Breeding Selection

In recent years we have been going through a heavier breeding selection criteria, one that is a lot more harsh than when we first started breeding these creatures back in 2008. If you are a new breeder, we suggest using this criteria to help achieve your goals. We have devoted ourselves in these years to create the finest alpacas possible with desirable traits in all aspects. With us now seeing many acute breeding programs concentrating on developing World Class Alpacas through proven genetic selections, more harsh criteria's need to be taken in. We follow Snowmass Alpacas (Don & Julie Skinner) Breeding Selection with a few adjustments of our own.

"This breeding criteria is based upon the following individual elements in order of importance. All of these attributes are there to make 100% true selection.

• Soundness of body and limbs (conformational balance and form and function)
• Fineness of blanket fleece and extremities from the wool cap, neck, and into the legs. Low average micron (ideally midside blow 20 in the 1st year and 2nd years, and low 20's for following years.) tested by blanket and grid samples. We are more interested in histogram reading's from samples directly from the end closest to the skin (butt cut) where it is less affected by weather and environment. This gives you a better understanding of the true genetic potential of the alpaca being tested.
• Uniformity ad extension of blanket fiber through brisket, shoulder, hip, head, neck, and legs. (greater secondary follicle ratios showing evolution to more true wool fibers into extremities)
• Lack of medulation (greater secondary follicle rations and low percentage of 30 microns)
• Luster or Brightness (handle and scale height)
• Staple Length (minimum of 3 inches a year preferably 4 to 6 inches)
• Volume: the more finer fiber the better
• Crimp & Character: There are a wide range of crimp styles and we tend to like and breed for them all (most of our herd contains Vicuna and Merino fleece styles). Each represent various textile advantages and as long as the above attributes are preset we are nit preferential to any specific type.

"..the finest colored fiber is 14 to 18 microns, That which stays under 18 is what we refer to as Incan Alpaca. We have dedicated much of our breeding program to extending uniformity and increasing staple length to this type of fibered alpaca."