Re: [Alpacasite] Showing Juveniles without removal of amniotic cria fleece

Nancy, up until a very short time ago (maybe 2-3 years), everyone showed their animals "au natural." Tipping, or shearing of cria tips to remove the amniotic fluid, was something that became popular to preserve the usability of the cria's fleece when it was shorn, since tui fleece is very like velcro, and everything clings to it. I think the idea spread to the show ring, where "tipped" crias presented a more manicured and showy appearance as against the untipped competitors. (Certainly there had been some people using grooming techniques all along, and the allowance of tipping seemed to even the odds of winning.) However, my experience has been that the judges look for more than a polished appearance. The only thing I can think of that judges ascribe to tipped fleece is the quality of "crimp to the tip", which is lost when you leave the fiber untipped because the tips become very matted and twisted, which causes a loss of crimp integrity. It will be interesting, now that the
new rules proscribe tipping, to see how many unpolished alpacas the judges find "with crimp to the tip."

You'll be in good company if you show your alpaca without tipping; every other honest competitor in the ring will be in the same boat! :-)

Judith Korff
LadySong Farm
2473 Bunker Hill Rd.
P.O. Box 33
Steamburg, NY 14783
(716) 354-6355
A Holistic Management Farm
Conducting a Symphony of Quality, Value and Customer Care

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