P.E.I.'s Island Hill Farm welcomes baby goats, blind alpaca
Talula the alpaca has cataracts, but is learning to navigate the house and barn
Many people like to post photos of their new babies on social media, and Flory Sanderson of Island Hill Farms in Hampshire, P.E.I., is no exception.
Her Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts are full of photos of the new baby goats and the nearly blind alpaca born on her farm since the new year.
Sanderson said her regular customers know their animals well — and love seeing the photos of the new arrivals.
"They're as excited as we are," Sanderson said.
Sanderson said it's not unusual for kidding season to start in the winter. She staggers the breeding so baby goats are due between now and April.
She has 75 goats right now but expects by spring she could have 125.
"It's awesome. We have three daughters and two are in Australia and one just left for New Zealand, so it's pretty exciting to have some kids to look after again," she said.
This year, Sanderson's alpaca gave birth for the first time.
She was unable to feed her baby, Talula, so the wee alpaca has moved into the house, where she lives in the laundry room.
"I wasn't used to bottle feeding again in the house. I even had to have our first baby sitter when we went out the other night — our first babysitter in 20 years," said Sanderson.
"She can walk from her bedroom, which is in the laundry room, and she'll come right into the kitchen and sit there and wait for her bottle," Sanderson said.
"It's a bit of a challenge, but she's doing great."
She said Talula visits her mother in the barn during the day and will move back outdoors when she has enough fur to withstand the cold.
"She's okay out there, but after a few hours she's a bit cold but she has three jackets that she puts on," she said.
"All my animals are kind of pets, but it's important to keep livestock as livestock."
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