Delivery of Cria
Female alpacas are pregnant for approximately 11 months. We have very harsh winters in North Central Montana. We also tend to have very wet springs. We breed our femals in July for a June delivery. You need to start monitoring you alpaca a few weeks before her due date. We have one female who always delivers 2 weeks before any others. Do not isolate your pregnant from other females until she delivers her cria. She still needs to be in a herd or she will become unduly nervous. Do not have male Alpacas in with your bred females. Have a good fence between the two. When the female is delivering her cria the male will try to mount and breed the female and this could damage your new baby and definately stress mom. A female alpaca has a unique ability to pick when she wants to deliver within about a 2 week span. Delivery of cria will usually not happen if the weather is bad if she is able. She will not deliver her baby at night. Most of our deliveries have been between 1 pm and 4 pm on nice calm, warm days. Our Veterinarian warned us that a female can hold her cria in. This will look odd as the head of the baby cria can be outside but not the body. Your female may be walking around the pasture and grazing like this. Don't panick. This is a good sign as it means the baby is coming out head first. It just means that she is not quite ready to finish the delivery. The head should be delivered first. You will either see the nose or the front legs. We observed a bulging bag first on one of our females. We waited and when the bag burst open there was a tiny nose. When your female is delivering her cria she may kush or stand. Standing may seem difficult but gravity assists the delivery along. The cria will not be injured when it lands on the ground. Your job during the delivery of cria is to stand and watch. Keep a fair distance away so as to not make the mom nervous. If hind legs are coming first and your female becomes distressed it may be necessary to help her by pulling on the legs. Only assist if necessary. Call your Veterinarian if you are unsure. Immediately after delivery other females in your herd will assist the mom to stimulate the new cria by nudging him/her. It may seem like they are taking forever but it is a lot faster than you think. You should soon see your new cria take his/her first breaths. After your cria is delivered and up it is important to isolate the mom and her baby. With all of the females in your herd trying to "mother" her it may be difficult for the new cria to learn who "mom" really is. Monitor your female for a few hours after delivery. She should pass the placenta or after birth. We remove this as soon as possible so the smell does not attract coyotes to the area. We place it in a bucket and keep it for a few days. If your baby becomes sick your Veterinarian may want to see the placenta.
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Delivery of cria is an exciting time. Alpaca cria are usually delivered unassisted. Where you live will play a part in determining when to breed and thus your much anticipated delivery date.