Blog and tweets Follow us on Twitter for updates on the herd and sales.
Nero Black Alpaca Blog
Well here I am sat on holiday and finally found some time to blog after a long full, fun and fraught (at times) summer.
Thursday I took time out to get some pics of the cria. We really are delighted with them and they light up our lives most days. It may be noticed that for a black breeder there’s a lot of brown about?? This is a combination of fate, an outside “On the Money” mating Southwick and our first 2 Mountbatten (Fawn Supreme Stud) cria Guardiola and Beryl. We actually believe a couple are actually coming through black too🙂
No doubt most comments will come for The Colonel?? Not only is he stand out in looks but he’s one heck of a character and has, so far, a very promising solid black fleece.
Birthing this year was generally straight forward and the most striking stat is birth weight. Ignoring Steeler, who born down at the Mighty Patou Ranch, 50% tipped the scales north of 10kgs! This was not as a result of long gestation - far from it - most birthed very promptly from 11 months on.
We have significantly upped our feeding regime for the nursery paddock and this is visibly benefiting the cria through better milk we presume. Four are already off the end on our 25kg hanging scales.
Aside from birthing it’s been a busy time mating, buying, selling, showing and maintaining. We believe we have 19 pregnant for 2020 and we have done a similar number of outside matings clocking up thousands of miles. We have added several new females to our herd and a new potential stud for 2020. Earlier in the year we sold and delivered lots of females and in the last month or so have sold our last available pet boys in 2 “lots”. We so enjoy helping new owner fulfil their alpaca ownership dreams.
We are now looking forward to the Yorkshire show, albeit with a small team of 4 and then we will batten down the hatches for winter.
Away from the Alpacas the early summer highlight was of course the wedding of Jack and Becky and today they leave for their belated honeymoon in Bali - enjoy both. Hannah has now completed her training with the North East Ambulance Service and is already saving lives! At the same time Will completed his RAF police training and we enjoyed a brilliant graduation event at Southwick Park. He is currently on leave but is now part of the dog section at Conningsby.
Amazingly we’ve been in our log cabin 15 months and love it more every day! Whilst the weather hasn’t been up to sitting on the decking too much being able to look out on the maternity paddock is such a joy.
Well time for breakfast and then a yomp, planned by Brian, somewhere on the Norfolk Coast. Have a great weekend all - I hope you enjoy the pics.
The class of 2019 less yesterdays last little girl
WHEEEEEEEE!!
🖤
Can’t wait to meet them xx
My money’s on the black one 🤣
L🖤vely
So it’s nearly 8 o’clock on a Friday night and Kathryn is at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival with Hannah Shrimpton Suzanne Steward (her very great HEXHAM buddy) and Amanda from Florens Alpacas - another awesome buddy.
Little do they know that Florens Treacle is in the final throes of Labour and I’m here with a towel, umbilical spray and a vital pint of lager!!
I think it’s going to be a long but fun evening all round 🙂
Fortunately Kathryn has run out of phone power and I trust Amanda will not be lookIng on FB??
Progress at last 🙂
I love the fact you have lager with you 😂
Well done Paul.👍😀
Good Luck Paul 🍀😊
Never dull... Good luck! 🤞
Hope things have progressed well by now. The girls clearly chose the right night to go out😁😁
Omg you better do a good job 🙃
It's nothing that you haven't done before I'm sure you will be fine !🤔🤔
You have lager...... all is good 🤪
So it’s 10.30 pm - the light has all but gone! 13 years of breeding and not experienced this - still learning!! Treacle seems calm. I’m off for a bit of sleep but will set an alarm and check in a couple of hours. Temperature out here is good but alpacas are not supposed to give birth at night. Earlier I saw movement in mums tummy so hopeful all is still well Thanks for all the support x
Good luck midwife 😇
Nice one Paul, good luck!
You have made me laugh out loud 😂 Good luck Paul! Xxx
Any news? 🤞
Beautiful❤
It’s a black boy born 9.45 Treacle bless her is a little shell shocked
At least you've got all the essentials to hand. It will be fine! 😲
You have had 3 children you will be fine 😉 x
Haha ! Good Luck, Treacle !
So one hour on - one deluge of rain passed and another starting 😞 No further forward - no real sign of contractions - vet on standby
One day special - or should it be One special day??
Woke up this morning with really stiff lower back and despite painkillers was resigned to a quiet day of recovery.
Rang Helen - a new breeder to check how things were - she bought three pregnant girls through us, one getting overdue and another 11 months gestation today. All was quiet so I cruelly boasted about our first arrival!
About 10.30 Kathryn took a call from Helen who had excitedly just found a wriggling cria in the field 🙂 An hour later she was back on concerned it was not very lively. With nothing else to do I agreed to jump in the car and drive an hour to help her.
On arrival the beautiful blue black cria was standing but was a little bewildered. The attentions of a yearling were not helping so I suggested we put all 3 others in a separate paddock.
Pleased to say this worked a treat and within an hour the cria was latched on. I think the labour had been incredibly quick and the wee one just needed time.
I was just thinking of leaving when I noticed Nero Black Rio fidgeting in the adjacent paddock. By 2.20 I was certain she was about to produce.
Soon we had a nose but 50 mins later not a lot more?? With the vet being 30 mins away we put in a call. I guess Rio heard this and very soon we had a head and 2 legs so stood down the vet.
A second black female of the day was delivered at 4.50 after 2 1/2 hours!
Helen and I sorted the essentials then went in for a very late lunch
We then went out to weigh and put on coats. The first arrival was just 5.7kg the second 10kg
Pleased to say I’m home now and have forgotten all about my stiff back!
So pleased for Helen and Alan - shame he was at work and missed all the fun but what a start to their alpaca breeding adventure. Not the best pic but here’s the fruits of the day
What a fabulous result- congratulations 😊
A busy day! Nice work 😎
A fantastic day 🥰
Well done midwife Paul 👏
Wow ! Great day ! Helen will be very pleased to have a trusted mentor close at hand.
I used to have a proper job you know and now normally focus on the matings not the birthing????
You seem a bit emosh buddy. Time of life perhaps?
Congratulations 🖤🖤
Congratulations 🖤🖤
A different Estrella bought in honour of the big match later :)
