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IAC Home > Alpaca Resource Center > Breeder's Tips
> The Cria is Born
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| MONITORING PROGRESS AND RECOGNIZING DIFFERENCES
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| The best guides to your cria’s progress are its growth rate and activity level. The weight of the cria sometimes declines slightly (up to 10% of birth weight) over the first couple of days while the mother is establishing her milk supply, but thereafter it should increase. Look for growth rates of two to three pounds per week. There may be weeks when this is not achieved, but any deficiency is often made up in the following week. Expect your cria to achieve an average gain of at least 2.5 pounds per week. A cria should double its birth weight in the first month. You need good scales to monitor growth rates. You also need to take your cria’s temperature – cria should be between 99 and 101 degrees Fahrenheit, at 2 to 3 hours after birth.Cria are alternately active and tired, they sleep a lot, but your cria should run around and play with their buddies, especially in the evening. They have their own personalities. They like routine and respond well to people. Train your eye to their habits and you will shepherd a lot of healthy cria.
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 |  The Cria is Born
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PREMATURE BIRTHS
The average cria will weigh about fourteen to twenty pounds. Low birth weight can but does not neces ...
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RECORD KEEPING
Good reproduction records are essential to your alpaca business. These can be kept by hand or on you ...
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IDENTIFICATION
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