Pregnancy Update

January is a quieter month on the farm.
​
The pastures are dormant, days are still short, and our alpacas’ winter coats are like snowsuits.

At first glance, everything feels still — but beneath that calm, something very special is underway.
​
​Several of our girls are spending this winter incubating new life, each on her own natural timeline.

While there’s little to see right now, there is a great deal happening all the same.

Stormy is the furthest along, but with the way she playfully dashes around the snowy pasture, you’d have no idea that she’s pregnant.  Her cria is fully developed, approximately 12-15 inches long, and continues to steadily grow.  

I wonder if she enjoys being pregnant? This is her second pregnancy (Indie being her first offspring), so she knows what to expect this time around, which may be why she is very happy and playful.

Summer and Indie are not far behind with due dates a month behind Stormy and nine days apart from each other.  Their crias are also fully developed, smaller in size than Stormy’s cria, with growth happening steadily.  

Summer knows what’s to come, having given birth to Baxter a few years ago, and seems to take it in stride like she did last time, unlike Indie, who was very grumpy, short-tempered, and spitty during her first trimester.   I’ve been spit on for no reason more often than I care to admit 🤢, but thankfully, she’s past that stage and is more her sweet, friendly self — thank God!!
​
Lady and Pepper, whose due dates are later in the summer, have a longer way to go with their crias still being quite small — maybe 3-4 inches in length.  

Overall, the girls are generally relaxed and content — warm in their coats and settled into their winter routines — though there is one unmistakable sign of life under all that fiber: they are hungry all the time.  I mean, alpacas are always eating, but these girls are huuuungryyyy!

We’re feeding them extra hay, grain, and shredded beet pulp that helps them stay full (which is working), and our pockets are stuffed with “cookie” treats that they look for eagerly.

So, there’s nothing super-exciting going on — but this is an important season on the farm. The alpacas are all healthy, well-fed, and given time in the snow-covered pastures to stretch their legs, play, and explore.

Donate to the Maternity Ward