How do you wean your alpaca babies?

posted in: Alpaca FAQ | 0

There is no one right way to wean your babies, so I am only sharing how we do it.

Around 6-8 months old and once they reach over 60 lbs, we wean the babies. We’ve done it both ways by allowing the moms to wean their crias- as well as putting them in separate groups.

We never put the babies in their own pen away from their moms and the rest of the herd. They will be too stressed. We will usually mix them up depending on availability- so the babies will be with other female adult alpacas, just not their moms. This softens the experience- and they are still taught their manners.

If you have female crias and plan to keep them, you can let the moms wean them unless the babies are still nursing at 10 months old. The mom will need a break so her next baby will get the necessary nutrition.

If you have male crias, it’s important to wean them but don’t put them in with breeding age males. You can put them with younger males with good temperaments or other females for a short time until they can be in their own pens.