Both Daisy and Frieda are first time moms. I'm not sure they still count as Maidens since I am confident they are pregnant. But they haven't given birth, so they're not officially Dams... yet.
They are both currently one week overdue.
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| Frieda and Daisy's round bellies with Kocoa in the background |
I don't think this is cause for alarm, but it was cause for me to modify my plans so I could work from home again this week.
Breeders set the due date in different ways. Personally, I don't go through the effort of pulling out the Julien Day Calendar to set a precise due date since it's a guess anyway. I look at the first breeding date, count back two weeks and set that date as the due date for the following year. Since alpacas are pregnant for approximately 11.5 months (349 days).
The official opinion from a local vet is 335 days, give or take a month (305 to 365 days). Our range has been between 336 and 368 days, with most falling between day 344 and 356.
We are currently on days 355 and 356.
Trust me, I don't just know this stuff. I am very good friends with Excel and reasonably skilled at keeping notes. :-)
Both of these girls are first-timers so we have no basis for how long they "usually" take.
Anyway, we continue to watch their behavior and they continue to look uncomfortable. We give them an exam every couple of days in hopes of having a clue as to when the magic day will be.
Hopefully these cria show up soon. I'm anxious to meet them.
3 comments:
Looking forward to adorable baby pictures, hope everything goes smoothly and one morning soon they are sat waiting for you
I do it similar to your method and we say the "due date" of 350 days. Most of ours go around that time anyway. The 335 days, it made us too anxious for too long!
We had one last year go to day 374. It was a long wait!!
Hope yours give birth soon :)
Cara
Wow, I had no idea alpacas had such a long gestation period!
I'm rooting for your cria to come sooner than later. :)
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