Well you know that everyone says alpacas hardly ever get fly strike. We had the hardly ever at the weekend when an unshorn female with a newborn at foot had a very ‘wet’ neck. Chas spotted it straightaway so out came the shearing handpiece and we sheared all round the wet bit and then sprayed on the pink stuff. Immediately loads of tiny, thank goodness, maggots hurled themselves to the floor narrowly avoiding my shoes, could be because I was dancing around to avoid them. So we had this half shorn animal with a pink neck in the field – high fashion alpaca style.
The other one is that alpacas never give birth in the evening. So I was sitting on my terrace, 6.30 in the evening, glass in hand, admiring the view, looking out at the not quite ready to give birth yet field when I observed a crowd of alpacas all staring at something. That something was a cria. Take dinner off the AGA. Dash to barn for iodine etc. Decide to give it plasma as it is the evening. Panic over, finish cooking dinner, eat it. Guess what at 8.30 another cria decides to arrive. Second dash to barn, no plasma this time as big cria and very reliable mum. First thing Monday morning a third cria arrives from the not quite ready yet field while in the birthing paddock there are girls who are 12 months and still refusing to pop. Perhaps I should take to gin.
Shame about Glastonbury and 2012, clearly I don’t read the news, plenty of time however to save up for a glamorous tepee with one of those hot tub thingys.
Jen –
I’ve already taken to the gin, as this birthing season goes on – just decanted our 2010 sloe and damson gin…..very lovely, except I think I need another glass tonight just to check it’s credentials.