Guess who’s pregnant!!
No, not me. Alpaca breeding is very selective and controlled. We need to look at the genetics of the male and the female. We look at the physical quality of the animals. Why you might ask? Because we want to avoid passing on any genetic faults. We always want to improve the herd. And we look at color. This one is personal preference for the most part. I also like to look at the mom’s disposition because she will be a stay- at- home mom and will most likely teach her cria to be just like her. If the Dam has had a cria before, I look at her ability to feed that baby. Did she do a good job last time or was I supplementing that baby with a bottle? Bottle feeding a baby alpaca is as cute as it sounds but you are quite tethered to the barn for months and nobody likes to go out to the barn for the 3 a.m. feeding.
Once I am finished deliberating who gets bred to whom, the breeding starts. Alpacas are pregnant about 11.5 months. Since I prefer to have Fall crias, we breed in the Fall. There are many things that can get in the way of having a healthy cria in 11.5 months. First, the Dam needs to agree with my choice of a Stud. Sometimes she says “no” and I respect her. I will ask her again later on but ultimately it is up to her. The stud needs to be fertile, the dam needs to be healthy and fertile, the dam needs to actually get pregnant with as little breeding as possible. Then she needs to successfully carry that cria for almost an entire year without aborting. If she carries that cria for the required amount of time, she needs to have a successful delivery. So many things can and do go wrong. I am trained and I have experience delivering alpacas and I am present for almost every delivery so hopefully I can fix problems as they arise. So if you stop in and see a newborn cria, this was a huge victory and a beautiful gift.
Last Fall we bred 6 of our girls in hopes of getting at least two crias. We wait 6 months after breeding for the Vet to do an internal exam to check for pregnancies. WE HAVE THREE GIRLS PREGNANT!! That’s pretty darn cool. There is no guarantee that they will carry to full term and there is no guarantee that the crias will thrive but this is very good news. My girls have made it through the most difficult part of the pregnancy. The 3 girls will be getting extra food and will lead a life of pampered leisure now.
Those that know my alpacas will be excited to hear that Tessa, Alice, and Millie are pregnant! Tessa (white) was bred to Secret (white stud at another farm). Millie (multi) was also bred to Secret. And Alice (black) was bred to our own Remington Steele (gray). Cross your fingers and wish them luck!