Whoooo Baby!

That’s right - I said baby. Just when you think you know what an alpaca is all about; she will up and surprise you.

Meet Ruby’s Boomer, male, weighing in at 20.5 pounds and it colder than billy blue hell, raining ice & blowing a gale!!
Unexpectedly found in pasture - Ruby had a presumed due date of last November, I gave up on her even being pregnant back in December. Now here he is and looking a bit preemie to boot. Apparently Ruby decided to take a holiday this past summer and stopped cooking - too hot to cook! Needed a little bottle work to get him started off right, but he’s a rampaging terror now. Today he is looking mighty handsome in a teeny little blue waterproof parka (dog coat!) with reflective tape racing stripes. Zoom Zoom Boomer!

And Naturally right in the midst of taking care of Boomer, the NC Dept of Ag calls and it’s my turn to go pick up my drought relief hay — about 3 hours round trip to the Research Station Farm yesterday. Coastal Bermuda out of Florida so I thought it might be good. The alpacas seem to like it but its only about 11% protein. Still if they eat it and don’t waste it that’s a better value than the truckload I bought with those goat people last fall which is about 10 pounds of sticks and stems (& timothy seed heads) per bale. But, my pastures are just gone - before it rained my topsoil was off flying in the wind - probably end up in Texas, Jeannie! And they say this spring won’t be a bit better than last year so I figured I better get what I can get while it’s still only $7 per 40# bale.