Näkki
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2020
Something also tells me they don't have a lambing/baby alpaca-ing kit/protocol of steps taken. I'd be shocked if they had any form of farm meds, even something as simple as colostrum laying around tbh.
Since the alpacaling is still wet-looking my thought is they didn't even leave it with the mom long enough to have her try to clean it off/for it to try to drink. Also I HIGHLY doubt they have any space a mom can temporarily break from the herd to birth. Their alpaca don't even have a 4-sided barn.
I posted this in the Kev thread but if you've ever had to rehab/foster an infant mammal feeing it every 4 hours gets old FAST. It's an exhausting job and I'd think expensive too for the amount an Alpaca baby likely drinks.
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I cannot emphasize enough of how baby animals should never be a "surprise" and even if you know there was an "incident" animals have set gestation dates for you to check. But like they wouldn't pay for that.
Alpacas have a gestation period of 11 to 12 months. They can push out birth, if the conditions aren't preferable. It can actually be missed. You might just wake up with a cria one day.
They do not lick their cria dry. Usually though, you should just bring them in a windproof, insulated shelter and dry it off, and quickly cover it in alpaca baby blankets. (It's a thing, though I'm sure you can make your own.)
Crias don't usually need help with anything else. The mothers might, you need to clean any blood and else off them, make sure the afterbirth passes.
You don't actually separate them though. I guess that speaks to how shitty their options are.
Codling alpacas, being overly familiar and close, can lead to serious on human violence. Might just try to push you down, then place their legs on your throat to suffocate you. Just alpacas communicating. Usually happens all of a sudden too, with no warning whatsoever. It's called berserk male syndrom. Or aberrent behaviour syndrom.
(Funny thing, they do see other species as a part of their herd. Chickens, geese, goats, etc. They will protect them too against predators. But they should see you as a different species too. You get too comfortable with them, they'll fight you for position in the herd etc. Especially males. They grow very violent towards humans.)
There isn't really a fix for that if you let it get out of hand from when they are cria.. They usually have to be put down. They will charge at you, try to break down fences..