The girls seem especially hungry lately. The grass is not so rich in winter and cria and pregnancies are becoming more and more demanding.
I pick my bucket and start scooping the food. They have been all day around the barn, alternating between the grass and the hay. I walk towards the barns while the alpacas are still grazing. Ameera lifts her head, spots the red bucket I’m carrying, and starts walking rushed towards me. All gallop. Soon, I’m surrounded. They all group around me, trying to feed of the bucket before I even get close to the traugth.
I made them wait. I surf around the alpacas, bucket in hand, tiding the area, spacing the feeders. The alpacas are very calm but confused: Where’s the food? They follow me around trying to figure out what I’m doing, waiting for the music of pellets dropped over the metal. With the first sound, they dart after me, moving from feeder to feeder as I distribute the food, picking a bite of each serving, and pushing one another as they decide their rightful feeding spot.
Harley stands in the middle of the pen, completely still for a few minutes. Slowly, she approaches the traugth before she’s pushed aside by Ivory with her usual alarm call. Dora tries spot after spot while all mamas shoo her away each time she comes close. Netherite follows DG, loudly humming, trying to suckle while mum eats. DG doesn’t let her feed now. Mum has to eat before she can provide good milk. The unnamed boy is not even trying to feed solids yet, and Grace entertains herself around, smelling the food, trying some bites, following mum around as she searches for some leftovers.
There is some desperation in their ways. They are all well fed. However, there is a strong demand for extra feeds. It seems like the time is coming to move some animals around at feeding time. Breeding females and growing crias will get a tailored diet to their needs.
Soon it will be weaning time. The crias that are ready are moved into a field with the nanas, away from their mums. It’s a sad separation time, but it is needed. I’m granting myself six weeks to deliver the logistics involved in a safe move. The first few weeks are for me to prepare to watch the separation. Some animals find it fun, some find it more traumatic. The main precept will be finding a gentle caring companion for heartbroken babies.
Kestle Alpacas 