A Beginner’s Field Guide
to Birthing Alpacas
Introduction
Disclaimer!!
As we prepared for our first birth here on our farm, I felt a little like the character in Gone with the Wind… “But, Miss Scarlett! I don’t know nuthin’ ‘bout birthin’ no babies!” Alpacas are our first experience in livestock husbandry and neither my husband nor I had ever seen any animal being born prior to our first cria. Clearly, we needed a LOT of preparation.
I immersed myself in books, Internet research, seminars, and conversations with more experienced breeders – literally hours and hours of study. Although everyone assured me that 90-95% of alpaca births are simple and normal, the literature and conversation seemed focused on what to do with problem births (dystocias). It was enough to scare the daylights out of me. I felt that I was not finding simple and clear directions for what to expect of a normal delivery and how to recognize the signs of trouble if things were going wrong.
I then prepared what started out to be an “executive summary” of my studies for my husband. The end result turned out to be something more like the “trouble-shooters guide” you find in a lot of electronics manuals. It ended up to be a big help to both of us while observing our first birthing (no complications thankfully!!) and I think it might help other new folks, too.
I hope this Beginner’s Field Guide to Birthing Alpacas will become one of many useful items in your Birthing Kit, too. But please don’t assume that this is all you need to know to be prepared for a normal delivery, much less a problem birth. There is no substitute for good, old-fashioned, study when it comes to a subject as important as the alpaca birthing process. So… crack those books, roll those videos, scroll those WebPages, slip these quick notes into your Birthing Kit and get ready to experience the wonder of a cria being born.
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http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ce/AlpacaLlama/index.asp
A 6 hour on-line lecture course presented by Dr. Ahmed Tibary of Washington State University. In addition to the birthing process, it covers reproductive physiology in male and female alpacas, breeding management strategies, pregnancy diagnosis, and suggestions for how to deal with an infertile alpaca.
Llama and Alpaca Neonatal Care
Authors: Bradford Smith, Karen Timm, and Patrick Long Publisher: Bixby Press
I bought this through Amazon.com but you can get it from several sources. This was a great book. I have read it cover to cover more than once. My copy is full of highlights and notations and the pages are flagged so that I can easily tab to the section I want. The entire birth process is presented in a flowchart format that I thought was the clearest presentation I’ve ever seen. The chapter on problem births was excellent. I hope I never see one but if I do, I will have this book in my birthing kit to help me until the vet can arrive.
Hands on Clinic
There’s nothing like Hands On to really learn. I attended a clinic conducted by Dr. LaRue Johnson of Colorado State University at Fireweed Farm (http://www.fireweed-alpacas.com/abc.htm ). It was not easy to participate in the hands-on portion of the clinic. However, I’m glad I did it because I feel much better prepared as a result to cope with an abnormal delivery if I should ever need to. His lectures were also very informative and the Q & A with other breeders was particularly useful. If you are planning to have babies born on your farm, I think a hands-on neonatal clinic is something that you really must do.
Other people’s experiences
Talk to every alpaca person you meet. Ask about their experiences. Tell them your preparations and ask their advice. You’ll probably hear lots of scary stories. That’s OK! That’s how you’ll know how to be prepared for the worst.
April 13, 2002
Starr Cash
Venezia Dream Farm
Asheville, NC