Breeding Alpacas

Please visit An Alpaca Birth for some very special pictures.

Breeding age:

• Males start to breed around 2 years of age
• Females start to breed around 18 months of age

Alpacas are induced ovulators.  Ovulation occurs only if the female is bred when a mature follicle is present.

The majority of alpacas have a gestation between 335 to 355 days but there are some that will go longer.  Visit our alpaca cria due date calculator to calculate your cria's due date.

The non-pregnant female alpaca will cush when the breeding male sings (orgles).  Breeding can take as long as 45 minutes.  A pregnant female will spit or run from the male.

Testing for pregnancy:

• blood progesterone will be elevated
• the female alpaca will spit at the male
• an ultrasound may be taken to verify pregnancy

Important to remember:

The first two months and the last two months of pregnancy should be stress free for the pregnant female alpaca.  She is most vulnerable to miscarry during this period.  Do not transport her or stress her during this time.

Most alpacas deliver their cria during the morning hours, but there are exceptions to the rule.

Signs of delivery :

• vulvar lengthens
• mammary enlargement
• perineal region becomes relaxed and puffy

Stages of labor:

• contractions and cervix dilates - 1 to 6 hours
• birth of cria - normal position - nose & toes - usually less than 1 hour
• placenta is expelled usually within 4 to 6 hours

For more detailed information and an excellent resource on breeding and cria care we recommend the book Llama and Alpaca Neonatal Care .  This book has been a very valuable reference tool during breeding season.  Most problems are easily solved when you have the right tools.

~ Any sign of a problem - consult with your veterinarian ~

Newborn Cria:

Colostrum

Please beware... colostrum supplements are not created equal!!!
We learned the hard way that some of the so-called colostrum supplements did not contain any antibodies!  After much research on the different supplements we now use a combination of two different colostrum supplements.  Obviously fresh colostrum would be ideal and then frozen would be second best on our list but sometimes the fresher types are not available.  We now use in combination Lamb Kid Colostrum Oral Gel and Sav-A-Caf Colostrum Supplement.  They both contain antibodies but from different sources one from dried colostrum and the other from serum.

Everyone greets the new cria

The whole herd will gather around to greet the new baby.  A precious moment, a sight to see as they welcome their new little member into the herd.  Then the herd will leave mom and baby alone so they can bond.  Isn't life wonderful on the alpaca farm!