Thursday, August 28, 2008 6:31 AM
"Discovery" for the new guy was a bit unusual yesterday. Normally
new crias are a bit timid as all of the alpacas come up and welcome
them to the herd. Not this guy, he immediately sought out alpacas his
size to play with. I have a gut feeling that this little man will soon
be the terror of the neighborhood.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 7:17 AM
Okay, maybe I glanced just a little bit. It was very apparent with Kir
at about 9:00 that it was show time. It wasn't long until we had a head
and one leg. Of course, we really need two legs. After a couple of minutes,
I told Pati that I was going to need to fish the other leg out, and
went upstairs to get the OB gloves and lube. As I got there, Pati said
"is this the leg you were looking for?" Yep, sure enough,
Kir knew what she was doing. Back upstairs I went to put the gloves
and lube away. Back down I went, and he was on the ground.
I carried him up when he was about 30 minutes old, and I've had two
day old crias that couldn't struggle as much as he did. Good job Kir,
you sure made me get my exercise.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 6:51 AM
I thought surely that yesterday's update would make someone deliver,
but nope, it didn't. They just lounged around all day. Maybe they didn't
bother to read the update yesterday? Maybe they're just trying to make
me even crazier? I'll show them, I won't even glance at them today.
Monday, August 25, 2008 7:06 AM
There once was a farmer named Rick
Who'd update his website quite quick
If there was a day
He had nothing to say
He'd make up a dumb limerick
Heat must have gotten to me eh?
Sunday, August 24, 2008 7:22 AM
It did get a bit warm yesterday, but still nothing like we've had most
summers. It didn't seem to bother the kids though, they were spunky
as ever. The special one though is Aurora. Dusty Rose, her mom, would
come for kisses all through her pregnancy. We assumed it was something
she learned, but Aurora taught us otherwise. Aurora will come up and
give kisses for as long as anyone will stay put. I'd say we have a new
ranch ambassador.
Saturday, August 23, 2008 6:21 AM
It's nearing the end of August and summer really never got here. Once
we hit September, it starts to get busy. We have Alpaca
Farm Days in September, the Pacaribbean
Cruise in October, AlpacaFest West and my famous Thanksgiving turkey
in November. Just to keep Thanksgiving really interesting, we have 8
girls due within three days of it. It should be a fun fall!
Friday, August 22, 2008 7:36 AM
I've been keeping a bit of an eye on Prissy. I don't go on official
baby watch for another week, but she sure looks like she's about ready.
She did breed twice, exactly one month apart, so there is a remote chance
it was the first breeding that took. I guess I'll know for sure in about
a month.
Thursday, August 21, 2008 6:52 AM
It's really hard to believe that just two short years ago, we carried
an almost lifeless blob up to the nursery, and with the help and prayers
from so many, she's grown up to be a pretty little lady named Percy,
short for ALLAA Perseverance 291. Never before had there been such a
short gestation cria survive, almost two months early.
We tubed her every couple of hours, had her inside the house in diapers,
she followed us around the living room like a puppy dog. Yep, she's
a special girl. She bred for the first time a couple of weeks ago.
Hopefully today, she'll get her first spit test, and cover Mo and me
in stinky green slime. What better way to say "thanks dad?"
Oh yeah, happy birthday to Oda Mae Brown, her half sister, and Star
also.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 6:17 AM
I got an email about "Emily" yesterday, pointing out that
not only did she appear to have a double chin, she had a gaggle of rear
legs. I guess I'll need to try to get another picture, but at least
the name search is done. Yep, the name stuck. That was easy. Next?
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 6:29 AM
Pati Did such a good job getting Rockstarr's picture after dark the
other day, I figured I'd try with Arianna's cria. No matter how it's
done, it's still hard to get a picture of a black alpaca. You can see
she has eyes, but the shadow makes it look like she has a double chin.
Now we need to come up with a name. Maybe Emily Litella? Never mind!
Monday, August 18, 2008 6:28 AM
Yesterday, we got trees and bushes planted, drip system installed, just
a typical day on the farm. Today, I'm hoping to get a couple more trees
and bushes planted, we're just about done. Before I do though, I need
to put hay in the middle field, move some girls down, and carry Arianna's
new daughter up and weigh her. Just what we needed, another true black
one that is so hard to get pictures of.
Sunday, August 17, 2008 7:48 AM
We got some alpacas moved to north field testerday, Patron and DJ went
to their new homes, and all's well on the farm. Malea's little girl
finally has a name, Roseanne Rosannadanna. She got that name because
I need to go to Home Depot and pick up some PVC connectors and a new
handle for the pick. What does that have to do with her name? It just
goes to show you, it's always something.
Saturday, August 16, 2008 7:04 AM
So much for an interesting few days, Aianna is good as new. Looks thine
it will be typical boring days around here. We can deal with boring.
Then again, we're on baby watch for a gaggle of girls, that always has
the possibility of raising the excitement level.
Friday, August 15, 2008 6:20 AM
Yesterday, at first light, Pati noticed an alpaca that had not come
upstairs, and was sitting low in the field. When she got down there,
she found Star, with a completely dry and clean rose grey boy next to
her. We guesstimate that he was born somewhere around midnight, he was
already very familiar with locating the milk bar. His name is Rockstarr.
Late afternoon, Arianna started acting up again, so we brought Dr Thacher
out to check on her. There's no dilation, and everything felt normal.
We were concerned about her not eating, but she's back to eating and
ruminating this morning. The next few days could prove to be "interesting."
Thursday, August 14, 2008 5:02 AM
Okay, so you spent the day yesterday with that tune in your head. Deal
with it ;)
Yesterday we were certain Arianna was in labor, but soon went back to
acting normal. We were trying to figure out why a lot of our girls have
been on time or a bit early, while Star is going late. Pati came up
with an idea, and sure enough,I checked the paperwork and verified that
she was right.
We didn't realize that when we signed up for our breeding program last
year that it included rollover minutes that could be transferred. Star
is enjoying being pregnant, and has been trading treats for minutes.
We thought she had grunts of discomfort, they're actually grunts of
joy. We suspect she may have lots of minutes saved up, so she may just
hold out until late October so that she can break the record. I'm sure
no one will mind 
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 6:53 AM
Oh give me a home
Where the pregnant girls moan
And the crias and bunnies all play
Where seldom is heard
Updates from a nerd
And I hope we have a baby today
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 6:46 AM
Happy day! Your trained professional daily updater dude is back. Yes,
I know how you felt, kinda like tuning into the olympics to see it's
been pre-empted by the Sun City shuffleboard championships. Or like
tuning in to Oprah to find that Rosanne Barr is the guess host, discussing
effective weight loss techniques and Emily Post's etiquette.
I'm on baby watch for four, other than that, not a lot going on. I can
say that as a trained professional. More dribble tomorrow!
Monday, August 11, 2008 6:28 AM
Today's daily update by Susan:
Ring, ring.....
Good evening, Baskin Robbins Cria Delivery. How can I help you?
I'd like to order a Cria Sundae, to be delivered
Suri or Huacaya?
Huacaya, please.
Do you want all toppings, including nuts and cherry?
No nuts, please. Just a cherry.
When would you like it delivered?
As soon as possible
Sorry, due to the economy, fuel increases, global warming, the housing
market, bank failures and a lousy Presidential campaign, we cannot make
a delivery that fast. It could take a day, a few days, or even a couple
weeks before we can get that Cria Sundae to you. We apologize for the
inconvenience.
Okay, let's take a look at the "update by an amateur":
First, everyone knows that Baskin Robbins does not deliver.
Cria Sundae? That would need to come from Vanilla Sundae, she's not
due to November. Duh! Wouldn't Starbucks have been more fitting?
Fuel prices are dropping, and global warming is due to sheep flatulence
in New Zealand.
Lousy Presidential race? What could be more fun than watching a young
black man race an old white guy? Better than the Olympics!
Daily updates really should be left to trained professionals. I'll be
back tomorrow, same Bat time, same Bat channel.
Sunday, August 10, 2008 5:17 AM
Malea and her cria got off easy in discovery yesterday. We also had
Erica, a girl here for breeding, and her two month old cria join the
herd. They went down first, and while everyone was checking them out,
Malea and her cria slipped out pretty much under the radar.
Today we add Kalea to the watch list, so who's next?
Saturday, August 9, 2008 7:03 AM
Yesterday, at 10:30, Malea delivered an 8.1 lb placenta. I had to laugh,
that placenta was heavier than Percy when she was born. The placenta
went into the fridge until trash day, and seems to be doing fine.
Oh yeah, I guess I should mention that she preceded the placenta with
a 17.1 lb girl. Yep, I had to carry another one of those pesky female
crias upstairs.
This girl is special, her dad is Blade, and both Malea and Blade were
orphaned at a young age. With the start of the Olympics, 8-8-08, and
the luck of having two orphans give us a female cria, she'll get a special
name.
Friday, August 8, 2008 6:56 AM
Everyone had fun meeting Aurora yesterday, but it sure tuckered her
out. She's doing great, but her tender little tootsies sure don't like
the rocks downstairs. The other gravitationally challenged girls are
still hanging in there. I'm quite certain that no one will deliver today,
as no cria wants to be named "Tres Ochos Olympiad or Lucky for
short." 
Thursday, August 7, 2008 8:04 AM
It's overcast and cool this morning, and in a few minutes I'll be letting
Dusty Rose and Aurora out of the nursery in a bit. She's doing fine,
but like most preemies, she does sleep a lot. I'd imagine all of the
other crias will do their best to change that.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 6:14 AM
I came up with a great idea. Dusty Rose' cria is named Aurora. It's
Greek or Latin or something for early or dawn or light or something
like that. Okay, my great idea was to like the name Pati came up with.
She could have used a bit more time in the oven (Aurora, not Pati).
She's a bit dysmature, dropped pasterns, but she'll just need an extra
day or two upstairs. Dusty Rose doesn't seem to mind, and Prissy is
happy to oblige, because there's extra treats up here.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 7:31 AM
After treat time yesterday, I told Pati that I noticed a bit of swelling
on Dusty Rose, not as much as on Star, but it was there nonetheless.
At 6:00 this morning, we discovered a 13.3 lb girl from Dusty Rose.
We're not yet sure what color she is, but guessing light fawn. She was
a bit slow to get started, but once she warmed up, she had a sudden
burst of energy, she'll be ready for her picture in a bit.
Monday, August 4, 2008 7:50 AM
It did get warm yesterday, even though the weather dudes said it wouldn't.
We didn't have a cria yesterday, even though I said we would. Oh well,
I guess I'm in good company. I'm positive that we'll have a cria no
later than
Sunday, August 3, 2008 7:17 AM
We got some alpacas sorted first thing that will be heading down to
San Diego. As we were enticing the main field girls down with fresh
hay, Star sat down with an uncomfortable look on her face. Maybe today?.
It is nice and cool this morning, the nursery is currently empty, we're
ready for her.
Saturday, August 2, 2008 5:41 AM
I can't write about the new cria, because we don't have one. Writing
about the weather, well I did that yesterday. Also yesterday, I predicted
a new cria for today. I'd hate to appear foolish two days in a row,
so I guess that's out of the question also. How 'bout those Yankees?
Naw, not much of a baseball fan. Oh well, I guess today's update has
been cancelled due to lack of interest.
Friday, August 1, 2008 5:52 AM
Wow, it's August already! It was likely the coolest July on record,
and most of June was really nice also. They've repeatedly forecast hot
weather, then changing their mind, and right now the first half of August
is forecast to be cool. It must be nice to have a job where you can
change a prediction and no one cares. I'll go ahead and forecast scattered
crias through the paddocks today, followed by an extended period of
dark, with a new cria arriving about 10:30 tomorrow morning.
Thursday, July 31, 2008 7:13 AM
Yesterday when I was doing some spit testing, one of the maidens kept
trying to get into the breeding area. I had girl after girl in, and
as I'd let them out, the annoying maiden that I wasn't ready to breed
kept trying to come in. Finally, during the last girl for Mo, she got
in there. I'm good at steering Mo to the right girl, so no problem.
Natasha spit off, and this annoying maiden sat down. Oh well, I guess
they know more than I do, and neither one of them would have been happy
with me if I did otherwise, so I turned Mo loose.
That annoying maiden, you guessed it, Percy.
"You've come a long way baby!"
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 7:02 AM
It won't be too much longer until we have a new cria, but I'm not exactly
sure which field it will arrive in nor which girl it will be. Star,
AKA "Waddle" is up there in the running, and Yesterday, Arianna
was a bit different. Malea is as big as a house. Maybe I should just
head to Katmandu.
I'm sure everyone heard about the earthquake in Southern California.
After a quick assessment, I made a few calls and let everyone know all
was well. I'll not use the term "just a 5.4" again. Turns
out, we did have a problem that I didn't find until I toured the entire
ranch, the story and picture is at http://aaalpacas.com/earthquake.html
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 5:37 AM
Mr. Bojangles is doing great, but as you see, I didn't get a picture
of him yet. I'll try to get that done today. I'm enjoying some new technology
I have here, I can sit in the living room with my laptop, log into my
office computer, and work from there. I'd even be able to do it from
the paddocks. Naw, then Rose will want to start writing.
Monday, July 28, 2008 7:12 AM
The tail light trick worked. I headed out with the trailer, and Carmella
saw my tail lights. At about noon, she delivered a healthy little boy
with little fanfare, Pati & Susan got to watch. He's a feisty little
guy, and loves to hop around. We had some horse people here yesterday,
and I brought them upstairs to see the new cria. He did a really nice
dance for the 7 of us, and earned the name "Mr. Bojangles."
I'll change the picture when the sun comes out if I can get him to stand
still long enough.
Sunday, July 27, 2008 6:12 AM
So one girl is at day 362. Her record was 360. A couple of girls at
321, that went 349 and 359 last year. Then just for grins we add 2 maidens.
Yikes!. I'm heading to Ramona this morning to drop off some alpacas,
maybe when I leave there I'll just head to Katmandu.
Saturday, July 26, 2008 7:28 AM
Saturday is a great day for a cria, and we'll have one today or I promise
to eat raw fish with green horseradish on it. We add Arianna to the
baby watch list today. It's getting hard to know which way to look.
Friday, July 25, 2008 5:53 AM
It looks like I'm done with jury duty, I didn't need to report. I do
need to check in at 5:30 today, but since there's no court on Saturday,
it's probably just so the scheduling department can justify working
on Fridays. They probably didn't want me because I'd be against life
in prison for jaywalking and parole for axe murderers.
Now I can get back to watching for crias and tearing my hair out. At
least I'm not on baby watch for 5. Unless someone delivers today, I
will be tomorrow.
Thursday, July 24, 2008 6:56 AM
Riiiinnnnnggggg
"Domino's crias can I help you?"
"Yes, I'd like a large female cria delivered today"
"Okay sir, you know you can add a medium size cria for just one
dollar more?"
"Ok, that sounds good"
"What toppings would you like on them?"
"Make one a suri, one a huacaya."
"Where would you like those delivered?"
"The corner of Carmella and Star, right next to Dusty Rose and
Malea"
"Okay, we'll get them there as soon as possible"
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 7:04 AM
We're starting to think that maybe Carmella is waiting for Star to go
first so that she has company in the nursery. Maybe they can wait for
Dusty Rose and Malea, and make it a foursome. Great, just what I need.
Oh well, we're heading to the farmer's market in Temecula this morning.
Maybe we can buy a new farmer? Based on the update yesterday, I'd say
we can use one, looks like the one we have is defective.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 7:22 AM
The grumpies are still plumpy
The weather's still great
They should have a cria
And not hesitate
If they don't deliver
Quite soon I do fear
That I will go bonkers
And chase them around the paddocks.
Betcha thought that last line would rhyme, huh?
Monday, July 21, 2008 5:34 AM
It only made it to 82º yesterday, a perfect day to deliver a cria. Instead,
I planted a tree. Right now, it's baby watch for Carmella and Star,
we'll add Dusty Rose and Malea in a couple of days.
I'm on call all this week for jury duty. Last time I was called, I did
end up serving on a jury. Now there's a courthouse here in Murrieta,
just a stone's through from here. Of course, they still have me going
to Riverside this time. So much for common sense.
Sunday, July 20, 2008 7:51 AM
It's 58º this morning, a typical June gloom morning. To have days like
this in July is really rare. It was nice and cool all day yesterday
also, and the most of the boys enjoyed their trips upstairs. Fred wasn't
that crazy about his though, everyone said no. I think I'll take advantage
of the morning by getting a tree or two planted. I'd sure rather carry
a new cria up though.
Saturday, July 19, 2008 7:36 AM
Pati had a great idea and we rolled out the new buy
as you breed program for some of the boys. We'd like to see them
go somewhere that doesn't have a zillion relatives that they're not
able to "play" with.
Carmella is the only one in the main north field this morning, I'd say
that today is definitely without a doubt the day that she'll have her
cria or drive us crazy.
Friday, July 18, 2008 6:22 AM
There's a new "club" that has formed here. It's only for the
grumpy pregnant girls in main field that are over 10 years old. I first
noticed it a few days ago. Princess, Prissy, Aria, and Manda were the
only four girls upstairs. Princess is the young one at barely 10, followed
by Aria and Prissy at 12, Manda at 15. I went to the store, and when
I returned, everyone else was up in the nursery, and they had gone down.
We've continued to see the "fat four" hang out together. Aria,
Manda and Princess are due in November within 3 days of each other,
Prissy is due in September. We'll need a club name, maybe the "grumpy
plumpies?" Here's a picture of the motley crew from this morning,
yep, they're up again.
Thursday, July 17, 2008 7:23 AM
My forecast was correct yesterday. No cria. Am I good or what? For today,
my prediction is qyev auyf sois /piuasffiuf ai ijh.liasaseiu aihd aio
ihaefioua ast aeuhdy 8750w74ebcu vysa ,fgy aryfuhkjd .liqwe9-4305 as4utrw845
as4iur. Sorry, went to get a cup of coffee and Lillith was in playing
with the keyboard. She still doesn't know how to type.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5:59 AM
Due date. Easter Bunny. Tooth Fairy. Santa Clause. No such thing as
any of them. Today is Carmella's "due date" so I can relax
today, there's no way she'll deliver today. Is there? I used to be indecisive,
but now I'm not sure.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 7:06 AM
Yikes! I just realized that I have been doing this silly update page
for 5 years now. 5 years ago this morning, we were waiting for Carmella
to be born. Now we're waiting for her to deliver. It'd be cool if she
delivered today on her birthday. It's a sure thing she won't deliver
tomorrow, as that's her official due date. By the way she's acting,
I'd say it won't be until Thursday.
Monday, July 14, 2008 6:31 AM
Carmella cooperated yesterday, so we got to go to Susan's birthday party
at Rodrigo's. We had a great time. It's a good thing she didn't have
a boy yesterday, as his name would have been "A Boy Named Sue."
So now she's back into a safe delivery time, "Okay Carmella, let
'er rip!"
Sunday, July 13, 2008 6:16 AM
Tonto went to his new home yesterday, he'll be really happy there. You
probably guessed by the fact there's no picture, no cria yesterday.
Today's Susan's birthday, she's 5 in Jovian years, barely old enough
to chew gum and...
Happy Birthday Susan!
Saturday, July 12, 2008 6:43 AM
The official high for Murrieta yesterday was 88º. Here, it got to about
82. Every morning, Carmella lays around with her ears back, all grumpy
looking. At about 11:00. se gets up. goes to the feeder and looks fine
all day. I've decided she's either messing with me, or she's been sneaking
out every night to go partying and dancing until 2:00AM. Either way,
I'm getting a bit annoyed by it all.
Friday, July 11, 2008 7:30 AM
Remember yesterday when I said we'd have a cria? I was wrrrr. I was
wro. Ahem, I was wro. Nope, no cria. Today is day 345, she's been 340
and 366 before, so based on that I'd say she'll deliver eventually if
not sooner. It's stayed cool, and looks like it'll stay that way for
a few more days.
Thursday, July 10, 2008 7:18 AM
Yesterday was just nothing but a great day. It's hot as can be all over
Southern California, yet we are nice and cool. The boys got to play,
we had a hazy sunshine all day and a nice breeze to top it off. What
else can you ask for? Well, maybe for one of these fatsos to deliver
a cria. Maybe today, in fact I'm kinda sorta sure about it, maybe.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 7:47 AM
The weather people are talking about the extreme heat, yet it's missed
here. It was really hot the day before yesterday, yesterday was better,
and right now it's a cool June gloom morning. The boys are taking advantage
of it, so far Mo, Blade, and Conquistador have taken turns to come up
to play. We'll let the "batteries charge" for a bit, then
see who gets the next dance card.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008 6:43 AM
Carmella has been really annoying the last few days. She lays around
with her ears back and a scowl on her face all morning, looking like
"today is the day." Sometime late morning or early afternoon,
she stands up, goes to the feeder, and acts completely normal for the
rest of the day. I think she's just having fun watching me pull my hair
out.
Monday, July 7, 2008 6:45 AM
It's back to regular stuff now, I got all I could with the tractor.
All of the rain we had this winter made a lot of weeds, most are gone
now, but some will need to be done by hand. We'll hopefully be getting
that done this week.
Carmella is now at day 341, she's been 340 and 361 before, so I predict
that I won't be making a prediction.
Sunday, July 6, 2008 7:24 AM
I spent most of the day on the tractor, and didn't damage any fences,
buildings, cars, or myself, so I'd call it a success. I am a bit sore
though, but I have another day to go. In times like these, I sure wish
it was flat around here, it would make it much easier.
Saturday, July 5, 2008 6:49 AM
Nope, no Lady Liberty yesterday, no Ben Franklin either. I did manage
to get the pet male, huacaya
and suri female pages updated
in between making sure everyone was cool and Carmella wasn't in labor.
I'll be spending the next couple of days on a rented tractor, making
sure we stay safe from wildfires. Hopefully Carmella won't change my
plans.
Friday, July 4, 2008 7:42 AM
I should clarify, the 2nd of July was our 25th anniversary of our first
date, we've only been married for 24 years, 3 months, 29 days, 19 hours,
42 minutes. We still have about 20,822,400 seconds before our wedding
anniversary. Pati is hoping we have "Lady Liberty" born today.
That would be cool, it'd sure beat a "Ben Franklin."
Happy Independence Day, don't play with fireworks, leave them to professionals.
Thursday, July 3, 2008 7:01 AM
Yesterday was just another typical day in the life of an alpaca farmer.
Put hay out, hose bellies, and the usual alpaca stuff. It was followed
by a typical evening, we popped open a bottle of Dom Perignon and had
Maine lobster for dinner. Okay, not all that typical, we were celebrating
the fact that Pati has managed to put up with me for a quarter of a
century.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008 6:34 AM
Oops, forgot to upload the update yesterday. 20 lashes with a wet noodle.
It got pretty hot yesterday and we're planning on the same thing for
the next few days.The kids are starting to investigate the sprinkler,
it won't be long until they're hogging the water.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008 6:54 AM
Wow, it's July already! It seems like just yesterday it was June. It's
been pretty hot, not the scorcher we had last month though. Wrong Way
is meeting the herd this morning, it's looking like he's enjoying it,
but Toni isn't too sure. We should have a couple of weeks off from births,
then we'll start up again.
Click here for past updates
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 in the summer than Murrieta and have
a constant 10-15 MPH wind
| Less than 120 |
No Problem |
| 120 - 160 |
Possible problem |
| 160-180 |
Likely Problem |
| 180+ |
Critical |
How it relates to alpacas, the "Rick Heat Index" based on
feel:
| I'm comfy. |
I go about my normal business |
| It feels too warm to go up and down the hills |
No breeding goes on, but I can work with them in other ways |
| I'd much rather sit in the shade |
I pretty much leave them alone. |
| I'd rather sit in the air conditioning |
It's belly hosing time. |
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