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Meadoview Alpaca Farm

Upcoming Males…

         Every year we have a good crop of crias and yearlings that we keep an eye on, as we are hoping that they will meet our tough criteria to become herdsires.  What do I look for in a male that would make him a herdsire, you ask.?   Well, I’m not sure what comes first: conformation or density of fiber.  I guess the first thing that comes naturally is the visual.  Does the animal have, what I call, stud presence?  Is he built in thirds?  Are the neck, body, and legs proportioned?  Are the legs straight?  I feel from the ears to the end of the tail to see if everything is straight.  A crook in the tail can be enough to disqualify him.  While you are at the tail check his testicles. Yes, they matter.  The bigger they are, the better. Did I forget to mention, he has to have two? You may laugh, but one of the best looking males ever born on our farm, only had one.  The other one was wandering in his groin area.  This guy had it all: density, softness and conformation, but Perfect Storm was not perfect.  Also, check the teeth to see if they meet the upper gum evenly, as this trait is highly inheritable. A quick reminder, when you show your animal, the judge evaluates 60% on fibre and 40% on conformation. When buying a male, do it scientifically.  Make a check list. Do it step by step.  Keep in mind the females he will be servicing and how he will complement them.

           Ok, now a few words on fibre.  The animal must be very dense, very soft and crimpy.  You will say: “I have a lot of animals like that”. Remember, it is the extraordinary ones that make it.  The fibre should be at a very low micron count, not only at 1 or 2 years old, but even at five, six or ten years old.  To give you an example, we have a boy (Adonis) who at age 9 had a micron count of 23.  He is also a Daniel 111 son.  Already you have good pedigree, great softness, perfect conformation, and density.  Unfortunately for him, we have a Daniel grandson who is even better than Adonis.  At age five, we competed with him and he took Reserve Champion. The judge was particularly impressed by his maintenance of fibre traits for his age.  Not bad for an older fellow.  Fibre is key in your evaluation.

These good looking boys’ names are Fulton and  Enzo.  If you look at them, which one is the best of the two? Check at the bottom of the Sales and Service page for the answer.

I would also check pedigree. Who was dad and granddad?Were they notable sires? How about mom?

If you compare Enzo and Fulton to Lucas, (below) Enzo looks better, but Lucas is finer, has more crimp and more density than the other two boys.  We bought Lucas when he was just a year old.  Yes, we took a chance. Actually, he was quite expensive, but he proved to be a very good purchase. We have become very fussy when it comes to selecting possible herd sires.  To be part of that exclusive club, you must be a totally superior animal.

Last year most of Lucas’ babies were sold with their moms.  His progeny is very sought after.  On review, we are keeping a close eye on the following boys.  Check them out below.

Iggy

Ceasar

Orleans

O’Shaughnessy

These boys are just on watch as we wait three years to make a decision.  They must be fully grown before they can make the exclusive club of herd sire.  Some years we have none.  I guess we are very fussy.

Fulton

Enzo

Lucas