One of my favorite things about raising alpacas is the new cria born every year. We have had over 80 born here on our ranch now and it never gets old. We can wait up to 12 months or more for a cria to be born, there is always so much anticipation waiting to find out whether it's a boy or a girl, what color, what's the fiber like. Like all babies, it is a miracle of life to see one born, stand up for the first time and take steps to find it's mom and food source. For anyone who has never seen an alpaca mom with their cria it is amazing. Alpaca moms are very attentive, nurturing and protective of their cria. There are just some great moments watching them together that I never get tired of seeing. Here are a few of my favorite alpaca moms and cria photos.
For 2011 cria watch officially begins in a couple of weeks. Yesterday we moved 6 of our due soonests to the barn area where we can keep the best watch on them and be close to supplies when the cria arrives. We base our projected due dates on an average of 340 days gestation, but really start watching when they are getting close to the 11 month mark. We have had cria born from around 310 days to 370! Good times, stay tuned for impending cria announcements!
