One of the most common questions we get asked at QCamel is “what happens to your babies?” In the wild, camel calves get to drink all the milk they can get and grow up into adulthood with their mothers, living to a ripe old age of 40-50. Well – that’s exactly what happens in our dairy too. We love our animals like family and our priority is, and has always been, their health, well-being and happiness. It doesn’t sound like the normal dairy way, and that suits us just fine!

After our babies are born, we leave mother and calf alone for 2 months while they bond and grow up big and strong. Once old enough, we let the mothers come through our milking race on her own will.

Our babies still have the same amount milk as always. Our girls get extra organic feed every morning to help them produce a small amount for us, ensuring she isn’t exerting herself feeding her baby as well. Her calf stays beside her the whole milking process and they roam together in the paddock for the rest of the day.

Just like it is a mother’s decision to give us camel milk, it is also her choice when to ween her baby and stop providing us with milk. Usually she will nurse for 2 years but sometimes it might only be 10 months. We don’t care when or how much she gives us! We are just happy and grateful that our beautiful girls are willing to share with us.

So THEN what happens to the babies? Just as we said, our camels are our family, so they go on to live a full and happy life. Yep, even our baby boys. Whether they stay at QCamel or are rehomed to loving families our camels will grow old and wrinkly just like us.

To read more about our milking herd and their babies, you can head to our ‘Meet Our Camels’ page. Sign up for our newsletter ‘here’ to be the first to read our next blog, get exclusive offers and more.

 

Baby Camel Facts

  • Camels are pregnant for 12-14 months. They can even stop mid-labour if they feel it isn’t the right time and hold onto the baby for a few more weeks
  • How do we know when a camel will be born? Usually the mother’s milk bag will fill up, her lower back will arch as the baby moves in the birth canal and she might start to walk in circles
  • Baby camels are born without humps
  • Camel calves will move onto solids after two months old, this is when their hump develops
  • They can run within a few hours and make a very loud ‘baa’ sound
  • Camel twins are extremely rare (1 in 10 million chance)
  • Baby camels are only 50-60kg at birth, but can grow up to a tonne in adulthood