A new arrival was waiting for us in the alpaca field, when we came back this afternoon. We have called this little fella, Cocoa - and he is pictured here, taking his first wobbly steps, hardly dry yet. The female pictured with him, is not his mum, more like a concerned aunty. In fact, we are expecting trouble ahead, because the only way we could work out which animal was his mum - was to get all the females in, and check each one for evidence!
This alpaca is a first-time mum. So far, she does not want anything to do with her brave little chap, and runs away if he comes anywhere near. It is quite common for new mums, in all farm livestock, to be hesitant and unsure what to do (let's face it girls, many of us human mums experience something similar) - but what we are seeing today, is a bit extreme.
I have fed him some powdered colostrum, which is the first, rich milk, all mothers produce - full of antibodies to kick start the newborn immune system, and essential nutrients babies need to thrive. He would be better off with the 'real stuff' but we have had to compromise for now. Henry and I 'milked' the mother alpaca later in the evening, with great difficulty from us, and a lot of screeching, spitting and kicking from her. I can tell this is going to be a long haul. We have shut mother and baby inside for tonight, and hope that a few hours of quiet dark together, will coax out the mothering instinct.
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