Choosing a stud male for your alpaca herd
Nic Cooper and a
championship male,
Chief Big Foot, now at
stud in Belgium.
Written by Nic Cooper, Southern Alpacas Stud
It's summer and the time of year for alpacas to birth and then be mated. This choice of stud is critical - you will have to live with the result for many years. Make sure it is a fully informed decision that best meets your breeding plan, not one driven by hype, trend, show results or stud marketing.
There is no perfect stud male who offers it all. Different studs offer different strengths. The key is to match the specific positive attributes of the stud being considered, to the gaps in your planned breeding programme<, and trust that the stud in question will pass on those attributes into your herd.
Have a breeding goal
What is your breeding goal?
The genes carry on down the
line - award-winning stud
Titus, from a championship
sire himself.
If you have not got one - decide where you are aiming to be. It may be breeding fine fibred whites for the commercial fleece market; breeding for a specific colour; breeding for attractive dark brown alpacas with white faces and socks; breeding for nice temperament for pets, whatever...
For fibre breeding goals please remember that different fibre characteristics suit different markets and products. What micron do you want to breed? Are you after lower levels of guard hair in your herd? Your fibre breeding goals must synchronise with your product intentions for them to succeed.
Whatever your breeding goal is, keep it in mind when choosing a stud. To maximise your return from the stud fee purchase, you need to ensure the male is best suited for your female and your breeding goal.
Selection considerations
Go and see the stud(s) on offer, check their genetic background on the on-line International Alpaca Registry. Get hands on as many progeny as possible to see what the male produces.
Age: Ask for the Across herd Genetic Evaluation data generated for the male. Match the factors you consider important in your breeding goal with the AGE ranking of various studs you are considering.
Pedigree: Check the registry for the pedigree of the stud and your female for common ancestors, especially with Australasia's small genetic base.
Colour: If you are breeding for whites it is best to breed to a white that has previously thrown a lot of white progeny. Breeding for black is genetically the easiest. Breeding for greys is hardest. The colour in the background of the male is the least-best indicator of what he will throw in his progeny.
Presence and temperament are at least in part genetic. If these things are important for you, select for them in your stud decisions.
Conformation: All alpacas should have perfect conformation. If you have a preference for nose shapes, select that way, similarly with body size - but understand the "side effects" of that.
Fibre traits are many, and very few stud males are strong in all aspects. Micron and shearweight are generally seen to be the most important in huacaya, but these traits are contra-indicative - lower micron and higher shearweight do not easily go hand-in-hand.
Fineness carries a premium, and some breeding programmes value fineness well ahead of density. If you are seeking extreme density in a higher micron, chose a stud from a farm that concentrates on dense alpacas.
Consider uniformity (the percentage of the total fleece that is usable in top grade production). Uniformity changes considerably with age. Also consider uniformity across your herd so fleeces are similar (uniform). Select and use studs to minimise your within herd divergence of fleece characteristics.
Pictured right: Generational improvement with wise breeding - an original import female, the grand mother Nutmeg (top); ribbon-winning female Cassia, the dam (middle); and current generation, Tarragon, a championship alpaca (bottom).
Finally, you are making an important decision in choosing a stud. Take some time and effort to make the right one. Match the information you gain to your specific herd improvement need.
