Alpaca shearing
season is nearly upon us, but one management task that happens throughout the
year is foot trimming the herd.
Alpaca’s feet
grow fairly quickly and continue to do so; therefore they need to be done at
regular intervals through the year. Alpaca feet are very different to goats or
sheep in terms of trimming as they have a soft pad and a ‘nail’ which grows;
and it’s only this part that needs to be trimmed back. Ideally you want this to
be to the same length as the pad and to be even on each side. Sometimes this is
easier said than done, and the wet soft ground can play havoc with the nail
overgrowing and twisting; making it tricky to trim correctly. However, with
good management and regular trimming this can be rectified as the nail starts
to grow again.
It’s
essential to use a good pair of sharp foot trimmers as not only will this give
you a better result it will be quicker. So for those alpaca that don’t particularly
like the task, it can be done as efficiently as possible!
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