Beetroot soup

16/07/2009 by Rosemary.

The vet phoned back this morning about poor old Bert.  Before we bought her she had a cria but had not produced any milk.  The cria had been fostered straight away onto another alpaca whose cria was stillborn.  Bert is now 11 months and 4 days pregnant and there is no sign whatsoever of any udder.  It may suddenly materialise after the cria is born but it looks pretty unlikely to me.  I hoped there might be something like I seem to remember cows used to be given but the vet said that those drugs are no longer licensed and there is nothing to do but hope.  It looks increasingly like bottle feeding but I do have a germinating plan which involves a blanket and an automatic, on demand, lamb feeder.  I shall think more about this before writing more on the theme!

I had a beetroot disaster this morning.  Carl was given some fine looking beetroot last night and I planned to pickle them.  Something I had not done before.  I merrily sliced off the tops and ends before looking in the cookery book.  Apparently you are supposed to leave some root and stalk on or they bleed.  I am now in the process of attempting beetroot soup instead!

Fair weather day until the evening when the rain hammered down.  Carl and I went to let the alpacas into the barn as Sherbert, Crispie and little Alf, the suris, were shivering like leaves.  Everyone trotted in and started eating hay and some lamb nuts I had forgotten were there (they loved them!) except for Prudence who led her cria, Frank, back up the top of the field.  She then noticed everyone was out of sight and ran around panicking so we had to herd her down to the others.  Hope it doesn’t rain all night.  I shall now return to my gallons of beetroot soup and plans for a cria feeder!

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