“A Full Service Alpaca Farm Including Seminars and Consulting”
TimberLake Breeding Practices and Philosophy
Our philosophy is to care for your female and cria by her side as if they were our own alpacas. The goal is to send your dam home to you with an ultrasound-confirmed pregnancy, a specific delivery date with a happy well-adjusted cria by her side.
We require 1/3 of the total breeding fee to be paid before or when the female arrives on the farm, with a signed breeding agreement. The balance of the breeding fee is due when the female is confirmed pregnant. All pregnancies are confirmed by ultrasound and a pregnancy certificate is issued by a local veterinarian. The ultrasound cost is included in your breeding fee as well as sixty days of free per diem for the dam and cria.
Every female is checked for fecal parasites by a veterinarian and the female is not exposed to the male until a fecal sample indicates no parasites. This practice protects your dam and other dams serviced by that stud. We will charge our cost for administration of appropriate wormers. We also check with you to make sure any routine shots/vaccines are done in the interval before breeding.
We do our best to give you a “one breeding pregnancy”. This is done to make the delivery date as specific as possible and to minimize uterine infections. This frankly requires more work for us, but it is the best and safest way to provide your female with the highest standard of care.
To establish receptivity, the female is walked in front of the male to check for her interest. Sometimes, we have found that a different male is required, as she may dislike the stud you have selected for the breeding! When she indicates full receptivity, the correct male is allowed to pen breed with notes taken on the length of breeding.
After a good breeding, the female is rechecked for receptivity in three days. We expect to see a breeding response that indicates ovulation and the presence of circulating progesterone. With ovulation, she is not checked for another four days. She is again checked at fourteen days with a veterinary ultrasound exam done between four and five weeks.
Owners are informed of all aspects of their animal's care and should expect calls and e-mails from us. You may also call us at any time. We are especially careful with young cria and closely monitor all phases of nursing growth and activity. We also watch your dam and make sure she is getting appropriate feed necessary for the lactation and for early pregnancy. Many farms are unaware that a new female can be at the bottom of the female alpaca “pecking order” and can be pushed away from feed/hay by more aggressive females. Loss of early pregnancy is very often a management issue, not a medical problem.
Birthing season is always busy with checks on the late pregnant females. This is done many times during the day and every two hours at night. Steve attends with every delivery and makes sure the cria gets all appropriate care. Steve's wife, Kathy is a family practitioner who has delivered thousands of babies (human!) and often helps with alpaca deliveries. Daughter Katy and/or son David are also a big help at this time of year. It is a BIG relief when all births are over.
Please call us for references and we would be pleased to give you names and contact information with farms that have done their breedings here.
Steve Hull
steve@timberlakefarms.net
Farm/home: 405.341.8444
Cell 'phone: 405.550.3023
Tom Cameron
tom@timberlakefarms.net