[AlpacaTalk] Re: Colors
First, if you can't enjoy this industry, then you are doing something
wrong. Therefore, I believe that everyone in your family should get
to pick their favorite color and have fun with it. Remember, what is
popular today may be old news tomorrow, so go with what you like and
look to continually improve from where you are toward whatever your
goals are.
I didn't have a lot of money to start, so I started with a number of
dual colored alpacas, even though my personal preference is for
single colored alpacas. Most had pretty good conformation, average
fleece, no known genetically passed major faults, but with some bad
bites. A friend of mine arranged some great breedings for me, and
most of my herd is now single colored, which is what I was aiming
for. They also have improved fleece and improved bites. I am pretty
happy with conformation, but unlike most of the advertisements you
read, only a few of my alpacas are "perfect". I'm happy with my
program though. I focused on improving quality rather than focusing
on specific colors. I used herdsires where I could get the most bang
for my buck in improving my herd. That meant I didn't always use the
biggest names in the industry, but it does seem to help marketing if
you have those big names in the last couple of generations of your
offspring's lineage, so you need to find a balance. I am continuing
to focus on bringing in some bigger names, but only if they can
improve on the characteristics that need to be improved upon. My
next step will be trying to add predictability to color production,
so I will probably start breeding to a male colored the same as the
female to see if I can start building specific lines that produce
predominately single colored alpacas of a color that is predictable.
My personal feeling is that you should hold off on buying a stud
until you have done a few breedings. You really don't know where
your herd will have taken you in the first few years. I know that I
sell my females with free breedings, and I'm sure others do to. I
believe that most people probably let you select from several, and
maybe all, of their studs. I would guess that most let you use those
breedings on any animals you personally own, but make sure you have
that clearly defined in your contract.
Again, you just have to build your own plan on where you want to go,
and adjust as your go, as nature always seems to want to do something
completely unexpected. For example, two years ago my best female
(dark brown) was bred to wonderful dual registered male (medium
brown). Expecting a brown alpaca, eh? Not on your life. I got a
beautiful true black, with only one true black recorded in her entire
pedigree, a great grandfather. I didn't have a black alpaca in my
entire herd so I was excited to finally have one. Then what was did
nature add to that? She grew up with a bad bite--the other two born
that year have beautiful bites. Oh well, just another thing to focus
on for next generation. I really love having that true black girl.
Would I have rather had a brown alpaca with a good bite? Probably
not. Things have a way of working themselves out. I didn't plan for
her, but she was nature's way of telling me that no matter how much I
plan, nature caries the trump card!
Have fun!
Joyce Maley
Hurricane Alpacas
www.myalpacas.
--- In AlpacaTalk@yahoogro
>
> We are still getting ready to build our herd. Cant even call it a
herd, it
> will be so small. We have decided on 6 females to start.
>
> Color questions...
babies are
> selling best? That is if quality to quality the animals are
identical, what
> color will sell best.
>
> Also, at some point we would like to consider gaining a stud or
two. Are
> there more desirable colors should we have a mixed herd of females?
So far my
> son has said he wants and all black and my daughter a light fawn.
We are
> figuring two whites. My favorite are the greys and the patterned.
So maybe one of
> those too. Considering all the colors, what would be the ideal male
color in
> order to produce marketable babies and fiber?
>
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posted by Chaddo at 11:01 PM
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