Breeding Coloured Alpacas – My thoughts by Tim Hey

I was delighted to be asked to write a few words about my passion for breeding black huacayas and to share the knowledge I have gained. I began by thinking about the major lessons that I have learnt over the years. The common goals most breeders of this fantastic animal share, is to breed an alpaca that is fit for function and carries as much fine fibre as possible. Breeding for black is no exception. However, we still know little about breeding up the quality of a coloured alpaca that has, until very recently, rarely been selectively bred.

I feel that in order to visualise where we are going with black alpacas, we need to look back and explore the history of coloured alpacas in the UK. I think then we will be able to understand where the coloured stock has come from and why they are the quality they are.

In the early 1990’s two large imports arrived in the UK from Chile. These imports contained a significant number of black females and some black males. At the time of these importations, Chile had a population of approximately 200,000 alpacas, fairly evenly distributed in most colours. The lack of a large textile processing facility in Chile meant that Chilean alpaca owners were not been able to sell their fibre for a significant sum and therefore there was no incentive to selectively breed up and improve the productivity and predictability of their alpacas. This meant that nearly all alpacas in Chile had been used by family groups for fibre, hide, fuel and meat. Even today it is common to see a family herd of alpacas, ranging in all colours, running alongside and sometimes breeding with llamas. It was only when a shipment of alpacas left Chile bound for Australia and the USA that some of the Chilean breeders recognised an opportunity to begin breeding up the quality of their alpacas in order to entice the ‘Gringos’ to buy their stock. In fact over the last ten years we have seen an increase in the quality of alpacas both in family groups and in cooperatives in Chile as a result a little more predictability has come in to their stock.

The alpacas that formed the basis of the black population here in the UK were very variable in style and quality. Some alpacas were black with white faces, some had white socks. The fleece characteristics also varied, some were approaching 40 microns with a 13cm staple and cut 3kg of fleece, others were as fine as 20 microns with a 5cm staple and cut 0.5kg of fleece.

The introduction of screening by the BAS meant that finer fleeced animals were selected and imported and this has continued through to the present day. However, it was not until the early to mid noughties that we saw imports arrive from Peru, Australia and the United States. These alpacas were selected with more knowledge and from breeders who were focusing on breeding black stock with a combination of strong frames and finer denser fleeces.

When I came to England in 2002 I was presented with a national herd of black alpacas that was predominately Chilean coupled with a small number of sires from more developed alpaca industries. It was the starting point on which to begin breeding black alpacas with the aim of improving quality in the same way that the Peruvians, Australians and Americans had done with white and fawn alpacas. It was a massive challenge. We were starting 15 years behind the white and fawn breeders and there was a lot of catching up to do!

The first objective I set for my herd of black alpacas was to address and correct the lack of colour predictability. It is extremely common to see black females running around the paddock with a brown or fawn cria at foot (Fig 1). The reasons for this are that unlike the whites and fawns the foundation stock that we have here in the UK has not been bred to the same colour for enough generations in order to fix the colour genetically.

My breeding program is set so that I only cover black females with black males. Some people might say that using this breeding strategy it will take longer to breed the quality into the black stock. I have to agree but I think that the resulting black herd will be more predictable in the colour of its progeny and the fleeces produced will be less likely to have colour contamination. We are extremely lucky as a few elite black sires rivalling any in the world for quality are now available for black breeders in the UK. By using these sires we not only are improving the quality of our blacks but also the colour at a genetic level.

The second goal I set for Inca was to improve and set good conformation in my herd. By collating and analysing data of all conformational traits I could then begin to breed selectively. This would enable me to breed out undesirable traits and breed in good conformational characteristics.

I found that the following traits had relatively high heritability values:

- Head type

- Leg angulation

- Jaw Alignment

- Proportion

- Bone weight

- Fertility

Identifying these traits helped me to understand first hand just how important it was to choose a herd sire that was 100% correct in its conformation and style in order to maximise the health and value of the herd. I found that it was nonviable to sacrifice conformation for improved fleece traits. Initially I used a sire that had a fine fleece, with a medium weight frame. The alternative at the time was a sire with a heavy frame, good fibre coverage but a very coarse fleece. This is the trend that seems to be similar the world over.

Historically black alpacas have basically come in two models:

Type 1: Heavy frame well covered in fleece which is coarse but grows a good staple length. (Fig 2)

Or

Type 2: Light frame, poorly covered in a fleece which is fine but that only grows a short staple length. (Fig 3)

There are, however, exceptions but they are very rare!

I guess that these two types of black alpacas have descended in this form from the vicuna and the guanaco. All I knew was that somehow I had to combine these two types and breed an alpaca that not only had a heavy frame that I could hang a heavy fleece on but would also grow a fine fleece with high density and length.

So what fleece traits did I see in these two types of alpacas?

Type 1: (Fig 4)

- High brightness

- Long staple length

- Poor to average handle

- Frequent colour contamination (white fibre)

- Low to medium density

Type 2: (Fig 5)

- Low to average brightness

- Short to medium staple length

- Good to excellent handle

- Low level of colour contamination (white fibre)

- Low to medium density

The third goal I set for the herd was to begin to understand how fleece traits were inherited and expressed in the alpacas I was breeding. I set out the following fibre traits that I felt were of great importance for my herd:

Overall fineness

Density (the use of skin biopsy analysis is a useful tool for assessing density)

Staple length

Colour

Brightness

Fine primary fibre - reducing guard hair

Uniformity

An advanced huacaya fleece type.

When I started in alpacas we were all told that in order to breed up the quality of the alpaca we needed to select a herd sire that would improve the traits that our alpacas were lacking. For example if I had a female with a light frame, poor fibre coverage, low density but fine fleece, the advice was to mate her to a sire that had a heavy well covered frame with higher density, even if the male had a coarse fleece. The idea behind this theory was to breed the desirable traits into the female one or two at a time. This was the way that many people in Australia bred their alpacas and they found that it did improve the next generation. At the same time, however, they discovered that they also introduced huge genetic diversity into their herds making the quality of progeny very difficult to predict.

Breeders using this method struggled to improve the productivity and quality in their herds.

I was lucky enough not to adapt this breeding system for my herd of blacks. Instead I decided to find a herd sire that was as close to my perfect black alpaca as possible and use this male over every black female that I owned. I have continued to use this policy for the last five generations. My thinking has lead me to believe that if I keep using sires that are very similar in conformation and fleece type each year then after 5 generations I should have a herd of females that mirror the five herd sires that have made them.

One of the most valuable pieces of advice I feel I can give to new alpaca breeders is to identify the sire that best represents their ideal alpaca and as long as it has proven to pass on the quality to its progeny use it over as many of their females as possible. Even if the service fee is high and you have to drive many miles to get a stud service the rewards you will receive from using top herd sires will make it all worthwhile. A wise breeder of stud stock once told me that ‘the best is always cheap’.

Some people may ask ‘well what if the male I like has no progeny on the ground’? My answer to this question is to ascertain whether or not the sire in question has parents that are similar in style (conformation and fleece characteristics). I have nearly always found that if a young sire has parents that are of the same quality and type, then the young male usually produces uniform progeny of similar quality. If the sire that you are looking for has no progeny or the parents cannot be viewed then my advice is to wait until the sire has cria on the ground so that they can be assessed and use a current proven sire in the meantime. This method will give you as breeders the lowest risk of producing low value progeny.

I feel very privileged and proud to be part of an industry that allows me to improve a breed through the actions and decisions Tracey and I make. Breeding black alpacas is not easy and there are many disappointing moments, particularly when a fawn head is showing at birthing! However, when a black cria arrives and then grows into a fabulous weanling, all the sacrifices that have been made in order to provide correct nutrition and husbandry coupled together with well thought out breeding decisions are truly worth it.

(Fig 6) Herd Sires selected and used at Inca Alpaca

Running a Show Class Event

by Tim Hey and John Gaye

Show classes are a wonderful way to market the alpaca industry to the general public. Breeders will have their trade stands at various agricultural shows but the public want entertaining and there is nothing to beat the show class event with dozens of alpacas and their owners, all dressed and looking at their best. In addition the sound of a commentary on a public address system acts as a magnet to those who would otherwise have walked by a small pen of alpacas with not much going on. Therefore all breeders should be encouraged to approach their local agricultural show with a view to putting on a show class event, however small it may be.

So why do we as alpaca breeders and owners want to put on alpaca classes at our local agricultural or Royal Show? The primary reason we believe is, to promote and present a new rural industry to he general public in the most organised and sophisticated way we can. We want to educate and sell the industry to all facets of the targeted market. The next most important reason surrounds the breeder of this new livestock. Show classes enable a breeder to show off their breeding to others in the industry and gauge from the champion alpacas a direction the breed and industry is taking. It offers breeders another tool for the selection of sires and maybe future purchase of high quality bloodstock. The final reason we organise these shows is so that all exhibitors can meet, interact on a personal level with the general public and market their business. This factor will become increasingly important if breeders are to continue to support classes in the future.

So what do you need to organise such an event? There are certain things that are essential:

• A sense of humour
• A persuasive tongue and a gang at the ready to encourage others to help you
• A mobile phone in order to be on hand for weeks beforehand
• An ability to delegate
• A check list of things to do and when to do them
• Whisky, Bundy or some suitable beverage to calm the nerves as the big day approaches

It is not difficult usually to persuade the organisers of agricultural shows to accept alpaca show classes. Alpacas are much more interesting and entertaining animals than many of the other domesticated stock animals that may be on show. They are novel and thus are a great attraction to the general public, encouraging diversity of interest and thus helping to boost the numbers through the gate. But if alpacas are to be shown in the best possible light the show classes must be properly organised and must present to the public an image that looks professional.

Once you have persuaded the organisers of the show to accept alpaca show classes then you will need to start planning in plenty of time if all is going to go smoothly. First of all find a judge - you may find someone from the list of judges in the UK or if you are really ambitious with a larger show then you could try for an overseas judge perhaps from Peru, Australia, the USA or Canada. The advantage of an overseas judge is that you may well attract more breeders to take part in order to have their animals looked at by someone from outside. However the list of British judges is growing all the time and there are quite a number to choose from and at minimal cost as they do not need long haul flights and rather more substantial expenses. The agricultural or royal show committee will usually extend an invitation to the judge on the society or groups behalf.

Once you the convenor or show organiser have secured your judge then it is vital to start searching around for helpers from your regional group because your aim should be that on the day you can take a supervisory role rather than be tied into one of the many roles that will prevent you seeing what is going on. The following list is not exhaustive but may help:

• The Ring Steward - this is the handler's friend in the ring. He or she must be experienced with alpacas and must know exactly what is expected of the handlers and alpacas so that everyone, including the judge, is relaxed and able to assess the alpaca at the critical moment
• Marshalling Stewards - these people must be highly organised and able to cajole or bully all the handlers to be in the right place at the right time with the correct animals. It is the marshalling steward who will make or break the timetable
• Penning Steward - this role can be doubled up with another role as it is one that requires lots of action before the event actually starts. Arranging the pens, receiving the alpacas and ensuring that the correct animals go into the correct pens is the principal job
• Prizes and recording steward(s) - the scale of the show will dictate whether this job needs more than one person. The role is to ensure that all results are correctly recorded and that the appropriate ribbon or rosette is available for the judge at the end of each class
• Chief Seward can be a vet, judge or a qualified person - to check each animal prior to the show
• Inspection stewards - to accompany the inspector or chief steward prior to the show
• Commentator - not only must the commentator be able to talk at length about alpacas without boring for Britain but he or she usually ends up directing much of what is going on and must stay sober long enough to be able to pronounce who has won each class and get the names of both animal and breeder correct

Before the Show

One of the first things is to get hold of the show rules from the breed society. The rules dictate what the classes are going to be and although in a small show the classes may well be merged that can be done on the day with the help of the judge who will be very aware of how to keep the public interested. A sole alpaca in the ring is not eye catching or particular likely to hold an audience for long. Neither does the judge want to spend all day staring at small classes which would usually result in the event overrunning into the evening.

Months before the show you will need to start to publicise the event with the alpaca breeders so that they can plan which shows they are going to attend well in advance. The earlier the better as this may well dictate when they shear during the previous year or when they have a female served.

Liasing with the organisers of the ag show committee will provide you with a great deal of information about the infrastructure they can offer. Can they provide covered accommodation for the pens (essential) and if necessary can they lay on cover for the judging ring should it be wet on the day? Do they have a plentiful supply of hurdles and do they have some form of display boards to help with the layout and organisation of the animals? Absolutely vital is a good public address system preferably with a hands free walk-about microphone so that the judge can address their comments to all those who are watching. Some form of gazebo cover for the commentator, recording and prize stewards together with chairs, a table and suitable cloth are important as well as a blackboard or similar where all the results can be recorded for the benefit of all those taking part or watching. If there is to be a separate fleece judging then you will need plenty of tables and containers in which to place the fleeces. Find out how much the show will help with financial support.

You will need money, some of which can be gathered from the agriculural show via entry fees but also from sponsorship. Sponsorship needs careful thought. There are only a few alpaca specialist suppliers in the UK and they do get 'tapped' to sponsor all the major events so you may find that they are not always going to be keen to sponsor a smaller event. Do not despair; go to your accounts and work out to whom you pay out money regularly, your local feed merchant, agricultural suppliers, ATV supplier etc, and approach them. The longer list of potential sponsors the smaller the amount you need ask them for and thus the greater chance you will have of getting their help. Some will provide money, others may well prefer to present something 'in kind', such as prizes. You will need both. In addition do not forget that they will need something in return so ask them for their banners for the ring side and ensure that the commentator has a complete list so that he can mention them throughout the day. Other forms of sponsorship in kind may well be pot plants to decorate the ring, accommodation for the judge or food and drink for the officials. Sponsors are so important as their banners decorate the ring and make the alpaca industry look vibrant and professional.

The deadline for entries should be well before the date of the show as there is the programme to be made out and printed. This may well be done by the Ag show organisers who will want to put all the show events for all breeds of animal and the entries into their catalogue. Almost certainly there will be more animals entered than will appear on the day.

Other things to organise maybe in conjunction with the Ag show committee:

• Sashes, rosettes and certificates for every class winner
• A presentation for the judge at the end of the show
• Presentations for the stewards at the end of the show
• Refreshment for the judge - preferably not alcoholic - and on a hot day preferably with ice or from a cold container. The show will probably provide a lunch ticket for the judge and an accompanying steward

Immediately Prior to the Show

You and the penning steward must come up with a plan for the reception and housing of the alpacas which must be made clear to all the owners when they arrive. You will need assistants to help with this. Firstly the pens must be constructed according to your plan - allow lots of room as each owner will almost certainly want a small area for their possessions and for themselves. Females must be separated from males, and there may well be a requirement for a few more secure pens for large stud males. Each owner's/exhibitors pen(s) should be clearly signed, not least to prevent people from taking more than their prescribed space. Ensure that there is sufficient room for a one way circuit for animal movement during the show. At any one time there will be animals going out to the ring and animals returning - it is so much easier if they do not have to meet in a narrow passageway going in opposite directions.

The plan should be copied and each assistant steward will need a copy and a clear idea as to the layout. Also plans can be usefully placed in strategic locations so that owners can see for themselves where they are supposed to be.

Owners may need some help in getting their animals into their pens with the minimum of fuss or escapees. Although the odd rampaging escaped alpaca does provide the public with great entertainment it does nothing for the blood pressure of yourself or the owner of the animal. Do not overestimate the owners' ability to control their alpacas and, as with all animal movement, it is worthwhile to close every avenue of escape before the animals start to move.

You may well need a steward to help owners manoeuvre their vehicle and trailer into position to unload. Here a man (yes that is a very sexist comment) can be very useful if he is skilled in reversing trailers and this can save hours of time and embarrassment for all concerned; although watching trailer reversing can be hugely entertaining for the onlookers. Perhaps it should be considered by agricultural shows as another form of attraction.

On the Day

Your judge will not arrive until just before the show is due to start and they will expect everything to be just about ready to go. They will either arrive independently or under the supervision of the agricultural show organisers, this is to ensure that there can be no possibility of perceived undue influence by anyone who is showing animals. They should to speak to all competitors before the first class; not just to relax and reassure them but also to tell them how best to present their animals to save time and show them to their best.

Ensure that there are enough programmes for every exhibitor, to be given out on arrival so they can be prepared for their inspections and to give away to the general public. They like to follow the classes as well and it puts exhibitors names in their hands.

However you and the stewards must be very much aware of the start time and must work to that religiously. A late start rebounds throughout the rest of the day and may well mean that the alpacas miss out on the parade of the champions or even that the classes continue on after the show is over and the public have gone home.

Each and every animal will need to be inspected before the classes commence. You will need an inspection steward and their team to check their health and at least one, probably two, stewards to check the identity of each animal. For this they will need a microchip scanner and a copy of the entry form showing the animals' registration details. Any animal found to have five legs or three eyes will not be allowed to exhibit and obviously anything showing signs of sickness must be removed away from the pens into some form of isolation to prevent the spread of disease. This can be a slow process and thus it is vital that all owners know that they must have their animals penned, if not the night before, then very early in the morning of the show.

Meanwhile the commentator and the other stewards will need to briefed on the day's programme. Once the event is under way three of the most important individuals for the smooth running of the day are the commentator, the ring steward and the marshalling steward as everyone will look to them for guidance. If they do not have a firm grasp on what is happening then the smooth tenure of the event will be reduced.

Ensure your instructions are clear and clearly understood. There must be no ambiguity and the more people who are briefed the more likely things will go according to your plan. Movement of animals can be difficult and a well laid out one way system which is kept clear of people, particularly the public, will aid the smooth flow and the punctual arrival in the holding pen of the alpacas for the next class.

Do not forget the end of the show - who to thank and how to thank. Will you want to have a group photo of all the class winners? The finale must be choreographed like the rest of the show and to maintain the interest of the public it must all flow smoothly.

Once the show is underway there is little you can do but relax and oversee all that is going on, being prepared to intervene where there is a problem. You may well be approached by an exhibitor who may have a grievance about something or other - this is where your sense of humour may well be tested. It may be necessary to seek guidance from the judge but essentially you will be the final arbiter over grievances and exhibitors can become very competitive and lose their sense of perspective. It is not however very common and on the whole competitors retain their sense of humour and their understanding of what it is all about.

At the conclusion of the show classes you will need to consider how to thank all those who have taken part: the judge, the stewards and not least the exhibitors. Will this be the job of the commentator or will you wish to take the microphone? Who will do the presentation of the gifts - can you find a suitable 'celebrity' or senior sponsor? This is the time all breeders and owners should be asking to look at the champion alpacas from the day. We as breeders find this so essential to gauge where our breeding programme is at and to identify where genetics that can influence our herd lye. The results also must be accurately recorded for the agricultural society as well as passed onto the alpaca breed society.

Even now the day is not over as the animals now have to be collected by their owners, the prizes collected, the sponsors' banners taken down and returned, the fleeces bagged up and returned to their owners and a whole lot more. So do not plan to have a dinner party that night.

Almost certainly the day will have gone smoothly and without any grievances from the exhibitors and the public and the agricultural show will have benefited by a wonderful spectacle of the alpaca community at their best. You will have done a job to be proud of and the alpaca industry can be very grateful to you for helping to promote it in such a positive way.

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Practical Herd Management Tips and Techniques For The Small Breeder

by Tim Hey

Tim Hey grew up with alpacas in Australia for twelve years before coming to England to work with Alpacas of Wessex. During that time he has been involved in all facets of the alpaca industry in Australia and now, in addition to his day to day work with Alpacas of Wessex, also owns and manages his own herd of black alpacas in Wiltshire.

Being a small part time breeder of alpacas in Australia over the last twelve years has taught me and my family to be thinking constantly about learning new ways to manage our herd more effectively. With full time jobs and many barbeques to attend we needed to manage our time effectively when it came to handling and carrying out routine husbandry tasks. I often reflect on the days when we first purchased our alpacas. At that time alpaca farming was relatively new to Tasmania and there were very few people whom one could turn to for sound advice.

The last decade has seen the alpaca industry in Australia rise from the perception of the next 'ostrich scam' to the most respected and sophisticated emerging rural industry. I see the same thing here in Britain as the countryside wakes up to see that alpacas are here to stay. With the development of this first world alpaca industry, research and experience has influenced the ways in which we handle and raise our alpacas. With winter fast approaching in the northern hemisphere I would like to share some of the tips and strategies that I have picked up and used on a day to day basis with my alpaca herd.

Knowing your alpacas

Being a small breeder can have many advantages over being a super size stud farm. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to know all your alpacas well and therefore raise them under near optimum conditions. Knowing your stock well will have huge benefits when it comes to the identification of health issues, reproduction, breeding decisions, showing, sales and general husbandry tasks.

Record keeping

Have you ever wondered what it is like to keep the records for 200 alpacas? I can tell you that it isn't easy. For the small breeder, record keeping can give you a clear advantage over the bigger one by being able to record quickly and clearly all activities that happen on your farm. These records can be essential when it comes to making decisions that can impact on the long term productivity of your business and herd development. For example; if an alpaca becomes ill the vet may ask what medication it has had prior to his/her visit, or when it comes time to sell some stock do you have up to date fibre test results and yields. It doesn't matter if your record keeping system is computer based or in a book, clear and concise records that are up to date can save you time and money and will give the buyer the impression you are a well organised and experienced breeder.

Alpaca herd identification

Alpaca identification is a controversial subject with many small breeders electing not to ear tag their own stock. Because my alpacas tend to go to shows or move off farm for breeding I use two different tagging systems. When a cria is born a small 'tip' tag is inserted (See fig 1). This tag carries a printed number that it will have on its pedigree certificate for life. It also has the tag number of its dam, which I write on with a black marker. These small cria tags make it very easy to identify cria when you have them penned up, as crias may not be standing next to their mothers when you want them. These cria tags come with a very small piercing pin to prevent ear damage and come printed at a cost of 16p each. When the crias are weaned I replace the cria tag with the larger flag tag (See fig 2) and insert the microchip that has been allocated to that alpaca when it was registered. By this time the alpaca has grown sufficiently so the larger tag is less likely to damage the ear causing it to droop. When choosing an ear tag I find it essential that you as the owner and manager of the herd can clearly read the tag from a distance. This will save considerable time sorting stock and will reduce errors when it comes to routine husbandry practices.

Shearing

One of the best things I ever learnt to do was to shear alpacas. I remember that my first season of shearing produced some pretty moth eaten alpacas but I soon got the hang of it. It may seem a daunting task at first but it is remarkably easy. I have taught many people to shear, with them learning the ropes after only two alpacas. Learning to shear will save you money and will give you the flexibility to manage your herd more effectively. You won't need to get the shearer back for one or two females after they have given birth for example. After exhibiting at many shows both in Australia and here in Britain I realised that I needed to present my alpacas in the show ring with a near perfect length of fleece. Those of you that show your alpacas will know that the summer show season can include some very hot and humid days. You may also recall the fleece damage caused by your alpaca sweating. Because of this I tend to shear the bulk of my alpacas at the end of spring but leave my potential show alpacas until later in the season so that they go through the following show season with just under a year's growth of fleece. This helps to keep the alpacas cooler and less stressed.

Shows

Those of you who know me will know how much I love showing alpacas. Not just because of the beer tent but because it is so much fun. To a small breeder shows are also an essential activity for a number of reasons. The shows are a great shop window for the alpaca industry and for you as a breeder. They allow you to show off your breeding and compare your stock to the champions, thus giving you a clear direction of where your herd should be heading. Most shows also allow you to liase directly with the public from the pen where your alpacas are kept. This can be a very cost effective way of promoting your business, as you don't have to spent money on trade stand space, a tent and display material. As a small breeder we learnt that attending shows and fairs locally gave us excellent exposure and sales resulted from these shows as new clients preferred to purchase stock from a breeder that was situated close by. You should not be put off if results don't come in the first couple of years. It will take time for your breeding programme to take hold and express the results of your hard work. If you stick to your guns the prizes will come.

Winter time

The winter months are a perfect time to get some of those niggling jobs done and to prepare for the following summer and show season. I use this time to halter train my alpacas after weaning, work on building pens and laneways to help make penning easier. I also work hard on marketing, record keeping, analysing my herd's performance and looking back at my business plan to check that the herd and business is heading in the right direction. As a small breeder one must keep all of your alpacas in tip top condition. An injection of Vitamins A, D and E is probably the most important part of your winter husbandry regime as sunlight is very limited, as we know too well. The recommended dose rate is 1000 IU/kg body weight given every 2 months from September through to March. It is advisable that you check with your vet before starting any new supplementation regime.

Stay Focused

When I farmed alpacas with my family back in Australia we were small breeders that had to compete with the biggest and best studs that ran up to 1000 females. We found it very important to always stay focused on our alpacas, on our breeding goals and on the business side of our enterprise. We worked very closely with a larger breeder who had excellent males, sound breeding results and who offered good advice to increase our knowledge base. I know of dozens of small breeders like ourselves that did remain focused; they went to shows, promoted themselves and used the best bloodlines possible. These breeders, who mostly started with foundation stock from Chile, were rewarded with many Supreme Champion awards at Royal Shows and very high sales prices for stock. As the industry progresses here in Britain and indeed in Europe I see a huge opening for those small breeders who get out there and have a go; ensuring that they are in a position to supply limited numbers of extremely high quality breeding stock to the more commercial herds and to new breeders entering the industry here and in Europe.

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A Journey to Remember

by Tim Hey

To travel on the altiplano is always an interesting experience, no matter how many times you may go there. You are always surrounded by ever changing scenery of spectacular beauty, you are constantly faced with hazards on the road, you are always trying to mitigate the discomforts of the terrible roads and every journey seems to take forever. If you can choose your travelling companions to ensure interesting conversation then your journey passes more quickly and becomes even more memorable.

Of late I have done a number of journeys in this wonderful part of the world and have had the privilege of being introduced to, and allowed to work with, some of the most interesting, influential and successful breeders of alpacas in Peru and it was on one such very long journey that I had the pleasure of the undivided attention of Guillermo Tijera, a third generation alpaca breeder from the area between Cusco and Puno.

We had been introduced to the Tijera family's Koricancha herd by Dr Julio Sumar, known throughout the alpaca world as one of the most knowledgeable and highly respected authorities on every aspect of the camelid. He had told us of Koricancha's success over many years in the show ring and that the Tijeras were one of the most highly respected breeders on the altiplano.
We were now travelling together with Guillermo to the Koricancha farm high on the altiplano, at a breathtaking 4,700 metres, and about three hours driving from the nearest tarmac road. It was a wonderful opportunity to find out some of the story behind their success and to learn how they had achieved so much over the last 60 years. I am not well known for my grasp of the Spanish language and so I was very lucky to have in the same vehicle Dr Monyka Portocarrero, our veterinary consultant. She not only speaks excellent English but with her lifelong experience with camelids was just as interested in the conversation as I was. Her powers of translation were to be well tested on our journey.

Like many Peruvian families the Tijera family is a large one. Guillermo and his sister, Alejandrina, are two of nine siblings, but it is on their shoulders that the bulk of the responsibility for Koricancha now lies. They are both well educated, highly intelligent and in their mid-thirties and have great ambitions to continue the family tradition of breeding ever better animals. I had met their parents on a previous visit and so I knew just how much this was a family affair with both Mother and Father taking a very active part in the day to day life of Koricancha, but it was this younger generation who were the ones who were planning to carry their reputation to new heights of success.

In November 2003 at the Arequipa Alpaca Fiesta, which as the most prestigious show in Peru was attended by nearly every major national breeder as well as hundreds of overseas breeders, they had won Grand Champion Huacaya with a six year old macho called Hugo. The prize for this had been a computer and this was now being set up with a complete database of their herd of over 2,000 animals as they knew only too well the importance of being able to keep records of bloodlines and breeding histories.

But what I wished to find out was more of the background of their success and how they had achieved their current high ranking position amongst the best breeders in Peru. Early in the conversation, as we set off up the poorly graded and bumpy mountain road, we covered line breeding. I asked Guillermo if he had ever carried out line breeding on his herd. He explained that only 100 years ago most alpacas in Peru were running freely with Llama, Guanaco and Vicuna. He felt that much cross breeding between the species had occurred in this time. He added that in-breeding had also taken place. Guillermo felt that the genetic make up of the modern alpaca in Peru was, to a large extent, still not true, and carried too many foreign genes that caused genetic faults and primitive fleeces. He suggested that he would like to progress his bloodlines a little further in order to fix more uniform and desirable traits in his stock before commencing line breeding. He mentioned that some of his lines were almost ready for such crossing to occur.

This I found fascinating as only recently I had visited a large well known breeder whose stock were the result of many years of line breeding. There we had found animals with some wonderful qualities in the fleece but whenever we looked more closely we found serious genetic faults running throughout the herd. The goals of the line-breeding had been limited to improving the fineness and density of the fleece and consequently some very poor genetic qualities had been passed on down and exacerbated. In the short term this would hardly matter if the only goals were for the quality of the fibre, but in the long term what was this doing for the health and well being of the species?

This confirmed Guillermo's view that line-breeding was potentially very dangerous unless you were patient and very thorough in ensuring that the qualities of the herd were ready for it. Therefore it was safer and more reliable to breed out using selective breeding techniques in order to constantly get nearer that goal of the 'perfect alpaca'.

So how, I asked, did Peruvian breeders select and manage their herd sires? After all they do not have the luxury of being able to have a mobile stud service from the top males one weekend, or to hop in the car and take two females up the road for a 'drive-by'.

As our driver smoothly swerved to avoid an oncoming truck on a suicide mission on a blind corner, I was told that when they select, they buy a macho outright, and use him over many females in their herd. Guillermo explained that his grandfather had purchased eight young males many years ago to use on a selection of his females. He had selected them on phenotype alone and proceeded to cover certain lines with certain males, all the while ensuring that they knew which male had covered which herd of females. From those eight males they discovered that only two were able to pass on their genetics and impart the desirable characteristics they desired. From that point onward his family changed their breeding programme to ensure that all females were covered by males that had been selected from proven bloodlines only.

Guillermo went on to explain that the family would travel the country to find the best males possible. He added that they mostly selected two to three year old males that were phenotypically correct for the characteristics they wanted to introduce into their herd but, most importantly, they only selected those where they were able to view the sire and the dam and many siblings of that male. They also preferred that the sire and the dam be over a certain age so that they could see the long term genetic potential held in those animals, in other words if at the age of 8 or more both sire and dam were still producing fine dense quality fleece then they felt more confident that they had the right genetic strengths for long term quality fleece production in the progeny.

They chose young males because they wanted to be at the forefront of breeding. He explained that if he left it until the male was 5 or more when he purchased him then he had missed out on three years breeding from that male and therefore he could have been three years further down the line. The young males he now selects come from lines that hold the fleece characteristics that Guillermo looks for from animals well in to their teens. He felt this point was of major importance as his family's livelihood depended on their alpacas' fibre production and the ability of his stock to produce a commercial fleece for the duration of their life.

Koricancha income also relies heavily on their ability to sell stud sires to other breeders in Peru. They know only too well how many poor quality alpacas exist throughout the national herd and are very keen that other breeders should have access to better stud males. In this way the reputation of alpaca fibre, when competing against other fibres, will continue to get better and thus attract more demand from the textile trade and the eventual market for alpaca garments.

Eventually having crossed through two very high passes we came to the river adjoining the Koricancha property. Monyka broke in at this stage to tell us as we started down the bank that it was this river that some years ago had defeated the driver of Dr Sumar and the great man had been forced to get out and help push them clear of the water. Fortunately this time our Toyota and our driver were more than equal to the task as at this height the water was only a few miles from the glacier from which it had come and would only be just above freezing. Also at this height I did not really relish the physical effort of having to push.

It had been a fascinating journey, not just through some of the most interesting landscape in the world but also through 60 years of alpaca breeding which had progressed from some very basic record keeping and selective breeding to a point where the complexities of the breeding programme would benefit hugely from the newly won computer database. This was truly the new generation building on the experience and knowledge gained over three generations. Sitting in their homestead later I was to meet the fourth generation. Sitting on my lap was one year old Milo, the son of Guillermo, and already destined to become part of the family business.

Throughout the journey it had not been a one sided conversation. One of the really humbling but impressive aspects of meeting this family is their wish to learn how things are done in our world. They know that although alpacas have only been bred outside of Peru for a relatively short time there is a huge amount of technology and research available from other countries. Not least they appreciate the cross fertilisation that is available from the experience of breeding other species.

For me it had been a unique experience to have the opportunity to discuss so many aspects of the business of breeding alpacas with someone who had so much knowledge and experience gained from three generations, tempered by education, enthusiasm and ambition for the future of the business.

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