What are Signs of Impending Birth in Alpacas?
Well, the quick and dirty answer is You cant reliably tell when an Alpaca is about to give birth. They are so stoic that they often give little or no outward indications of being in labor, however there are a few things that will give you a clue as to what is going on with the mother-to-be. Always perform “hand breeding” where you observe an actual connection. If females are sent out for breeding, select a farm that does hand breeding and records the days of breeding. Knowing the breeding dates helps know what days to be on “baby watch”. Normal Alpaca gestation is 350 days, so “baby watch” should begin on day 340. Always establish a normal daily routine. Alpacas love undisturbed routine. Life in a boring rut suits them just fine. You can take advantage of this behavior by getting to know anything that is different from their normal habits and activities. Use the morning feeding time to observe a baby watch mom-to-be for about an hour. Observe the Alpaca’s udder to see if it is engorgin
