Birthing and Cria 2019 at Beck Brow Alpacas

  Posted on 26/08/2019  by Barbara  No comments

Well, that’s it all over for another year. Such anticipation. Such joy (and occasional sorry). It always goes far too quickly… Birthing 2019 has finished at Beck Brow. Of course, the anticipation for 2020 begins immediately. Will all the analysis of breeding decisions bring the rewards expected? That’s the biggest and most important challenge of all…to keep improving year on year. However, we are realistic, best-laid plans and all…we weren’t aiming to breed a modern grey…but we love him all the same. As for our final birth of the year…a multi…we love her too!

We have a final tally of eighteen females and fifteen males. We acknowledge that we have been very fortunate to have had so many beautiful healthy cria in 2019. Lots of colour too. Those of you who follow us on Facebook will know of my excitement when Beck Brow Kiss Me Quick (National Fawn Female Champion 2018) had a brown male (sire: Gilt Edge Samurai of Beck Brow). This had to be quickly corrected when he dried to be modern grey. It took a little while for the shock to wear off, but I am now delighted with Beck Brow Come As You Are. From 15 Huacaya females, only three are white (unusual for us). However, we are expecting more light colours next year, as Beck Brow First Edition has had a good quota of the matings. He has had some fabulous cria for us again this year and has been underused previously.

We have had some ups and downs along the way. We had our first on-farm cria loss to an injury this year. Beck Brow Memphis had a lovely blue black female, who initially sustained a back injury rolling under a gate. Whist we were hopeful of her making a recovery, she then sustained a very badly fractured femur (we suspect she got stood on). Whilst all losses are sad, one has hit the hardest (probably because with hindsight I would change things). Cambridge Camilla (dam of Beck Brow Explorer) had been showing signs of labour without making progress, thus I decided it was time to investigate. The cria appeared to be in an unfathomable position, so the vet was called. We now know that the cria was upside down with the head and neck back between her legs. It was highly unlikely she was ever going to be corrected. All credit for the vet for trying. However, the placenta burst during manipulation. We ended up with a C-Section and Camilla lost her Blaze of Glory daughter. If only we had gone for the C-Section sooner, but any operation is a big decision, and hindsight a wonderful thing. Camilla appears to be doing well, although we are treating her wound daily. Whilst it would make for a happier blog to hide the lows, I have always felt it important to be bare all. Despite our experience with alpacas and a wealth of knowledge from critical care nursing, it happens to us too. We can only do our best.

Morden Hall Honaria blessed us with another full sibling for Beck Brow First Edition, Bottoms Up, Bedazzle and Ditto. Honaria and Beck Brow Explorer make a super couple, who just keep producing champions. This year’s female looks top notch again (although beige at this stage). We have named her Beck Brow Patent Pending (Patsy). It is amazing how many of our top older girls are still producing some of the best cria. Its all about layering up to see the improvements now. These are smaller increments when the females are top drawer. I am excited to see what our new Bozedown females, who were handpicked for our males, will produce in 2020. Okay I am just excited full stop. That’s alpaca breeding for you!

This year saw the first Beck Brow On The Money progeny to be born, and he hasn’t disappointed. The favourites are Beck Brow Tuppance Halfpenny and Beck Brow Just The Ticket. Tuppance has always looked super cute as we took the gamble and had her cria sheared at only a day old (no problems with rejection, but we knew the dam was unlikely to). Just The Ticket was born in August (post our cria shearing). Despite a reasonable summer (and her dam receiving AD&E in June) she appeared just a little stiff in her front legs (angulation was correct). We treated her with maintenance dose Hipravit and phosphate. On seeing no improvement after 7 days, and possibly increased stiffness, we gave maintenance dose oral AD&E paste. Thus she received treatment level of vitamin D. We saw an improvement quite quickly from the second dose. Our rationale was that the paste works quickly, but Hipravit stays in the system longer. I don’t claim to be a vet but it has worked.

The summer has been the usual non-stop matings, both for ourselves and clients. We have 55 Beck Brow owned females spitting-off pregnant (with another few getting the final spit-offs next weekend). We will finish our matings at the end of the month, come what may. The maiden/empty females all took easily this year, which means if they all hold, we will have 40 plus births in May. Beck Brow Vidal started work with gusto. He loves his employment and has had a very good hit rate. I am so excited about seeing his cria, and feel so blessed that he pulled through being so ill last year (see excited again). Both Beck Brow Vidal and Beck Brow On The Money came back with very impressive fleece stats. Low micron and low SDs. Just what we want for our coloured breedings.

Below is a gallery of some of the 2019 born cria. I have listed their parents below the album (for those of you who are like me and need the full story!)

 

Beck Brow Come As You Are. Sire: Gilt Edge Samurai of Beck Brow. Dam: Beck Brow Kiss Me Quick.

Beck Brow Anything Could Happen. Sire: Viracocha Black Sabbath. Dam: Inca Havannah.

Beck Brow Celebration; Sire: Bozedown Blaze of Glory. Dam: Beck Brow Bottom’s Up.

Beck Brow Rufus. Sire: Viracocha Black Sabbath. Dam: Inca Van Dieman Chaska.

Beck Brow Laissez-Faire: Sire. Timbertop Goldmine of Beck Brow. Dam: Bozedown Anything Goes.

Beck Brow Looks The Business. Sire: Timbertop Goldmine of Beck Brow. Dam: Beck Brow Cat’s Pyjamas.

Beck Brow Fist Full of Dollars. Sire: Beck Brow On The Money. Dam: Hillside Gardens Sonata.

Beck Brow Frolic. Sire Kurrawa Hell Raiser of Beck Brow. Dam: Wellow’s Qtaz.

Beck Brow Suri Peacemaker. Sire: Kurrawa Hell Raiser of Beck Brow. Dam: Spring Farm Josephine,

Beck Brow Suri Rebellion. Sire: Kurrawa Hell Raiser of Beck Brow. Dam: Bozedown Eclipse.

Beck Brow Suri Showdown: Sire: Kurrawa Hell Raiser of Beck Brow. Dam: Lignum Mojito.

Beck Brow Sweet Temptation: Sire Beck Brow First Edition. Dam: Beck Brow Flirtation.

Beck Brow Suri Surrender. Sire: Kurrawa Hell Raiser of Beck Brow. Dam: Spring Farm Mystique.

Beck Brow Ballet Dancer. Sire: Gilt Edge Samurai of Beck Brow. Dam Beck Brow Tutu.

Beck Brow Dressed to Impress. Sire: Bozedown Blaze of Glory. Dam: Beck Brow Trendsetter.

Beck Brow Glory Days. Sire: Bozedown Blaze of Glory. Dam: Beck Brow Bedazzle.

Beck Brow Miss Melody. Sire: Gilt Edge Samura of Beck Brow. Dam: Ep Cambridge Aria.

Beck Brow Patent Pending (Patsy). Sire: Beck Brow Explorer. Dam: Morden Hall Honaria.

Beck Brow Quid. Sire: Beck Brow On The Money. Dam: Ep Cambridge Lady Gaga.

Beck Brow Tuppence Halfpenny. Sire: Beck Brow On The Money. Dam: Beck Brow Seventh Heaven.

Beck Brow Just The Ticket. Sire: Beck Brow On The Money. Dam: Beck Brow Snooty Boots.

Beck Brow Sugar and Spice. Sire: Gilt Edge Samurai of Beck Brow. Dam: Ep Cambridge Courtesse.

Beck Brow As Requested. Sire: Waradene St Patrick of EPC. Dam: Silver Stream Galaxy.

Beck Brow Glitz. Sire: Gilt Edge Samurai of Beck Brow. Dam: Anzac Glamour Girl.

P.S following from our last blog regarding Enferplex testing of our new purchases; further APHA testing (skin test, primed Enferplex and DPP testing) all came back negative soon after posting.