Busy days

I have lost count of the number of lists I have gone through in the last few weeks. Fully ticked, re-written, new list halfway through the day, some items left to the following day…

However, in the last couple of days, everything has gone on standby. While topping the fields, we have been keeping a close eye on this particular alpaca. We have visited her many times and she is suspicious of our observation. She is one of my best fleece producers. After shearing, on the table, she still shows this butterness and fineness, the fawn has this pinky shade that I particularly like -even though I do not like pink-, and the locks and crimp are crazy. Not to mention that she has a pretty face and she loves cuddles… when she’s not so hormonal that she spits at all that moves around her.

Twice this nearly five-year-old has given us a cria that did not survive the hours. I tried a second time with the same stud, not thinking anything of it the first time. When your fave, or one of your favourite girls, has gone through a full pregnancy and finds herself without cria just hours after the highly risky birthing, your brain starts looking at the event with a different perspective. A young female, with a solid lineage, amazing fleece and beautiful conformation. Sure she should produce cria, sure she should produce good quality cria, sure she should not go through all this with no result. When an alpaca loses her cria, they look for it and cry for days and days. It really is heartbreaking. So this should be the last time we try.

To minimise the contributing factors, I searched for a very unrelated stud. The breeder offered me something gentle on the pocket, but also a comparable quality. The female has managed to carry again full pregnancy. Last year she gave birth at eleven months and seven days. This time I count eleven months and four days. It must be imminent. The cria is moving very much, and the size of the belly has increased noticeably in the last week. I still can’t see the wax covering the udder or the change in the shape of that belly. I have been observing this animal for the last two days, thousand times a day. I would regret missing an event that compromises the viability of the cria. I long for my girl to finally enjoy the pleasure of bringing up her own.

If it doesn’t happen, she still will be on our farm. She is gentle and social and would make a perfect nanny. Please, just cross your fingers that she and her baby are alright after all this, and let nature decide if, maybe, it is not meant to be.

And if it happens, I will be again for days or weeks trying to decide the matching name. We still call last year’s male “the boy”. The name is definitely the last of my worries, but we’ll take suggestions!