Alpaca Delivery 101
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by: Guest
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On Saturday morning, our open house began at 10:00. About 10:30 or so, Steve and I noticed that Amber was rolling and hoping up and down. We both made a mental note, but didn't mention it to each other. About 10:45, we realized that she was undoubtedly in labor and the head of the cria began to crown.
This is about 10 minutes after the head began to crown, the head was clear.
Although everything was progressing well, the sack had not broken.
I waited a few more minutes and then stepped in to break the sack and clear the cria's airways. Amber laid down and was pushing hard. Since the cria's head was large, I figured that his body was also big, so I began to gently pull his legs and twist slightly. As soon as his shoulders were clear, his body slid right out.
Steve stepped in to dry him off a bit and check his air passages (nose and mouth) again. After about 20 minutes, he was on his feet and running around. Megan applied iodine to the umbilical cord. This helps dry it out and protect against bacteria and infection.
About 35 minutes after the delivery, Amber delivered the placenta. This is what is attached to the umbilical cord and gives the cria its nutrients in the womb. This is normal.
This is the cria taking its first steps. This is the cria after about 3 hours getting some sun. The green is grass stains. The orange is excessive iodine from his navel.
A normal birth is that easy!!! Most alpacas deliver in mid-morning after an 11 1/2 month gestation. There are rarely complications. Twins occur in only a tiny fraction of the births. Crias are usually walking within 45 minutes and nursing within 2 hours. It is critical that they nurse as soon as possible. In the first hours after delivery, the mother produces a thick milk called Colustrum that is full of nutrients and antibodies that are important for the cria. It is very important that the cria gets these antibodies through colustrum or a blood plasma transfusion within 8 hours after birth. After that time period, the cria become increasingly less likely to absorb the antibodies. Most often, you are able to observe the cria nursing within minutes to hours after birth and no intervention is needed.
Because this cria was healthy, he didn't require any vet assistance. On his second day, he received a CDT shot, Vitamin A and D, and a selenium shot.
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Belleau Wood Alpaca Farm
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