 |
|
Sunday, November 30, 2003 8:13 AM
Lady Linda made the trip in the back of the Jeep Cherokee with no problem.
She's just like her mom, sweet as can be, but spits at the drop of a
hat. Her mom, Madalena has "slimed" me more than all of the
other alpacas here combined. When she gets excited, at treat time, she
spits. Between Madalena and Lady Linda, if we ever need to transfaunate
an alpaca, we'll have it covered. Now I need to go clean out the Jeep...
Saturday, November 29, 2003 6:19 AM
Yesterday, Yolanda weighed in at 100.1 lbs, a major accomplishment.
We were quite pleased. She and Summer have become the best of friends.
Mango and Faye went home yesterday. It looks like Mare and Sonata are
both pregnant, so they'll be going to their new homes soon.
I'm heading up this morning to pick up Lady Linda, another alpaca that
can't get pregnant. I guess no one wants me to get any rest...
Friday, November 28, 2003 6:48 AM
We had a great day yesterday, good friends, good food. It was about
78º, and although the area had high winds, we somehow escaped them with
a light breeze. Unfortunately, AlpacaBob wasn't feeling well and couldn't
make it.
Snowberrie decided to let us have a relaxing day. She's back to acting
normally, eating all the time, but still grunts a lot.
Thursday, November 27, 2003 5:48 AM
When we owned the skydiving center, we would have what we called an
"orphan's" dinner on Thanksgiving. We would invite everyone
that had no local family. The tradition lives on, and I smoke a turkey,
Pati does all the trimmings, and we eat like kings. We'll have about
10 people over today. Maybe Snowberrie will decide to have her baby
today? Today is day 320 for her. Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 25, 2003 4:50 PM
It was quite a day today. Lots of rearranging took place, moving alpacas
from one field to another. It was spit testing also, Mare, Sonata, Armana,
Prissy, Magathy, and Magnolia all spit. Manda Smith and Mango decided
to go another round with the males.
Weight gains have all been good, especially Yolanda's. At 29 months
old, she's now averaging a 1lb per day weight gain, and is now almost
100lbs.
Monday, November 24, 2003 6:52 AM
Yesterday, Snowberrie was walking funny and moaning with each step.
This morning, she was sitting by herself in passageway between 2 paddocks
that we call "limbo". It doesn't look like she can hold out
much longer. Maybe a Thanksgiving cria???
Sunday, November 23, 2003 6:28 AM
The vet was out yesterday and gave Yolanda a clean bill of health, so
it looks like we'll just need to fatten her up so she can get pregnant.
She still acts like a kid also, and frolics with the crias.
The winds look like they've died down, yesterday it gusted to about
50 mph at times. The alpacas don't seem to mind the wind, they just
kept eating.
Saturday, November 22, 2003 9:53 AM
We finally got the website updated, including new "pictures of
the day" on the home page. It's not actually a picture of the day,
it's a picture of the moment, clicking the picture or reload button
brings up a new one. What, did you think I modified the main page daily???
With the 50 mph winds outside it seemed like a good time to get it done.
We even got the fiber animals listed.
The alpacas don't seem to be minding the wind, they're just carrying
on as usual.
Friday, November 21, 2003 4:36 AM
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. Yolanda acts like one of the
kids, and frolicks with the crias. Sandi is starting to hum a lot. Historically,
she's gone about 320 days, and we're right about day 300. Snowberrie
is at day 314, laying on her side a lot, and at times distances herself
from the herd.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003 6:40 AM
The rain is gone, and the Santa Ana winds are here, it was back into
the 80's yesterday and dry.
Aria went to Santa Barbara to breed for breeding, and Yolanda was sent
down to see if we can fatten her up and get her breedable. Yolanda is
29 months old, and weighs a scant 91 lbs.
Sunday, November 16, 2003 7:43 AM
We had rain yesterday afternoon, so the suris look great and the huacayas
look like wet rats. It's a beautiful, sunny crisp morning.
It looks likl the girls pregnant, so hopefully there will be a little
break until we start again after the next round of births in late December.
Saturday, November 15, 2003 10:17 AM
Yesterday, all of the huacayas spit off, and I decided to play with
the new G4 for a bit. I made a quick movie, and put it here.
It's scaled down so dialup users can see it, but it's still three megs,
so if you're on a dialup connection, grab a cup of coffee, a beer, or
go scoop poop while it downloads.
Friday, November 14, 2003 7:30 AM
The in-laws are moved in, the rain has come and gone. After the rain,
the suris looked really good, the huacayas all looked like wet rats.
We didn't have any white alpacas yesterday, and I'm not sure if their
color is anything on the ARI color
chart.
It looks like the honeymoon is over. Mare is back to her old self, spitting
at boys and giving me a dirty look when I walk in the paddock.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003 6:37 AM
The in-laws are all moved in, the culmination of two months' work. Good
thing, as the rain is here. All of the alpacas look like wet rats. The
crias have never seen real rain, just a sprinkle or two. They're all
staying close to moms. Tomorrow it's supposed to be nice again, so back
to spit checking. Right now, everyone is spitting, so I may get a break
until the next batch of babies in December and January.
Monday, November 10, 2003 6:24 AM
The boys didn't have a good day, the girls are all spitting at them
when I bring them up. Vivace has become a bit obstinate in returning
to boy's town after just getting spit at. Today I'll be helping the
in laws move.
Thursday, November 6, 2003 7:05 AM
It's been quite busy here. We've been catching up on the breeding, we
didn't want to do any with the terrible air from the fires. Sonata,
Mango, Manda Smith and Mare bred, everyone else spit off. We have about
2 more days of sunshine, then the rain will be here.
Sunday, November 2, 2003 7:46 AM
It was nice to get the opportunity to get my hands on 100+ alpacas during
color check at the show. I'm back, the crias are enjoying the great
weather. Now that the air is clear we can get back to breeding.
Heat index for alpacas
Formula: Temperature (F) + Humidity = Heat Index
Source: Llama*alpaca field manual
C Norman Evans DVM
Note: We're 5-20 degrees cooler than Murrieta
| Less than 120 | No Problem |
| 120 - 160 | Possible problem |
| 160-180 | Likely Problem |
| 180+ | Critical |