Introducing Duchess Grey at Nine Days Old!

Submitted by Theresa Smith

Proud Parents: Princess and Reverend Grey

I was invited to a friend’s alpaca farm to photograph their new cria (baby alpaca). I agreed and was very excited to see and photograph the new cria. When photographing alpacas, you must be patient, they like to huddle together in a herd which makes it a little difficult to photograph them. Watch closely for them to move farther apart from each other and when the moment is right, you’ll have an opportunity to capture a special image. 

Try to get the alpaca to put it’s ears up and look alert, this makes for a more pleasing image. Duchess Grey was very small so I got down to her level to photograph her. I took my portable garden seat with me to the shoot so I could sit, observe and photograph her from her height. The alpaca farm had pretty white fences and yellow flowers in the field so this made for a good backdrop.

 In most cases, cria are born without intervention, and usually during daylight hours. This allows the cria to dry off before evening. A cria normally weighs between 15 and 20 pounds and is usually standing and nursing within one hour of birth. Duchess Grey weighed 25 pounds at birth and now, at nine days old, weighs 29 pounds. She is very healthy! Cria continue to nurse for about six months until they have weaned. The gestation period is 11 to 12 months.

 People often confuse alpacas with llamas. While closely related, llamas and alpacas are distinctly different animals. Llamas are much larger, about twice the size of an alpaca, with an average weight of about 250 to 450 pounds. An alpaca’s weight averages 100 to 200 pounds. Llamas are primarily used for packing or for guarding herds of sheep, whereas alpacas are primarily raised for their soft and luxurious fleece.

Humming is the most common sound that alpacas make. The new cria, Duchess Grey, made tiny humming noises the day I photographed her. This is how alpacas communicate with each other. They also have excellent vision.

The new cria was certainly the main focus of the photo shoot but I managed to snap a few images of other alpacas as well. It was a very enjoyable day. Isn’t that what photography is about anyway? I think so!