Articles on Alpacas - Cria Preparedness

December at Desert Mountain Alpaca Ranch marks the beginning of birthing season. This is a time of great anticipation and nervousness. To assure that we are prepared I have gathered all cria birthing necessities and placed them on the dining room table for easy access.

I’m sure you are wondering what the cria birthing necessities are…well here is a list of what I deem important:

• Blanket to throw under the cria before it hits the dirt (no grass where I live)
• Towels
• Hair Dryer in case it is really cold
• Cria kit from useful lamas at www.useful-items.com, with all used items replaced (iodine, jumpstart, probios, etc)
• Goat Colostrum
• Medication such as Thiamine, BoSe, Naxel, Oxytocin, Domperidone, and Banamine
• Additional OB Lube
• Small Dasanti water bottles (emptied)…. these make great baby bottles that fit the Pritchard nipple easily
• Cria Coats - Since crias cannot regulate their temperature for the first few days and we birth in the winter it is necessary to take extra precautions to make sure they are warm.
• Dog sweaters
• Walkie Talkies
• Cell Phone w/all important phone numbers programmed inside
• Small clock to time labor
• Pen and birthing checklist
• Camera

Depending on when you birth and where you live you can add or subtract from my list of cria birthing necessities.

As a side note, I will only use Oxytocin if the dam is not producing milk. If after a couple of hours her milk still has not come in I will give the cria the goat colostrum and begin the dam on the Domperidone. Domperidone was used on one maiden last year and worked great in getting the dam producing milk. I probably will always have a tube onhand especially when maidens are giving birth as there is no history to refer to as to whether or not they can produce milk.

I am praying for uneventful birthings, but am prepared in case it is not. I recently attended a neonatal wet clinic to hone my skills. I can tell you that I feel ten times more secure in that I will be able to help if needed.