Do you have the space and fencing to keep a female and her offspring?
Females who are either pregnant or have crias need room to move and exercise in order to be healthy. They will need to have a lot of room for their babies to run and play too.

Do you really enjoy your female and think it would be fun to breed her?
Many people think that their females should be bred and pay little or no attention to their females conformation. Because a llama is your favorite, does not necessarily mean that she is a great breeding specimen! Any female that you are considering breeding should be carefully examined prior to breeding. Make sure you critically evaluate her conformation and genetic background. Should you decide to breed her after this, then you need to take into consideration all the time and work involved with having a pregnant female. they require proper nutrition and good prenatal care. Additionally, they take 12 months to have their young and need to be watched closely 3-4 weeks prior to having their babies. Also, keep in mind not every birth is perfect and there is always a chance that you could have a problem.

Do you have the time to breed your female?
Most breeding programs recommend that you breed every fourth day. The female should spit off for 21 days before being released to go home. Additionally for safety, you should hand breed your animals (keep both animals on lead and supervise the whole process).

Do you have a reputable breeder to do business with?
If you don't do your own breedings, you will need to find a male that will compensate for any shortcomings your female may have. (if she has a short neck, one of the things you will need to look for in your male will be a longer neck). Remember a male who is only $100.00 to breed to, probably will give you mediocre babies you will sell for $100.00. Ask to see the male's show records, performance records (why is this male so special?) and a family history. His price should reflect his genealogy, performance and show results, not his fiber only. He should also represent what you are looking for in your breeding program. You should ask the breeder their policies and look at their breeding contract. If you don't see something that is important to you, see if you can negotiate it with the breeder. Also, make a visit to the farm prior to bringing your female. See what their farm looks like, ask about how they breed (field vs. hand), do they wrap tails (to prevent infections), where will your female be kept and how often do they do herd health (shots)? Talk to other people who have bred their animals there and see what they think about the program. Ask to see the breeders animals who have been bred to him and their offspring. Is there an improvement with the offspring?

Do you have insurance which covers your own female?
Do you have coverage in case something happens to your animal while it is in your care or another breeders? What if the animal gets out of your fencing or off their property and gets hit by a car? What if one of the breeders animals hurts this female or she hurts them? There are many "what if 's" and there are so many things that can happen. If you have made a large investment in purchasing a quality female, make sure you are covered with an appropriate insurance plan.

Do you have a marketing plan for these offspring from your female?
So once these offspring are here, do you have a market for them? Are you going to work with them and train them? Are you going to have time to spend with these new owners and will you be able to follow-up with them as new llama owners? Just because you have babies does not mean people will want them. You need to research your local area and find out what sells and how other farms go about it. Just breeding to breed is a mistake and definitely will hurt the llama market and your own program.

Are you breeding for a specific purpose and are you breeding to improve the species?
What purpose are you breeding for? Are you improving the species? Any female in your program should be critically evaluated prior to being used for breeding. If you feel you don't know enough, call on the advice of someone who does. Don't blindly breed an animal you cannot even evaluate yourself. Many people have made the mistake of buying a female that was a good deal thinking they would breed her and make a buck. Think about it- -if someone else doesn't want this animal and is selling her cheap, there is a good reason. They would keep the animal or sell her for much more if she was truly a great breeder! Good quality females generally go for $2,000.00 and up into the thousands. The majority of the time, a $250.00 female will give you mediocre animals that you will be frustrated trying to sell. If you are serious and want to breed, make the extra investment and buy a quality animal that will benefit your program.

Do you know if there are any genetic, conformation or temperament traits in your females background that you should consider before breeding her?
Many of us fail to critically look at the pedigree or background of animals we are using in our breeding programs. If you notice that you have a "high strung" female, look closely at her other (if she has any) offspring. Are they "high strung" too? Pay attention to offspring that are either being produced or have been produced by your female. Do they demonstrate the positive aspects of your female or the negative? When breeding her, do you try to find males that compliment aspects of her you think she needs improved or do you just randomly breed? If you have a female with toed out front legs, you need to find or have a male that has strong and straight front legs. Think of it as cross canceling traits.

Is your female registered?
In order to be reputable in the llama world, your female must be registered. Any male you breed to should also be registered!

So you decide you have a female you don't want bred and you want to know how to sell her as a gelding?
Any time you sell a female as a gelding, you should be honest and list the reasons why this animal is not to be used as breeding stock. This all can be outlined in your sale contract. Do not assume that people (no matter how well you know them) will never breed the animal because you told them not to. List it in your contract that the animal is sold as a gelding quality animal and you are holding the papers (unless they would like to pay to have her spayed). If they do breed the animal anyway, you will repossess the animal and no refund will be made. BEWARE-One person in the industry gave a female away with a promise to not breed her (she had no tail, which was a genetic fault of her father's). The first owner called two years later wanting to return her, but was keeping her son as a herdsire. The next owner began to hassle the original owner because she wanted to breed her and wanted the papers. Be clear in your contracts to avoid problems or confusion.

Do you have the space and fencing to keep an intact male Separate?
Nearly all intact males must be kept separate from your herd. They require their own area and shelter in order to be safe and kept from breeding animals you don't want bred. Depending on the male some may pace the fence and/or scream at other males on your property. (this includes geldings).

Do you really enjoy your male and think it would be fun to breed him?
Many people think that their young males are very lovable and because of this they would make great herdsires. The majority of males once they have bred turn into completely different animals. Not everyone is cut out to work with an intact male. They can be dangerous if both you and the llama are inexperienced. Because a llama is your favorite, does not necessarily mean that he is built for or cut out to be a herdsire. Make sure you critically evaluate his conformation and genetic background before deciding to make him your herdsire. Temperament should also be a factor in determining your future herdsire.

Do you have the facilities to house females and/or visiting females?
If you are planning on providing outside breedings (outside your private herd), you must have the proper room and housing to take care of these females. Most females must stay at least a month when being bred to make sure they are bred. Do you want these animals in with your own personal herd? If so, you may be taking a chance on bringing diseases or other things into your herds. Maybe you would like to separate these visitors out for a period of time and worm or dust them for lice.

Do you have time to hand breed your stud to these females every fourth day?
Most breeding programs recommend that you breed every fourth day. The female should spit off for 21 days before being released to go home. Additionally, for safety you should hand breed your animals (keep both animals on a lead and supervise the whole process). The animals should be bred on the grass to avoid injury to your males genitals. (Spit off means refusing to breed to the male)

Do you have insurance which covers your own animals and visitors?
Do you have coverage in case something happens to an animal while it is in your care or another breeders? What if the animal gets out of your fencing or off the property and gets hit by a car? What if your male hurts this female or she hurts him? There are many "what if 's" and there are so many things that can happen. If you have made a large investment in purchasing a quality male, make sure you are covered with an appropriate insurance plan.

Do you have the time to wrap the female's (your own or visitor) tail and care for her?
Females should have their tails wrapped and any wool that covers their rear region should be cut away to avoid infection in either animal. This wrap should not be left on for long periods of time. Another thing for important consideration is the fact that most people don't seem to work with their females and some are down right nasty to halter and deal with in general! These visitors can sometimes upset the balance of your herd too!

Do you have a plan for what to do if your male produces some sort of genetic problem or somehow produces a product you are financially challenged because of?
Until a male has offspring on the ground, there is no way to guarantee that he will definitely not throw some sort of genetic disaster. While most turn out fine, some of the biggest lawsuits in the industry have been over this. In the 80's a male threw around a hundred offspring with no tails or little tails. Another male has thrown babies with crooked or no ears. You never know. If you have guaranteed to people that breed to your animal that he will throw wool and he does not, you are ethically required to make this good. You should state your guarantees up front in your breeding contracts.

Do you have a comprehensive contract which covers every aspect of your breeding agreement?
Breeding contracts are important to cover yourself and clearly outline what will happen in the event that something goes wrong. It also helps to state your farm policies, expenses, requirements and anything else that the incoming breeder should be aware of: Do you charge for board, do you give rebreeds for male offspring born out of your male, do you want payment up front, do you require a vet certification upon arrival? When people know your policies up front, they are less likely to want to challenge it later on.

Do you have a marketing plan for these offspring (from your own male) and or your stud?
If you are going to be standing (offering) a stud, how will you let people know about him and get them interested? Why would they want to breed to him as opposed to other males out there? So once these offspring are here, do you have a market for them? Are you going to work with them and train them? Are you going to have time to spend with these new owners and will you be able to follow-up with them as new llama owners? Just because you have babies does not mean people will want them. You need to research your local area and find out what sells and how other farms go about it. Just breeding to breed is a mistake and definitely will hurt the llama market and your own program.

Are you breeding for a specific purpose and are you breeding to improve the species?
What purpose are you breeding for? Are you improving the species? Any male in your program should be critically evaluated prior to being used for breeding. If you feel you don't know enough, call on the advice of someone who does. Don't blindly stand an animal you cannot even evaluate yourself. In the horse world very few animals are kept as breeding stock. Most breeders would rather sell a really nice gelding which can sometimes fetch a fairly high price. If you think that other people won't notice that your male is not a well conformed animal, you are very wrong! You will lose credibility in the long run by standing a mediocre animal. Be picky when selecting a male to head your program and don't rush into anything until you find the one that is right for your program.

Do you know if there are any genetic, conformation or temperament traits in your males background that you should consider before breeding him?
Many of us fail to critically look at the pedigree or background of animals we are using in our breeding programs. If you notice that you have a "high strung" male, look closely at the other offspring by this male. Are they "high strung" too? Pay attention to offspring that are either being produced or have been produced by your male. Do they demonstrate the positive aspects of your male or the negative? When breeding him, do you try to find females that compliment aspects of him you think he needs improved or do you just randomly breed? If you have females with knock knees, you need to find or have a male that has strong and straight front legs. Think of it as cross canceling traits.

Is your male blood typed for outside breedings and is he registered?
In order to do outside breedings, your male needs to not only be registered, but blood typed. Blood typing can be done through your local vet and then put on your males papers through the ILR.