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When my husband and I first looked into alpacas we were captivated by the glamour of the suri. Shortly afterward however, we were told suris could not survive Nova Scotia's extreme weather conditions. This was devastating news and almost brought the whole endeavor to a halt. After further research with suri breeders we decided to go ahead and ignore what many were telling us.
While at the Alpaca Ontario show in April of this year, it came to my attention that this myth had gotten out of hand. Many people flocked to our pens oohing and ahhing over our posturing boys. When the first person said, "Oh I love suris so much. I would love to have one but they won't survive where I live." I related our experiences and some of our subsequent research. By mid-morning my husband and I were shocked by the number of people saying exactly the same thing. Many went so far to say, "Suris cannot live in Canada."
We are now four years into raising suris alpacas. In that time we have lost only one animal -- our first born. It was winter. There were no signs of stress whatsoever. One morning the suri had no spirit and the next day she died. We did not think of an autopsy until it was too late. We have come a long way since then and have an understanding of the probable factors contributing to her death, our inexperience being one of them.
There are two huacayas on the farm and I can honestly say I have seen no difference between them and the suris. They are all at their most "grumpy" when we have our months of driving rain and winds. This weather makes me grumpy also! In our extreme cold temperatures they are fine. The only time we see the beginnings of cold stress is when there is an abrupt weather change, a "cold snap"when no one was prepared.
We leave the barn doors open year round and they would rather be out. The only time we lock the animals in is when the snow is falling horizontally and we don't want to shovel the inside of the barn after digging our way to it. We get a lot of snow! Last year the snow banks covered the five foot fences. As a result, as we were eating breakfast one morning, the entire herd calmly walked over the fence and by the house.
Through much reading, studying, attending lectures and seminars we have learned the value of feeding the animals through times of adverse weather. Dr. Anderson quotes an old farmer who told him to "feed ahead of the weather." I have found this to be one of the most valuable things I have learned. Since we began doing this, we have encountered no signs of cold stress or even the beginnings of it.
When we believe it necessary we increase the feed supplement by 25%. The lactating hembras get an increase of 50% and the older hembras and cria get more too. We keep in mind the possibility of acidosis the extra feed could cause and top dress with a probiotic every now and then. We feed high protein hay twice daily (in fact it's too high) and their water is in heated troughs. We were tired of the daily clean-up so our barn has a concrete stall with five inch "comfort" stall mattresses insulating them well from the ground. At our farm, we find the heat of summer a much bigger challenge and worry than the cold of winter.
In an attempt to correct the damage being done to the reputation of the beautiful suri, I wrote to a number of breeders and experienced Camelid vets from very different climates in Canada asking their opinions. I related what we were hearing and asked for their views on the topic. I was surprised and pleased to have instant answers from everyone. It is obviously something they have all come across from time to time.
From Sharol Briere, Omineca Alpaca Ranch, northern British Columbia:
We are situated on pristine Francois Lake in Northern B.C. We get winters with temperatures from - 10°C to - 40°C from late October to April. The lake we live on is seventy-two miles long and one thousand feet deep in spots. It freezes solid in winter and trucks/snowmobiles can drive across it. Usually we will get - 20°C or - 30°C for only one week at a time. An average winter day for us is - 10°C. We consider that a nice day. Today is April 17th and we had one foot of snow four days ago. I should note that our climate is semi-arid and we receive a good deal of sunshine.
We have raised our herd which consists of one hundred eighty suris and huacayas in this location for ten years. Most of our alpacas are outside all year in winter and summer. Only if the weather is dropping to - 30 or more will we bring a "select few" into the barns. All of our suris stayed out all winter. I do cover three very old suris girls with coats for the winter to keep them comfortable in the cold.
We increase their grain/pellet ration when the weather starts to drop seriously. They all have heated water and an endless supply of hay. They sleep on the hay that has fallen from their feeders and it insulates them in the snow. Their main cover is large evergreen trees. The alpacas are very comfortable in weather down to - 30°C here. When it's colder than - 30°C they get unhappy and I don't blame them!!
A large benefit of the cold weather is fewer parasites and diseases. We do not have the M Worm, EPE, raccoons, fleas and many other pests that do not like the cold weather. Most years I worm only once. I do not give any other shots. My vet says what we are doing is working and to keep it up. If you have any concerns about your weather conditions, email me at dmontald@futurenet.bc.ca
From Norm Evans, DVM:
I am never surprised at what alpaca owners think. Yes, I do think that suris require 25% to 33% more energy or food. They have more lean muscle. All alpacas require 25% more feed when the temp is below 20°F. All alpacas require 25% more in the last one hundred days of gestation and 50% more for lactation. This can be an additive in cold weather. I cannot personally speak for your area but cannot imagine that your conditions are much more stressful than at 12,000 feet in South America.
From Dr. David Anderson, DVM, MS, DACVS--Ohio State University:
Suris have an increased susceptibility to cold stress. Huacayas have an increased susceptibility to heat stress. Saying suris can not live in Canada is like saying huacayas can not live in the USA. Obviously not true as huacayas are thriving in the USA and many suris thrive in Canada.
This is basic husbandry. You must provide shelter from the elements. A huacaya breeder must assume a greater management pressure to protect against heat stress. A suri breeder must assume a greater management pressure to protect against cold stress. All are on the same continuum of animal husbandry and farm management.
In the "snow of the century" that occurred in South America two years ago, huacayas died from exposure as well as suris -- not much discrimination with mother nature.
Summary: You need to provide appropriate shelter/housing for the elements: hot or cold.
From Ileen Miller, Medicine River Suris -- central Alberta:
I know about the rumor that suris can't stand the cold. We know it to be false because our alpacas are just fine. We have had our suri alpaca and llamas since 1999 and our Alberta winters are cold. I have a picture taken through the kitchen window. The thermometer is at - 40°C and in the background is a weanling suri alpaca boy who prefers to sleep out under the feed bunk and his huacaya pen buddys are all in the barn. We have the same thing happen with the females. The suris are always the ones outside and the last ones in the barn.
From Mountain Meadows Ranch -- southern Alberta:
At Mountain Meadows our barn is not heated and the suris withstood temperatures of - 30°C without problems. It is a large barn --with a high roof and does not heat up. They do lie on rubber mats though, which probably helps insulate them.
From James Cole, Cedar Ridge Alpacas --Ontario:
Here at Cedar Ridge Ranch in Peterborough, Ontario we have been raising and breeding suris for just over one year. The winter of 2004/2005 turned out to be the coldest with the most snowfall we have had in a great many years. The temperatures in January were hitting - 30°C and much colder factoring in the wind-chill. This elapsed for an extended period of time.
During times like this we do put polar coats on not just the suris but our huacayas also when they go out into the fields. In the barn at night they are all just fine. We experienced no difference in the behavior or had no adverse effects on our suris through this time period.
It has been our experience that our suris braved the winter just fine as their puffier friends the huacayas. When the snow came the suris were just as eager to get outside and frolic in the snow as all the other alpacas in the barn and never came back into the barn seeking additional shelter over the huacayas.
It is our experience that taking care of suris has been really no different than what we do on the ranch normally other than exercising common sense. The myth of suris and our cold winters are just that --a myth --that we here have had no problems dealing with.
Excerpt -- Article by Brad Sprouse, Great Lakes Suris -- N. Michigan:
We were told in the early 1990's that since we lived in Northern Michigan and experienced extremely harsh winter conditions on an annual basis that we would not be able to successfully raise suri alpacas on our ranch...
...having raised llamas since 1981 and having had many winter births over the years I was not quite ready to give up the idea of raising suris near Traverse City Michigan. It seemed to us that if our facilities could be adequate enough for raising newborns in January, it would suffice for a herd of suri alpacas. We are now in our fifth year of raising suris and feel at this time we are completely comfortable with telling people that, "Yes, Suri Alpacas can be successfully raised in Northern Climates"
...we have an average snowfall of over 160 inches and generally have snow on the ground from Halloween to the first part of April. Winter temperatures around here average in the middle to upper twenties (-5°C) in the day to a low of zero (-17°C) to ten above. Our spring days are usually damp and windy but are met with a big welcome by man and beast...
Our grain has been specially formulated for alpacas in our geographic region and is fed just the same in the summer as it is in the winter. It is our strong belief that the vitamins in the grain are needed in the summer to help combat the stress associated with the heat and humidity every bit as much as they are needed in the winter to help with staying warm and dealing with the lack of direct sunlight.
While on an IAFS/ABFS suri genetics course at Dos Donas farm in Missouri this year, Dr. Julio Sumar explained that the myth regarding the suris sprang from statements made by a professor from Peru in 1911. He wanted to know why there were so few suris on the Altiplano. He came up with the solution that because their hair parted down the spine and their top line is open to the environment they were more susceptible to the cold --less protected than the huacaya brother.
This solution was not accepted by Dr. Sumar and he conducted his own research -- speaking instead to the older ladies spinning in the mills. They told him it was because they could not spin the suri -- it was too slippery for their drop spindles so artificial selection was made in the favor of the huacaya.
Today in Peru the machinery can handle spinning the suri but, as owners of a fibre mill, we know all about the difficulty many still have in spinning 100% suri fibre. It has therefore become our mill's specialty with suri breeders sending their fibre from all over the world.
So...why do people believe suris cannot survive the cold?
I believe we should pay more attention to the basic teachings of the old farmer down the road. I also believe that, with regard to the professor in 1911, we have an excellent example of what wonderful parrots we make in the industry. By simply repeating what we hear to the next person, or posting anything we hear on the web, we often do more harm than good. I know from experience the damage that can be done as I have been guilty of this myself. This mans deductions have not only lasted a century but have grown and distorted in that time to be believed concrete fact in the year 2005!
Suri fibre may be difficult for some facilities to spin but its rarity, coolness, and slippery feel is unlike anything we have seen go through the machines. Coupled with the added value, the quality of the finished product and the dramatic displays out in the field, there truly is no comparison.
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