Number 4!

Nature knows best.

We've had three cria births so far this summer with one more expected...I secretly hoped it would have been born on Tuesday (my birthday) but it was not to happen.

 

But Jessie did the deed the very next day. So wedneday morning, a lovely little white cria was born as we watched from the deck.

 

 

Now, this little one is a bit of a miracle.

Let me explain.

You see, on Easter morning, last March 31st, we noticed something going on in the pasture and when we went out to investigate, we found a 5 lbs very very premature baby cria on the ground.

He was not alive when we got to him.

We checked our girls to find out which one had given birth and realized it was Jessie.

It's always devastating to loose an animal, especially one that looks perfectly normal.

But we know that this is part of life on a farm and we do our best to accept it as it is.

Still, we wondered what had triggered the premature birth.

Was it stress? Was it an injury? Was it an anomaly?

As the weeks went by, we were amazed that Jessie still looked huge and pregnant.

Till one morning, we saw movement...definite baby movement.

We were ecstatic! but also very confused!

Now, that she's given birth we can conclude that Jessie was pregnant with twins.

Twins are extremely rare in alpacas and very few survive. Most twins do not survive the 335 days of a normal pregnancy to even be born. Delivery of twins can be complicated as well. 

Her body aborted one but kept the other...Quite lucky that she was able to keep this one to full term.

 

And you might have guessed it...this is the fourth male born this year.

2013 is the year of the boys I guess.