Hey Now…News from Beck Brow

  Posted on 12/07/2016  by Barbara  2 comments

Only twelve days since my last blog (not too bad for me of late) but wow have we had some action and anxiety…

The day began well on Thursday 30th of June with news from Lignum Alpacas…Lignum Moloko (one of our newly purchased Suri females) had delivered a beautiful fawn female, what a great start to our Suri breeding programme. However news started to trickle in that maybe all was not well…the cria was quite weak and was slow to stand and even slower to drink. It was so difficult not to be anxious when we were not there, but Guy and Angela were amazing, leaving themselves very short of sleep, they saw her through the night and ready for a plasma transfusion the next day. She has gone on to thrive with great weight gains (more later).

The other events of the same day were equally stressful but unfortunately the outcome was less successful.It would appear that Beck Brow Read All About It had some how got in the middle of a scrape at evening feed time. I was outside the barn filling a water trough and did not witness exactly what happened, but he walked into the barn and staggered out, then never stood again. It appeared that he had sustained a head injury. We nursed him for four days, giving him all the care we could (as advised by our vet) but sadly we lost him.

It is sad to lose any cria, but to lose one so beautiful made it harder still. We had chosen his dam, Furze Park Elvira (sire: Furze Park Telstar)in 2014, especially as a match for Beck Brow Explorer. The two year wait did not disappoint, Read All About It was a stunner with such a gentle nature too…

Beck Brow Read All About It – unable to stand.

Beck Brow Read All About It (fleece at 20 hours old). Sire: Beck Brow Explorer.

Elvira was the most amazing first time mum, never giving up on him even though she had to stay inside for days. She and I have formed such a bond, she comes each morning and touches my face with her nose…she knows…

I always think alpacas seem to show respect when there has been a loss on the farm, and we rarely have a birth the same day. However life has to carry on and the next day Cambridge Summer Solstice (sire: Windsong Valley Firedragon) was looking rather fidgety (pregnant to Beck Brow Explorer this was one I was looking forward to)….but then nothing…maybe just a bit uncomfortable due to her size. Just as well as we had Tim (Hey) from Inca Alpaca staying overnight…and a bottle of red was already to open, for consumption whilst watching the match.

No…something just wasn’t right…to cut to the chase, Tim delivered a very stuck cria. A huge 9kg boy from a petite Solstice. It was difficult to see how she had had him packed in there, such were the length of his legs. She was pretty sore and was given anti inflammatory pain relief, Oxytocin and antibiotics (she delivered the placenta the following afternoon). We have named the cria Beck Brow Hey Now in honour of his midwife. He has gone from strength to strength and is looking very promising in the fleece department…No goals were missed and no wine was wasted.

Beck Brow Hey Now (5 days)

Beck Brow Hey Now (sire: Beck Brow Explorer) belly fleece at 18 hours.

Beck Brow Hey Now (sire: Beck Brow Explorer)…such tight curls.

Paul went off alone on the long round trip to collect our new Suri herd from Lignum Alpacas at the weekend (I wanted to be sure Solstice and Hey Now were well). An emotional time for Angie and Guy, after ten years of breeding such fabulous alpacas, it was time to say goodbye to the last cria to ever be born at Lignum. Hence we have named Moloko’s daughter Angie’s Tribute. We hope we can continue their breeding programme, and make them proud as we continue their good work. They are such lovely natured females, they are going to be a pleasure.

Lignum Moloko, Mojito, Marizon and Angie’s Tribute.

Still 17 Beck Brow births to go (so far 6 girls to 13 boys plus 15 agisted). Cambridge Camilla (dam of Beck Brow Explorer) is an exciting prospect…pregnant to Furze Park Telstar. She is still a beauty at eight year of age.

Cambridge Camilla still a beauty at 8 years.

Our two new studs males; Kurrawa Legend’s Crusader and Gilt Edge Samurai have been working well. We are excited about both these boys and as always will be wishing our lives away until next year. We are pleased with our decision to severely restrict matings to our males this year. This was not based on the desire to keep them to ourselves, but the fact that there are only so many hours in a day. With 35 females on agistment and for on-farm matings, as well as 59 females of our own to mate, restricting drive-by services has made this much more manageable than it was last year. However, We are making plans, which will enable us to release more services next year. Thank you to those who have booked already for 2017.

Gilt Edge Samurai ET of Beck Brow

Kurrawa Legend’s Crusader of Beck Brow.

This morning I let the larger group of mothers and babies into the top paddock, which needs topped but it did give some lovely photo opportunities…

Cria racing at Beck Brow.

The black cria in front is sired by Beck Brow Boxster (a fawn championship winning male) from a beige dam. As a sale has just been agreed on Boxster this was a lovely surprise for his new owners…

High jinx at Beck Brow.

Bozedown Anything Goes with Beck brow Reno (sire: Bozedown Achilles)

A Gunsmith cria belonging to Prima Alpaca

Beck Brow Bees Knees (sire: Timbertop Goldmine) looking a mass of curly mischief.

Beck Brow Sunday Best (sire: Viracocha Black Sabbath) trying out a buttercup adornment.

Beck Brow Well Chuffed (sire: Beck Brow Explorer) such a bruiser!

Finally another photograph of our new additions…so exciting…so many new genetics to study!!

Our new Suri girls…thank you Lignum Alpacas.