Good-bye to the Great Greta

Today is a joyful day at Shady Grove Alpacas (more on that in a while), which underscores the need to finally finish this sad post about our dear Greta. Greta was quite possibly the best alpaca mom, who also had to deal with multiple cria losses. As with many other moms, she stood on the sides while the crias were center stage to the action in the pictures. I regret making that choice as a photographer, because she was such an AMAZING mom. She always kept in touch with her babies by humming and sniffing them. When Greta had a cria, the barn was filled with music - my favorite!

August 5th was our first trip to the Purdue Animal Hospital. Our Bella had been taken here by our neighbors while we were away several years ago. Greta had not been doing very well all day, and she was not able to get up for most of the day. We were suspecting the deer parasite, and thought she was pregnant. It was right around the time she was supposed to have a cria.  

As usual, there was a new adventure in alpaca transportation... Yes, you are looking into the trunk of my Subaru Imprezza. We lifted and slid her right in, since she wasn't getting up. When it became clear to me that I could sit in the back seat with her, I decided to hold her neck up on the two-hour ride there. That is one heavy neck!!

We had to wait outside due to COVID restrictions while the vet did the tests. Greta turned out to have renal failure, heart disease, and was not pregnant after all. The vet suggested that we euthanize her, because she probably would not make it until morning. So we drove home alone. She lived a great life, and while 15 isn't as old as some alpacas get, it was safe to assume that we had lost an animal to old age. 

While I normally would post some pictures of her life with us, I decided to tag several posts that has her as a part of the action somewhere.  Do enjoy the past posts HERE.

Rest easy, Greta - 2007 to August 5, 2021

Quarantine Haircuts

Eight+ weeks into the quarantine has so many of us feeling a little bit too fluffy on top, so you can't help but feel a little bit jealous of the alpacas who have their barbers make a home visit on a Saturday morning!

They were highly grateful to be able to see again! It also happened to be 80* on that day, a weather pattern that quickly changed back to freezing a few days later.

It's nice to relax in the sunshine after a thorough grazing!

Our shearing team was adamant about social distancing, so we took the opportunity to rent a box truck and also replenish the hay supply that day. We took a picture of this road sign for our nephew, who is attending Purdue next Fall! We stop in Russiaville for the hay, but are looking forward to many trips to Purdue to visit and spoil him!

Our hay guy had a new "toy" to help load the hay into the truck with a few big lifts. What a relief it was to not need to move all the hay into the truck by hand. It saved so much time!

Finally, I joked with my colleagues that it wouldn't be ISSMA Qualifications day without me interacting with a UHaul! I really missed the students and the event, but it was good to be distracted by getting some work done.

Here's hoping you are enjoying a safe springtime. Till next time!

Annual Buzz Cut

Last Saturday finally arrived after the poor alpacas had to carry their fluffy fleece around for an extra month. Our shear team had multiple scheduling conflicts, so we waited…

And waited...

As usual, we asked ourselves if we are feeding them enough… such skinny bodies underneath the richness of the fiber!

The alpacas were thrilled to be free of their winter coats as the temperatures soared into the mid 90's shortly after their buzz cuts.

Only one hot pack member is left. Poor Tenny will have to wait until her undercoat falls off in about a month. In the mean time she is not complaining about the loving brushes she is getting to encourage the shedding process! 

All the best summer wishes!

Who Are YOU?!

Last week The Farmer came inside from the barn with the statement: One of the alpacas looks huge...

I ventured out soon after, and there was no denying a sizable difference between the alpaca in question and the other ladies... A few days ago I spent 30 minutes watching her stomach, and decided that I saw some kicking.

Yesterday The Farmer came home after work to be greeted by this cute cria! SURPRISE!!!!

Alien cria at Shady Grove Alpacas

She was already dry, wobbling around, and nursing, so things are looking good for her health.

Lounging

Why didn't we know about this new cria? Well, we had a male who rolled under the fence last year, and it turns out that the vet's version of the morning after pill is not 100% effective. We didn't give it a second thought until last week.

My mommy is sooo tall!

Unfortunately the genetics of this animal are not up to the usual high standards that we have around here, so we are not naming her in the hope that she will be easier to sell next summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for some fun!

But there was a brief conversation about the name Ripple. I think it is perfect for an awesome little girl cria born on a 90 degree June day. The song and the new alpaca make us happy, but we'll keep the name unofficial. Love you, little one!

Alpaca Update

It's been a while since the alpacas have been featured, so here are some "candids" from this afternoon. Hanging out: Greta, Moonstar, Tenny and Leven. Leven is now 5.5 months old.  

Leven often has one stray piece of hay hanging from his mouth! Looks like a country lad from days gone.  

Getting ready for show season with a nice pose: I am the best. Please look no further... (Ahem... Don't get ahead of yourself there, big guy!)

   

Cassidy is a Momma's girl, always hiding behind Bella. And acting like a bully already too. More food please, or else.

   

Cassidy is really growing up. She is just over 7 months old and looking very big. 

Cassidy gives great kisses and is always curious and comes right up to investigate. She often has her neck hanging way outside of the fencing sniffing something or someone on the other side!  

Dark Star is still looking regal. Loves a good roll in the hay. And dust baths. In spite of the fact that we nearly eliminated dust in his pen. He finds a way to roll in some no matter what.  

Another "ready to show" shot. I don't think there is much hope for his fiber though. We will probably have to shave him before the show.

   

 This scene greeted me when I opened the nesting box this afternoon. Our chickens are busily laying eggs at the rate of 1-2 a day. Heinrich's (the brown one) are HUGE - between 75-80 grams per egg!! Athena's are small and such a pretty color, slightly pink and creamy. Both are delicious! Which reminds me: it's time for dinner!

 

9/11 Blues, Improved

Usually I consciously avoid media and thinking about events associated with 9/11 in the weeks approaching the anniversary. The sadness that the memories of that day bring up are baggage that I don't want to bring with me to school. For some absurd reason I thought that the ten year anniversary last year was the magic eraser and that I would no longer have to deal with the emotions. But of course there were stories on the radio this morning. Military veterans had set up their flags on the overpasses. My reflection was interrupted as the Alpaca Farmer called me on the phone. He was on his way down to the barn, wanting information on another local news item. There was a lot of humming down there... And then there were maybe more animals than normal...

Sure enough, SIX animals in the barn at Shady Grove Alpacas - the new cria had been born in the night and was already dry, wandering about, taking a dust bath, etc! How can your mood not lift with this wonderful image in your head! It's a BOY, by the way! And he weighs 17.7 pounds.

What to name him? All animals born here at Shady Grove get named after songs by the Grateful Dead. We had thrown around names like Jack Straw, China Doll, Stella Blue, but those did not seem fitting for the day or the animal. We started thinking of commemorating the day, and other titles like "US Blues" (sometimes referred to as Wave the Flag) and "Chimes of Freedom" started sounding like better options. "Chimes" was written and performed by Bob Dylan with the Grateful Dead, but the Dead never covered it on their own. Coincidentally, Bob Dylan's 35th album came out today as well, so it would have been another nice connection to the day. In the end, calling the cria by one or the other word in the title did not have the right feel to it for us. And there happens to be another song named "The Eleven." The eleventh of September. The eleventh anniversary. Perfect. We will be calling the little man 'Leven for short. (The music geek in me is thrilled that the song is written in 11/4 time!)

The little animal is very red, but we suspect that it is the usual amniotic fluid stain on the fiber, and that the little guy will be a dark brown or black like his mom by the time the fleece grows out.

'Leven has a funny crimp in his tail. Curls? A weak bone?

Playing on the lawn with Cassidy. Cassidy is the slightly bigger cria on the left. The grown-ups are munching some grass. Go figure.

'Greta is the BEST mom ever. She is humming almost non-stop and looking after the 'Leven in all ways possible.

Off on a first adventure into the corner of the pen. Greta is following right behind. Later folks, there is some exploring to do!

They Grow Up So Fast **sniff**

After seven long weeks, our little darling cria boy and his mom returned to the Shady Grove Farm on Saturday. Dark Star is a little more than twice his original size now. He is already eating hay and grain and is much more solid than his former gangly self. He is ten weeks old today.


The Alpaca Farmer decided to re-breed 'Greta, which meant a little visit to the farm of origin. Alpaca crias for all - put in your order! They're awfully cute, as you might note...


It is nice to have the whole herd re-united again. Or for the first time, if you consider that Bella and Dark Star have not co-existed together yet. As you can see, Bella is separated from the others because she has a tendency to gobble up all the hay and grain while chasing the others away with her neck. She will even go so far as to eat the dog food. I have started calling her Miss Piggy.


Moonstar is lurking in the background... She is either plotting a play session or a domination match with her new pen-mate. The two "Stars" are hilarious to watch!


Till soon... HUM!

Of all the gifts, LIFE is the greatest!

Yesterday morning, the Alpaca Farmer said that there was a lot of humming going on in the barn during feeding time. Our animals are not usually very vocal, so this was interesting news. Mid-morning I was out gardening and I decided to check on the animals. Greta was lying on her side humming a mile a minute and I thought that there is no way we were not going to see a cria today. I left for five minutes to check on something and when I returned, the nose was already poking out, followed soon by legs and then the body. I got the whole scene on the video camera on my phone. I cannot recall a time when my heart beat faster and I was more nervous. If something went wrong, it would be all on me to fix and not kill the new cria. Fortunately, the breeder told us later that the whole process was exactly "by the book."

Anyway, enough about me. Let me introduce the new little boy "Dark Star" to you. Born in the 11 o'clock hour here at Shady Grove Alpacas on September 5.


He is wearing a little coat because it is cold and windy here. Alpacas do not thermo-regulate their body temperature during the first few days of life, so the coat is critical. Since it was freezing, we had to blow him dry with a hair dryer!


Greta is an outstanding mother. She was humming and bonding with Dark Star all day. And she was standing properly for nursing. She is very protective when we have to weigh Dark Star or bathe the umbilical cord. She has already spit off the house dog!


Dark Star stood up in record time, under an hour. And he was nursing within two hours. He was also already prancing around and trying to roll on the ground. The breeder said he is thriving more than the average cria!


Above everything, this little guy is eye candy. How can anything in the world be so CUTE!!!!


Have a "humming" day!

Precious Pucker

A colleague in A's department was raising money for a school in Kenya. Another colleague promised to match the first $500 of donations. Students and faculty donated money in $10 increments in exchange for a vote... A vote for one person on the faculty to KISS AN ALPACA!!

Yesterday, we hosted a party for the faculty and students at Shady Grove Alpaca Farm so the winner could plant a juicy one on an unsuspecting alpaca..

Fetching the animals.


The professor is preparing his lips for the big kiss. Will the alpaca turn into a princess? Oh wait, his wife is the department chair - she will have none of that, I'm sure!


SMOOCH!!!! Bella loved every second of it!


No animals were harmed in this experiment!


'Greta either felt left out, or sorry for the poor professor. She gave him a giant arm snuggle!


'Greta also enjoyed entertaining the little one at the party.


Alpacas in retreat.


Elsewhere on the farm: first Iris in bloom. These were in a neglected garden in front of the first house we bought. My mother split them and took some to her house. Eight years later, she had to split them in her garden and now they're baaaaack!


Bleeding Hearts: must belong to a vampire as they are quite white...


Chives - so tasty and beautiful.


An amphibious friend hanging out on a window sill.

He might need a kiss... Pucker up!