[AlpacaTalk] new crias
Congrats to all the new cria moms! Boy, I sure would not want to be
having a cria in this heat. After a long wet and cool spring, summer
arrived with a vengence about a week ago. Of course now that I finally
have my garden planted there hasn't been a drop of that all too
plentiful rain since :-(. Heat index in the 105-110 neighborhood. All
fans on outside about 18 hrs a day (one in the hot hot barn where the
hay is and one large industrial fan on a long extension out in the
wooded pasture where there is shade, they like to hang out there as that
is where the water soaking takes place.....in front of the huge fan -
they line up and the males turn their "privates" towards the hose and
lift their tails lol really cute. A/C on inside about the same (and I
almost never need a/c here until late July/Aug. Everyone is suffering.
Just replenishing drinking water every few hours (because the water gets
so hot and because one of my alpacas likes to stand in the water bucket
making it filthy and unfit to drink) is wearing me out. It is hard to
be outside even for that hour; watering the garden at 10:30 at night and
still sweating just standing there. The alpacas have taken over the
duck pool. I've had crias in this heat......if I can help it not
again! Now that I have been forced to keep my male separate I now have
*some* control over when the babies will come. He won't be allowed with
the girls until fall, then not again until spring. Truth is tho that he
does get to mix and mingle when I am out there. Poor boy is in the
hottest pasture and can't get the 2/3x daily soaking I give everyone
when I am replenishing water, so I let him come over for a visit and a soak.
Heather I hope your wall baby turns around soon and sees its mama! And
Susan.....you knew all along there was something amiss. Glad you were
so diligent at keeping an eye; sounds like you most likely saved this
cria and mama's life. I feel most inadequate. I would not have had a
clue what to do or even what was going on. How do you "check
ligaments"? And how did you know its toes were behind the cervix?
Since I have never done planned mating or whatever it is called, I never
know when babies are coming. I have a general idea as I write down
dates when I see mating, but I have never been able to tell from
appearance or behavior. I just see a cria on the ground - or already up
and walking around looking for all the world like they have been here
forever.
BTW, I had a similiar situation with what appeared to little to no milk
from the last mama and did what Carolyn suggested - the hot compress.
That did the trick for us. Good luck.
and Jim, all I have to say is "are you married"?! <BG>
Warmly, Janice in NW GA
PS The alpacas are none too happy with the latest addition to their
pasture - the Pyr puppies. The puppies are in a pen in the pasture
unless I am out there to supervise. The pen is in the shady wooded part
of the pasture.....
The best place to be on a hot day (except inside <g>). The poor alpacas
won't come near......the *have* to go thru this area to get to the barn
to eat. They approach cautiously with the evil eye focused on the
puppies, then when they get to the area closest to the pen, the gallop
wildly thru. But yesterday their curiosity got the better of them and
they started getting a bit closer, but ever watchful of what I am sure
they feel are predators that for some odd reason mom has plopped in
their lovely home.
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posted by Chaddo at 8:15 AM
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