A typical breeding regimen would be something like this. Introduce the open female to the herd sire and allow breeding. Wait 48 hours from that breeding and reintroduce. If she is receptive, allow her to breed again. Wait one week from the last breeding and recheck receptivity. If she is willing, allow to breed. Except for the initial two breeding, you do not want to breed more than once a week, for the cervix may get damaged and resultant scar tissue could interfere with future conception.

The breeding dam spends most of her life pregnant. She actually likes it that way, and will flirt at the boys' fence until she is pregnant. There are different breeding management styles. Some folks will field breed. In this scenario, the herd sire is put into a pasture with several open females and allowed to do his thing. This is very similar to the natural way of breeding in South America. Unfortunately, it makes determination of due dates a bit "iffy".

Hand breeding is much more specific. The male and female are brought together to breed and then separated. The female is checked for receptivity 2 days later and, if willing, she is bred again. One week later, the female is again teased with a male. If she refuses to breed, she has probably ovulated and could be pregnant.

Progesterone testing can be done at 21 days and thereafter to confirm pregnancy. This is a blood test and can produce both false positives and false negatives. Ultrasound is a very effective means of detecting pregnancy, but is a little bit pricey and not all Veterinarians own the equipment. It may be used by inserting the probe into the rectum (trans rectally) from day 16 to 45. It can also be performed trans abdominally after day 45, but gets more difficult as the pregnancy progresses. Interestingly, trans rectal ultrasound (actually inserting the ultrasound probe into the rectum) is usually better tolerated by the alpaca than trans abdominally (on the external surface of the abdomen).

Males are capable of breeding at age 2 to 3 with many settling females at even younger ages. Some claim males as young as 6 months have sired a cria, which may be a good reason to remove the male weanlings from the girl's pasture as soon as they are weaned. The usual practice is to use a male no more than once a day, but this can vary between farms depending on the number of females to be bred. Not many farms are large enough to require a male so frequently. More frequent breeding can lead to lower sperm counts in the ejaculate which may decrease the chances of fertilization. Exposure to excessive heat can also decrease fertility, so it is important to keep active studs cool.

Age to first breed females is another topic of concern. At Dameron Alpacas, we will not breed a female until she is 2 years old. Breeders use many different criteria to determine the age at which they will breed their females. Some will use weight as a guide, others will use age, and some will use behavior (flirting at the fence).

In South America, it is likely that the alpacas girls are bred at one year of age. Here in North America, we expect our animals to live longer and breed longer. We anticipate them living and breeding perhaps as late as age 20. The alpaca does not actually reach its full adult stature until it is between 2 and 4 years of age. Just as I would not want my 12 year old daughter to have a baby, I do not wish an immature alpaca to go through the stresses of pregnancy, birthing, and motherhood. It is our belief that even though they may be willing and able, in the long run, it may not be best. In order to guarantee that all of our yearling female's energy goes to their own structure and bone growth, we keep our girls open until age two. In other words, they complete growing themselves before they start growing and sacrificing for the growth of a cria. The extra months spent attaining adulthood are considered an investment doing as much as we can to guarantee a long and healthy life in sound body.

There is much more to be written about alpaca care. This "short course" is a simple effort to provide a quick overview of the basics so that those new to alpacas or those considering alpacas can acquire a bit of information to help them with their decisions. There is nothing better than to attend alpaca related events or courses to really obtain the best and most current information and to talk to breeders. Alpacas are induced ovulators. Either penetration of the cervix or chemicals in the male's semen stimulates a ripened follicle (cyst on the ovary containing an egg) to break open. This is called ovulation. The alpaca does have a cycle of waxing and waning follicles, but she will not actually ovulate without this stimulation. She conveys her willingness to be bred, by cushing, or laying down on her stomach and allowing the male to mount her. Successful breeding will usually take 15 to 60 minutes.

If the female has ovulated with a previous breeding, she will not cush and will spit at her suitor when they are brought together a second time. This is called "spitting off" and implies that she has, at least ovulated, and potentially conceived. The female must be teased several times over the next several months to confirm the pregnancy, though. This is done by bringing a male in to her to check her receptivity. Most breeders will also confirm pregnancy by at least doing a blood check of progesterone levels, or even an ultrasound. One of the most important decisions an alpaca breeder can make is the selection of a herd sire to whom they will breed their female or dam.

One of the best pieces of advice we have heard for beginning alpaca breeders, was to buy the best female they could afford and to delay purchasing a herd sire and breed to the best herd sires they could find. Often owners will sell a breeding or bred female and be willing to "throw in" a gelding as a companion, or at least sell one at a much lower price.

Any breeding program should always be attempting to "breed up". This simply means that with each generation, the herd should be improved in its conformation and fiber. Of course, this is the intent, but often the best laid plans do not come to fruition, since we cannot control exactly what will "pop out", but the breeder should always be striving to improve the faults they see in their dam by breeding to a herd sire that counters those weaknesses. There is no perfect alpaca, and we can always improve either fleece or conformation. The key is to come up with a specific plan and stick with it.

The alpaca gestation is 335 to 365 days. Once a female is bred, she usually delivers at the same time each year for the remainder of her life. Different farms prefer different delivery times. At Dameron Alpacas, we try to keep to a schedule where all of our females are bred to deliver in mid to late spring. This gives better weather for the delivery itself with the cria growing while its Mom is on the best pasture of the year. The sun is at its most intense to help with the creation of vitamin D which, in turn, aids in the absorption of calcium for strong bones. Additionally this prevents the mothers from being in the later stages of pregnancy during the hot summer months. </div>

The female alpaca voluntarily laid in the cushed position and allowed the male to mount her for breeding.