This is More Like It!

Yesterday, a friend came over so we could catch Fern and milk her off since she was looking pretty full.  A couple years ago her older sister got mastitis when her baby died and never nursed, and we didn't want to wait until Fern was pretty sick and have to get the vet out again.  It turned out she certainly did have milk, but it really wasn't too bad.  Unlike Myra, Fern did get to nurse her calf for a week, so she wasn't nearly as swollen.  I'd much rather be too pro-active, though, than just keep waiting, hoping everything will be fine.

While walking along the fenceline between the cattle and goat/alpaca pastures to start setting up the catch pen, something caught my eye in the grass.  A little fuzzy (and I mean fuzzy!) grey-brown bundle just lying there:

We have our first cria!  We were told when we bought her, that Reba was possibly due in April, so we moved her in with the mama-to-be goats, and waited.  And waited.  And decided she wasn't due after all, it must be fall like the rest.  I've read that alpacas have not only long (11.5 months) but variable gestation - a 1 month leeway either direction - but it's still a good month and a half past her due date!  He's definitely Reba's, though.  I've never seen mama pacas and newborn crias interact before, it's pretty disconcerting.  Apparently the moms don't clean off the baby  - we found him with dried plastic wrap, basically - and pretty well ignore them until they're ready to start nursing.  In the meantime, the rest of the herd investigates - thoroughly - and she just stands a bit away and watches.  

I was a bit nervous about this one - when I saw him, he was actually in the cow paddock, he must have wiggled through the fence right after he was born.  I don't know how long he was there, and having never seen these little things this early before, I don't know what is a normal progression of abilities.  He was still having trouble standing several hours after we found him - our book and websites say it can take 3 hours.  Without knowing when he was actually born, I can't really say if he was past that or not.  And, the most concerning for me just because I like to know things, not just assume, is that I haven't actually seen him nursing.  I got him to suck quite well on my finger (alpacas have a cleft palate like camels - very strange when trying to suck, this little tongue tip is poking out!), and got just a few swallows of goat milk into him in case he needed a little extra energy, and a reminder of what he was looking for.  We watched him stagger around, and nuzzle some with Reba, but never get under her.  During the morning move today, though, Caleb saw him up and actually nursing, so that's great news.  I still check on him several times - mostly because he's just so cute! - but I'm not as worried any more.    

It's really fascinating how often there seems to be a balanced equation for babies.  We lose one for some reason, and shortly after, gain another.  Life actually is a little more fair than it initially seems sometimes!