Here you see the beginning of delivery.
We always want to see those two front feet along with the head.
The two front feet and the head are already out here.
The shoulders will be the widest part to deliver.












Sometimes a mom needs a little assistance. Not usually though.
If we hadn’t been around, this baby would probably have been born
just fine on its own!









Just born, this cria is taking its first wobbly steps.
They should nurse within the first few hours to get colostrum
from the milk which provides antibodies to protect them from illness.






The momma alpaca here is Hazelnut with her first cria, Rhiannon. Rhiannon is now full-grown and and is pregnant herself!
She is due Sept 2013 with a cria from our finely fleeced DIRK.











Here, the baby is nursing and mama is very contented.


This cria is wearing a cria coat to keep it warm.
Babies sometimes have trouble keeping an even temperature for the first couple days.
Cria are weighed every day for the first couple weeks to make sure they are getting plenty of milk and gaining weight.

Seeing an alpaca birth is very exciting and quite rewarding!











After the cria is born, the placenta is delivered, usually within an hour.
This is Kenzie with her firstborn, Dirk. Look how alert and upright he is less than an hour after his birth!







The cria kit contains what might be needed to assist in birthing and
care for mom and baby during & after birth.

Contents:

Vet phone number for emergency
Manual to remind us of stages of labor
Notebook & pen to record progress
Lubricant jelly (if it’s necessary to reach inside)
Pull straps (if it’s necessary to pull on the cria’s legs)
Syringe bulb to suction nose and mouth
Iodine solution & bucket
Antibacterial soap
Clean string & scissors to tie off umbilical cord (if needed)
Antibacterial solution & small container to clean umbilical cord
Vial of vaccine
Sheet and towels to clean off baby
Cria coat to keep cria warm
Thermometer to track baby’s temp