Monday, July 9, 2012

Excuse me but you're in my spot

I had read that llamas choose a special spot to have their babies. The llama lady asked if I had noticed if Willow had picked a spot yet. I hadn't noticed. When I went to feed yesterday I did notice a huge difference in how Willow was acting though. She was humming. A lot. And using the dung pile. A lot. I knew for sure that we would have a baby that day. It just so happened that Hubby had rented a log splitter for the weekend and was busy splitting and stacking wood and I was busy cleaning around the farm. The perfect day to hang around and watch for a llama baby. When Willow wasn't at the dung pile she seemed to be hanging out with Hubby at the woodpile. He thought she enjoyed hanging out with him but as the day wore on and I knew that llamas gave birth in the morning I started to get worried. Then it dawned on me...this was Willow's place. The spot she had chosen to give birth. Long before Hubby decided to split firewood. We have to leave I told Hubby. You have to stop right now and leave. You are in her spot. "But I only have about 5 more minutes of wood to stack," he said. But he packed up at my insistence and we left her to her spot. It was approaching the 6 pm deadline for llamas to give birth without problems....I read it on the internet! We had to get out of there fast. When I checked on her a half hour later there were two long legs and the head sticking out her rear end. It was huge and she was having a hard time getting him out. As she paced around she knocked his legs and head on trees and got his gangly legs caught in the fence several times. Every time I tried to help it only made it worse so once again I left her alone and went to milk and do my chores. She finally delivered him at 5:45 pm with one hard push as I watched from the barn door. As he slid to the ground she made a terrible noise, swung around and acted like she was attacking him. I ran from the barn screaming her name and it seemed to startle her out of her attack and she turned to him and started loving on him. What was that? Hubby says it was like spanking a newborn...that's his theory. I'm just going to forget about that little episode since Willow has turned into the perfect little mother to her giant baby boy.
We named him Blackberry after the little wild blackberries that are ripe right now. He is really very popular because no one I know including myself has ever seen a baby llama.
I am going to start charging admission.

10 comments:

petoskystone said...

So fluffy! & such legs :))

DebH said...

he is absolutely striking! And that is the funniest story on birthing I've read in a long while. Good thing you read up on the internet!! The spot...who'ld a knew? Boy oh Boy though, holding him in all day must of been quite a challenge for her?! He is just Gorgeous though!

Marielle said...

Love! All common first time momma stuff. What a giant boy very nice! Nice long legs wow!

Terry said...

The "farm girl yell" is a very effective management tool when applied in the right situations. Sounds like you have it down pat :)

RANGER said...

That tall, fluffy baby has the perfect name. He gives me the same feeling as a little kitten does. How can that be with his oh-so-long legs? Fluffy is as fluffy does, I guess.

@JDHealingTimeOnEarth said...

Good thing you did your research, Wendy! He is a cutie, too.

Marigold said...

Oh, he is wonderful! I hope you can tame him. If you tame him, maybe Willow will follow! Well, done, mama Willow. And well done, screaming Goat Girl. :)

Autumn said...

Oh my goodness, he is just darling!

Anonymous said...

He is very handsome, and he is very big!

Phyllis said...

I think I would have had a heart attack watching that particular birth. I'm so glad he's a healthy little guy. I love what you've named him - just perfect.