Mating
Alpacas are stimulated ovulators so they can mate all year round. Fertility can reduce during excessively hot weather. Females will spit at the males once pregnant. Click on Mating facts to learn more....
Breeding and Birthing
This is where alpacas differ from most other forms of livestock. Gestation of 11 to 11.5 months is significantly longer than other animals of a similar size.Alpacas rarely have twins and give birth in daylight hours and are not seasonal breeders.Like most animals, fertility, growth rate and live births are affected by nutrition, vitamins and minerals . To learn more click the links below.
Alpaca nutrition and health
Like all livestock alpacas have very specific nutritional and health needs. One of the best method of evaluating the health of your alpacas is conduct regular body scores. Observation is the key to detecting if there are any problems with specific animals, and knowing the particular personalities and behaviours of animals in your herd can help identify if animals are unwell.
The links below provide information sheets about the specific health and husbandry requirements of alpacas.
Other Information
Dr Jane Vaughan is one of the worlds leading alpaca vets. She has completed numerous research into alpaca fertility, nutrition and parasite management. Her website Criagenisis is an excellent source of information for both new and experienced breeders.
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