When an alpaca baby is born, we draw blood for a couple of reasons.  First is to send a blood sample in with the alpacas registration.  The second reason is to test the immunoglobulin G or IgG.  The best way to describe IgG is that this tests the level of antibodies in the blood to protect the cria from disease.

You want to see an IgG test of at least 800 or above.  For instance, most of our alpacas this year have been in the 3500 level.  A level between 500-800 is borderline, but not terrible.  Robinson Crusoe’s IgG was around 300.  TOO LOW!!  This is a problem  We have been noticing that he has just been laying around, not gaining weight, not nursing as often as needed.  All signs that he probably had a low IgG. His low IgG probably comes from he was born a month early and Liberty Blaze hadn’t started producing colostrum yet in her milk.  The colostrum is how the mom transfers the good antibodies to the cria.

To take care of a low IgG you need to give a plasma transfusion to add the antibodies that the alpaca needs.  We had our Vet, Dr. Pete, come over to do the transfusion.  The best way to do the transfusion of plasma is in to the abdomen.  There is about a 2% loss of the antibodies this way over adding the plasma directly to the blood, but since it is llama plasma, this causes less stress to the system than doing it in to the blood.  It’s worth the 2% loss to not have other problems.

Mom and baby did well while the Dr. did his work.

Here is Dr. Pete, Megan his assistant and Julia getting Robinson Crusoe ready.  They have shaved his belly, and holding him down and then cleaned him really well.

Here you can see Dr. Pete with the plasma:

Here is Georgia helping out afterward.  He was pretty worn out afterward.

Today, Robinson Crusoe was running around the pasture, nursing and doing great.  Dr. Pete came back and drew some blood to see how the changes have done.  One test came back borderline.  That is an improvement.  So far he is doing great.  We’ll keep watching him and make sure he is doing well.

Well, I told you yesterday that we had some new alpacas.  Let me tell you the short version (and I’ll tell the long version later).  We have traded one of our alpacas for 3 other alpacas (1 male and 2 females).  Both of the females are pregnant.  One is due at the end of September and the other due in May.

Well, today we went over to our friends house, the Robinsons, for dinner with them and their family.  We had a great time with them and left there around 8:15 to come home and take care of the animals.  I went out first while Julia changed her clothes.  I go in to the main part of the barn and notice something icky on the ground and called to Julia to bring a bag.  I thought that one of our new moms had maybe aborted a baby or something.  I had no idea what it could be.  I look out in to the pasture and there he is, Liberty Blaze’s new baby boy!  I called back to Julia that we had a baby.  All the girls came out to see the new boy.  We don’t have a name for him yet but since we were at the Robinson’s, we’re considering Silk Creek’s Robinson Crusoe.  We don’t know yet.

Here are some quick pictures we took tonight:

Here’s a picture of his mom, Liberty Blaze (she’s the black one in front).

2009 Cria

Here are Silk Creek’s 2009 crias!!  We have one more due (story about that soon).  They are all growing wonderfully, and doing great!  All the mom’s are raising them well!

Silk Creek’s La Bella
DOB:  6/23/09
Dam:  Feline
Sire:  El Bello (son of Hemingway)

Silk Creek’s Juanita
DOB:  6/28/09
Dam:  Alsea
Sire:  Juan Pablo (Full Accoyo granson of Vengador)


Silk Creek’s Opal
DOB:  7/2/09
Dam:  Aurora
Sire:  Dreamweavers Dilberate


Silk Creek’s Oberon
DOB:  7/23/09
Dam:  Milkyway
Sire:  Shepherd’s Pasture Endeavour

Well, we were not expecting it at all, but our third cria of the summer was born this morning!! ANOTHER GIRL!!!  Another WHITE Girl!!

I was working and Julia and the girls were up in Eugene picking cherries with Rebecca and her family.  I got a call from our neighbor Judy asking where we were.  She said that there was a baby 1/2 way out, and we better get home quickly.  I called Julia, and they were just finishing picking cherries, and headed right home.  By the time they got here, the baby had been born, and Judy had come over and dried it off and watched it for us.

Georgia helped a lot, and she fell in love with the little cria.  We let her pick out the name, Silk Creek’s Opal.

I have to be to church early every Sunday (around 6:00 am), so I leave before anybody else gets up. I usually am sitting on the stand when the family walks in to church with just a few minutes to spare. This morning, I was sitting on the stand, and no family. I started wondering what was going on. After the sacrament, I was worried. I didn’t have my phone (Georgia had it, she went to the Jonas Brothers concert in Portland with a friend last night) so there was really no way for Julia to call me so I left the stand to go call to see if everything was ok. Julia was at the store buying some lubricant to assist her to deliver the cria and asked if I could come home.  I told the Bishopric that I was going to go home to help Julia deliver the baby and I took off.

When I got home and changed, I saw that the cria had one leg out and the head out. I held Alsea (the mom) while Julia had to go in and find the leg and pull it out. She got the leg out and then assisted Alsea to give birth. We now have our 2nd Cria, Silk Creek’s Juanita (we are going to call her Nita). Her Sire is Accoyo Juan Pablo part of the Studmaster Males.

We are very happy with our new Nita!!