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When do you breed your females for the first time?
I am wondering what most breeders on this site are using for their guidelines in deciding when to breed a female for their first pregnancy? My first female cria will be 18 months old in September this year. She is a big girl. She is bigger than her mom! I will need to make a decision this fall if I want to breed her then or wait until next spring. Also is a vet check prior to breeding something that is normally done for a first time breeding?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Heidi Christensen on -
It depends. I have some girls who were bred for the first time right around 14 months. I have bred others at 18 months. I have one girl who was bred for the first time last year at the age of 4. Up until that time she just wasn't receptive. I think there might have been an accidental breeding, because I caught her acting incredibly like she was giving birth about a year ago in the middle of winter - not a time I would have bred her for, and I never found an aborted cria. But she was doing the straining back hunched up thing, and I was sure she was aborting.
Interestingly, my one humongo cria - the first female born on our farm also in 2005 - was taken off to be bred around that 15 month age range. She bred, spit, cushed, spit, then cushed again during another breeding over a 3 or 4 month course. I bred her again the next year, and she delivered her first daughter for me in 2008 (was bred in 2007 at the age of two). So I wonder if maybe the really big girls might be slow maturers.
Do what you feel comfortable with. It also depends on when a good birthing time is for you. My original girls were all due in April through June. I don't really like early spring births because it can be so wet here and I did have one born in a mud puddle. I know being very pregnant in the summer isn't ideal, but for us in the PNW it isn't too bad, and I love Sept and Oct. births. I also work for the local school district so have the summers off so summer births are best as far as that goes. I have no problem breeding at 12 to 14 months if they are receptive and big enough. I also have no problem waiting until they are 4 :)
Heidi Christensen
WingNut Farm
Graham WA
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Permalink Reply by Maryann Marsh on -
My rules are 18 months and at least 100 pounds AND if receptive meaning.......flirting with the boys, tail up, clucking, cushing next to fence when breeding others. We have found that a few of our maidens really just were not ready and receptive to the babies right away when bred to early. I know a few farms like Heidi's that breed earlier without any issues but for some reason we just seem to have found they just arent fully grown up enough physically or mentally to be a mom.
Many books and farms will say Spring is the best, the babies are bigger and stronger but here in Florida if we breed in the Spring we take a chance of moms going WAY OVER due and get into the heat. We have always bred from Nov. 25th thru April 25th and had no major issues. Also bigger is not always better. I have been to 3 seminars over the past couple years and all 3 vets stated that 20 pound cria's are TOO BIG. On average, cria's should be 12 to 16 pounds. I have some BIG momma's that a 20 pound cria is no big deal but the majority of the herd is average size and most full peruvians are average size so they should be having average size cria's.
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Permalink Reply by POLLY GRAY on -
You can breed females at anytime if open. You can rebreed females 21 days after birth. They will accept the male within a few minutes or they will spit them off and not settle down.
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Permalink Reply by POLLY GRAY on
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Of course the age should be at least 14 -16 months for the first try.
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Permalink Reply by Rick Horn - All American Alpacas on -
Youngest here was 12 months. At 10 months and 110 lbs, she wouldn't just sit by the fence when there was a breeding, she'd mount one of the llamas, and the llama would sit for her.
Oldest was 29 months. She just didn't act like an adult until then. We want 110 lbs minimum, but prefer 120, wide hips, good body capacity, and adult behavior.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Cuffaro on -
I bred mine between 18-20 months.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff and Pam Bush on -
Definetly have your vet check that she is ready physically, our vet recommends 24 months for first timers
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Permalink Reply by Yvonna Ray on -
Thanks for your replies! I will take all opinions into consideration.
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