A baby alpaca is called a cria. The average gestation period for alpacas is 335 - 350 days. The best time of year to have female alpacas give birth is either spring or early fall. There is quite a bit of discussion among alpaca farms about the difference between spring and fall births and the length of the gestation. Crias are normally born during the morning or into the early afternoon and will usually be born with no required intervention. Births in the late afternoon or into the evening may indicate a problem.
There are three stages to a cria birth:
Stage 1- Outward signs of birth are not always obvious. The Dam may or may not show signs of discomfort such as frequent humming and visits to the poop pile, wandering away from the herd, and frequent lying down and immediately getting up.
Stage 2- Contractions will begin as the fetus enters the birth canal. The cria should be born approximately 30 minutes after this begins. As it is with human babies, first time moms make take a bit longer.
Stage 3- The placenta should be dropped 45-60 minutes after birth. It should be intact and a healthy reddish brown color.
After the birth..
The cria should have a birth weight between 14-20 pounds and should gain about 1/2 a pound a day, doubling their birth weight in one month. There is a long list of activities that the alpaca farmer does after the birth of a new cria including checking the temperature, weight and overall health of the baby. They are watched to make sure they attempt to nurse and are actively nursing from mom within 4 hours of birth. A cria should also be attempting to stand within 30 minutes and standing within 2-3 hours.
Mom should be attentive and protective of her little one watching every move you make with it and following you around. She will encourage the new baby to nurse and will at times give the cria a little burst of air on it's tail in communication. Bonding with the cria is critical to it's health and safety.
Other females in the herd will be very curious about the new addition and may come around and sniff it.
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