am annoyed to report that the stupid stuff did not do the job!  

The grass just pokes right on up through it, even with several inches of mulch. The directions tell you that it needs at least 5 to 6 inches of  rubber mulch, to which I thought "Ha. It's about profit not results."

It was an expensive lesson learned. The bottom line is that cardboard is cheaper, faster to put down, works better, and is compostable!

Speaking of the comfrey (in the pic above: strawberry plants in the foreground, comfrey plants toward the back) the goats love it. Next year I'll be able to harvest it once a month for feed, compost, or mulch. I need to figure out how to dry it too; I'll probably need to make drying racks though. Just what I need, another project.

Do you remember what I told you about my chickens' egg color? Well, it seems that as the Laying Ladies have matured a bit, their egg color has become more typical for their respective breeds. The Barred Holland is laying whiter eggs, and the Wellsummer eggs have gotten darker, though sometimes I still can't tell them from the Delaware's.

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The color in the photo above isn't completely accurate. I find the flash washes out the green, so I took it without and tried to lighten it with The GIMP. It should give you an idea anyway. From the left: Welsummer, Delaware, Ameraucana, Barred Holland, & Ameraucana.

I'm not getting enough to freeze a lot, but I'm grateful for what I can do.

Speaking of chickens, I've discovered that they don't mind sharing one of the dust bath spots with Charlie.

One project I haven't mentioned in a loooong time is painting the house. On the project list, the new front door needs to be installed first, plus the front porch is sadly in need of repair. We can't get to these until we finish the HVAC ductwork and some insulating of the crawl space. These things will need to be done before we are ready to paint. I am however, finishing up some scraping, sanding, and priming on one last section of the house.

The fall garden is just starting to come up. Some of it that is. I'll post about that soon. My big duh was when I set out the soaker hose and let it run for a good hour, only to discover that I didn't hook it up to the hose connected to the house. I ended up with a huge puddle where it wasn't needed.  sigh  One step forward, two steps back.

Lastly, kitty news (there's always kitty news.) Katy discovered my big pot of catnip.

I reckon that's it for now. Unless you can think of something I forgot.

Around The Homestead © September 2010 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Do Cats Ever Learn?

                        Jasmine:  Didn't they learn anything the last time?
                        Charlie:  Apparently not.

Do Cats Ever Learn? photos and text (what little there is of it)

© 7 September 2010 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

What I'm Learning About Llamas

When Dan and I first discussed protection for the goats, we talked about getting a livestock guardian dog (LGD). The first I considered a llama, was when I found a breeder wanting to sell off her bumper crop of weanlings at a price we could afford. Even though a llama costs a little more up front, they are actually more economical to keep than dogs as their vaccinations are fewer and they eat less. In summer they feed themselves on grass and browse, but even in the winter, they eat less hay than a cow or horse, and require very little grain. As a handspinner, the added bonus for me of course, is the fiber.

I have to admit that when I got Charlie, I knew less about llamas than I realized. I knew they are herd animals that produce fiber and can be used as pack animals or livestock guardians. I knew very little about their temperaments, personalities, preferences, and natural instincts. I'm learning.

Llamas truly are elegantly beautiful, graceful creatures, with an aristocratic countenance. Their fiber is gorgeous, soft, and oh so huggable. Right? Well, only if it's not on the llama.

Llamas are not like dogs, or cats, or even goats. Dogs, cats, and goats are friendly and affectionate. They love petting and getting a good scratch. They make good pets. Llamas, on the other hand, are not pets, and they don't like being petted. They are companionable, but not affectionate.  They are inquisitive but aloof. They are curious but cautious. They are intelligent, but like to keep their distance. Even mama llamas don't nuzzle and groom their crias like the most other animals do. In spite of all that, llamas are also very trainable.

As herd animals, llamas don't do well if kept alone. Of course they prefer the company of other llamas, but when kept with sheep or goats, they bond and become naturally protective of them.  That's why they make good guard animals.

It took Charlie several weeks to start hanging out with the goats. Gradually I saw him grazing with them more and more. Eventually he started spending the night in the "barn" with them, instead of under the maple tree where he'd created a lovely flat spot for rolling in the dirt.

When we got Jasmine (pictured below with Charlie), he quickly sided with Surprise and Baby, as I described in my Goat Tales post. I knew he had accepted her though, on the day she didn't go out with the other goats. She just moped around the goat stall, and I knew something was wrong.

Goats are gregarious and a goat choosing isolation is not a good sign. The only symptoms I had were teeth grinding (often a sign of pain), and depression. At least she seemed depressed to me. She had been talkative and friendly when she first got here, but on that day, Jasmine wasn't saying much and wasn't interested in going anywhere. Her appetite was still good though, and in looking her over I couldn't find any injury.

The interesting thing was that Charlie stuck to her like glue. For the rest of that day and part of the next, he didn't leave her side. That night, he slept with her and I found them "cuddled" together in the morning. By afternoon, I had talked with the vet and gone to pick up an antibiotic and pain killer. Charlie hung around until after I had given her the injections, and then went off to graze. The next morning he was out and about before the goats, and Jasmine went out with the other goats, obviously feeling better.

Charlie's first month here was spent in study time for me, and trust training for him. To do that, I started by seeking him out to talk to him several times a day. After brushing "the girls" in the morning, we would all head out to find him. I developed a sing-song "llama, llama" call, adding "Charlie llama," when I found him. All my movements are relaxed and slow. I respected his "humans not allowed to touch" preference and keep my respectful distance of at least one arms length from him while I talked to him.

I let him watch me petting and grooming the goats. In the evening, the girls get their goat chow. When Charlie started showing up then too, I started giving him a teeny bit of sweet feed from an old white enamel sauce pan.  I'd talk to him and he's always give my hand a good sniff (sometimes making contact) when he was done. Then I started working on touching him. I told him "touch" and would slowly move my hand toward his neck.  We gradually got to where he would let me briefly touch him, and then I figured it was time to start some regular training.

At the very least, Charlie needs to learn to be caught and  haltered, led and loaded into a trailer, and to stand for grooming, shearing, and toenail trimming. After that, llamas can be taught to pack, to pull a cart, they can even learn to do tricks.

Our progress? Well, currently he lets me catch and halter him. That in itself is huge because llamas don't like to be caught. Fortunately he was already broken to halter, so he accepts that readily. It took one session to teach him to lead. Now he follows fairly willingly and I take him out on walks. We're working on following until I'm ready to stop, as opposed to stopping and eating when he feels like it. Llamas love new things to observe, so we often take a new route. He is still uncertain in new situations and will sometimes break his own no-touch rule by standing right up against me as we stop to take in something new. If he gets skittish, we stop to examine whatever he was concerned about, and then repeat passing the object or area several more times.

We still have a lot to work on, but I figure it's one step at a time.

Lastly, for my spinning friends (or if you're just interested in llama fiber), click here.  I put a separate post about it on my sadly neglected Fiber Journal.

What I'm Learning About Llamas photos & text 

© 3 Sept. 2010 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

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