Friday 23 August 2013

New arrivals and sad farewells.

Well, it would be an understatement to say that this hasn't been a good week. I have shared the sad news on Facebook, so I won't dwell; but my worries about Wellies were well founded...my hopes that it wasn't meningitis were not. There was obviously a niggle of doubt in the fact I mentioned it, and I did start Marbocyl. However, he started to go rapidly down hill on Monday morning and despite a battle by all to save him, we lost him on Wednesday. If there is anything to learn from the postmortem I will share. We are so very sad.


               The beautiful Duke of Wellington...RIP.               

Now, where to start with the next bit of the bad week...I came back from taking Wellies to the VLA for the postmortem, a horrid experience and I was probably not at my best. Anyway, I walked the birthing paddocks to see if any one was looking like birthing...nothing in the Beck Brow paddock. I then walked the livery paddock... nothing...I then walked back passed the shed, whilst talking to Amanda on the telephone..."OMG I will have to go"...There in the shed was one of the black livery females (I won't name names but she is a bit of a grump) with a new born cria.

So this is were the day gets possibly worse...I quickly grab the iodine to spray the naval (the shed floor isn't the cleanest place to birth) and walk towards the dam and cria. I have my head down as I sense she is going to spit at me, and I am speaking in reassuring tones. However, I was not prepared for what happened next...which was my fault as I am so used to my own alpacas being so friendly...and of course the female didn't know me well...but boy did she go for me...she bit my arm and head, pushed me over, jumped on me, then bit my face...so I am on my back with her about to attack me again when I spot a yard brush..and I use it in my defence.

 I managed to push her away and roll out of the shed kicking the door shut behind me. I had forgotten that a delivery driver was outside unloading some wood...he looked horrified as I got to my feet covered in green slime and blood pouring down my face...but mad as I am I couldn't help laughing...what must the scene have looked like? You are allowed to laugh...everyone else has!

I did explain that alpacas are normally very timid creatures, and this behaviour was very unusual. I share the blame as I should have approached more carefully. However, I have since heard that this female has never had her cria weighed because she is so aggressive. The lovely blue black male is 7.5kgs...I will not be beaten! I am rather sore today as you can imagine, but we have come to some kind of a truce...although she is still scary! 


A blue black Prophecy male (dam is shut in the shed!)

Right, Debbie; the longest gestation in alpaca history?..a fat lass with a retained CL...Yes, I had the vet scan her and he found nothing. I know that scanning isn't 100%, and we did debate about giving the Estumate, but we decided that she needed to be induced any way. That was on Wednesday and we have no cria...so it would look like just too many pies...I am going to try mating her again soon.

We have received a photo from New Zealand, of another Timbertop CT Goldmine ET progeny. We just can't believe our luck, that we have managed to purchase a working male who is producing such stunning cria, and has such amazing fleece stats. Exciting times!



A Timbertop CT Goldmine ET cria born this week

On Tuesday we had a delivery...three new arrivals...




Yes that is a lovely grey female cria...no they are not mine...they are additions to the livery girls...and very nice too. Maybe I could get in to greys after all!!

10 comments:

  1. Glad to hear that you have been busy, must admit to having a chuckle but you paint a very good mental picture of the 'assault'! I await the story of you halter training her to gain trust!

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  2. You are a real star - I'm not sure how many people would have laughed when their own alpaca attacked them, never mind an agisted animal. Good on you girl! Certainly managed to take your mind off other things.

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  3. Good grief Barbara, you'd think a warning might have been forthcoming, especially as she was so close to delivery. Well done, sounds like an escape worthy of Lara Croft, and you got your cria in the end too. BTW what is a retained CL?

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    1. Sorry Bev, I knew I was being lazy not explaining. CL is Corpus Luteum it produces progesterone. It is meant to be a temporary structure but if it is retained the high levels of progesterone fool the female in to thinking she is pregnant. The Estumate should resolve he matter but would have also induced labour had she been pregnant.

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  4. Very sorry about Wellies - so sad.

    I have a little monster rather like your livery girl! Carl can get no where near her without being bitten when she has a new cria - an ultra protective Mum is pretty scarey! Hope you are mended now!

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  5. Sorry to hear about Wellies, it's such a sad part of livestock ownership.

    As for the attack, I had a similar incident with a very protective auntie the other week. Normally she was fine but this particular day I picked up somebody else's cria to show a visitor and she came spitting like crazy, like you I put my head down so she bit my ear and until I let go of the cria she wouldn't let go of my ear!!

    I only got laughed at too!

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  6. I'm so very sorry to hear about Wellies - how very sad and I'm sending you a big hug from Down Under.
    Congratulations for surviving the alpaca attack - my goodness!! :) Lisa

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  7. Sad news about Wellies.

    The attack must have been frightening. We all know our own alpacas and how they respond in various situations so rarely get a surprise like that but it must be difficult with those on livery! Hope the wound...and your pride sonn recover!

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