Wednesday, April 30, 2008 6:14 AM
What a difference a day makes! Monday the alpacas were crowding around
the sprinklers, yesterday was cool and windy, this morning it's cool
and cloudy. Still no babies, maybe they're waiting for Saturday? The
seminar is all about dealing with crias, I guess it would be fitting.
The outline is here.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 5:53 AM
Spot and Blackie probably didn't get the right names. If one of them
isn't picking on the other one, they're in a mad race for the finish
line. Their names really should be Clinton and Obama.
We're looking at some nice weather for the next few days, which will
be good for the new cria seminar here on Saturday. Who knows, maybe
we'll really have a new cria by then.
Monday, April 28, 2008 6:33 AM
Despite the forecast and the temperatures around us, it ended up being
a lot cooler yesterday than it was on Saturday. It still wasn't enough
to convince anyone to deliver though. No one is overdue, I'm just impatient.
Pati says it'll be today, I say it'll be on Thursday. We still have
less than 3,000,000 guesses in the contest. I
wonder who will win?
Sunday, April 27, 2008 6:18 AM
It was toasty yesterday!. We started out the day by watching Priscilla,
certain that she was going to deliver. Nope, she was just funnin' with
us. She sure is poofy though. In the afternoon it was Koko. She's not
exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. She doesn't tolerate the heat
very well, doesn't like the sprinkler, and won't let us hose her belly.
So she lays in the sun and pants. One squirt with the hose though, and
she goes to hide in the shade. This morning, Priscilla is trying to
run away from her back end and walking in circles, Koko is agitated.
Trying to figure out who will win the race is about as easy as predicting
who will win the Primary.
Saturday, April 26, 2008 7:17 AM
Vous pouvez figurer probablement hors de cela là n'étiez
pas vraiment beaucoup pour des nouvelles ici hier. Nous n'avons fait
arriver à aucun nouveau bébé. J'espère qu'on
viendra aujourd'hui, de sorte que Pati puisse l'apprécier le
week-end. Je vraiment ne m'inquiète pas si c'est un lama ou un
alpaga qui décident de livrer. Ce sera aujourd'hui chaud, ainsi
nous mettrons en marche les arroseuses ainsi ils peuvent refroidir leurs
ventres.
You can probably figure out that there really was not
much for news here yesterday. We did not have any new babies arrive.
I am hoping one will come today, so that Pati can enjoy it on the weekend.
I really don't care if it's a llama or alpaca that decides to deliver.
It will be hot today, so we'll turn on the sprinklers so they can cool
their bellies.
Friday, April 25, 2008 7:06 AM
Everyone has settled back in after the shearing, and for the most part
I can easily identify everyone. It's a good thing, since we're supposed
to get to 90º this weekend.
I figure the temperatures will make one of the
girls pop, and we're going to have a contest. Whoever correctly guesses
the day, and time of the delivery (within 15 minutes), as well as the
sex, color, species and weight (within 3 ounces) of the next cria born
will win an all expense paid trip to fabulous Las Vegas. See the details
here!
Thursday, April 24, 2008 7:01 AM
Slowly but surely, the aches and pains from shearing are going away.It's
funny, I used to think they look like space aliens after shearing, now
I think they look great. It's always fun unwrapping the youngsters for
the first time. Mora and Norma went from brown to black, and a few that
got shorn suddenly looked like young adults rather than crias.
I was hoping we'd get a new cria yesterday, but I guess I'll just have
to wait a couple of days.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 7:32 AM
What a day!. Susan and Diane arrived about 8:00 with Starbucks coffee
and scones. We had the main field alpacas upstairs and ready to go.
Ken and Noels arrived about 9:00, at which time I needed to head to
the orthopod. Good news there, he prescribed some stuff that has just
been approved in the US for about 3 weeks, but has been available in
Europe and Canada for many years. It's really popular with the skiers.
We're going to try to avoid surgery.
I got back and shearing was going ahead full speed. Dave from Raisin
Bred Alpacas once again came to help out because of my bad knee. He
was definitely the hero of the year, a big guy with a natural ability
at handling alpacas. By lunchtime, Main field was done. After lunch
we began with the maidens, and the terror in that bunch was Percy. She
was able to throw Dave, Ken, and Pati around like little rag dolls.
The rest were uneventful compared to her.
We brought the boys up and staged them in the show pen, and had them
all done somewhere around 5:00. We just had the llamas left to do, so
after some game playing, in they went. Lillith just stood there patiently.
Rose did her mouth quiver that she does when something feels good, and
wagged her tail. There was also a gutteral growl kinda thing going on,
but she really seemed to enjoy it. Koko, the llama that has been boarded
here since July didn't much like it. I guess she had a good reason to
be grumpy, we found out she is very pregnant. Oops! Where she was boarded
before, they bred the alpacas by putting the girls in with the boys
all day. They didn't know that an alpaca could breed with a llama. Yep,
Koko is bred to an alpaca. Double oops! Based on the amount of activity
of the cria, I'd guess it'll be coming soon.
Many thanks go out to Dave, Susan and Diane for the help with the shearing.
We couldn't have done it without them.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 6:12 AM
Here we go with take three of shearing. If all goes as planned, we'll
be done today. It's good timing, as it's heading towards 90º this weekend.
I've decided that Priscilla will hold out on delivering until then.
I have no idea if she agrees.
I also get to find out the fate of my knee today, hopefully it'll heal
on it's own.
Monday, April 21, 2008 6:35 AM
Wow, the truck was really nice yesterday, it's going to be great for
the short entrance ramps when I'm pulling the big trailer.
Priscilla has been sitting off by herself with her ears back quite a
bit, she's definitely uncomfortable. Shearing starts up again at tomorrow
about 8:30, I need to go to the orthopedic surgeon at about 9:00, I'd
imagine we'll see a nose right about 8:45. I'll hope for a dark girl,
we'll name her Murphy Brown.
Sunday, April 20, 2008 6:28 AM
It was cool and windy yesterday, probably enough to make the shorn ones
a tad uncomfortable. It'll be a bit warmer today. This afternoon we'll
be heading to Mira Loma so that Christopher and Oliver can go to their
new home.
I'll be driving a completely different truck. I've always been very
happy with the performance of the truck, but it got a bit of a performance
tweak yesterday really made it perform.
Saturday, April 19, 2008 6:20 AM
It's nice and cool, and should stay that way for the next few days.
It's not cold enough that the shinny space alien ones are cold, but
nice enough that the ones in full fleece are nice and comfy. It's Saturday,
so I guess we'll have a cria born today.
Friday, April 18, 2008 7:19 AM
I'm on official baby watch for Priscilla, tomorrow I add Summer, who
will have the first Mo baby here. They're both shorn, so it shouldn't
interfere with our shearing day. We're not 100% sure yet that Ken will
be back on Tuesday, but I have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon
Tuesday morning, so it looks like I'm really getting off easy this year.
I'd really rather be in the thick of things though.
Thursday, April 17, 2008 7:19 AM
It wasn't exactly success yesterday with shearing. Unlike the last few
years, it's been a fiasco from the start. I got back from Hesperia with
the blades at about 11:00. The sharpening job was inadequate, and Ken
gave up after shearing only four alpacas. The handpiece was getting
so hot that he couldn't hold onto it. While I was out getting my MRI,
Pati loaded Ken into the Jeep, and hauled him down to San Diego airport.
He hopped a flight to Portland to sharpen the gear himself. The current
plan is that he'll be back here on Tuesday.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 6:31 AM
We got 40 shorn yesterday, and Oliver, Christopher, and Patron moved
to boy's town. Aerosmith went to his new home. I had the honor of driving
to Hesperia to drop off the blades for sharpening. With my knee, I'm
really not good for much else. We (they) don't get to recover for round
two. I'm getting ready to head to Hesperia to pick up the blades, as
soon as I'm on my way home, Pati will assemble the troops for round
two. I also get to have my MRI done today.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 5:35 AM
I'll be heading down to Valley Center in a few minutes to pick up Ken
for round one of shearing. He's still not at 100% for equipment, but
we should be able to make it through the day. Here we go!
Monday, April 14, 2008 6:31 AM
Today was supposed to be round one of shearing, but Ken has equipment
problems, so we'll start tomorrow instead. It really works out great,
today will be in the mid 80's, tomorrow will be in the low 70's. It's
also good because rather than having two days back to back, we'll get
a chance to recover for a few days before round two.
We put the new guy over where he can play with Spot, and all is well,
they're getting to know each other.
Sunday, April 13, 2008 7:34 AM
The little guy is doing great, Emma does fine with us, but if another
cria tries to go near him, she screams. She'll mellow out in a day or
two. I looked at famous birthdays searching for a name, he shares a
birthday with David Letterman, but that doesn't work. Herbie Hancock
would be a possibility. Tiny Tim? NOT!
Saturday, April 12, 2008 6:59 AM
It was nice and warm yesterday, and supposed to be about 90° today.
We figured it'd be best to do the chores while it was cool, so Pati
started mucking and I carried up and weighed Emma's cria. Yep, she wanted
to get her labor done while it was cool also.
We'd guess that he was born somewhere around 4:00 AM, he was dry, placenta
was passed, and he was good and active. He's down on his pasterns just
a bit, so I have him in the show pen to tighten them up for a while.
Friday, April 11, 2008 6:38 AM
We spent some time re-arranging animals in preparation for going to
new homes and shearing. Sweety left yesterday, she'll be living in Northern
California. She'll be treated like royalty there. Some others are headed
to San Diego. Less alpacas to shear, yahoo!
Thursday, April 10, 2008 6:06 AM
Here comes the sun doo da doo doo. Yep, it's warming up, and I'm happy
about that. We'll be in the 70's today, the 80's tomorrow, and possibly
even the 90's for the weekend. Spring has sprung in Southern California,
and I like it! I feel sorry for all the poor schmucks in Denver and
to the east, snow and cold and yucky. Well, I don't really feel sorry
for them, I'll just sit here in the sun and gloat 
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 6:45 AM
It was cool and really windy yesterday. It's good thing there was no
cria born, it would have ended up in Kansas or Oz. It'll be cool again
today, warming up tomorrow and about 90° by the weekend. That ought
to cook up the crias nicely.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 7:12 AM
We're having cool foggy mornings, sunny and warm afternoons, and no
babies. We are only up to day 332 though. I figure that she'll either
deliver on shearing day, the day after, or I'll see a nose as I'm heading
out for an MRI. If I could run, I'd go chase her around the paddocks
a bit. Oh wait, I have a golf cart. Look out Emma!
Monday, April 7, 2008 6:57 AM
It's still nice and cool here, and nope, no babies. It's supposed to
stay in the upper 60's until about Friday, then jump to about 80°.
That should be enough to make sure we have a cria on Saturday. Oops,
no wait, it'll be the 2nd Saturday of the month, so if they read my
update, they'll hold off for a week.
Sunday, April 6, 2008 7:05 AM
It was cool and breezy yesterday, and it's cool and overcast this morning.
The alpacas are enjoying it, but it isn't helping to cook the crias.
Emma is now at day 330, still much shorter than the average gestation,
but 10 days longer than she went last year. I really need to get these
girls trained to follow a schedule. "Okay ladies, from now on we
deliver on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturday of the month, between the hours
of 10:00 and noon."
Now all I need to do is get the girls to comply.
Saturday, April 5, 2008 6:14 AM
Good news at the orthopod yesterday, I'm not a wimp, whinergeek or sissy.
My patella is fine. That means I can alternate knee braces. The bad
part is that I have is a torn medial meniscus. I need to get an MRI
to see if it will need surgery. Ah, the joys of being a klutz!
Friday, April 4, 2008 5:44 AM
I have an appointment with the orthopod this morning, I'll find out
if I'll ever play the piano again. I'm hoping he'll just tell me to
quit being a wimp, work it hard and it'll heal. Somehow, I don't see
that happening.
Tonto's registration went through just in time to register for Nationals,
it wasn't an ARI problem, it was Rick forgetting to get it going. I'm
sure Tonto is thrilled, he's never been to Utah.
Thursday, April 3, 2008 6:23 AM
The weather geeks were sort of right about the rain. The suris look
great, and the huacayas look good also, there really wasn't enough rain
to make them look bad. Well, most of them anyway, Vanilla and Mooney
made sure they got good and damp, and then rolled in the dustiest part
of the paddock. I always did think we needed a couple more brown girls...
Wednesday, April 2, 2008 8:08 AM
Okay, I had my fun for the year, back to baby watch. It is a bit cloudy
this morning, and the weather geeks are saying we could get some rain.
I'd say they just may be right.
Yesterday, I made a little drag thingy to pull behind the golf cart,
so I was out doing crop circles with the weeds. I really need to get
my knee working again, it's getting old.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 6:06 AM
What a great day! It started out pretty mellow, everyone basking in
the sun. At about 11:00, I saw a bit of commotion down in north field,
and when I went down, cool, a nose and toes out the back side of Emma.
Delivery was a five minute ordeal, and it was a little grey girl. Cool!
She did seem to be on the small side, but was doing the old flop around
bit so I was happy. About 5 minutes later, I saw that Emma was passing
the placenta, so I went up for a garbage bag. I got back down there
and being the smart guy I am, quickly figured out that it wasn't the
placenta she was passing. I'd never seen a placenta with legs and a
nose, so I decided it must be twins. Perfect!
Birth was again easy, and again, a girl. This one also seemed small,
but seemed to be doing okay also. I ran up, got my stethoscope, and
listened to heart and lungs on both. To my surprise, they sounded really
good. In picking each one up, I guesstimated 11 pounds each. I managed
to get everyone out of the field by using treats as a bribe, and waited
for the placenta. It came about 20 minutes later, kind of a weird twisty
looking thing. Now it was time to get them up to the nursery. I'm used
to carrying one, but two was a challenge. With my knee being a bit "kerflutzee"
I sure didn't want to drop one, both, or myself. I finally ended up
figuring out how to get one under each arm, and with mom in tow, up
to the nursery we went.
Emma was great, very attentive to both crias. The grey girl was 11.2
lbs, the black one was 10.9. The black one needed a couple of doses
of karo to get her started, but finally got to her feet and started
nursing a bit at about 4:30.
Now the fun part, the grey is a huacaya, bit I'm 99% sure that the black
one is a suri. From what we know from mendelian genetics, it's really
not possible, but she sure looks like a suri to me.
I didn't get a chance to get a picture until just after sunset, I'll
get better ones later, but in the meantime, Click
Here