Happier news...

Thank you for all your kind comments and sympathy; for Pebbles and for ourselves. It does help so. Pebbles has coped remarkably well considering the awful time that she had. She came back into the barn yesterday morning when I was washing down the nursery bay, she looked, then walked out again. She has not been back since. I have been wondering if being a maiden has made acceptance slightly easier? Our only previous experience was with Katkin when she lost her second born cria. She mourned terribly and didn't really come out of her depression until she was mated again.

Despite Pebbles appearing to be accepting of the loss, I was hoping that the other girls might have hung-on yesterday. I thought a birth so soon after losing her cria, might just have set Pebbles back again. Chaska, who was 356-days gestation, is such a sweet natured alpaca, she was obviously trying very hard to oblige with the request:

Inca Van Dieman Chaska...crossing her legs!

However, despite her best efforts, she gave birth at 15.30 hours to a 8.75kg white boy. Yes...white! Chaska, one of our best fawn females, was pregnant to Neptune of Houghton, who is himself fawn and has a strong record of producing colour. Luckily my original plan of producing fawns as our focus has gone by the wayside, now that we have produced some fabulous whites. Obviously any colour will do, so long as it is healthy, and mum is okay.

Of course a birth did help us to move forward after the previous day's events. We quickly moved Mum and cria out of the paddock where Pebbles was, and into the nursery paddock. Pebbles did shout after the cria as we left, but quickly went back to grazing. 

Chaska's cria has the brightest white fleece, reminding us of another certain little white male when he was born. Thus we have decided to name him Magellan after the Portugese Explorer, and in the hope that he will do as well for us as our own Beck Brow Explorer...bit early to say!!

Inca Van Dieman Chaska with Beck Brow Magellan