RE: [AlpacaTalk] Bottle Feeding A New Cria
I am coming in late on this but thought I would respond, anyway. I am NOT an experienced breeder- we have had alpacas since November 2008, and our FIRST cria was born here Tuesday. Her mom was three weeks overdue by our calculations and had been checked by the vet four days prior to giving birth.
We had to assist in delivery – maiden mom and 17 lb baby. She was stuck at the shoulders but otherwise perfect delivery…head and forelegs presented like a textbook. She tired out and after an hour of no progression (cria head and forelegs out to first joint) I called for telephone assistance from the vet and she walked us through it.
Mom had no milk- this was Tuesday evening. Vet came Wednesday morning and fed her 4-5 oz goat’s colostrum. She was hungry! Mom’s milk was starting to come in but not enough of it. Thursday we did a plasma transfer. This is costly and not something to do if not necessary but vet felt it was.
One of their concerns with alpacas recently has been a huge number of maidens that don’t get their milk in for three days.
She did say that if we had to bottle feed, she would feed her every four hours and make the last pm feeding as late as we could, she would be fine during the night because the crias nurse mostly during the day and sleep at nigh……..just to be ready to feed in the early a.m.
I have been watching the herd and she is correct……..they forage all day and seem to be sleeping or just laying about chewing their cud in the evenings.
Baby is nursing often and mom is very attentive to her. I am weighing her daily and she has gone from 17.0 on Tuesday pm, to 16.4 Wednesday, 16.8 Thursday, 16.6 Friday and 16.4 Saturday. I am getting ready to weigh her again and hopefully she is gaining. If not, we will have to supplement.
Btw, our vet’s recipe for bottles is 7 parts whole milk, 1 part half and half. She said we could also add some plain or vanilla yogurt. We haven’t had to do it, but we are prepared. I also have the powdered colostrum but haven’t used it.
Anyway, I am not advising anyone what to do, only sharing our experience.
Our maiden dam is Mimosa and her cria is Magnolia May……..aka Maggie May. She is white and just precious! We have three more due in the Fall and I am hoping to be a little better equipped, emotionally, for these deliveries. I was a wreck and can’t even imagine what it will be like to expect my first human granddaughter!
Laura Roberts
R Half Pint Farm
From:
Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2010 4:54 PM
To: alpacatalk@yahoogro
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] Bottle Feeding A New Cria
I'm being told so many different things I thought I'd ask all of you. I had a cria born yesterday afternoon. Mom is a maiden and I wasn't expecting a cria from her until late September. The cria appears to be full term. His birth weight was 12.6 lbs, teeth were just erupted, ears up, and he's up on his pasturns. Mom will not let him nurse. She really wants nothing to do with him. She will cluck at him and then walk away and go about her business. We're milking mom and getting everything we get from her down the baby and we are supplementing. My question is how much should I expect him to take in? I'm being told anywhere from 2 to 8 ounces at a time. On average I'm getting him to take about 2 ounces everytime we feed him, which is about every 90 minutes to 2 hours. He's latching on really well and then when he's done he sort of spits the nipple out. I'll try repeatedly to get him to take more, but he just mouths the nipple. I know he will increase his intake as he grows, but what is the average amount he should get in a serving or the total daily amount for right now?
Thanks!
Donna Jaruzel
Brandilyn Farm Alpacas
810-714-6061
248-933-6777
posted by Chaddo at 8:31 AM
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