# Are they bred? Llamas



## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

So, I bought two llamas back in September, both nice registered females. The seller was selling them as open as she had a ton of llamas, was downsizing and she had not bred any of them that year. I bought them at an exotic sale (yes I know an auction, but this gal had all the health records, etc on them) and she did have a few males at the sale she was selling as well although they were all penned separate at the sale. I waited until this spring to get a male since I didn't want to take a chance on having babies in the winter. I brought the male home yesterday (he is about 10 years old and has been producing babies), let him see them over the fence for a little while then turned him out. He went towards the females like he wanted to see them. They both immediately pinned their ears back, spit at him and ran away. He pursued them a little and the one female charged him and spit at him again to make him leave. Both females also had their tails straight up in the air, I know with camels this is a sign they are bred and I am thinking it is the same with llamas. The brown llama has a bit of a belly, but she always kind of did since I got her. The black one doesn't look very big but if they were bred in the trailer (which is what I suspect happened) going to the sale they wouldn't be due until September.

This morning moods have not changed lol. The poor male looks towards them and they give him evil looks and pretend spits to make sure he doesn't come near them. I am assuming they are bred, but I have never had female llamas before nor have I tried to breed any llamas before. I do own the llama (got him from a friend who needed to sell him since they had kept some of his daughters) and I was planning to leave him with them for a little while to make sure. They aren't trying to hurt him and he isn't trying to hurt them the females just want nothing to do with him.

If it helps, the females are 6 and 8 years old and both have had babies before.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Llamas and alpacas have a 14 day cycle. So the days you put him in there, they may have been at the wrong point of their cycle. Also, when was the last time they had been bred? If it has been a long time, they may not be cycling. An ultrasound will tell you for sure.


----------



## farmchick897 (Jul 2, 2013)

Llamas and alpacas are induced ovulators. They do not go into estrus. 


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

But they do still have a cycle. They are induced ovulators but have a 14 day cycle. You still have to have them be at the right time of that cycle to be willing to breed and get pregnant.


----------



## farmchick897 (Jul 2, 2013)

Not according to all the sources on the internet (google).

Wikipedia:
Llamas have an unusual reproductive cycle for a large animal. Female llamas are induced ovulators. Through the act of mating, the female releases an egg and is often fertilized on the first attempt. Female llamas do not go into estrus ("heat").[10]

Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

My 14 years of breeding alpacas says otherwise. I had to watch that 14 day cycle when trying to breed them.

Here is a great rebreeding calculator. If you know the date of last birth, you can still use it. I used it all the time when I was breeding alpacas: www.mountlehman*llamas*.com/re-*breed*Chart.htmlhttp://www.bing.com/search?q=llama+...a+breeding+calculator&sc=0-18&sp=-1&qs=n&sk=#


----------



## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

My black llama changed her mind this afternoon. Lol I saw the male on her a couple times. He is still in with them so he can breed her a few more times. The brown girl is still not interested at all. I think it had been about 2 years since they had babies. The breeder said the brown one has had 2 and the black one has had 1.

I know with camels the male makes the female like him. If she doesn't he forces her down anyways. Llamas must be a little better mannered lol


----------



## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

How long is gestation?


----------



## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Never trust anything wikipedia says.

My intact male would stay with the females and I could never tell until about a month prior to having the cria if they were bred or not. Very tricky. If they can get comfortable with each other, you might want to just consider leaving them together for awhile.


----------



## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

My angora breeder told me the gestation, she has both, and it was crazy long like wow long!


----------



## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

11.5 months!!! Wow


----------



## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Really? Oh man, must be hard for them to pay for themselves!


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

When llamas or alpacas are at the right time of their cycle, they are willing to breed. Most of the time it doesn't matter which male but there have been a few that refused to be bred by a certain male.

Gestation is 11 to 12 months. Back in the day when alpacas commanded a high price, they did pay for themselves and more. Now, not so much.


----------

