Friday, May 1, 2015
May Days!!
Penny - testing out her new legs
What is it like waiting for a Cria?
Well, if you've ever waited for a baby to arrive - your own, your family member, puppies, guppies, or even a hatching ducky.... you get it. You count the days. You pace the floor. You wake up in the middle of the night wondering if everyone is ok. When "it" finally arrives, it's so exciting to see what it looks like, sounds like, smells like. Heck, I even get excited to see the first crocus and daffodil after the winter thaw, so maybe I'm just a sucker for new life. Either way, my answer to that is 'exciting'.
Athena and Penny Lane, our spring-born almost 3 year olds, are ready to give birth to their first cria. These 2 girls were the first alpacas to be born at Silkie's Farm, a few weeks apart. They pronked on spring evenings together and I was present at both of their births. They are technically bringing the first grand-cria to the farm. As humans, we usually wait 30 or 40 years sometimes to see that happen. As small farm breeders this means we get to see how well we've done in terms of 'husbandry'. It's our report card, in a way. So from a business perspective, this is a fairly important measurement of our success. As family farmers though, it's pure joy.
As we happily hum through the month of May, patiently awaiting our new arrivals, we welcome you to check in with our 'new life' - either here or on Facebook. Many of our proven moms are 'on sale' this month so it's a great time to make a visit to the farm. Call ahead and schedule now. We will be at PAOBA, the state Breeder's Showcase happening over Mother's Day Weekend at the Utz Arena in York, PA and looking forward to it. Hope to see you soon!!
Athena
Abbey and cria Penny Lane
Priscilla protecting her baby Athena