The sun has decided to leave us, and some rain has come to refresh the air. Flies had not been too bad up till now, so I expect there will be a surge in the next few days with the rain and relative warm weather with alternating rain and sunshine. Of all the health risks, flystrike is the one I fear the most. It takes otherwise healthy animals, and you need a strong stomach to deal with it, if you catch it in time. But let’s not anticipate.
While Grace keeps us looking at her belly for a sign of movement, Netherite is obsessing us with hers. We cannot decide if she looks pregnant or not. It is normal in alpacas to not to show, even more when they are young. A few years ago, Grace was a surprise. Just to weeks earlier, we had moved her dam to the field with the nannies. We thought she had not hold pregnancy throughout the winter. One day, from the distance, we were counting the alpacas in the paddock, and there was an extra one. We ran all the way down the field and there she was. First cria, with no assistance, no complications… We were fooled! There was a cria hidden there after all. So we keep on looking at Netherite thinking that one day she will surprise us and there will be an extra little one in the paddock. Or not.
Kestle Alpacas 