The first cria of the season has arrived! Calla Lily delivered a beautiful little girl yesterday. We are delighted to introduce you to baby Clarissa! Lily carried her cria for 339 days - which is a tiny bit early, but great for Lily as she has a history of delivering very early. The baby is showing some signs of being a bit premature, but she is big and active! Born early in the day, it was still cool and damp out so I dried her with a towel and then warmed her with a hair dryer. I left her covered with a warm towel for just a moment while I checked on Lily as she delivered her placenta - and look what I found when I returned! Up on her feet, walking, and dragging that warming towel right along with her! For the first part of the day, we left Lily and her baby in the upper paddock with just a few alpaca friends so that mom and baby could get acquainted and bond. Lily has been a good mom, but had some issues with bonding with her crias at first, so we want to make sure that there is not too much outside interference so they can get off to a good start. Destiny (Lily's 5 year old daughter) and Lily are very bonded. I expect these (now 3) girls will stay a close little group. We were able to let mom and baby into the larger grassy area a little later in the day. Lily and Clarissa retire to the smaller upper paddock for the night - again with just a few friends as we don't want too much outside interference. It's been a long and stressful day, but we are hopeful that our girl is off to a good start! Tomorrow we will introduce her to the rest of the herd.
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We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Lily's cria. First thing each morning I look out the window to the alpaca paddocks. After a moment of panic seeing Lily laying flat-out in the pasture (in what alpaca farmers sometimes call a death pose), I dashed out in my pj's to see Lily like this! I encouraged her to get up so I could get a better look and she obliged, but didn't stay up for long. She laid back down with a groan. Lily has fooled me a couple of other times on this journey, but I think today might be the day!
We are officially on 'cria watch'! We have several girls pregnant and due to deliver this summer. The season starts with Calla Lily (aka Lily), Lillibet (aka Little Lilli), and Destiny. All 3 of these girls were bred on June 24 last year, so they should all be due around the same time. Average gestation is about 345 days, but there can be significant variation. As of today, all 3 girls are at 338 days gestation. Births really could happen at any time now! We are most concerned about Calla Lily. Lily has a history of delivering early - with past gestational lengths of 318, 320, 327, and 340 days. We are thrilled that Lily is having a longer gestational term with this cria. Lillibet is also at 338 days gestation. She has had 2 crias in the past and both were trouble-free deliveries. We are excited about this cria because it will be the first offspring sired by our own Alonzo. We can't wait to see the outcome by pairing our beautiful Little Lilli with him. Destiny is also due to deliver soon. Destiny is Lily's 5 year old daughter. This will be Destiny's very first cria! She was bred to Camilio's X-Man (we refer to him as Manny), and we think they will produce an awesome cria! Feel free to post your questions or comments below!
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About the author:
Always an animal lover, alpacas entered my life in 2005.
I enjoy all aspects of life with alpacas - from caring for them, to training them, spinning and knitting their wonderful fiber, photographing them, and even writing about them! Archives
July 2021
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