Preparation should start when the mother is bred. To have a successful pregnancy keep the mother in good condition. Shearing can be especially important during hot, humid weather. Deworming on a set schedule is of added importance in pregnant females. Give the appropriate vaccine boosters (such as Covexin 8) 4-8 weeks prior to the due date. Check all vaccines and medicines if they are safe to use in a pregnant animal. Since products are not labeled specifically for lamas, apply precautions across species. Supplement your mother's diet the last third of pregnancy to allow for rapid fetal growth and colostrum/milk production.
Most of the fetal growth occurs during the last trimester of pregnancy, i.e. the last 3 ½ to 4 months. Concentrates should be built up slowly – by ¼ (one quarter) pound per day – to the desired level. A guide in pregnant sheep and goats is to build up to 2 (two) pounds of grain per day for late pregnancy. Sheep and goats are similar in weight or smaller than alpacas but much smaller than llamas (about one half or less). Sheep and goats frequently have multiple offspring but the total weight of all offspring may not be any more than the weight of a single baby alpaca or llama. The demands of the fetal growth would be similar for sheep and lamas. Sheep have a very efficient digestive system too.
Get the mother used to going into the chute. Just give her a little grain the first few times to make it a positive experience. Gradually work your way back to her udder (milk bag) and check it for filling. This will allow you to monitor udder development and her to become used to being checked. Once the cria is born you can then check for milk with minimal stress.
Have everything on hand months before you think you will need it. It is the premature cria that needs the most help. Even if you do not use the equipment immediately your neighboring lama owner might call you in a panic to borrow it! Being prepared can ward-off disaster. AVOID BIRTHING DURING THE HOT, HUMID OR COLD, WINDY, ICY SEASONS.
Be sure to have plenty of TOWELS on hand to dry the cria, especially during cold or drafty weather. Have a CLEAN, DRY, DRAFT FREE (as much as feasible) place for birthing or immediate post-birthing care. Try to cover cracks in the wall during cool or cold weather, in particular those down low. Use lots of straw or hay to insulate the newborn cria from the cold of the ground. Bedding or newspapers make excellent insulators to cover the cria with to protect against chilling. Keep the bedding deep and dry to avoid heat loss to the cold ground or floor.
Wool sweaters, children's sweatshirts or vests help insulate the cria even when walking about. Special cria blankets, dog jackets and towels can also be used for this purpose. Be careful that the garment does not trip the cria. Watch closely as many items stretch when worn. Wool seems the most natural. Old sweaters that shrink or child sizes can fit most crias well. Now when you shrink someone’s favorite sweater it can go to a good cause!
A hand held hair drier expedites drying of the cria. This can be most useful when it is chilly or windy. Rubbing with the towel also stimulates the cria. Pay particular attention to the legs and neck. These are long appendages with large surface areas that dissipate a lot of heat. Shivering indicates the cria is cold; shivering also indicates the cria is attempting to maintain body temperature. Keep the cria dry, avoid chills and feed the cria well. IT TAKES ENERGY TO STAY WARM, TO GROW AND TO LIVE!
Plastic milk cartons work well as hot water bottles. Wrap them in a towel when placing them next to the cria. Putting a hot bran mash in a plastic bread bag or Ziploc bag is an excellent, safe source of heat for the cria. It holds the heat longer than water bottles and can be conveniently reheated in the microwave. Eventually the bran mash will ferment so the pressure needs to be released or the mash changed. The STANFELD heating pads for swine work well for crias to lie on to keep warm. The power control needs to be purchased as well to keep the pad from getting too warm.
Be very careful with other heat sources such as heat lamps: they poise the dangers of burning an animal if too close or igniting the bedding in the barn. Ceramic radiant heaters are safe, dependable and inexpensive to operate. The initial purchase expense is readily returned in economical operation. Some units can be wall mounted out of the way to heat the room.
Oxygen can be a lifesaver. You have to decide to make the investment. One use will pay for that investment. You will need a tank, a regulator with a flow meter for medical grade oxygen, tubing to go from the flow meter to the cria and a mask (home made from a plastic jug or bottle). Check into what is available in your area, amount of oxygen in different sized tanks and cost. Figure on 3-5 liters per minute flow rate. Although welding oxygen can be used in a pinch the flow rate for welding is much higher. It behooves you to have a medical grade oxygen regulator and flow meter on hand, which will fit the tank available.
EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A TUBE AND 60cc DOSE SYRINGE, AS WELL AS COLOSTRUM, ON HAND TO FEED THE CRIA. Tubing assures that the amount is taken in by the baby. It is critical to the health and well being of the cria that you are capable of tubing the baby. Even if you have never tubed a cria have everything on hand. Someone can teach you when needed, either in person or over the phone. Your veterinarian may not have the appropriate equipment therefore YOU, as the owner or manager, need to be prepared. An 18 french red rubber feeding tube that is 16" long works well in crias. (Sovereign, Monoject, Sherwood Medical)
HAVE COLOSTRUM ON HAND BEFORE THE BABIES ARE EXPECTED. You cannot have too much on hand. The antibodies are absorbed the best the first 6-12 hours. By 24 hours of age virtually no antibody absorption occurs. There are antibodies in the colostrum which continue to help protect locally in the gut, even after 24 hours. The colostrum can be stored in the freezer for at least a year.
COLOSTRUM is the first milk the mother gives. It should be THICK, STICKY and YELLOW (especially goat or cow colostrum). It is rich in antibodies and vital nutrients. If the dam's colostrum is being supplemented continue feeding colostrum for at least 24 hours. Use colostrum that is THE FIRST MILKING. Collect extra first milking colostrum from a goat or cow, preferably one which has had babies before. Ideally vaccinate the goat or cow 1 -2 months prior to giving birth (and colostrum) with Covexin 8 and any other vaccines you use on your llamas or alpacas.
Often the first sign of birthing is the newborn. Early signs of imminent birth include restlessness, vocalizing, straining, appearing to urinate frequently and an abnormal position. If lying down the mother may lie to the side, then push. A bubble appears then the nose or feet or both. The feet should precede the nose and head. Often the newborn animal will thrust its legs out from the birth canal.
The baby can get stuck in the birth canal with elbow lock. Gently pull one leg then the other out straight. The shoulders can be another sticking point. The hips may be wide and make it a tight squeeze to get out. Always check for another baby whenever you assist a birth. Be clean and gentle with birthing. Use lots of lubrication. Sterile KY jelly works well.
Have iodine, or better is chlorhexidine (Nolvasan) solution to DIP THE NAVEL IN. DIP THE NAVEL soon after birth and several times the first day. Give, or ask your veterinarian to give, an injection of vitamin E and selenium (such as BoSe) if indicated in your geographic area. Watch for the meconium to pass. It is the first manure that is dark and thick. If the baby is straining consider an enema. Warm soapy water works well. Be gentle and be careful when giving an enema. Ask your veterinarian to teach you how to give one before trying on your own.
Make sure the mother recognizes and follows the baby. STRIP, SIP & DIP. Open the teats on the mother. Make sure the baby is nursing. Dip the navel several times, or hourly, until it is dry. Be sure the mother and baby have access to clean water. Sometimes the mother likes lukewarm water to drink, especially when it is cold out.
Dry the cria, get a weight. Put on a wool sweater to help absorb the moisture. Be sure to keep the cria warm, especially when it is wet. They get chilled easily when first born and in the early days. Monitor the amount of poop and frequency of urination. The baby should be active with lots of hard sleep time.
Any time there is any doubt about the quantity or quality of colostrum the mother has, give the newborn 8-10 ounces within two hours of birth. Some farms do this as a routine to all crias to give them a good start. It will not deter them from nursing. It will give good nutrition and antibodies so critical to health of the newborn.
Give another 8-10 ounces within 6 hours of birth. Within 12-24 hours of birth the cria needs to consume 10-20% of body weight in colostrum. A 15-pound cria needs 1 1/2 – 3 pints (24 – 48 ounces). “A pint a pound the world around”. A 20-pound cria needs 2 - 4 pints (32-64 ounces) within 24 hours of birth. A 25 pond cria needs 2 ½ - 5 pints (40-80 ounces). Three pints equals 48 ounces, which means six feedings of 8 ounces each or five feedings of 10 ounces each. That means feeding every 4-5 hours. Yes the baby can take that volume. If it is premature and inactive 4-ounce feedings every 2 hours can be given in the beginning. Frequency can be decreased as the feeding volume is increased. Unless the feeding volumes must be small the night feeding can be eliminated after the first night. You need your sleep, as does the cria and mother.
Some crias will eagerly take a bottle. You will have to be persistent and patient with other crias to get him/her to take the bottle. The nipple, which has worked well for me, is the "NUK" orthodontic nipple, which is hourglass shaped. You will need to cut a slit or "X" in the tip for adequate flow. The "ANSA" bottle with a hand hold (donut) shape works well with the "Nuk" nipple. The oblong donut shape exposes more surface area to the warm water when heating it. The 10-ounce volume is also convenient.
Give the BoSe (vitamin E & selenium) shot under the skin between the ribs to the newborn in the first couple of days, in areas which are selenium deficient. Putting the mother and newborn separate from the rest of the herd for a day or two can aid bonding. They can be in a stall where they can see the rest of the herd or group they are with. The mothers and crias can be put in small groups. Try to do what is best for the mother as well as the baby.
If the cria needs supplementation after the first 24 hours you can switch to goat milk, KID MILK REPLACER (mix 1:4 parts powder: water on a volume basis) or whole cows milk. I like Land-O-Lakes Kid Milk Replacer. MAKE SURE IT IS NOT MEDICATED. Be sure the cria continues to get at least 10 - 20% of body weight per day. This means giving 32-64 ounces per day to a 20 pound cria. Start feedings at 8 ounces each, gradually increasing the amount per feeding up to as much as 16 ounces in an active cria. This reduces the number of times you need to tube or feed the cria. Between feedings the cria should nurse the mother if healthy and strong enough.
Weigh the cria daily. Increase the amount fed until you see at least 1/4 pound gain per day. 1/2 to 1 pound per day gain is common in high producing mothers. If the mother comes into milk gradually cut back on the amount supplemented, as long as the cria continues to gain. Reduce the number of feedings if possible versus the amount per feeding. Again, this will allow the cria more time to nurse the mother and less time to get bonded to you. It is also more time efficient to feed less often. When tubing the number of times per day should be the minimum necessary. Do not let your baby starve - keep it fed and gaining. That's the best for all involved. When the cria is getting plenty to drink urinations should be voluminous and frequent. The belly should feel full. Compare the one being supplemented with others in the herd.
The "Nuk" nipple can be adapted to a calf bucket. A flat washer (which plumbing stores usually carry) is needed because the "Nuk" nipple is thinner than the calf nipple you remove. Once the cria accepts the nipple, transition from a bottle to a bucket is usually smooth. This is particularly useful when the cria is supplemented for longer periods, such as when the mother does not come into milk.
As long as the cria is with its mother there should be little danger of becoming berserk if supplemented. Switching to a bucket with a nipple is especially good to avoid an overly friendly animal once the cria grows up. This is especially true of males. Being with the mother, or the herd if the mother is gone, is essential for proper bonding, learning alpaca/llama behavior and security. The cria often nurses the mother after being fed, even if the dam has little or no milk. Work closely with your veterinarian to be prepared.