The week that was…
Sorry to have been absent from the posting world for several days now. Yours truly was caught up doing final revisions on our farm’s entries for the upcoming National Elite auction in November. Much much more on that to come in the near future…
The crias have been coming steadily now for the past 10 days or so, not in multiples but at least one birth every couple of days, driving the average age of the herd up at the Arena (where our female herd resides) in a decidedly downward direction. We are now officially at the beginning of the birthing season’s second half. There were roughly 30 little ones born in June and July and we have more or less that same quantity coming between now and the very beginning of November. Having passed through what felt like a momentary calm—think eye of the hurricane—a couple of weeks ago, we now brace for a fast and furious second round. Beat to quarters, clear for action and all of that! The lube and hairdryers are ready and our collection of second hand bath towels (pink: really? really? Our decorating sense changes I guess) are cleaned and folded. The single day record for births here is 3 and our staff has been promised lunch out if we beat that in the coming weeks. Why? Because it’s fun damn it, that’s why. Never miss an excuse to celebrate!
As if on cue it is always around this time of year here, as the days start to shorten and the nights grow steadily cooler, that we find our females’ gestations shortening considerably. Earlier in June for instance we had several pregnancies flirt with 365 days where as within the past week alone we have had the opposite happen with multiple females birthing out well shy of the 11 month mark. While some of these recent babies have been undeniably premature (“undercooked” in the parlance of the farm’s chief midwife) all have been more or less normal and healthy…just little. Pocket ‘pacas! All the rage, you know? Along with the appearance of the golden rod in our pastures and alongside the nearby interstate it’s all a sure sign that Labor Day, school, and soccer season is just around the corner.
