The first cria of 2015

JandJ Hector at a few hours old
with his mum JandJ Hope

I think I need a little of a catch up on here :) We have had 7 cria in the past couple of weeks so our herd has grown a little again & we have more due in the days to come.

JandJ Hector today

The first cria to be born this year was born on the 2nd July. JandJ Hope was mated to Lillyfields Jack of Spades of Inca last year. She was a couple of days early so we were watching intently. Thankfully it was a text book birth. 

Hector is full of life, head of the cria pack & annoying all the other mums. 

Hope's beautiful daughter Asha

JandJ Asha with her milky mouth

I am a little late telling you about our next arrival as I have been trying to get a good photo of Asha. Every time I go to take down to the paddock when it is nice & sunny all the alpacas are in the big shed keeping cool:) Born last Thursday, Asha is Hope's first cria, we are not sure at the moment whether she is dark brown or black. Her name means hope & desire. She is a very funny little cria, little slow to get going, Martin even made up a colostrum bottle but when he went to feed her she had just found where her mum's milk comes from. Asha was a little wobbly on her feet & is only just mastering the art of standing on three legs to itch as all alpacas do from time to time.

Yorkshire Alpaca Show at Thirsk

JandJ Hope

We had a fabulous day at Thirsk yesterday. Very early start but it was worth it. We took 6 alpacas & came home with 5 rosettes and a sash. James was one of the penning stewards & we took some of our products to sell as we are members of the Yorkshire Alpaca Group.

It was the first time we had entered any girls this year & we decided to take Hope, Peace & Ruby Tuesday & our boys who we have shown before this year Kitt, Frazer & Diesel.

The stewards decided that Peace should be moved from the brown class to the black class. This meant that in the first class of the day, the intermediate female black huacaya class, Hope was the first alpaca into the ring & Peace was 5 alpacas behind her. Hope was given a 2nd Rosette and Peace a 5th. As the 1st & 2nd of each class go forward to the Championship for Champion Black Female Huacaya Hope was in the ring again & this time came away with a Reserve Champion Black Female Huacaya sash. We are so pleased with this, as it is our first sash & Hope is the daughter of Mississsippi Moonlight one of our original 4 alpacas.

Ruby Tuesday was next in the ring in a large class of fawn girls & unfortunately did not get a rosette. People wandering round the pens though did really like Ruby the best out of all our alpacas.

Next it was the turn of the boys, Diesel was first as he is black & came out with a 5th Rosette.

Kitt was next, he is a gorgeous beige & the son of my alpaca Skylark, & he came out with a 2nd Rosette.

Frazer was last, our lovely white out of yet another of our original 4, Luminaria who always has gorgeous cria, he was in a large class, the top 6 were pulled forward & Frazer was one of them, then the judge placed them in order & he was moved to 3rd place which he kept and came out with a 3rd rosette.