Lambkins and Crias

Nothing cuter than lambs and crias, here they are today enjoying the sunshine :)

Jade is 14 months old now, past the cute cria stage but still a sweetie and a favourite.

Jemima is such a funny girl, she loves skitting about, running and pig rooting all over the shop!  LOL!!

Lambs heading out to do some exploring:

Whatchya'll doin'?

We're checking out the yards!!

Nope, not me, not guilty, wasn't even there!!  LOL!!

Llamas, Ody chillaxing:

And Mehitabel, in her Maybelline pose!

Rapunzel and her mum, Red Riding Hood:

Tibbs and Voodoo are very interested in the lambs, although Tibbs is not keen to get as close as Voodoo!

Our youngest cria Wolfgang is thriving and his light bright blue eyes mean you cannot help but look at him!

Spotty New Bugs

(Painted Pines) Maximus - aka Maxi and (Painted Pines) Lateece - aka TC are newly arrived from the Barossa Valley, ably transported by Rohan Dalgleish.  They have now been accepted into the herd and have started their halter training, they are both very calm and quiet animals, so things are progressing well, especially with TC, who is already eating llama lollies out of my hand :)

This is TC, pretty in pink:

And Maxi in blue:

Such pretty little alpacas, love the spots!!

Of course if there is something going on, the usual sticky beaks will have to be checking it out, Pearl:

Did someone say llama lollies? - Jade:

If there are llama lollies I'm here - Bianca:

Sunsets, Cria Updates, Jemma's Overly Long Pregnancy and Visits with Scarlett Rose

On the 17th June I decided we had waited long enough, and I asked my down the road neighbour Gayle to help me load Jemma into the trailer for a trip to the vet.  Once there the vets administered drugs to induce Jemma's labour, and we waited.... it took fully 24 hours for the drugs to have any effect and by then, with the cervix fully dilated, vets Jayde and Penny, could get an idea of the size and nature of the problem.  It was HUGE!!  the cria's head was between its front legs, and the neck twisted, so the forehead was touching the ribcage... nightmare!!  They tried very hard to manipulate the cria into the right position, but were unable... so off to theatre for Jemma.  I really had hoped I wouldn't be the one giving the vets their next experience of camelid caesarians!!  Unhappily the cria was still born, he was a very large, 10.94kg, blue black male and his delivery was intensely physical.  While caesarian born llama cria, Jade, was 'plucked' from her mother's innards, Jemma's cria was wrestled out.  It did not help that he had entered the birth canal, and his front legs were already partially out.  I've learnt a few lessons.... bolting horse, stable door style... and I won't be letting any  of my alpacas go over 365 days from here on in.  The other part of this rule is that if the presentation is more complicated than bent legs, proceed immediately to caesarian, no wasting time, NOW, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Here is vet Jayde Watling, starting the procedure... after that I got Jemma's head to look after, hold the oxygen mask in place, and that's about it!!  I am enormously grateful to my friend Ruth King - Jemma's breeder - for coming in to the vet's to hold my hand and Jemma's paw while all this went down.

Jemma took quite a while to come round after the op and I knew she was still not 'with it' because she had her head resting in my lap, and we were getting on famously!!  LOL!!

When she was able, we walked Jemma back to the stables and the vets let me leave her there overnight as she was still a bit unsteady on her feet when I had to get home to feed the ducks and chooks.  We left the body of the dead cria with her so she could figure out what had happened.  The next day when I arrived to take Jemma home she had plainly come to terms with the cria's non-starter status, and although quite sore and a bit sad, seemed pleased to be back in familiar surroundings when I unloaded her from the trailer back into the home paddock.

Since then she has been recovering well, and is pretty much back to the Jemma we know and well, I wouldn't say so much love as are used to!!  She is giving Vynka the rounds of the kitchen and is at the feed shed door anytime I'm in there!!

Very pleased to have a change of pace on the weekend and go to visit Freya, Dan and Scarlett Rose.  My mother and sister say they can see Freya in Scarlett's features... but I think, she is the spit from her father's mouth and Freya didn't get a look in!!  Judge for yourself... 

Its been a long time since I had YumCha so Freya, Scarlett Rose and I headed to Dickson to enjoy same...

After lunch it was play time on the mat!!

Winter sunsets are always the best:

And crias - what's not to like??  Cumberbatch, a sweetie and a softie:

Farqhar, still as cute as a button:

His mother, Fresian, underestimate her at your own peril!!  She is small framed, but a bloody giant in her head!!  LOL!!

Jade and Trinket, continue to do well, and have put Jade's dodgy start in the world, and the big ask on Trinket on that day, well behind them:

Joeley - motherhood has been the making of her, but that's not her cria behind her, that's Cushla's daughter Scarlett.

This is Joeley's cria, Jumanji - lovely little girl:

Paris' son, Pierre, very nice fleece :)

Another pic of Scarlett, who like Cushla's other cria have inherited her lovely disposition, she looks brownish, but that's cria tips, she is solid black at the skin:

 Wia seems happy to be back with us, she is getting more and more tame and I am confident I will soon have her eating out of my hand :)

Llama Crias and Alpaca Bath Time

All the llama crias are doing well in their lead and halter class.  Cumberbatch was a late starter, but is now the star pupil :)

Cumberbatch is an huariso (alpaca x llama) and he has the prettiest colouring (with or without the pink Chloromide spray on his neck!!) combined with a lovely fleece, very much a llama in his head.

Bianca is not keen on having the halter fitted, but once its on, she walks perfectly :)

I don't know why she doesn't like putting it on, she looks so good in pink :)

 Jade was 3 months old yesterday and is thriving.  She too is doing well at lead and halter class, but steadfastly refuses to co-operate if I want a photo of that!!

Azzura's son Rhys is a handsome little fellow, and like the others doing well in class.

I thought this piece of farm infrastructure was a drinking trough, but Tiana Rose begs to differ, she sees it more as a bath!!

It was a balmy 16 degrees yesterday, but Jemma was not to left out of the action.  She is day 390 today, and still shows no sign of giving birth, though plainly she huge and uncomfortable!

Maggie, showing off her new fascinator ;-D

And finally, in the garden... I have ONE white nerine, small but perfectly formed..... Canberra was awash with pink ones when I was there on the weekend.

And some purple chrysanthemums: