I've never had them so thick and fast!

So my mum's not the only one how isn't so sure about Ankhesenamun's name then.  A few people have said it's a good job we don't have children of the two legged variety, when they see our alpaca names!

Shortly after my parents left this morning (oops I'm in bad books for not spotting earlier), I noticed that Midnight Star was looking like she was doing to birth despite the not so nice weather.

Star was only at 333 days gestation, exactly the same as last year, but she decided that today was the day to produce the latest Barnacre baby.

Out popped the head without too much bother, but the shoulders was a different story, this cria was clearly big and pressing on a nerve or something because at one point poor Star couldn't stand up.  I went over to check all was ok as I was quite worried but she then managed to get herself up but it looked agony!

After a number of huge pushes out came the shoulders, but rather then the cria flopping to the ground it hung there, almost walking it's front legs behind poor Star as she walked and pushed.

In the end I had to help to get this baby out, a big solid black girl from Loki. 

Within two minutes she was kushed and checking out her surroundings, then the thunder and torrential rain arrived.  At this point I was job smacked, Star looked at me as if to say keep an eye on her and she ran to shelter with the rest of the herd leaving her poor baby in the middle of the field.

I thought we were going to have a problem, but as the rain slows she ran back to her baby humming and kissing as if she'd never left her.  Grandma Kate then came to give her seal of approval.

Then Venus as we've named her, in view of today's astronomical activities, was up on her feet. 

There has been no stopping her since. 

As you can see she is huge, she looks a few weeks old already weighing in at a whopping 10.58kg, our biggest cria of the year so far, by 2kg!  Star had a big cria last year weighing over 10kg so she's obviously one of those girls who cook them quick and grow them big.