Biosecurity

Chas and Rachel take their farm and animal bio-security very seriously. Managing the risks from infectious and contagious diseases to secure a very low risk status for our alpacas and the holding requires following an approved and planned system. It is not particularly expensive or time consuming, it just requires sticking to the system!

The most immediate diseases we aim to achieve a low risk status on are bTB, Blue Tongue, parasite stomach worms, Liver Fluke, Johne’s and BVD.

Farm Security

Maintaining healthy alpacas requires not only good husbandry but also controls to ensure disease is not brought on to the farm from both visitors and contract machinery.

At Classical MileEnd Alpacas we operate a general side and an alpaca side to the facilities. There is no vehicle access to the alpaca side on a general visitor basis. Visitor access to the alpaca side is via walk-over disinfection mats containing Deosan Iodel FD II at 1:15 dilution.

Stock people employed on the farm are required to change footwear on arrival. Work footwear is kept on farm.

We do not use outside contract machinery services for farm work or maintenance.

All alpaca non field feeding and penning is on a concrete base, washed down on a regular basis, mostly daily.

Breeding pens for visiting alpacas are on a concrete base, washed down following use.

All our field feed and water facilities are lifted 3ft off the ground.

Field perimeters are fully fenced with badger proof wire netting with 300mm ground skirt. We patrol the field perimeters daily and manage the wildlife.

Frequent rotation of field blocks ensures low level of faecal matter build-up during rest periods.

Alpaca Security

Computer based management for all alpaca data, field and movement records.

Routine husbandry involves prophylactic treatments for liver fluke, biting and surface mites, parasitic stomach worms, clostridial diseases, coccidia and blue tongue.

New alpacas brought on to the farm are isolated for 60 days prior to joining resident alpacas.

All on-farm deaths are post mortemed.

We work closely with our veterinarians not only on alpaca illness but to manage and check biosecurity.

Client Alpaca Breeding

Drive By

Clients wishing to buy stud services will be offered these on a drive by basis. The visiting female will be brought into the alpaca side breeding pen over disinfection mats. The chosen stud male is then presented to the female for the breeding. Once complete the female is taken out of the facilities over the disinfection mats and the breeding pen is washed down if necessary.

On Farm

Currently Classical MileEnd will not be offering residency to visiting alpacas for breeding.

Mobile

Classical MileEnd will consider mobile matings on an individual client basis, based on a risk assessment of the client farm facilities. Please contact us for further information.

Jointly Owned Stud Males

Stud males jointly owned are managed as separate groups and are not run in fields with other resident males.