June 1st, after waiting a month or so for Foxy to deliver, a stirring occurred in the barn. Foxy was agitated more than usual over the last few weeks and I could tell she was incredibly uncomfortable. The night before she was pushing herself into the hay feeder, itching her stomach like crazy and switching between standing and sitting continuously. There as a baby in the birth canal for sure. The next day I watched her vigilantly, and sure enough around 10 am she started squatting every 2-3 minutes. She was in labor. At first we thought she might have had a stalled labor due to failure to dilate because she is an older maiden. However, after two hours of pushing and nothing happening we saw the nose and hoof emerge. Things were going smoothly after that. After an hour and 15 minutes of pushing Foxy finally gave birth to Mr. Frodo Baggins. He is a sweet grey boy. Foxy took a break for a few minutes while we toweled him off and made sure his lungs were clear. She bled a little bit but she healed well. Once she regained her strength she was right next to Frodo singing her hums to him and lick kissing him all over and sniffing him. She was immediately the most attentive mother thus far on our farm. Not only was she attentive but she was beaming with pride. Though animals cannot speak to us, if we listen with our other senses we can communicate effectively with them. Foxy was definitely telling me yesterday "this one is mine!" with excitement. Foxy was ever patient with Frodo and helped him figure nursing out as best she could. We helped too, and he nursed a few times on his own well. We milked Foxy out and she was not a fan of that but was agreeable to it. Give her large size she could have easily been more bullish about the process but she gave little hums of disagreement but allowed the process nontheless. Frodo took some time to get his bearings so we put them in our little cria stall overnight. Frodo is 18lbs and 4oz. He was born 4oz heavier than Samwise. When Sam met his new best friend, he did several pronking hops through the pasture in excitement! We are so happy Samwise has his buddy. I can't wait to watch their friendship!
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Fluffy Honey FarmHaving alpacas has become a life changing shift in our family. We see the alpacas as the most amazing animals to sit and be with. This blog is dedicated to the mindful act of being in observance with alpacas. Archives
July 2023
CategoriesAll 2023 Cria Season Dany Farm Updates Foxy Frodo July May Mother's Day Samwise Summer |