The birds & bees - alpaca edition

We’re having 5 babies this year!

Well, at least that’s what we’re expecting!

I’ve previously shared some basic alpaca birthing facts last year (read that post here), but I wanted to share a little about the actual breeding & pregnancy “confirmation” process.

Don’t worry, it won’t be overly graphic.

But if you’re a fan of understanding how things work, this’ll be right up your alley.

So the first thing to note is — alpacas are induced ovulators. This means the act of mating is what causes the egg to release from the ovary.

This is in contrast to…say…humans, where the female’s natural hormone cycle causes ovulation independently.

There are several things I appreciate about induced ovulation, but I want to focus on the one makes my job as a shepherdess so much easier in this regard, and is arguably the most fascinating to me…

That is — the female is highly in-tune with her hormones. She instinctively knows if she has a mature egg to release as this will cause her to be ‘receptive’ to breeding.

And what do I mean by that?

By receptivity I mean interest. If she knows she has a mature egg, when introduced to a breeding male, she will immediately kush - which is the breeding position.

To kush is to basically sit down.

It’s their multi purpose position - they kush to relax, to breed, and even when they don’t want to be moved or transported!

Why do I find the female’s receptivity so fascinating?

Simply because it is so ingrained, so elemental to their very being. It’s like having a very strong gut instinct…but at the molecular, hormonal level.

It is as fascinating as it is handy! Let me tell you…

We have some baseline parameters for breeding - most notably age and body condition. But those are just parameters. A female could be of sufficient age and condition to breed, but when introduced to a breeding male, she could be not at all receptive. Meaning she knows there is not an egg ready - so there’s no point to breed.

And here’s why this is so genius…

In a typical scenario, once a receptive female is bred, her egg is ovulated. In a few days, it’ll meet with the sperm where it will fertilize. It is then implanted into the lining of the uterus where pregnancy occurs. This all happens within about 7 days.

So around that 7th day, we re-introduce the male to her…and her keen knowledge of her body actually functions as a pregnancy test!

If she has detected the hormonal shift associated with pregnancy, she will be unwilling to breed.

Folks — this is a built-in pregnancy test!!

Her unwillingness is not hard to detect either! Actually, it is quite pronounced. She will be visually agitated and most often will spit.

Now—most folks think alpacas are prone to spitting at the slightest discomfort or irritation. But this is a misnomer. While they do spit, it is generally their last resort. If you’ve ever been unfortunate to be caught in the cross-fire, you’ll know the smell is…really something. And it hangs around for a long time. You can be assured it probably tastes worse than it smells - so they really don’t like to spit unless they feel it is absolutely necessary.

Necessary for…say…protecting a newly impregnated womb!

And it’s for this reason we call pregnancy testing Spit Testing. It’s the one time I ever hope for spit!

We repeat the re-introduction every 7 days, usually for 21 days, to confirm and rule out any possible false positives.

When a pair is actively breeding, all of the nearby receptive females will kush alongside the stall.

This helps me gauge who is ready as well as identify those we thought were already bred and carrying a baby! (Aka “the fakers”)

This built in pregnancy test is not totally fool proof, as you would expect. The first-time-moms are prone to false positives. That’s just part of the deal.

Then again, I’ve also not had a false positive on a proven mom, either. It’s pretty incredible, if you ask me!

And it’s for these reasons I always say, we’re having between 0 and 5 babies this year.

But if I was a betting girl…I’d say 3 for sure.

Perhaps even 4. Maybe even all 5.

Only Mother Nature truly knows, and I cannot wait to find out!