Beta females can also reproduce. This often happens with roaming males or males of outside groups, but can sometimes be with beta males from their same group. Their pups are immediately in danger since the alpha female only allows her own pups to live in the group and will kill and eat the beta's pups if she finds them. Many beta females will abort their pregnancy prior to giving birth and some will attempt to integrate their pups with the alpha's pups, hoping no one will notice. This seldom works and often leads to their pups getting killed. Some beta females will leave when they get pregnant and will either try to form their own group or join and become the alpha female of another existing group.
A female meerkat's gestation period is 70 days. They have between 3 and 5 pups to a litter and have, on average, 4 litters a year. When the alpha female is ready to mate she will chase all of the female-bearing meerkats from the group (this being any female that is of pup-bearing age--10 months or older). These outcasted females will follow the group but will not be allowed back in until the alpha female has her pups and regains enough strength to walk around and forage again. This outcast period is often when beta females will become pregnant from roaming males, but they will often abort these births since they will soon have to help care for the alpha's pups. Once the beta females are allowed back into the group, they all pitch in and start to care for and feed the pups. Females who are able to bear pups are often able to lactate and help the alpha female in feeding the pups while she goes out to feed and forage for food for the group. Interestingly, if an alpha's pups die, no one will eat it. If an alpha pup is killed, the meerkat who did the killing will be ejected from the group.
Meerkat pups are not born completely functional. They are born hairless and with their eyes closed. It takes about 2 weeks for them to be able to open their eyes and several more days for their ears to function. No pups leave the burrow for the first 3 weeks of their life. During this time the females take turns babysitting them inside the burrow when the group goes out to look for food. After 3 weeks, the pups can leave with supervision, and often accompany the older meerkats on foraging trips. They learn how to find food and the older meerkats mentor them and feed them until they learn to become self-sufficient--which takes about 2 or 3 months. At this time they are on their own to find food and are no longer dependent on the elder meerkats. It is very important that the pups are taught how to find food because they are born with virtually no instinctual behaviors for feeding themselves.
Meerkats are sexually mature at 10 months and will either leave the group at this time or stay with the group and become a beta female or male. Sometimes they will leave in groups to form their own group in order to have a chance for reproduction. Some meerkats will stay in their birthing group for up to 3 years before venturing out to a new group. The alpha male and female will mate for life, as long as neither of them is fought out of the position.
Meerkat groups definitely live by the motto: "It takes a village to raise a child"--or in this case a pup! :)
Resources:
http://www.meerkats.net/info.htm#Mating and reproduction
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/mammals/meerkats3.htm
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/313/5784/227.abstract
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