Alpaca Issue 87

Alpaca British Alpaca Society bi-monthly magazine

ISSUE 87: JULY/AUGUST 2021

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

www.bas-uk.com

Alpaca www.bas-uk.com THE BRITISH ALPACA SOCIETY c/o Grassroots Systems Ltd, PO Box 251, Exeter EX2 8WX. Tel (within UK): 0845 3312468 Tel (Overseas): +44(0)1392 437788 Fax: +44(0)1392 437788 Email: info@bas-uk.com

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CONTENTS

Practical management – Planning ahead

Some useful pointers to ensure your herd is ready for autumn and winter.

BAS CHIEF EXECUTIVE Dr Duncan Pullar Tel: 07496 578781 Email: ceo@bas-uk.com

30 BAS alpaca farm day

34 Skirting made simple 38 Reader's story

A princess who ‘stole our hearts’.

EDITORIAL Editor: Liz Mason alpaca.ed@kelsey.co.uk ADVERTISEMENT SALES Wendy King Talk Media Sales Tel: 01732 448748 Email: Wendy.King@talkmediasales.co.uk

10 Temporary shelters and planning permission

Some useful pointers to ensure your herd is ready for autumn and winter.

GRAPHIC DESIGN Jo Legg 07306 482166 jo.legg@flair-design.co.uk

Alpaca editor Liz Mason meets Lynn Pepper, to ‘chat about alpacas’ in this first farm visit since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

KELSEY MEDIA The Granary, Downs Court Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 6AL 01959 541444 MANAGEMENT Chief Executive: Steve Wright Chief Operating Officer: Phil Weeden Managing Director: Kevin McCormick Publisher: Jamie McGrorty Retail Director: Steve Brown Renewals and Projects Manager: Andy Cotton Senior Subscription Marketing Manager: Nick McIntosh Subscription Marketing Director: Gill Lambert Subscription Marketing Manager: Kate Chamberlain Print Production Manager: Georgina Harris Print Production Controller: Kelly Orriss

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Unpacking caesareans

An overview of decision making in obstetrical emergencies – being informed can help deliver the best outcome in a difficult situation.

40 Keen on alpacas

An appearance on ITV’s The Chase attracted press headlines and hundreds of new social media followers for Jacob Keen, Backyard Alpacas. He talks to Alpaca editor Liz Mason about his future plans.

DISTRIBUTION Distribution in Great Britain: Marketforce (UK) 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP Tel: 020 3148 5000

42 BAS regional spotlight

North East and Borders Alpaca Group.

43 BAS board member’s blog

PRINTING Precision Colour Print Kelsey Media 2021 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be the original work of the author and not previously published. Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner of the copyright. The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to all letters and emails received. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties.

Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously. For more information of our privacy policy, please visit Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously. For more information of our privacy policy, please visit https://www.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy/ . If at any point you have any queries regarding Kelsey’s data policy you can email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@kelsey.co.uk.

39 Tea at Taiwind

14 Cria gallery 16 How useful are genetic colour tests?

22 Breed standard

A BAS working group has taken on the task of developing a BAS Breed Standard.

28 Breeding values – principles and practice The key concepts behind breeding values.

44 Latest research may change thinking on diets 46 Letter from Ireland 50 Seasonal ramblings

www.kelsey.co.uk Cover photo: Lythe Brow Alpacas by Steve Ellershaw

www.pinnaclealpacas.co.uk 01306 628003

Champion Elite Genetics Stud Services BAS Training & Support Alpaca Experiences Alpaca #87 3 Fleece, Fibre, Fashion

FROM THE EDITOR

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T: 01959 541444 E: alpaca.ed@kelsey.co.uk @BritishAlpacaMagazine

elcome to the July issue of Alpaca. In this issue we focus on breeding and take a look at objective breeding tools to help owners achieve breeding goals.

We also include several articles on birthing, and highlight fleece skirting to help you make the most of your fleece., In our cria gallery we celebrate the safe arrival of just some of the BAS cria class of 2021. Thank you to everyone who sent us some lovely images and congratulations to our winner Steve Ellershaw, Lythe Brow Alpacas, Lancaster.

Thank you to all our contributors, including US breeder Shauna Brummett who explains the science and practice behind breeding values. These have been in use in the US for more than 10 years and have helped breeders make good progress with breeding programmes. BAS CEO Duncan Pullar is working on a project to develop similar breeding values (EBVs) here in the UK. Also in the UK we are grateful to Paul Hetherington from Beck Brow Alpacas for taking the time to write a fascinating article on the science behind a new genetic test for alpaca coat colour. Paul finds out how useful this test, developed by Dr Kylie Munyard in Australia to test for grey coat colour, may be for breeders, › Liz Mason including those who breed black alpacas.

In A Letter From Ireland written by two members of the Sunny South East Alpaca Group (SSEAG), we learn how the group supports members. Medicine deliveries by designated dispatchers during the Covid-19 pandemic and bulk orders for vitamins are just two of the many benefits that membership of this active group brings.

In our BAS Regional Spotlight, written by Teri White, Bingfield Alpacas and Paul Rippon, Barnacre Alpacas, we learn that the North East Alpaca Group (Nebag) is also a diverse group where members can learn from each other.

On birthing Ami Sawran, Westpoint Farm Vets offers a helpful overview of caesarean births – essential reading to help you prepare when a caeasaeran section is advised by your vet. And finally thank you to Rebecca Block for sharing her story of a much loved Princess – sadly Princess, who was born in 2020, did not survive. Rebecca as written her story as a tribute to a special cria and in the hope that it may help other owners come to terms, and prepare for a heartbreaking loss.

I hope this issue helps you in some way with your alpaca journey – whatever the size of your herd or your experience as an owner.

CEO NOTES...

S

Duncan Pullar

pring and early summer are the busiest time for alpaca owners who breed, writes Duncan Pullar, BAS CEO. There is all the excitement and anticipation of birthing. The joy of a new cria is widely anticipated and appreciated by just about everyone and most of the time birthing is a straightforward process with a happy outcome.

Occasionally things do not go to plan and mother or cria can need some help, from owner or vet, which will hopefully, but not always, save the situation. From what members tell me having a good observation routine and being ready for all eventualities is the best you can do. One of the most important elements of readiness is to have some plasma in the freezer in case your cria does not get enough colostrum. If you have not looked into plasma

collection, then please do.

Because alpacas have such a long and variable gestation length the “waiting for something to happen” element is a big part of managing pregnant alpacas. I have had two reports this year of gestations over a year, and I am sure there will be others. Both the cria were fine when they arrived though one was rather on the large side.

Many members share their joy and troubles around birthing time on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channels. Looking at the number of hits some of these videos get it is clear that lots of people want to share in the ups and downs of alpaca ownership. Well done to all who share their stories and help explain what is going on. You are all ambassadors and do a great job promoting the joys of alpaca ownership.

Become a BAS member www.bas-uk.com

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Alpaca #87

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WINTER PLANNING

PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT – PLANNING AHEAD In the last of her series of practical management articles Kate Brookes, Mullacott Alpacas, offers some useful pointers to ensure your herd is ready for autumn and winter.

Why should I prepare now for winter?

It is much easier to prepare in advance for winter. Putting up shelters and fencing is easier in dry weather rather than attempting either job when the ground is wet and muddy. You may also find there is a waiting list for your preferred shelter or for a worker to build it if necessary. Hay will probably be less expensive, and you can be sure of the best selection, when you buy early - so long as you have space to store it, or can arrange for your order to be kept for you.

How can I make the most of winter grazing?

You are likely to have enjoyed maximum grazing for the last few months and those months when the grass hardly grew, or disappeared under water or mud seem a long time ago - but they will be back. Plan how you can maximise grazing as grass growth slows and stops once the temperature is below about eight degrees Celsius. Thorough poo picking will limit areas unsuitable for grazing and

> Making hay while the sun shines

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good weed control will keep your entire paddock edible. Ask yourself; can you add drainage to allow more of the field to be grazable during the winter?

Have you a system in place to rotate and rest paddocks?

Should I buy hay or haylage?

Hay is fully dried and does not need plastic wrapping, but when unwrapped hay will need to be stored undercover. Haylage is partially dried and can vary in moisture content when baled. It will have been plastic wrapped to exclude oxygen and stop the rotting process.

Haylage needs to be eaten within a few days of opening – spread it out well after opening to allow further drying. This will help to make your bale last longer otherwise it can overheat and start to rot.

The wetter the grass at baling the quicker this will happen. Owners with small herds may find there is considerable wastage with haylage when the bale is not eaten quickly.

Hay and haylage comes mainly in big round bales and small square (actually rectangular) bales. A round bale is equivalent to about 10 small bales. Buying a round bale is more economical but you will need specialist equipment to move it and round bales may not suit your available storage area. Wrapped bales can be stored outside saving you inside space but make sure there are no holes in the plastic. Hay is not normally a huge expense which means it may be easier to have bales you can handle without too much difficulty.

How much hay will I need?

This will of course depend on the number of alpacas you have but pregnant, nursing, working or growing alpacas will need more hay than those spending their time “relaxing” in a field. The amount will also vary depending on how palatable your hay is. My alpacas prefer their hay not to be too coarse and stemmy. They will carefully burrow Continued on the next page >>

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WINTER PLANNING

> Shelters come in many shapes and sizes

> Small bales in the barn read for winter

<< into the hay rack to eat the tastiest; eating more when it is fresh rather than a few days old. Turning and refreshing the racks can entice them to eat more but there is always some for the compost heap.

Buy your hay from someone you trust – you can then be confident that it will not be full of unpalatable weeds or worse still contain dried poisonous plants that may seriously harm your alpacas. Hay should look and smell attractive and by sourcing a good quality supply now you can buy the best rather than having to buy what’s left. When buying from a local farm you may be able to negotiate storage until you need it.

What winter shelter do I need?

Many owners will say their alpacas rarely go into a shelter but shelters can be made more inviting. They should be light and airy – if going into your shelter feels like walking into a cave your alpacas may not like to enter.

Consider high level gaps to let air in – this will also help prevent your shelter moving in strong winds. Windows, translucent panels, or even safety mirrors will all let light in.

Alpacas don’t feel the cold as their fibre keeps them warm but they don’t generally enjoy wind and rain together. They should always be able to get into a shelter. Observe your alpacas’ behaviour in case one is preventing the others from entering, or bullying them in the shelter. Get them used to being fed in the shelter making it easier to move them in when you need to or when the weather is at its worst.

It is definitely better to practice this in the summer rather than in the wind and rain! The general rule as a guide is to buy bigger than you think you could possibly need. Then your shelter will still be suitable as your herd size grows – alpacas are addictive.

Make sure you can shut them in when you need to. This may be for a planned vet visit or when the weather is unsuitable for them to be outside and for the day before shearing. There is a significant waiting list for some makes of shelter so plan ahead and place your order sooner rather than later.

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Alpaca #87

Where should I position a new shelter?

Look at you field layout; is there a position where one shelter can serve several fields? Perhaps you can achieve this by adding a runway or some additional fencing.

Make sure the shelter will not be located where water gathers in a wet winter – place it on high ground and face the opening away from the prevailing wind.

In my experience it is easiest to get alpacas to walk uphill and into a corner when I am trying to get them to go into a shelter so this would be worth considering when deciding on a location. Consider the floor – will it become muddy in wet weather? Can it be made higher than the surrounding land perhaps with hardcore? Will it drain when they use the shelter as a toilet? What will they lie on possibilities include rubber mats, straw and sand? These issues need to be sorted out before any heavy machinery or vehicles used to install the shelter churn up your land particularly when the weather is wetter and the ground softer.

How fat should my alpacas be going into winter?

Learn how to body condition score (BCS) and keep a record allowing you to track changes over time. Ideally your alpacas should have a BCS of 3-3.5 out of 5.

With rich spring and early summer grass they may put on some weight – make sure fatter animals are not being over fed treats or extra feed – grass, hay and mineral supplement is all they need to stay healthy. It is important to try to get the BCS of any skinnier animals up to at least three before the winter and skinny alpacas are more likely to need a coat to keep warm in cold weather.

Editor’s note

A big thank you to Kate for her series of articles written exclusively for Alpaca – they have been much appreciated. If you would like to contribute on any alpaca related topic or would like to share photos please send to alpaca.ed@kelsey.co.uk. For publication, we need all photos to be high resolution images (over 1.2MB)

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WINTER PLANNING

TEMPORARY SHELTERS AND PLANNING PERMISSION

Ian Pople, principal planner at Willis & Co, offers some guidance to help owners who want to build field shelters keep on the right side of the local planning authority (LPA).

> State of the art shelters from Ken Freivokh, Artwork Alpacas

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icture the scene – you have been fortunate enough to secure your land and you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of your first alpacas or perhaps your current herd is expanding.

You are going to need some form of shelter to protect them from the Great British weather and you’ve found the perfect solution advertised for sale that will fit the bill nicely. The seller tells you that people put them up all the time and that they don’t need planning permission; but are they right?

Here at Willis & Co. we have been involved in numerous cases where unsuspecting clients have fallen foul of their local planning authority (LPA) when erecting so-called temporary shelters on their land. This often arises due to a

10 Alpaca #87

complaint from a neighbour, or if a planning officer happens to notice them while undertaking a site visit in relation to another planning application that you might have submitted.

Those of you that have had experience of the planning system already are probably all too aware that there are many grey areas and temporary shelters are no exception.

Put simply, any object placed on land could be considered to be development under Section 55 of The Town and Country Planning Act 1990. However, it is the nature, use and degree of permanence of any such object that defines whether or not that object is a building or structure that could require planning permission under Section 57 of the same Act.

About the author

Ian Pople BA(Hons) MTP MRTPI Ian started his career as a Planning Officer at Stroud District Council in 2003, after gaining his degree and masters at UWE. He quickly rose to the position of Senior Planner, the post that he held until he left local government at the end of 2014.

Ian was responsible for managing a team of four officers within the Development Management department. He had involvement in all aspects of the application process, determining both major and minor planning applications requiring more detailed knowledge. He also provided pre-application advice on household extensions, changes

of use, agricultural permitted development, commercial development and larger residential schemes.

Ian joined Willis & Co. as a Principal Planner in 2015, where he has been able to put his knowledge and experience gained in local government to good use. Ian has a keen interest in rural planning and is becoming somewhat of a specialist in Class Q permitted development applications, having now represented clients at appeals and hearings.

Ian is a full member of The Royal Town Planning Institute.

Outside of work, Ian is currently renovating his house, which takes up most of his spare time but when not doing that he also enjoys several country pursuits. ian.pople78@aol.com

Historically, in assessing such matters, a LPA would have relied upon the tests established in planning case law, notably in Cardiff Rating Authority v. Guest Keen Baldwin [1949] and later Skerritts of Nottingham Limited v SSETR [2000].

These cases set out the importance of considering whether temporary, moveable objects such as field shelters and the like are indeed ‘structures’ or ‘buildings’ as far as planning legislation is concerned.

To be classed as temporary, moveable objects that do not require permission, the above cases suggested that such development would be akin to a chattel – something normally on wheels or skids that could be (and was) easily and regularly moved with a tractor or 4x4. A structure or building on the other hand was traditionally considered to be something that was fixed to the ground or required a substantial base, such that it is generally immobile and acquires a degree of permanence. Development falling into the latter categories of a structure or building are generally deemed to require some form of planning permission.

However, a more recent decision in the High Court (R (Save Woolley Valley Action Group Ltd) v Bath and North East Somerset Council [2012]), often referred to as the ‘Woolley Chickens’ case, has clouded the matter further.

This case was brought against the LPA following their decision not to consider a number of sizeable chicken sheds, each 20m x 6m as buildings that required planning permission. The LPA argued that although large in scale, the chicken sheds were mounted on wheeled axles and were therefore capable of being moved and fell within the definition of a moveable object or chattel based on the tests outlined in Cardiff Rating and Skerritts. However, the High Court considered

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that the LPA had erred in law by taking too narrow a view in interpreting the meaning of development as defined by Section 55 of The Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

While the sheds were capable of being moved, they had not altered position since the time they had been brought to that site. Indeed their sheer size, scale and use meant it was unreasonable to suggest they were anything other than buildings. The Judge also noted that just because the sheds were potentially moveable, it did not mean they couldn’t be considered as a building or structure within the meaning of development. As a result, the Court disagreed with the Council’s interpretation and the claimants’ case was upheld.

So where does this leave us? On the basis of the judgements detailed above, it is clear that each case is different. The extent to which an object placed on the land can be considered to be a moveable shelter or a building that requires planning permission, is a matter of fact and degree that will vary according to the individual circumstances of each case.

In light of this, there are too many variables at play to be able to give a definitive catch-all opinion. There are also many occasions when such shelters may in fact be allowed as agricultural permitted development, capable of being approved by the LPA through a prior notification application.

We would therefore always suggest seeking advice prior to putting anything on your land to ensure you are not left to the mercy of the local planning authority’s enforcement officer.

Should you have any questions with respect to specific projects or sites, then we would be happy to review these and advise on the best course of action.

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UNPACKING CAESAREANS

Ami Sawran, Westpoint Farm Vets, offers an overview of decision making in obstetrical emergencies – being informed can help deliver the best outcome in a difficult situation.

T

here is a certain amount of worry surrounding caesarean sections in alpacas compared to species such as sheep or cattle. Indeed, there are several particular quirks of alpacas that every vet and owner should keep in mind, but they are not necessarily great barriers to performing the surgery if indicated.

When you are in the situation where you must opt for or against a caesarean, it pays to be informed about potential risks, and factors we can mitigate, to aim for the best outcome.

In the UK, alpacas are generally thought of as a farmed species, and are

therefore under the care of farm practitioners (of course, there are exceptions!).

Farm vets have experience of caesareans in cattle, sheep and even goats, and the fundamental aspects of the surgery do not really differ between species. If a vet can perform the surgery on a sheep, for example, it is no great departure from an alpaca, however there are several key aspects that we must all be mindful of.

Are we at term?

In some species, it is accepted that when the dam is very ill or injured, we can induce birth. This is not a safe practice in alpaca, due to their varying gestation lengths, and the safety of the usual medications. If a live cria is a priority, elective (planned) caesarean would not be advised unless the dam is severely compromised, and continuing gestation would be fatal to her and/or the cria.

Safe restraint

Alpacas are less tolerant of local anaesthesia than other farm species, necessitating a lower dose or dilution of our usual medication, and careful monitoring of their demeanour post operatively.

Your vet is also going to need time to clip, clean, prepare, anaesthetise and sterilise the operation side (usually the left flank). You can assist by providing clean, warm water.

Secure restraint is of paramount importance, so whether the operation is undertaken standing or lying down (depending on surgeon preference – either is permissible) it must be done with the safety of the animal, yourselves and the surgeon in mind. When there are behavioural issues preventing safe working, your vet may wish to sedate the dam.

Sedation is not necessarily without risk, however, surgery cannot be safely completed on an out of control animal. Take a look at your sheltered facilities – would you be able to ready them at short notice for a safe restraint?

About the author

Dr Ami Sawran graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2011 and works for Westpoint Farm Vets.

She is head of the small ruminant and camelid working group, and head of the camelid specialist interest group for VetPartners. Ami’s certificate in advanced veterinary practice focussed on camelid medicine.

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Will she be fit to breed again?

Any dam that has had a degree of difficulty during birthing could have fertility issues in future. Bruising and tearing during ‘normal’ or assisted delivery can cause adhesions and scarring in the uterus. It follows that surgery on the uterus can also cause scarring and adhesions. There are reports of returns to productive fertility post caesarean, but it may not be something you wish to risk a second time, which is a personal decision. It is recommended that a dam that has had any form of obstetrical intervention undergoes a pre-breeding examination with a veterinary surgeon prior to remating.

Making difficult decisions

During an obstetrical emergency, your vet may ask if you are open to a caesarean, but they may also ask you whether the dam or cria is your priority – particularly if the dam is unwell, and possibly unable to cope with much more intervention. This is not because they’re going to stop trying to save both dam and cria, but it can help determine a course of action that is more likely to preserve the life of that which you have identified as your priority.

This decision could be economical or emotional – or both, as they often are - and though it may come across as blunt, it is an important question to ask, so please be prepared to answer it honestly. It’s also worth pointing out that in situations where the cria cannot be delivered naturally, and the dam is a poor surgical candidate – or the environment is not conducive to a safe surgery- you may be asked to consider euthanasia. Remember, choosing to euthanise an animal in distress is not a sign of failure – it is, after all, the prevention of further suffering, and ability to care for the dam intensively after surgery will rightly come into this decision.

It is worth remembering that cria born by caesarean section are at higher risk of developing failure of passive transfer and may benefit from monitoring and potential plasma transfusion. It’s not too late to bank plasma ready for unforeseen circumstances – please contact your veterinary practice for more information.

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A recognised complication of any surgery is post-operative infection.

Cattle can cope well with a degree of contamination, but alpacas are not as adept at walling off infection in the abdominal cavity and are more prone to peritonitis. This means that the area in which surgery is performed should be as clean as possible, and your vet should let you know what you can and can’t touch or assist with during surgery.

With the best will in the world, the environment will never be sterile on farm, but you are giving your animals their best chance at survival if you can provide clean, warm, lit, dry, dust-free facilities in which to operate. A post-operative dam will also need TLC (tender loving care), monitoring and ongoing injectable treatments depending on your veterinarian’s plan.

Alpacas have relatively weak abdominal musculature compared to other species, and this can very easily break down after surgery. Their thin muscles also mean we must be extra careful when making incisions, so as not to catch internal organs. To give them their best chance, I recommend abdominal bandaging post surgery, but breakdown or herniation of tissues is unfortunately a risk of abdominal surgery that your vet will do their best to mitigate.

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CRIA GALLERY

After a good response from BAS members to our first cria gallery we decided to celebrate the arrival of newborns from the cria class of 2021.

T

hank you to everyone who has sent in photographs and also to Duncan Pullar BAS CEO who judged the images, writes Alpaca editor Liz Mason. Congratulations to Steve Ellershaw from Lythe Brow Alpacas, near Lancaster who sent the winnng entry featuring Lythe Brow Enforcer and Lythe Brow Eden.

Second is Liz Berry from Fullwod Alpacas with Fullwood Jhana Moon who needed two plasma transfusions to make sure she pulled through. Third is Alice Pond and Kevin Jones,from Fostings Alpacas in Mid Wales showing Fostings Arlo.

Highly commended is Andrea May from Berry Valley Alpacas near Exmoor, Chris Powell from Ashwood Alpacas in Wiltshire and Krystal Humphrey Gorefield Alpacas in Cambridgeshire.

The first prize winner will have the value of their membership refunded to them. The second and third placed photos will get £50 and £25 credit respectively to their BAS account.

Please keep your cameras at the ready and send us your alpaca photos – our next gallery will feature the BAS Alpaca Farm Open Day.

› First place: Steve Ellershaw

14 Alpaca #87

HIGHLY COMMENDED A. Andrea May B. Chris Powell C. Fostings Alpacas D. Krystal Humphrey E. Stuart Wilson Acton F. Krystal Humphrey G. Rachel Dowling H. Steve Ellershaw

H

› Second place: Fostings Alpacas

G

› Third place: Liz Fullwod

A

D

B

E

C

F

HOW USEFUL ARE GENETIC COLOUR TESTS?

Following a Zoom seminar on genetic colour testing by Kylie Munyard from Curtin University in Australia we decided to test a sample of our herd, writes Paul Hetherington, Beck Brow Alpacas. This article is an overview of the principles of the test and a summary of some of our results.

> Two genetically black males

I

am not a geneticist so I will start by apologising to all geneticists if I don’t use the exact terminology, but I will try and explain the theory and results in a way that makes sense to me and hopefully everyone reading this article.

Coat colour – the theory

There are two main types of genes that control colour; one that is denoted a or

16 Alpaca #87

A, which defines the base colour, and one denoted e or E which either allows or prevents the production of black pigment.

An alpaca has two of each gene type so the possible options are aa aA AA and ee eE EE. Any of the three a/A options can exist with any of the three e/E options which gives a total of nine possible combinations. One of each pair of genes is passed on during the mating process.

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The aA type actually has four possibilities: A << will produce white to fawn, Aᵇ will produce a brown body with black extremities, aᵗ will produce a black body with tan on the undersides, a will produce black. Only the sequence for the black a gene has been decoded. The specific sequences for white, fawn and brown have not been decoded yet.

EE combination will allow all black pigment to pass, and therefore allows the base colour to present, while ee will supress all black pigment and so will lighten the base colour. My feeling, from our results, is that Ee will partially supress black pigment.

Animals with an aa combination are genetically black. Animals with ee combination will be pink skinned.

Grey and appaloosa are patterns, not colours, and sit on top of the base colour. For example, a silver grey alpaca is a black alpaca with the grey pattern gene, a rose grey is any other colour with the grey pattern gene. An alpaca with the grey gene has a 50% chance of passing this on to its progeny.

A blue-eyed white is a combination of the grey gene and a currently unidentified white spot gene.

Our results

We took 25 samples and achieved 23 results.

The non results were presumably down to incorrect sampling. The little skin pricker that is supplied with the testing kit does not work on alpacas - we used a needle in the edge of the ear and even then it sometimes took a little while for any blood to appear.

Interestingly 16 animals had the ee combination which supresses all black pigment, 10 had the aa combination, so were genetically black, even though no animals presenting as black were tested. This points to the fact that a significant percentage of our animals are genetically darker in colour than they look.

The table is an example of some of our results.

Animals one and two were predicted to be black but presented as brown. This might suggest the Ee combination has some level of colour suppression.

With all the other animals the presented colour was within the predicted colour range.

> Genetically grey

Animals three and four are genetically black with full pigment suppression and presented as light fawn.

Comparing five to six and seven, all are AA but five has no pigment suppression and presents as dark fawn while six and seven have full pigment suppression and present as white. Number five is guaranteed to put E forward on mating so the resulting cria will always allow some pigment through.

Comparing eight and nine, both have the Ee Aa genes and present as beige and dark fawn. This is within the predicted base colour range.

Animal 10 presents as white and has produced a blue eyed white cria. This was unexpected at the time but is explained now by the fact it is a hidden grey.

Animal 11 is the daughter of animal 10 and is also a hidden grey. Interestingly she has a lot of dark fibres through her fleece which was unexpected but can now be explained by the grey gene. Knowing she is grey will influence the choice of male she is put to.

All animals with at least one A and ee presented as white.

Number

Genotype

Predicted coat colour

Actual colour

Grey

1

Ee aa

Black

Brown

N

2

Ee aa

Black

Brown

N

3

ee aa

White, Fawn

Light Fawn

N

4

ee aa

White, Fawn

Light Fawn

N

5

EE AA

White, Fawn, Brown

Dark Fawn

N

6

ee AA

White, Fawn, Chestnut

White

N

7

ee AA

White, Fawn, Chestnut

White

N

8

Ee Aa

White, Fawn, Brown

Beige

N

9

Ee Aa

White, Fawn, Brown

Dark Fawn

N

10

ee Aa

White, Fawn, Chestnut

White

Y

11

ee aa

White, Fawn

Beige

Y

18 Alpaca #87

Are the results useful?

They will allow you to identify hidden greys.

This will help to avoid grey on grey matings that will have a 25% chance of resulting in a lost embryo (the so called lethal gene where both parents pass on the grey gene). They will also reduce the chances of getting a blue eyed white.

By knowing which genes your males and females have you can work out which combinations the resulting offspring could have.

By matching sires and dams you can improve your odds of getting the colour you want although the range of possible colours is quite large given that the individual genes for white, fawn, and brown have not been identified yet.

Breeding blacks

I think the test will be especially useful for black breeders, as you can see which animals have the a gene and could produce black and the E gene which allows black pigment. Grey breeders can identify animals which do not present as grey, but have a hidden grey gene, and therefore could produce grey offspring.

Animals with aa will always have a chance of producing black, animals with Aa will have 50% chance of passing on the black gene and animals with AA will never produce a black.

In practice it seems like EE will allow base colour to present, Ee will allow some colour to present, and ee will block all black pigment.

The test will undoubtably become more useful as more of the A colour sequences are decoded and we can distinguish between white, fawn and brown.

Really the question is, given that you know the colour genetics of the parents, can you accurately predict the colour of the offspring? We have changed a couple of mating decisions for this year based on our results so it will be interesting to find out in a year’s time if our predictions are correct. Nothing is ever quick with alpacas!

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Alpaca #87

19

COAT COLOUR TEST AGREEMENT There is a saying in business that “the service you provide to your customers today, is not good enough to provide to them tomorrow”. I think that makes a lot of sense, writes Paul Vallely, Art Of Fibre managing director.

F

or that reason, Art Of Fibre continually evaluates new technology and procedures, always with our core business of objective fleece analysis in mind. In line with this, we have two irons in the fire.

First, following on from our experience with genetic evaluation with the Australian merino industry, we are embarking on a similar track, but focussing on alpacas. We are therefore entering a commercial agreement with NEOGEN, who provide science based products including genotyping and

parentage to the world’s animal industries (see Alpaca issue 86).

Our experience has shown us that objective science based genotype and phenotype evaluation can vastly enhance levels of predictability from breeding; breeding tools can accelerate genetic improvement and raise flags to guard against welfare concerns brought about by improper breed selection.

We will announce in the coming weeks how NEOGEN’s alpaca coat colour test for grey phenotype will be provided through Art Of Fibre’s existing service network. We will also consult associations and studs in the lead up to providing DNA parentage testing compatible with existing breed databases and/or registries. As we develop our relationship with NEOGEN we hope to expand the service to include other types of DNA testing.

Carita Saarinen, based in Finland, will be responsible for rolling out NEOGEN services through Art Of Fibre in her role as manager, new business.

Now for the second iron in the fire – behind the scenes, Art Of Fibre (formerly AAFT) have for some years been canvassing alpaca associations to adopt a global accreditation scheme for fibre testing laboratories.

The proposed accreditation scheme would, ideally be managed by an independent body comprised of professionals with experience and qualification in fibre metrology. There are existing entities who set standards for the sheep wool industry including the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO). IWTO would be a perfect entity to manage an alpaca fibre testing accreditation scheme however, so far they have declined.

Art Of Fibre recently asked IWTO to consider creating an alpaca fibre testing accreditation scheme. They replied: “The IWTO Statutes clearly indicate that members want the organisation to focus on wool from Ovis Aries (sheep)”. In other words, “no”. Their reply to me about six years ago was similar. Meanwhile, we will continue to push for a global scheme giving all alpaca breeders assurance as to the integrity of the accuracy and precision of their fibre test results.

About the author

Paul Vallely is the owner of Art Of Fibre (AOF).

AOF operates fibre testing laboratories in the EU and UK. Over the past 30 years Paul has owned and managed a 3,000 head superfine merino operation, established and managed a wool supply chain from Australia to Italy, established Australian Alpaca Fibre Testing, Premium Alpaca fleece collection scheme and the Ultrafine Alpaca Scheme. He has also been involved in several animal fibre research and development projects.

20 Alpaca #87

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Alpaca #87

21

BREED STANDARD

In recent months, a BAS working group, led by BAS board member Ken Freivokh, Artwork Alpacas, has taken on the task of developing a BAS Breed Standard, writes BAS CEO Duncan Pullar. We are delighted to publish the outcome - thank you to everyone who contributed.

T

he process of discussion and consultation with members was designed to try and involve as many people with an opinion and interest as possible. One of the guiding principles employed in the development was to keep the standard simple enough to be useable and relevant to as many BAS members as possible.

This BAS breed standard aims to encourage the objective assessment of the form and function of alpacas in the UK. It is intended as a guide for breeders to help promote the pursuit of alpacas exhibiting high quality fleece traits on a correct frame.

The ideal alpaca should be fit for function and embody the best conformational and fleece traits of the breed. Simply put, an ideal alpaca is one that produces high quality fibre over a long, healthy, and productive life.

The breed standard describes traits as ‘ideal’ and ‘negative/ undesirable traits’ - most alpacas will fall somewhere between the two on the continuum of different characteristics. The “ideal” element promotes the goal of reaching the ideal through selective breeding, resulting in genetic gain and improvement in phenotype.

The traits are not listed in any particular order – it is expected UK breeders will want to continually improve all the traits. Thoughts about what represents the ideal can, and do, change as new knowledge is acquired and this standard is not intended to be static but to evolve alongside alpaca breeding in the UK and reflect the thinking of the time.

A formal review of the standard is scheduled for October 2022.

22 Alpaca #87

CONFORMATION

IDEAL

NEGATIVE/UNDESIRABLE TRAITS

Phenotype

• Alpacas should have a balanced, proportioned frame, free moving, with a strong substance of bone and an alert stance • The head should be carried high

• Obvious lack of balance • Light substance of bone • Narrow head

Side Profile

• Squared-off appearance, neck and legs should be the same length and 2/3 length of the body • Topline (back) straight and level rounding off at the croup to tail creating a slightly sloping rump

• • • • •

Head

• • • • •

Dense top knot (Huacaya) Dense top knot with well-defined locks (Suri) Wide and deep, wedge-shaped muzzle The eyes should be clear, bright, and set well apart The nose should exhibit two well-defined symmetrical nostrils • The upper lip is divided and mobile • The incisors should meet the front edge of the upper dental pad • The ears are of medium length, erect and spear-shaped

• Open, thin topknot • Very narrow head, shallow muzzle • Eyes with cloudy appearance, pale blue eyes • Excessive fleece on the bridge of the muzzle beyond the age of 3 years • Asymmetric nostrils • Incisors excessively under or overshot • Ears excessively out of proportion to head, banana shaped, fused or gofer • Wry face

Forequarters

• Chest should be broad and deep, well sprung ribs • The withers well fleshed, set well into the shoulders forming a straight line with the back • Forelegs should be strong and straight • Pasterns should be firm and upright • Feet should be neat and well-formed and bear two forward pointing toes • The sole of the foot should be covered with a callused membrane

• • • •

Hindquarters & tail

• Rump broad • Well-spaced pin bones • Tail should be straight and long enough to cover the genitalia • Thighs should be well-muscled • Hind legs should be straight from hip to the centre of the foot and parallel when viewed from behind and the correct angulation when viewed from the side • Pasterns should be firm and upright • Feet should be neat and well-formed and bear two forward pointing toes • The sole of the foot should be covered with a callused membrane

• Severe cow hocks • Obvious sickle hocks • Severe post legged • Luxating patella • Very narrow hindquarters • Severe base narrow or base wide • Weak, dropped or camped over pasterns • Bent or kinked tail • Steeply sloping rump • Squared-off rump • Tail absent or abnormally short • Polydactylism • Syndactylism

Genitalia & reproduction

• A female’s udder should show good capacity, with four uniformly positioned teats • Females should have a normal size functioning vulva • Males should have external genitalia correct in size, shape, and position, with two evenly sized, firm testicles descended into scrotal sacs of appropriate size for age

• Less or more than four teats on males or females • Fused teats • Testicles that are too small or of uneven size or undescended into scrotal sac • Fused vulva

Height

• A mature alpaca should measure no less than 32”/81 cm at the withers

• Obviously undersized or oversized for age

Movement & Tracking

• Alpacas should move soundly and exhibit an even stride length with two distinct tracks, the hind feet following the front ones • Alpacas should have a fluid movement

• Paddling on the front feet • Rope walking • Obvious uneven stride and/or length of stride

Obvious incorrect proportions Low neck set High tail set with tail straight from spine Swayback or humpback Curvature in spine, neck and/or tail

Very narrow chest Loose shoulder blades Severely base narrow or base wide Buck knees, calf knees, severe knock knees • Very prominent withers • Weak, dropped or camped over pasterns • Polydactylism • Syndactylism

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FLEECE TRAITS

FLEECE TRAITS NEGATIVE/ UNDESIRABLE TRAITS

HUACAYA

IDEAL

Uniformity of Micron

• Uniformity of fibre diameter (micron) within the staple and across the body resulting in a low standard deviation measurement (SD) • Minimal difference in micron between primary and secondary fibres

• High degree of variance in micron between primary and secondary fibres both within the staple and/or across the body (high SD)

• Low micron not only in mid-side sample but across the animal into extremities • Low transition line • Soft and silky handling fleece

• High levels of coarse fibres • High degree of variability in the fibre diameter • Harsh handle (prickle factor)

• Uniform, well aligned fibres both within the staple and across the body • High ratio of secondary to primary fibres

• Lacks density - open fleece

• Highly aligned fibres with crimp definition • Very well-defined staples which break into micro staples

• Lacks any crimp definition or organisation

Brightness

• High degree of brightness displaying across the fleece which enhances handle

• Very dull • Chalky look and feel

Uniformity of Colour

• Uniformity of colour in staple and throughout the fleece (on solid-coloured alpacas)

• Strong variance in colour within the staple, in patches or spots (multi-coloured alpacas and the white tuxedo pattern in traditional greys not included) • Strongly differing colour in primary fibres compared to secondary fibres

Fineness & Handle

Density

Character

Staple Length

• Producing a staple length each year that is suitable for processing and is uniform in length across the body

• A length not suitable for processing • Variable in length across the body

Guard Hair

• Low levels of guard hair across the body

• High levels of guard hair (stronger straighter fibres) in main blanket area

IDEAL

Lustre

• High degree of lustre

• Severely lacks lustre • Extremely chalky, dull, or flat

Uniformity of Micron

• Uniformity of fibre diameter (micron) within the lock and across the body, resulting in a low standard deviation measurement (SD) • Minimal difference in micron between primary and secondary fibres

• High degree of variance in micron between primary and secondary fibres both within the staple and/or across the body (high SD)

Fineness & Handle

• Low micron not only in mid-side sample but across the animal into extremities • Low transition line • Silky and cool handling fleece

• High levels of coarse fibres • High degree of variability in the fibre diameter • Harsh handle (prickle factor)

Density

• Uniform, well aligned fibres both within the lock and across the body • High ratio of secondary to primary fibres

• Lacks density - open fleece

Lock Structure

• Lock can be wave & twist, tight twist, corkscrew, or straight but should be highly aligned and start close the skin, layering and carrying solidity to the lock • Individual locks breaking down into micro locks

• Lacks any lock structure or solidity to the lock • Lofty

Guard Hair • Low levels of guard hair

• High levels of guard hair (stronger straighter fibres) in main blanket area

Uniformity of Colour

• Uniformity of colour in lock and throughout the fleece (on solid-coloured alpacas)

Lock Length

• Producing a lock length each year that is suitable for processing and is uniform in length across the body

• A length not suitable for processing • Short annual fleece growth • Variable in length across the body

across the body

Bibliography REGULATIONS B12 BREED STANDARDS – Alpaca Association New Zealand ALPACA BREED STANDARD – Australian Alpaca Showing Rules Manual AOA BREED STANDARD – Alpaca Owners Association Inc, US THE SURI BREED STANDARD – The Suri Network A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ALPACA BREED STANDARDS – Jude Anderson, Maggie Krieger, Mike Safley IDEAL ALPACAS from MYTH to REALITY – Michael Safley THE COMPLETE ALPACA BOOK – Eric Hoffman ALPACAS – SYNTHESIS OF A MIRACLE – Michael Safley The ART & SCIENCE of ALPACA JUDGING – Jude Anderson, Cheryl Gehly, Michael Safley, Amanda VandenBosch

24 Alpaca #87

NEGATIVE/ UNDESIRABLE TRAITS

SURI

Strong variance in colour within the lock, in patches or spots (multi-coloured alpacas and the white tuxedo pattern in traditional greys not included) • Strongly differing colour in primary fibre compared to secondary fibres

Ears Bonnet/Top Knot Eye

Croup

Withers Back

Rump

Mouth

Tail Ribs Stifle

Hock Hind Cannon

Mandible (lower jaw)

Chest

Femur

Patella

Patella

Shoulder Elbow

Orbit Maxilla (lower jaw)

Hip

Hock

Knee

Flank

Hind Ankle

Tail/coccygeal vertebrae

Vertebrae (back)

Pin bone Neck

Gaskin

Pelvis

Muzzle

Cervical vertebrae (neck)

Hind Pastern

Stifle

Ribs

Metacarpus

Scapula (shoulder blade) Shoulder joint Humenus Elbow Radius Carpus Metacarpus Fetlock Front Pastern

GLOSSARY OF TERMS Balance

Neck should be same length as legs and 2/3rds the length of the back

Humpback

The backline is convex

Base Narrow

Legs set close together

Knock Knees

Knees bending inward (towards each other – viewed from the front)

Base Wide

Legs set to wide apart

Lock

A group of fibres of similar character, usually when referring to Suri

Blanket

Prime fleece from shoulder to mid-section to rump, both sides

Lustre

The amount of light reflected by the fibre. The sheen or gloss.

Can vary with lighting

Buck Knees

Knees bowed forward (viewed from the side)

Luxating Patella

Loose patella (kneecap)

Calf Knees

Knees bowed backward (viewed from the side)

Mid-side

An area midway between the front and rear legs on the side of an alpaca and approximately 6-8 inches down from the backbone

Camped over

Bowed out at the fetlock (viewed from the side)

Organisation

How the fibre lays within the lock/staples that make up the overall appearance of the fleece

Character

The demonstration of the crimp throughout length of staple

Phenotype

The alpaca’s appearance

Consistency

The uniformity of the micron, crimp, character, and density within the lock and throughout the fleece

Polydactylism

More than two toes on a foot

Coverage

The distribution of continuously growing fibre across the whole body of the alpaca

Post Legged

Rear Legs straight - no angulation from hock to fetlock (viewed from the side)

Cow Hocks

Rear legs turned inwards at the hock (viewed from behind)

Rope Walking

Front and back feet are walking on the same centre line, or crossing over the centre line

Crimp

The natural wave or curl of individual fibres, grown into the fibre from the follicle

Sickle Hock

Too much angulation at the hock (viewed from the side)

Density

The number of fibres measured per square unit area

Staple

The group of fibres or lock

Dropped Pasterns

Too much angulation at the fetlock (viewed from the side)

Staple length

The length of the staple from skin to tip

Fineness

The diameter of fibres measured in microns

Strong

Thick, coarser fibre having a higher micron measurement

Fleece

The fibre from a single live alpaca, in its natural state

Style

A cumulative and overall aesthetic effect of fibre characteristics found in a fleece

Fused Ears

Ears look normal from the outside, however, the inside of the ear’s cartilage is fused together

Substance of Bone

Circumference of bone

Fused Teats

Front, back or both quarters teats are attached to each other

Swayback

The backline is concave

Gopher ears

Very short stubby ears

Syndactylism

Fusion of two toes on the same foot

Guard hair

Coarse, modulated (hollow or partially hollow) primary fibre, usually greater than 30 microns in diameter and straight

Uniformity

The even distribution of characteristics within a fleece – micron, crimp, length of staple, colour, fineness

Handle

A tactile feel of the fleece to the hand – soft, harsh, etc.

Withers

Area at the base of the neck along the first part of backline

26 Alpaca #87

Snowshill Alpacas Snowshill Hill Barn, Temple Guiting, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5XX

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We have a large selection of potential Stud Males, Pet Males and Breeding Females available in a variety of colours.

Stud Services – we have several proven/championship winning Huacaya and Suri boys to choose from.

Pre-arranged visits are very welcome.

We adhere to good biosecurity practices and badger deterrent fencing has been in place since 2009.

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Alpaca #87

27

BREEDING VALUES – PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE

Recent US Alpaca Owners Association (AOA) president, and former chief scientist of the US Alpaca Registry, Shauna R Brummet, outlines the key concepts behind breeding values – or EPDs as they are known in the US. Shauna is from Hobby Horse Farm Alpacas, Wooster, Ohio.

E

stimated or expected progeny differences (EPDs) are calculated based on mathematical models that allow us to elucidate the contribution of genetics and that of environment to the expression of specific, measurable performance traits. The Alpaca Owners Association (originally ARI) EPD programme started in 2008 with its first calculation in 2009 and is proven in practice.

EPDs are generated from data collected on individual animals and their relatives (progeny, parents, siblings). EPDs estimate the true genetic value of an animal for specific traits compared to others of the same breed. The “expected difference” is between the average trait value of a specific animal’s progeny and the average trait value in the rest of the population. The performance of two animals can be compared by subtracting one animal’s EPD from the other – this will give the average expected difference between the two animal’s progeny for each trait.

It is important to understand that EPDs do not give an absolute or individual performance prediction. They give average performance differences of progeny as compared to average performance of others in the population.

I will not go into the mathematics, which are complex matrix algebra equations used to estimate the portion of trait performance that can be attributed to the genetic contribution of one or the other parent, rather I will discuss the concepts needed to understand EPDs and to collect good data.

28 Alpaca #87

Connectedness

Connectedness simply means we must measure traits on alpacas that are genetically related and are living in different environmental conditions. This allows the mathematical model to “remove” the impact of environment on each trait and determine the genetic impact on the expression of the trait.

Alpacas in many countries are well set in this respect. Original import animals have been spread across countries and the use of many herd sires and widespread sale of alpacas has placed similar genetics in various environments.

In other words, we have very good genetic connections between registered herds so that the mathematical models can effectively separate the impact of genetics from environment.

Contemporary Groups

Contemporary groups are defined as uniformly managed groups of animals of the same breed, age and gender. Because the models will use genetic relationships among animals to tease out the separate influence of genetics and environment the data provided must be uniformly impacted by the environment under which the trait was expressed. For meaningful data to be collected all of the alpacas measured must have developed the trait under the same environmental conditions.

This is a little more difficult to manage and something that all breeders need

> Hobby Horse Dancing on the Ceiling_fleece

> Hobby Horse Kitty Kat fleece

to think about as they collect and report data. To be a good contemporary group the alpacas need to have been exposed to the same weather conditions, fed the same feed (hay and grain, supplements and pasture), subjected to similar levels of stress and measured (sheared) at the same point in time.

Contemporary groups of 20 or more alpacas having at least two herdsires represented as a parent in the group are preferred. It should not discourage smaller farms from participating if their contemporary groups are less than 20 though. A smaller number of animals in a contemporary group may impact the accuracy/prediction error somewhat (see below) but are not much of an issue.

Fibre samples for analysis should be taken from all alpacas within a contemporary group within a couple of days of one another so that the fleece snippets tested are all affected by the same growing conditions. This is one reason that the mid-side sample location and 2mm snippet ‘base of staple’ sampling generates the optimal data for assessing the fibre traits.

Some farms may need to report separate contemporary groups for the fibre analysis. If males, pregnant females, weanling males and females, fibre animals or other groups are treated differently they should be labelled as such when the samples are submitted for analysis. An animal that has been off farm for more than a week and comes back on the day of shearing should not be included in that year’s contemporary group. It could be included in the contemporary group of the farm where it resided before returning home.

progeny, siblings, aunts/uncles, grandparents, and nieces/nephews out three generations. The value of the data for each generation is lessened, which means that the data has less impact on the accuracy of more distant relative’s EPDs. The data of greatest impact on the EPD and its accuracy is data from the alpaca itself and its first-degree relatives.

Your herdsire may have progeny in several different herds and you have progeny of other producer’s alpacas in your herd. Owners may submit fleece samples for the progeny they own. These data will contribute to the calculation of EPDs for your herdsire.

These data are as valid and valuable to the calculation as data you submit.

In fact, it is quite valuable when other progeny are in herds that experience a different environment than your herd. Those progeny allow your alpaca’s genetics to be assessed as they perform in a different environment.

Submitting all data is important. Because different environments will impact the traits differently alpacas might well have better genetic value than appears under some conditions. In order for the industry to quickly produce useable data it is important for you to submit data on all animals that you maintain whether they are herdsires, prize females, young unproven stock or fibre animals. So, collect samples from all your animals and let the calculations sort out the differences. Submitting only “good data” is actually detrimental.

Prediction error/accuracy

Making use of objective tools

EPDs are accompanied by an accuracy or prediction error figure. This number (a decimal between 0 and 1) shows the current reliability of the EPD. It is the level of confidence that the predicted value is near the true genetic value of the animal for the specific trait. Accuracy/Prediction Error is dependent on the heritability of the trait and the number of records from the individual, relatives and progeny used in the evaluation. The greater the heritability the higher the EPD accuracy will be.

Accuracy is dependent on an animal having relatives in different herds, on the cohesiveness of the contemporary group, its size and on the number of sires represented in the contemporary group. It is important to note that alpacas with high accuracy EPDs will produce as much variation in offspring as animals with low accuracy EPDs, but the high accuracy EPD is closer to the true breeding value of the animal for the trait.

Data collection

Accurate performance records are critical to the success of genetic evaluation and selection programs. Consistent and accurate collection of data is important for generating EPDs with as high accuracy as possible.

EPDs are calculated up and down and across the pedigrees in the database. This is a strength of the methodology. The data submitted from a single alpaca is incorporated into EPD calculations for that alpaca’s parents,

I would like to conclude this discussion with some thoughts on using objective tools, specifically EPDs, to answer the question “are you achieving your breeding plan or fibre production goals?”

Whatever your goals are for breeding stock or production animals the EPD programme can help you to realize them.

Let’s say you want to produce grade 2 fibre (20-23 microns) with exceptional uniformity (low standard deviation( SD) of average fibre diameter (AFD). You can make use of EPDs to select mates or purchase alpacas that have the genetic propensity to do exactly that. You can use alpacas with rather neutral EPDs for average fibre diameter (AFD) but negative EPDs for SD and percent of fibres over 30 microns to achieve your goals.

Perhaps you have a fine fleeced herd, but need a herdsire that can help stem the production of ever shorter staple lengths. You can use EPDs to identify such a herdsire by looking at the EPDs for staple length in conjunction with mean curvature.

In combination with histograms of your own herd ( remember, there is little use in comparing histograms when selecting matings or purchases because they reflect the significant impact of the alpaca’s environment) conformational assessment, maternal instincts evaluations and other tools along with the powerful EPDs we can produce alpaca fibre that is economically valuable and gives each farm the highest return on their business model.

Alpaca #87

29

BAS ALPACA FARM DAY

BAS members are set to open their farms to the public on 4 September 2020, for the UK’s first Alpaca Farm Day. > Visitors at Cary Alpacas

T

he event, which has attracted support from more than 100 owners, offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase alpacas and promote alpaca ownership as a lifestyle or business choice. Welcoming the public onto your farm allows you to promote your business, and provide an interesting outdoor experience for people, particularly families, who want to learn more about these endearing animals.

Ensuring you are organised well ahead of the event is essential and to help you plan we have put together a farm day checklist.

Publicity

Get in touch with your local newspaper and/or radio station – there is a lot of press interest in alpacas and Farm Day is expected to generate local and national press interest and positive publicity for the alpaca community. BAS CEO Duncan Pullar will have a press release available that you can adapt to your farm.

Leaflets and posters (including a design for social media) to print and use are available from BAS.

Type of event

The type of event is up to you but decide in advance if you are happy for visitors to wander around the farm. Would a guided tour work better? This could be either a walk and talk style presentation, or a self-guided tour with a farm trail leaflet and/or signs to direct people. Perhaps you could offer a spotters alpaca/nature quiz for children.

Make sure paths are safe and there are no trip hazards. You will also need to complete a risk assessment – templates are available online – and have adequate public liability insurance (see separate article). Will you need extra help from family or friends – perhaps to direct people or answer questions?

Parking and traffic

Do you have adequate parking? This is essential – neighbours are not going to appreciate random parking and blocked driveways. The BAS will have direction signs available (three/four for each farm) Continued on the next page >>

30 Alpaca #87

Scotfield

Mid-Cornwall’s premier alpaca herd

www.ScotfieldAlpaca.co.uk

Family run Berkshire farm breeding high quality Suri and Huacaya alpacas

Our breeding aim is to maximise fibre production and improve fibre quality generation upon generation, with a view to providing the ultimate fibre for yarn production.

Higher Carpalla Farm Foxhole St Austell 01726 338580 07974 796792 nigel@nigelretallack.co.uk www.carpallaalpacas.co.uk

Alpacas sold, with full after-sales support and husbandry training

A PACAS Nigel and Margaret Retallack

Mid Wales Alpaca Shearing

Get in touch to book yourself a date

Visit our online shop for hats, gloves, scarves & more designed & made right here on our farm.

Totally natural, hypo-allergenic , no dyes, no blends purely 100% alpaca yarn.

Shearing, toes, teeth, fighting teeth, pregnancy scanning, vaccinations and worming, body scoring and animal weighing available.

Call Tom on 07594 469029 or Email: Midwalesalpacashearing@aol.com

Office 01344 486969 Lisa Hipkin 07770 455534 alpaca@scotfieldalpaca.co.uk Scotlands Farm, Warfield, Berkshire RG42 6AJ Alpaca #87

31

> Visitors at Cary Alpacas

<< and these need to be ordered in advance.

Where there is likely to be a lot of traffic on small lanes consider informing your local council – a one way system may be helpful to avoid congestion.

Size of event

Small – a private event for friends/family or local village/school or other group.

Medium – limited to about 50 people. A booking system through your website or social media pages will be helpful to ensure you are not overwhelmed. With a big event (more than 50 visitors) timed pre-booked tours for groups may be a good plan.

Opening times – will you open all day or just mornings or afternoons? Make visitors aware of opening and closing times on event publicity.

Ensure you are able to comply with any social distancing requirements and visitors are aware of Covid-19 restrictions.

Hand washing facilities are essential – you need to have warm running water and adequate liquid soap supplies (not blocks) and paper towels to dry hands. Sanitiser is not considered adequate when visitors are touching animals.

Sanitiser could however be available at stations around the farm.

Disabled access – is your farm wheelchair accessible? It would be helpful to let visitors know in advance.

Lock away any medicines, farm chemicals and machinery – be aware of security.

Displays and demonstrations

Farm day is an opportunity to showcase alpacas and promote alpaca ownership. Perhaps you could display photographs of your alpacas/cria, as well as educational materials, farm/herd leaflets, fleece, yarns or products.

You could ask your local spinners and weavers guild if they would like to demonstrate handspinning or maybe felting? Farm Day is a great opportunity to demonstrate that alpacas are fibre producing animals with an exceptional quality fleece that can be made into fabulous alpaca products.

Are you serving refreshments or allowing picnics?

Finally, you will need toilets – hire companies can provide portaloos.

Charges

The intention is that BAS Farm Open Day has a basic free element where the public can meet an alpaca. Merchandise, food and experiences can be charged for as extras. The aim is to promote alpaca ownership and showcase the amazing world of alpacas to the public.

T

ENSURE YOU’RE INSURED

he BAS is highlighting the need to have public liability insurance in place for National Alpaca Farm Day. Suitable policies are available from several companies including Peliwicain Insurance, agricultural, equine and commercial specialists and H&H Insurance Brokers (HHIB) who also specialise in rural and business insurances.

HHIB recently launched an Insure my Alpaca policy, and aims to use its expert team to support the growing number of camelid owners and breeders across the UK. Working with a specialist underwriter, Insure My Alpaca is a niche product designed for llamas and alpacas. Flexible policies cover losses

32 Alpaca #87

such as theft and mortality as standard. These can be extended to include trailers, cover for trekking and school visits as well as the loss of stud males.

For owners opening their farms for BAS National Alpaca Day public liability insurance, available at varying levels, is a vital add on, HHIB says.

Insure My Alpaca includes employers liability insurance as standard. This covers owners for claims made not just by employees injured at work, but also for friends, family, or anyone else who offers a helping hand. A £10 million limit of indemnity is included as standard.

Policies are available from other companies, including Peliwicain Insurance.

insure my alpaca Specialist Camelid Insurances Our friendly and professional team are able to create a bespoke product to suit your needs: • Mortality • Walking Experiences with the Public • Group Visits On and Off Your Premises

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SKIRTING MADE SIMPLE

Emma Taylor, promotes fibre and fibre products as a BAS board member and fibre committee chair. She is co-owner of the East Anglia Alpaca Mill and herd owner at Alpacas of East Anglia.

Her guide to skirting was the subject of a recent BAS webinar and it is a topic she covers each year at the BAS National Show.

E

mma’s message is straightforward – skirting adds value to fleece and it is a skill that is not difficult to learn. “If you can feel and see the difference between fine and coarse fleece you are already on your way.”

Skirting will increase fleece value either when sold as a raw product, or when sent to a mill for processing, and it ensures a fleece is presented to its best advantage when shown. “Fibre creates revenue and skirting maximises your revenue – fibre is the product and not a by-product of owning alpacas.

“Even if you keep pet alpacas you still have to shear them every year and you will benefit from some revenue each year if that raw fibre is presented to the best of your ability.”

Emma is keen to ensure owners understand that all fibre (good, bad or indifferent) has a use.

“Ask yourself what should be done with your fibre? And look at its value raw compared with the value added – you can turn your raw fleece into a product worth £300 plus/kilo processed weight.”

Before making anything the first step is to decide what to make and work backwards from there. Are you looking to sell finished garments or yarn for machine or hand knitting, crochet or weaving? Duvets are another potential source of revenue for poorer quality fibre.

There are many potential end uses but you must ensure fibre is suitable for your intended finished product fleece testing will ensure you receive an objective measure of quality in terms of fineness (micron), staple length and standard deviation or uniformity.

Prime fibre

The best part of the fleece is prime fibre or blanket (see diagram), followed by seconds (second best fibre) from the neck, belly and leg area. Seconds are different from second cuts which happen when a shearer passes twice over the same area of fleece – too many can ruin an

34 Alpaca #87

> Skirting points

otherwise beautiful fleece.

“You need to remember this is your annual crop and your shearer is hugely important. Poor shearing and or poor handling of fibre post shearing can ruin even the best fleeces,” Emma adds.

To avoid contamination prime fibre is shorn first and good shearers should also be able to recognise transition lines defining the blanket

area and shear accordingly. Shearing in colour order from white through to black will also help to reduce contamination and ideally fleece should be skirted as it is shorn.

“You need to retain the neck fibre separately, particularly of younger animals and those with great genetics, because as long as you have a good staple length it can still be spun into yarn.”

Continued on the next page >>

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Aim for uniformity

> Suri skirting points

Uniformity, or minimal variation in micron across a fleece, is key to achieving good quality.

“The goal is to breed animals with uniformity across the entire fleecebody and with as little variation as possible.

“The aim of skirting is to create a uniform batch of fibre and what we consider is micron value, staple length and colour.”

Skirting helps to achieve uniformity by removing guard hair, coarse fibres, short fibres, and second cuts and any variation in staple length. “We don’t want any vegetation, skin tags or tender fibre as all the factors I have mentioned will have a profound effect on the quality of the final product.”

To gain a better understanding of fleece quality Emma advises owners to take a look at a fleece show score sheet. “Everything you are looking for in a fleece is in the order of the score sheet so have a look at your fleeces and have a look at the elements on the sheet.”

These include: fineness and handle, uniformity of micron, uniformity of staple length and uniformity of colour. Showing also offers an expert assessment of fleece quality and helps to dispel any “barn blindness” you may have when it comes to assessing your own alpacas’ fibre.

Skirting diagrams published with permission from Cameron Holt

Objective measurement

Fibre Facts

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36 Alpaca #87

• Alpacas produce fibre or fleece not wool • Fineness is measured in microns (1 micron = 1/1,000th mm) • The higher the micron the coarser the fibre hair • Staple length is the length of cut fibre from base to tip • All types of fibre have a use • Unlike wool alpaca fibre is hollow • Alpaca fibre is water, wind, stain and odour resistant • It is hypoallergenic and lanolin free • Alpaca yarn does not pill (or bobble) when knitted • Alpaca fibre is non-flammable and second only to silk in strength

“When you are breeding to achieve a lower SD across your herd the fineness will come down automatically, as it is a highly heritable trait and when you are looking to buy alpacas have a look at the SD ahead of the micron – if the SD is high you are not looking at a very well fleeced animal.

Be careful to consider the age of the animal when the fibre sample was taken and not to compare animals on fibre results alone.”

Understanding fleece quality, good practice at shearing, skirting and careful fleece storage will ensure that you realise the potential of your fibre and achieve the best return from your annual harvest.

KELSEYmedia

Standard deviation (SD) is another objective quality measurement to incorporate into breeding programmes. Despite the emphasis on micron or fineness, fibre with a higher micron and a low SD will have a better handle (softer feel) than a low micron, finer fibre with a high SD. This means a fleece with an average 20 micron and SD 5 includes fibres as fine as 15 micron and as coarse as 25 – SD 5 means there is a 5 micron differential either side of the 20 micron average and consequently a relatively large 10 micron difference between the best and worst fibre in that fleece. But a fleece with the same average micron and SD 3 has a much smaller 6 micron differential between its lower micron value (17) and the upper value (23).

IT’S IN OUR DNA

READER’S STORY A princess who ‘stole our hearts’

W

e couldn’t believe our luck last summer when we got what we had ordered! Castlings Diamanté Diamond Princess took us totally by surprise, writes Rebecca Block.

She was born in the middle of a hot July day to her young maiden dam Beatrice (Castlings Beatrice Bourbon Bonbon Baby), a warm chocolate coloured fancy with a white dusting of icing sugar around her face and ballerina points at her feet.

I know you aren’t supposed to have favourites, but there’s always one or two that steal your heart and Beatrice is one of those. She is sassy, quirky and super friendly and has a unique squeaky language all of her own. Being a slim framed maiden I had worried about her first pregnancy, but she just got on with it in her own indomitable way. Quietly and without fuss, while we were busy in the next paddock she gave birth to a stunning grey female sired by champion Essex Stirling.

She was striking from the moment she was born with a soft pewter-grey fleece that glistened and flowed like molten silver in the sun. She very quickly became nicknamed Princess – petite, pretty and (Princess) Beatrice’s daughter – it was such an obvious fit.

We knew she was special from the start. Princess was just like a mini-Beatrice – little miss independence, skipping off after our two young cats, nibbling moss by the gate, nonchalantly chewing a piece of clover or hay in the corner of her upturned mouth, like she was puffing on a favourite cigar.

She was so very pretty and boy did she know it, always with her head held high, ears pricked, smiling at the camera. She was cheeky, funny and smart and she stole our hearts. She was the only one that could squeak like Beatrice! Everyone who came to our farm over the summer was drawn to her and I knew we were on to a winner.

Something there…

38 Alpaca #87

It was the week before Christmas and it felt as though it hadn’t stopped raining for over a month. I had half noticed out of the corner of my eye that Princess looked a little fluffier on one side of her face and thought maybe it had been flattened by lying on the wet grass. We still couldn’t get her eating hard feed at that stage so she hadn’t been using the cria pen, preferring to hang out under the hay trough in her favourite spot in the shelter and it took me a couple of days to catch up with her properly and have a good look at my suspicion.

There was something there, a hard lump on the right side just under her jaw line, about the size and shape of a small egg. She seemed completely unperturbed by it, there was no sign of discomfort or ill thrift. The most likely cause was an abscess and we assumed it might have contributed to her continued refusal to eat any hard feed.

Christmas Eve was busy; the vet came and we had worming and AD and E paste to administer as well. It was not as straight forward as we had hoped and the prognosis was an enlarged lymph node, possibly caused by a blocked lymph duct or infection.

She was given anti inflammatory pain relief and an antibiotic which we were to continue. After Christmas we had a breakthrough with feeding. Having led her into the cria pen to try to resume hand feeding now that we knew it was not an abscess, she suddenly turned and walked straight to the trough and starting guzzling with the others as if she had always been there. She was so hungry and so excited by this new experience that I thought she might burst! I tried to encourage her to gently acclimatise her stomach to the new feed that the other cria had been enjoying for some time, but that was easier said than done. She continued to feed with great gusto and we rejoiced in her putting on weight over those days, but to me, she felt fragile.

• To be continued in the next issue.

TEA AT TAIWIND

Alpaca editor Liz Mason meets Lynn Pepper at Taiwind Alpacas, to ‘chat about alpacas’ in this first farm visit since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

L

ynn Pepper breeds black alpacas on her four acre smallholding near Frome in Somerset. For a small breeder with limited land she has achieved notable success in the showring, including several black champions at the BAS National Show.

Lynn loves her alpacas and this is evident straightaway. After meeting the females, including several that have been at Taiwind from the start, we look at the stud males. The two youngest share the same paddock and the pair have been inseparable since weaning. Apart from the odd boisterous play fight, “boys will be boys”, Lynn says, they are naturally calm like the rest of the herd.

“It’s all to do with the way you handle them. Their natural temperament does of course come into it and that’s down to their breeding,” Lynn says.

Her top stud male, Warlock of EP Cambridge is in a separate paddock. He kept his head down grazing as his field companion Charlie, the only white alpaca in the herd, met us at the paddock fence hoping for a carrot.

Charlie, who is a castrated male, has a home for life at Taiwind. Lynn did sell him once, but brought him straight back after discovering there were no field shelters or a hay store in his new home. “The conditions were just not right for him,” she says.

Charlie is now content as a field companion to Warlock who was bred by Matt and Cathy Lloyd in Australia. “Warlock is the animal that has given me my status as a breeder,” Lynn says. “He hasn’t been put over a huge number of females so his breeding is still sought after with most of his stock going abroad.”

After meeting the boys we have tea and Lynn explains how she started with alpacas. “I first went to see some alpacas on a farm in 2003 and after lots of reading, and taking in as much information on welfare and caring for alpacas as I could - several years later I bought my core herd of black females.

“There were hardly any black herds in the UK at that time and certainly not many for sale. With only four acres of land I had to buy the best I could afford and I have always focussed on quality over quantity.”

Before owning alpacas Lynn bred Appaloosa horses – Taiwind was the name of her first horse. In Chinese Tai means beautiful and Lynn aims to breed top quality black alpacas with beautiful heads. “You don’t want to be looking at an ugly alpaca in your field,” she adds.

Lynn’s sense of humour, together with her back catalogue of alpaca knowledge

going back to the days when the BAS National was “held in a field or some other unwelcoming building”, meant it was easy to chat for several hours.

Like other breeders Lynn has missed catching up with other owners at shows and adding to her collection of alpaca writing pens. “I am missing the shows especially as my supply of pens has dried up!”

Amazing friends

For Lynn one of the biggest benefits of alpaca ownership is “meeting like-minded people who love animals”. The other is “having a good rapport and friendly banter with your shearer!” Alpaca shearer Colin Ottery is Lynn’s shearer who is also known for his sense of humour.

“I have met some amazing people, including some at the other end of the country, who I’m always pleased to see and otherwise wouldn’t have met,” Lynn says. “Some provide you with writing pens that last throughout the year but Colin Ottery your pens don’t last five minutes!

“I’m also lucky to have some pretty amazing friends including Chris and Steve Powell, from Ashwood Alpacas. I am pretty sure that secretly they want to breed black alpacas as Chris is always taking my best animals into the ring!”

Making lasting friendships and enjoying the camaraderie among breeders at shows is hugely rewarding but breeding is also a business and needs to earn an income. However, Lynn always makes sure her alpacas are sold to good homes. “I have always kept in touch with new owners and I always make sure that they go to good homes that have field shelters, a good supply of fresh water and good fencing.

“When you’re selling your alpacas you also need to have a feel for the new owners. You need to ask yourself are the alpacas right for them? Do they look kind and caring? Are they asking the right questions about buying and keeping these loveable creatures.”

Apart from loving her alpacas Lynn has an enormous sense of pride in her herd. This comes not only from winning in the showring but also from knowing that fibre from the Taiwind herd is made into high quality alpaca garments sold on London’s Bond Street.

As a breeder who has shown for many years winning is still “an amazing moment”, she says. “It’s not about me. It’s about the pride I have in that particular alpaca – it is overwhelming. I’m just so proud that my alpaca has done well.”

To arrange a visit from the editor or ‘a chat about alpacas’ contact: alpaca.ed@kelsey.co.uk

Alpaca #87

39

KEEN ON ALPACAS

An appearance on ITV’s The Chase attracted press headlines and hundreds of new social media followers for Jacob Keen, Backyard Alpacas. He talks to Alpaca editor Liz Mason about his future plans.

A

t just 21, Jacob has seven years’ experience as an alpaca owner. Not content to just keep alpacas Jacob aims to breed top quality Suri show champions.

In 2015, just a year after starting out, Backyard Alpacas was named best small breeder at the BAS Alpaca Futurity, at the time Europe’s biggest show - a fantastic achievement for a young newcomer at his first show. Jacob has since gone on to produce multiple champions and several supreme championship winners.

“I started Backyard Alpacas in 2014 when I was 14. I used to breed pure bred chickens and I used the money I raised from that to buy four alpacas – two girls and two boys, then very quickly, within a year we had about seven girls.”

The alpacas arrived after Jacob returned from a family holiday in Greece and found a fox had taken the chickens. “I did some research into alpacas as flock guards and I thought there was no point just having three boys that sit in a field and don’t earn any money. So, I bought the girls as well as the boys and it grew from there.

“We have a herd of 11 at the moment, but we will be up to 20 by the end of the summer. We specialise in all Suris, including white, black and grey. “ Jacob chose Suris because he found their innate style and elegance appealing. “I used to keep rare pure bred chickens, and I quite liked the idea that Suris are the rarer type of alpaca.

“They are more stylish, and I associate them with high end designer fashion. I like fashion, and designer clothes, so I guess that goes hand in hand with keeping Suris.”

Jacob’s future plans for the herd are to expand and focus on breeding blacks and greys – both colours that are increasingly sought after among

40 Alpaca #87

Suri breeders. “You don’t get many black or grey Suris in the UK and this is something I would like to push more in future.

Backing black

Figures from Grassroots, who manage the BAS registry, show there are 2376 Suris belonging to BAS members – of these 223 are black and 95 are grey. The biggest reason for the low numbers of black, and grey alpacas is that they are difficult to breed, Jacob says. “A breeder can put two blacks together and end up getting a white – but the blacks and the greys are just stunning,” he adds.

His aim is to boost black Suri numbers by importing top quality alpacas from a specialist New Zealand breeder. The chance of winning a cash prize from his appearance on The Chase to help fund this ambition was one of the reasons Jacob took part in the show – it was also a lot of fun at a time when he was otherwise not able to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Unfortunately, he has been forced to shelve his import plans – but only for the immediate future – after his hopes of winning were dashed.

“I was looking at importing some from Thistledown, a herd owned by (international judge) Molly Gardner on the South Island. It is still my goal to import some really top quality black Suris into the country to really get them going.”

The Backyard New Zealand “dream team” would include four or five females, and maybe one or two stud males. Meanwhile, as a breeder, student and part time shop worker at Waitrose Jacob’s time is divided between his London student flat and the Norfolk family home where mum Sue helps with the day to day alpaca management.

After finishing a Masters degree at the Royal Veterinary College Jacob

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plans to continue his studies and is hoping to research vitamin D deficiency in alpacas.

Media attention

Tabloid press headlines suggested fans of The Chase were left “stunned” by his job as an alpaca breeder but Jacob says he wasn’t surprised by the reaction as alpaca breeding is “a niche business”.

“It kind of blew up a bit and I had people stopping me in the street and talking to me at work. People were asking me if I was that alpaca breeder on The Chase?

“I had loads of people adding me on Instagram and following the alpaca page on Facebook and we had several companies in Norfolk contacting us.

“We’ve had so many followers on social media that I think it has been a very good marketing campaign for us and we’ve had a lot of people interested in buying.

“I also think it’s been good for the alpaca industry in the UK as it has helped to raise awareness of what we do.”

As a young man with experience Jacob Keen, and Backyard Alpacas, are certainly names to watch for the future.

Are You Doing The Rounds ? …

With over 22 years Experience we can help you select your breeding stock, or pets, from our prize-winning herd of friendly Huacayas – and we’re friendly too!

Visit our website or call Karen 07913 247144

www.mvalpacas.co.uk

Beginner & Advanced Courses by Arrangement Alpaca #87

41

BAS REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight on the North East and Borders Alpaca Group

North East and Borders Alpaca Group CHAIR: Debra Steward, Dargan Alpacas SECRETARY: Teri White, Bingfield Alpacas TREASURER: Paul Rippon, Barnacre Alpacas,

Nebag.info@yahoo.com @nebaguk

42 Alpaca #87

H

ello from the wonderful North East and Scottish Borders! The North East and Borders Alpaca Group (Nebag) is a friendly group of about 20 herds spread over hundreds of square miles, writes Teri White, from Bingfield Alpacas and Paul Rippon, of Barnacre Alpacas.

Nebag was started many years ago by local alpaca breeders with the aim of helping and supporting their community. This founding purpose still resonates and every day we ask each other questions to obtain help and improve the wellbeing of ourselves and our alpacas.

We’re a mixed group ranging from nonbreeding pets to our biggest breeder with a herd of 290 alpacas. We have several multi champions, although equally they consider their alpacas to be pets too! Some of our members are just starting out on their alpaca journey while others have had alpacas for 24 years. Our members are also from all walks of life and as a result we have a real mix of ideas and advice which we believe makes us a very strong group.

Our membership capitalises on the beautiful landscape we live in and offers visitors a healthy amount of alpaca trekking/meet and greets as well as informative and educational talks. Some of our members have combined this with visitor/holiday accommodation allowing people to recharge their batteries and give their mental health a real boost.

Some members use their wonderful alpaca fleece to make knitted, crocheted and felted goods which they sell in person, online and at craft markets/fairs.

Keeping in touch

During the Covid-19 pandemic, like many others we’ve used technology including WhatsApp and Zoom to stay in touch. In the grips of the pandemic we met for a Zoom talk with Paul Vallely from Art of Fibre. This was a great success and raised much needed funds for NHS charities.

In May it was wonderful to meet in person for our annual general meeting (AGM). This was very kindly hosted by one of our members, Barnacre Alpacas. We were able to be socially distanced in the barn and we sat on hay bales while we had our usual healthy debate and discussions.

The AGM also brought about some changes to the committee. Our newly elected chair is, Debra Steward of Dargan Alpacas. Our secretary is me, Teri White of Bingfield Alpacas, and me, Paul Rippon from Barnacre Alpacas, continuing as treasurer.

Halter show plans

The big news is that we are thrilled to be planning a Halter Show for late November 2021 which will be held at Hexham Mart. More information about this will be available soon.

Covid-19 restrictions permitting we also plan to have a tour of the Border Mill up in Duns, Scotland and have a full-on fleecy day. We also have other exciting events being lined up, including one for the crocheting fans.

We welcome enquiries from anyone who needs help or wants to join our group, with free membership this year!

L

BAS BOARD MEMBER’S BLOG

ike most, our favourite ‘alpaca seasons’ have been in full swing, shearing and birthing! I adore looking at the fleeces as they come off, and we are already starting to plan all the crafty things we can get up to with them, writes Clara Boulton.

My other favourite thing about this time of year is looking at my paddocks. We have our normal grazing paddocks, but we also graze approximately 12 acres of stewardship scheme land which is kept with ground nesting birds in mind. Something we are very happy to accommodate! But this does mean we do have to allow some natural growth in those fields.

Some of my favourite regular plant finds are meadowsweet, pineapple weed, willowherb, yarrow and cow parsley.

I know the alpacas will love having a good graze! My older girls regularly

spend more time in those paddocks, reaping all the natural benefits of the multitude of amazing plants in there. Having a sit on the grass in the sun – what a hardship – is also a good excuse to start looking for the ‘scary plants’.

Plants like horsetail can easily sneak up on you if you have lush grazing where it can blend in, not to mention our old friend Mr Ragwort.

It doesn’t hurt to just spend a moment checking out what is going on in your paddocks. We try to manage all of our paddocks, stewardship scheme or not, as naturally as possibly. Which usually involves asking whose idea was this’ a few weeks into charging into my paddocks armed with a ragfork and a wheel barrow with aching arms every evening in spring and summer?

However, it is always nice to have an excuse to spend some more time in the paddocks with the alpacas, even if there is always one who insists on standing in the way.

> Yarrow leaves

> Orchid

> Meadowsweet leaves

> Pineapple weed

Alpaca #87

43

LATEST RESEARCH MAY CHANGE THINKING ON DIETS New research could prompt advances in diet rationing for camelids, according to the latest results from US studies.

T

he research, by alpaca nutrition expert, Dr Robert Van Saun was included in a recent Alpaca Birthing webinar presented by farm vet, and Cornwall based camelid consultant Sarah Caldwell. “There has been recent trial work carried out by Penn State University, looking at nutritional modelling and the impact on reproduction,” Sarah said.

One study investigated how dietary phosphorus can influence cria development, the age at which they reach puberty and subsequently their pregnancy success. There was no significant difference in weight, body condition and blood phosphorus levels in the randomly selected cria at the start of the trial.

The results (presented in Table 1) demonstrate a significant difference in the measured parameters, with only 25% of the lower phosphorous group confirmed pregnant, compared to 62.5% in the highest phosphorous group.

Embryo loss was also far higher in the low phosphorous group.

“We know already that alpacas are very good at recycling phosphorus through the salivary glands. This mechanism is essential to C1 development in cria and maintaining homeostasis with calcium for bone health – C1 being the first compartment of three stomachs.

“This study is of particular interest given the relatively high rate of early embryo loss observed within breeding herds and could play a crucial role in Dietary Phosphorus (g/kg Dry Matter)

1.6

2.5

3.4

Start – Weight, Condition Score & blood phosphorus level

No significant difference

No significant difference

No significant difference

End – Weight, Condition Score & blood phosphorus level

Lowest weight, condition and blood phosphorus.

Minority reached puberty

Majority reached puberty

Highest weight, condition and blood phosphorus.

All reached puberty

Pregnancy success (%)

25.0

43.8

62.5

Embryo loss (%)

30.0

12.5

9.0

> Table 1: Study conducted in Peru with 48 female cria aged 7 to 9 months of age, bred at 14 months old. Dr. R. Van Saun and Quispe et al, 2019. Correlated by Sarah Caldwell

44 Alpaca #87

their future management,” Sarah said.

Updated nutrition guidance

The National Research Council’s (NRCs) 2007 Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants has long been considered “the bible of nutrition”, containing fundamental information to formulate rations. Dr Van Saun’s latest research however, suggests the camelid section needs updating.

Table 2 illustrates the differences between current (white and grey) and historic (orange) data. In summary, this demonstrates a lower need for energy (TND %) and crude protein (CP%), and higher demand for dietary calcium and phosphorus. Van Saun’s interpretation is that we are currently “feeding for obesity”. His further work also demonstrated that diets too high Physiologic state

TDN %

CP %

Calcium %

Phosphorus %

Llamas Maintenance

41.8

7.5

0.34

0.24

Growth

54.5 - 61.4

7.8 - 9.0

0.36 - 0.40

0.25 - 0.28

Lactation

54.5 - 56.8

10.6 - 11.4

0.44 - 0.45

0.31

Pregnancy

54.5

7.9

0.45

0.31

Alpacas Maintenance

48.0

7.4

0.32

0.22

Growth

60.2 - 67.0

7.8 - 9.1

0.37 - 0.40

0.26 - 0.29

Lactation

60.2 - 62.5

8.1

0.42

0.30

Pregnancy

60.2

10.8 - 12.0

0.42 - 0.44

0.29 - 0.31

NRC 2007 Maintenance

53.1

9.2

0.18

0.14

Growth

52 - 80

8.9 - 12.5

0.3 - 0.68

0.17 - 0.33

Lactation

52 - 80

9.6 - 16

0.3 - 0.75

0.18 - 0.42

Pregnancy

53 - 80

8.5 - 15.76

0.25 - 0.45

0.17 - 0.24

> Table 2 Camelid dietary recommendations: Comparing recent trial work of Camelid Dietary Recommendations to NRC 2007 data.

Presented by Dr. R. Van Saun 2020. Lopez and Raggi, Arch Med Vet XXIV No2, 1992

> Table 3: Study conducted in Peru with 48 late pregnant mature alpacas. Diets fed from 30 days prior to unpacking to 45 days lactation. Dr. R. Van Saun and Deza, H PHD Thesis LaMolina University.

Correlated by Sarah Caldwell Dietary Crude Protein (g/kg Dry Matter)

90

120

150

Blood Urea Nitrogen (mg/dl)

Low

Moderate

High

Dry Matter Intake

Low

High

High

Uterine infection (%)

Impaired reproductive performance

Optimal reproductive performance

43.7

Embryo loss (%)

A prize winning, working alpaca farm in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – the Chiltern Hills

50.0

in crude protein can be detrimental to reproductive performance (Table 3).

“Any nutrition related decisions should be regularly evaluated and assessed by the animals themselves. The best way to achieve this is to be hands on and body condition score (BCS) or weigh as part of your husbandry routine.

Checking membrane colour for anaemia at the same time is recommended.

Fluctuations in BCS and weight can be an indicator of disease and is essential to monitor at all ages and stages of production but especially for breeding females so you can manage them in a way to keep them fit not fat, to minimise complications with unpacking and support them through lactation and early pregnancy,” Sarah added.

For a straightforward guide to body scoring see www.nadis.org.uk/disease-a-z/camelids/the-healthy-alpaca/.

Recent research is also prompting a change in the accepted view of alpacas as being true grazers, and that like goats, alpacas show more browsing behaviour. This will influence how feed is presented to optimise intakes and appeal to their natural behaviours.

Ending her talk Sarah said: “We need to consider that this research is developing and the results presented are from animals managed under trial conditions, outside of the UK. I am not suggesting we implement changes until this is validated but it certainly provides evidence for the progression in the nutritional management and reproductive performance of breeding alpacas – watch this space!”

Photo: Charlotte Bull

FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS QUALITY ANIMALS FOR SALE STUD SERVICES PRE-ARRANGED VISITS WEDDINGS CRAFTING

> Sarah Caldwell: info@thehumanvet.com

ALPACA PRODUCTS LOCATION THE CHILTERNS BUCKINGHAMSHIRE HP16 OEB SOUTH OF ENGLAND PHONE 07783 417618 MAIL info@lattonalpacas.co.uk WEB www.lattonalpacas.co.uk

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45

LETTER FROM IRELAND

> Covid-19 safe medication dispatch

T

he South East of Ireland is known for its mild weather and generally enjoys some of the best summer temperatures – hence its nickname, the Sunny South East, writes Susan Murphy, Moonhall Farm and Paula Lunn, Ashford Alpacas.

The Sunny South East Alpaca Group (SSEAG) was set up two years ago and there are about 20 farms in the group to date. Most of these are pet owners with less than five alpacas. The ethos of the group is to grow in knowledge as a community. We have formed great friendships since our inception and our love of alpacas and their welfare is the glue that binds us together. Almost as important, we have great fun!

The group has four main aims: • To support every member with any welfare concerns they may have and find solutions together, • To educate ourselves through group demonstrations, online and in person courses, • To minimize the expense of medications and feedstuffs wherever possible.

• To encourage a community spirit amongst alpaca owners in the area.

Community spirit

The SSEAG meet regularly for medication deliveries. We bulk buy vitamin injections and clostridial vaccinations for example in order to keep costs down for individual farms. Pre-Covid-19, we gave demonstrations on the correct

46 Alpaca #87

method of injecting, injection sites, body scoring, mucous membrane checks and general handling tips.

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, a few designated “dispatchers” made medication deliveries throughout the south east to minimise travelling and reduce infection risks to others. This was an invaluable resource to have in place and kept the care of our alpacas uninterrupted despite the restrictions on travel.

Through our very active WhatsApp chat page, we share news, welfare issues and solutions that we have found to work. Everyone’s input is valuable. We learn from each other’s experiences. Some local vets have also joined us in our endeavour to learn more about alpaca care. They have attended courses and are always keen to come out and interact with the alpacas whenever possible.

Activities

We have just hosted two spinning workshops with local spinner, Kate Powell.

The two days were a complete success with everyone excited to be together again and learning a new skill.

There has been so much interest in the courses, we now have a waiting list and hope to run another workshop in the near future. Along with showing members how to prepare, card and spin their own fleece, Kate also spoke about the basics of dyeing and showed us the results of her recent colour experiments using plants from her garden.

> Spinning instructor Kate Powell shows Carmel Mahoney the ropes

The costs of this course are kept to an absolute minimum; by hosting the course on a local farm and by members donating their wheels. Other members who can already spin had fleece already carded to maximise the time participants had at the spinning wheel.

We also hope to run a felting workshop on another date after the spinning courses so that we can all enjoy creating something organic and the satisfaction of knowing that it has come from our own alpacas.

All-Ireland Fleece Show

In the absence of a halter show in Ireland this year, the group has organised an All-Ireland Fleece Show 2021, taking place on Saturday 31 July and Sunday 1 August. We are delighted to have the reputable international judge Roger Clarke cast his eye over our fleeces for this event.

This promises to be a huge learning experience for all involved. The group liaised with a shearer in late spring to ensure that all members were given a shearing date for their alpacas in plenty of time for the competition.

An outdoor skirting demonstration was held recently to help owners prepare their fleeces for judging. The more experienced alpaca owners are always on hand to help anyone who is struggling to skirt; either on the phone or in person (outside and socially distant). The show will also include a class for unregistered pet alpacas and a special SSEAG class for members only.

As part of the preparation for the fleece show, back in April, all interested

members were instructed on how to collect a fleece sample from their alpaca(s) and these were collated and sent to Art Of Fibre in Finland for fibre analysis at a reduced bulk rate. In total, 96 samples were analysed.

Future plans

The SSEAG are very excited about the future and are currently planning another fleece competition in 2022. Paul Vallely, Art Of Fibre managing director, has kindly agreed to talk to the group on fibre sampling and is including a tour of his newly renovated house and gardens at Moyliffe House in Limerick on 10 July.

National Farm Alpaca Day in Ireland is being held on 4-5 September and many of us will host open days on our farms during the weekend. We are also hoping to do a series of farm visits over the next year to learn what works well on our holdings. It is safe to say that the SSEAG are a busy lot and we hope our enthusiasm will sustain us long into the future!

For further information contact: ssealpacagroup@gmail.com or tel: +353 87 7660786 Alpaca #87

47

Alpacas for sale

A list of BAS members who are breeders and advertising their alpacas for sale

SOUTHERN ENGLAND

ALPACA EVOLUTION

Herts AlpAcAs

We are committed to the success of the British Alpaca industry and realising the potential and possibilities this offers. We are passionate about the Alpaca, and continuing to progress the quality of our herd of 700 plus alpacas, both Huacaya and Suri, without compromising our high standards in ensuring excellent herd welfare. Offering unrivalled experience and support to our clients, and helping them achieve success is core to our business ethos.

15 years of selective breeding and dedication has successfully proven our genetics both in and outside the show ring, winning multiple Herts Alpacas championships and of course one of the British Alpaca Futurity’s major Best Breeder awards.

We offer a full range of alpacas for sale, stud males, breeding females and pets as well as learning opportunities for all levels of experience. We welcome visitors by appointment. Located in Buckinghamshire.

TEL: Nick 07979 651742 & Alexandra 07795 843790 EMAIL: enquiries@alpacaevolution.com WEB: www.alpacaevolution.com

We offer a range of courses including: ‘Introduction to alpacas’, ‘Birthing’, ‘Husbandry’, and a day long ‘Advanced’ course.

Alpacas for sale in all colours, at prices to suit all pockets, but more importantly from elite herd sires and proven bloodlines.

Situated in North Hampshire, close to the Surrey and Berkshire borders with good access to ports and airports, less than five minutes drive from both J5 and 6 of the M3.

tel: 01763 271301 or 07802 433155 emAil: beckwith904@aol.com Web: www.hertsalpacas.co.uk

TEL: 01256 764824 or 07801 132757 EMAIL: joy@pennybridgealpacas.co.uk WEB: www.pennybridgealpacas.co.uk

SNOWSHILL ALPACAS

We are a family run farm in Warfield, Berkshire, breeding high quality Huacaya and Suri alpacas from show winning sires. We would like to welcome you to Scotlands Farm to see our wonderful herd of both white and coloured animals.

Established in 2002 and situated on the North Cotswold hills close to the picturesque village of Snowshill, the current herd numbers over 300.

We breed both Huacaya and Suri alpacas (approximately 85% are Huacaya). Although our breeding programme is biased towards the darker colours, we do also have superb quality whites and beige alpacas.

We are happy to discuss your requirements, be it for pet males, stock guards, or breeding females to suit your budget but with no obligation to purchase. We have over ten years of experience with these adorable animals. Give us a call and let us see if we can help you.

Full range of alpacas for sale, attractive pets to top show quality breeding girls and stud boys. Large choice of stunning stud males available to service your girls. Also offering natural alpaca fabrics made in the UK from the fleece of our own herd.

TEL:

TEL: 01386 853841 or 07711 044106 EMAIL: snowshillalpacas@btinternet.com WEB: www.snowshillalpacas.com

Sue Hipkin 07770 455533 Lisa Hipkin 07770 455534 WEB: www.scotfieldalpacas.co.uk

SOUTH EAST

LIGHTFOOT ALPACAS Lightfoot Alpacas are situated in Hawkhurst in the Weald of Kent. We have been breeding alpacas since 1997 and have over 250 Huacaya. Lightfoot is a closed herd, we believe that the bio security and health of our animals is paramount to their breeding and care. We have a range of colours and ages, mainly Huacaya and some Suris. Our animals are known for being friendly as we spend time with them and know them individually.

We provide after sales advice and back up services when we sell our animals. Whether you are looking to improve or expand your herd or just thinking of alpacas as pets, why not contact us to arrange a visit.

TEL: 07802 263589 WEB: www.alpacabreeder.co.uk EMAIL: graham@alpacabreeder.co.uk

EAST MIDLANDS

URCUCHILLAY ALPACAS For over 10 years we have bred multiple-champion alpacas, selecting the best genetics while working to very high ethical standards. Our reputation and many awards are testament to our passion, commitment, knowledge and experience.

We have BAS registered and halter trained alpacas for sale in a range of colours, ages and quality, champion studs in a range of colours with a variety of sought-after genetics from New Zealand, Australia, America and the UK. We offer alpaca walks, experiences, events and parties as well as a shop. Visits are welcome by appointment.

TEL: 01458 860052 or 07570 511299 EMAIL: carla@urcuchillay.co.uk or carla@fibreofthegods.co.uk WEB: www.urcuchillay.co.uk or www.fibreofthegods.co.uk

ALPACA ANNIE

FAERIE TALE ALPACAS

Breeding quality, friendly alpacas on the Romney Marsh, we pride ourselves on the relationship we have with our animals and our high welfare standards.

Faerie–Tale Alpacas is a small family run farm based in Kenilworth in Warwickshire J15 of M40. We focus on breeding sound, healthy, friendly, elite alpacas with gorgeous fleeces and top class genetics at very reasonable prices.

Many of the herd have been halter trained and are great walking companions. We can help you find anything from a fleecy friend to a show winning fleece.

We know each alpaca and have most colours available from blue black to dazzling white. Whether you are new to alpacas or wish to expand your herd we have an alpaca to suit you! Prices to suit all budgets and with full after sales support given.

For new keepers we have well bonded starter herds available with a full support package including – training with our head herdsperson, home visits, shearing, ongoing phone/ face-to-face support and a ‘Home for Life’ guarantee as standard. So please come on down and meet the herd!

TEL: 01303 870527 EMAIL: becca@alpacaannie.com WEB: www.alpacaannie.com

WEST MIDLANDS

TOFT ALPACAS

The family run JandJ Alpaca herd was established in 2005 with four breeding females, today we have over 90 beautiful animals. We are located in Lincolnshire on the Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leiceistershire border just off the A1.

Stud services also available from top coloured genetics.

We offer over 150 pedigree alpacas in all colours, ages and price ranges and are confident that our prize-winning herd will live up to all your alpaca expectations. We will be delighted to share our extensive experience to guide you towards your alpaca aspiration, whatever that might be. Through the TOFT studio we run an extensive programme of practical husbandry and textile, crochet and knitting workshops throughout the year. The TOFT studio retails exclusive luxury yarn from throughout the world. Come and see for yourself – the complete alpaca experience.

TEL: Martin or Clare 01636 626990 EMAIL: jandj.alpacas@zen.co.uk WEB: www.visitalpacas.co.uk

TEL: 01788 810626 or 07970 626245 EMAIL: shirley@toft-alpacas.co.uk WEB: www.toftalpacastud.com

48 Alpaca #87

SOUTH WEST

CENTRAL ENGLAND

JANDJ ALPACAS

With years of experience our aim is to help you choose the best alpacas to start you journey, whether it be breeding females, stud males or pet boys.

The PennyBridge Herd and Stud. One of the first alpaca farms set up in the South of England, still producing show winners from champion stock. Good quality starter herds, proven and potential stud males, stud services, fancy grazers and sheep guards available. Please phone to book a viewing with no obligation to purchase. ‘Home of The Alpaca Experience’ – visit our website for further info.

Our farm in Hertfordshire offers: feed, supplies, coats, halters etc. Importantly we deliver total customer care. See website for customer reviews and details of our award-winning herd sires.

SOUTHERN ENGLAND

SCOTFIELD ALPACAS

PENNYBRIDGE ALPACAS

We offer: • Quality breeding stock • Starter herds • Stud services • 2 hour alpaca experiences • Alpacas for weddings and events • Luxury range of hand knitted alpaca garments and accessories using our own fleeces TEL: 07950 671672 FACEBOOK: Faerie Tale Alpacas EMAIL: info@faerietalealpacas.co.uk WEB: www.faerietalealpacas.co.uk

NORTH WEST

POTTERY ALPACAS

Pottery Alpacas are a family run farm located in Blackburn, Lancashire, we focus on breeding high quality animals from elite bloodlines. We have a wide range of alpacas for sale, with everything from Pet Quality males and females to Stud males and show quality stock. We offer first class support and advice with every purchase and are more than happy to discuss your requirements with no obligation. We are here to help you every step of the way on your alpaca journey!

TEL: 01254 419069 (Blackburn) MARK: 07540 115329 AMANDA: 07882 456084 EMAIL: mark@potteryalpacas.com WEB: www.potteryalpacas.com

Fibre Processors and Retailers RETAILERS/WHOLESALERS IN BRITISH ALPACA PRODUCTS

ANIMAL HEALTH

JG ANIMAL HEALTH High specification organic chealated nutritional supplements suitable for all camelids.

• Premier Camelid Drench • Premier Mineral Supplement • Premier Mineral Bucket • A, D3 & E Paste TEL: 07866 607466 EMAIL: jganimalhealth@aol.com WEB: www.jganimalhealth.co.uk

PROCESSORS OF FIBRE – MINI MILLS AND OTHER

CLASSIC CARDER Classic Carder produce a full range of British, handmade drum carders for fibre preparation. Featuring our unique interchangeable drum system which allows quick and easy drum change for carding different fibres.

TEL: 01746 714130

HOMESTEAD FARM SUPPLIES Everything you need for your alpacas delivered to your door! We are a one-stop-shop for alpaca supplies, including headcollars and leads, vitamins and nutritional supplements, healthcare and welfare supplies, colostrum, coats for cria and adults and microchipping equipment.

We also have a good selection for your other animals, including dogs, chickens and horses, as well as a range of farmhouse items and gifts, including our famous home cheese-making kits.

We are alpaca owners ourselves and we are always happy to help with your questions and enquiries.

Order direct from our website or by phone. You can expect fast, friendly service and advice.

TEL: 01295 713188 EMAIL: homesteadfarms@btinternet.com WEB: www.homesteadfarmsupplies.co.uk

M.R.HARNESS M.R.Harness was founded in 1995 after existing part time for a number of years. Mary herself is a qualified engineer and is well placed to assess materials and their useage.

Company policy is to test as many of the webbing designs as possible before release, as each item is unique to the animal it is designed for. This has led M.R.Harness to become the supplier of choice for headcollars, leads, coats and harness for all the various smallholding animals, but specialising in alpacas and llamas, and working ponies.

All items are hand crafted ‘in house’, in England, so you can be assured of good workmanship and quality products that last.

So please come and try the ‘Choice of Champions’.

TEL: 01299 896827 EMAIL: mary@mrharness.co.uk

EMAIL: paulbrittain@mac.com

BAS Members exclusive BAS Members get free membership to My Society and can benefit from a number of exclusive offers. Here are a few:

Medisave

The Professional Solution

25% OFF Terms and conditions apply

Discounted Prices on Microchips*

Terms and conditions apply

10% OFF

AGRI Shelter®

WEB: www.classiccarder.co.uk Terms and conditions apply

2 FREE worm counts worth £40 for NEW BAS members then 25% OFF Worm Counts after that*

British Alpaca Society The fibre breed

Become a BAS member Single membership £74 per annum Joint membership £95 per annum Herd registration fee £25

www.bas-uk.com

5% OFF

ALL products Safe4disinfectant www.medisave.co.uk

www.ellipsefabrications.co.uk Terms and conditions apply

Wildwood Animal Health www.wildwoodanimalhealth.co.uk

Free bag of Camelibra NG2

Terms and conditions apply

Terms and conditions apply

(worth £28 & free delivery)

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www.bas-uk.com Alpaca #87

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SEASONAL RAMBLINGS

Our regular diarist shares her own tried and tests recipe for preserving your fleeces from insect attack.

MOTH REPELLANT CONCOCTION INGREDIENTS 2 tbs lavender oil 2 tbs citronella oil 2 tbs camphor oil 2 tbs cedarwood oil

> Alpaca fashion from the British Alpaca Fashion Company

W

ith fleeces shorn and bagged our regular diary writer turns her attention to keeping them safe from moth damage and is proud to know that fleece from her herd is made into fabulous alpaca fashion.

So, your alpacas have been sheared and you’ve put your precious fleeces in a breathable paper sack, such as a paper potato sack. How do you keep them from being eaten by moths or being spoilt by other undesirable insects? Well, this is my solution – home-made moth repellant (see recipe).

Let your fleece breathe

When you have just had your alpacas sheared there is still moisture within the fleece so ideally a 20 kg size paper potato bag, or similar is the best way of allowing your fleeces to breathe. They will then keep fresh and dry and can be stored for a good length of time. Adding the above concoction will help to keep your fleeces safe from being eaten by insects. Don’t forget to label your bags with the name of the alpaca, colour and year of shearing for quick identification.

Several years ago I had an infestation of fleece eaters in my house. They went through all my fleece sample bags, jumpers, hats and scarfs which had been knitted ready to sell – all ruined. I can’t emphasise enough how much damage they cause – the small black droppings they leave behind go everywhere and everything has to be thoroughly cleaned. It’s a nightmare.

Many of us love to show our animals but rarely do anything with our fleeces

50 Alpaca #87

Method Mix well with one litre of water in a spray bottle and spray every couple of months onto natural fibres and cloth, yarns and fleeces. which is such a shame as we all know the finer fleeces are just so lushious, and to make an end product from your own animals’ fleece is the greatest reward.

Finding a buyer

Unfortunately, I am one of those owners who love to show my alpacas but rarely do I make anything from the fleeces. However, I am one of the lucky ones who has found a buyer for my fleeces and they are bought for a good price which covers my shearing cost.

Anila Preston, founder and CEO at British Alpaca Fashion Company, has, after many years, now achieved her goal; creating high quality alpaca textiles for the commercial market, selling suiting cloth to Savile Row tailors and other luxury artisan designers worldwide Her company has knitting technicians, pattern makers, couture tailors and designers who can help even the small alpaca farmer to make items from their own fleeces – even those with very small amounts. Anila, and her team, are passionate about using every fleece you have available and they will make sure there is zero waste.

I am so proud when Anila tells me that my fleece is made into garments that are sold on Bond Street in London – it’s a tribute to our herd. But it is sad to hear that some owners, who keep fleeces stored in a barn for years, may end up burning them because they can’t find a buyer willing to pay a reasonable price that will cover some of the costs of feeding, keeping and shearing these amazing animals. After all they are fleece animals...

Made in Wiltshire BAS Approved

The UK’s favourite alpaca feeds.

As a key supplier to many of the UK’s most established alpaca herds since 2003, we’d like to think we know a thing or two about camelid nutrition.

From our acclaimed ‘Camelibra’; designed to provide the correct nutritional balance to maintain healthy digestion from natural forage/fibre based diets, our unique ‘Hembra & Cria’ to maximise the growth and fibre development of the newborn from birth to post weaning and ‘Fibregest’; our high quality soluble fibre feed, we have the perfect answer for optimum nutrition whatever your situation.

In addition, no minimum order quantities, nationwide sales support and full nutritional backup all come as standard too. www.gwfnutrition.com

For further information, stockist details and to order, please visit gwfnutrition.com or call: +44 (0)1225 708482

Supreme Champion alpaca breeders with 27 years experience Inca Incognito – Supreme Champion Female.

We are proud to offer: Detailed guidance and support for new owners.

Business planning for breeding herds.

Elite pedigree breeding and pet stock for sale and export to the EU and Middle East?

Help obtaining planning permission for a dwelling using alpaca breeding as justification – we did it and have helped others.

www.incaalpaca.co.uk Please call Tim and Tracey to talk more about alpaca ownership: +44 (0) 7875 532827

incaalpaca.co.uk