Hi Ian, Count us in. Sounds great! Regards, Chris & Susan Dr. Chris & Susan Lehner Champion Alpacas 5220 Val Verde Road Loomis, CA 95650 Toll Free Number: (877) 925-7222 Ranch: (916) 660-0981 Fax: (916) 660-0382 alpacas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.championalpacas.com Looking Towards the Future... Breeding for Superior Results ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ian Watt" <alpacaconsult@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <alpaca_fibre@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 5:56 PM Subject: [alpaca_fibre] An idea Site members, This is an idea I am floating for your input. Please feel free to comment about any aspect you feel needing discussion. Cheers. Ian ALPACA SIRE REFERENCE PROGRAM Preamble Selection of sires is possibly the single most important breeding decision any owner makes in striving for excellence in their alpaca business. The impact of a sire across a herd is more significant than any other single breeding decision. The American alpaca industry uses more sires across its national herd than is probably necessary. Supporters of a wide gene pool for the industry would dispute this, but, from a production perspective, it is hard to argue an alternative point of view. The lack of a breed standard (for the industry) allows the broadest possible interpretation on what comprises an acceptable conformation. A show standard goes beyond what is, or could reasonably be expected of, an animal primarily devoted to fibre production ie the show standard aims at a much higher level of conformation correctness than is usually reflected in a fibre production breeding emphasis. Breeders who aim for fibre excellence in their alpacas often lack the tools with which to make informed and productive genetic selections. Too often males are offered for service that have little or no supportive objective data that provide objectively obtained information for the female owner and breeder. This information may not be important to many breeders (at the moment) but will become increasingly important as the rate of genetic improvement becomes harder and harder to achieve. This is reflected most dramatically when the phenotype differences between animals being considered for joining are not immediately or apparently obvious. Breeders seeking superior fibre characteristics and production will be looking for more than show results and perceived quality than is currently the industry standard in the United States. Breeders aiming to sit inside the top 20% or better of the national herd (any national herd) will seek more and more objectively measured information to aid their individual selection processes. Professionally oriented breeders will adopt a much more challenging approach to the selection of sires and this will also apply to the introduction of new female genetics into the individual herd as well. This program is designed to not only apply objective assessment data to both male and female selection criteria but to also show a way for progressive breeders to position themselves for the future in terms of breeding and selling advanced fibre genetics. The following criteria suggestions are aimed at sire selections but can apply equally to female selection protocols as well. This program is about placing fibre as a higher priority than conformation by objective measurement and the underpinning of conformation correctness through strict adherence to a standard. The Program Because the influence of any sire is far greater across the national herd than any individual female, it is important that sires be rigorously examined for possible genetic conformational weaknesses. It is important that these traits be identified as health and welfare issues rather than cosmetic or environmental differences or effects. There is currently no industry conformation standard in place to measure sires (or females for that matter) against, nor is there any prospect of being one in the foreseeable future. The use of objectively collected and measured fleece data is not widely used in the promotion of sires. It is doubtful whether many breeders physically examine sires unless they see them at a show or live close by. Many breeders send females for mating to sight unseen sires and presumably rely upon a show result as a tick of conformational approval. This is not necessarily a sound breeding practice. First requirement. Each sire will be required to pass a physical conformational examination as described on a pro-forma established for such a purpose. This examination is identical to that adopted by the Australian Alpaca Association (AAA) for registration of males as sires approved for progeny registration into the International Alpaca Register, owned and operated by the AAA. Under the AAA scheme, any male used to sire cria able to be registered must pass this test before the sire is used to get a female pregnant. Each component of the standard must be passed for the male to be considered satisfactory - there are no trade-offs, an animal must pass every requirement. There is no fleece component. The proposal is that a suitable qualified person must do the examination. In Australia that person is a veterinarian but it could equally be someone with objective and analytic animal conformation skills. Second requirement. Each sire will be required to be fleece tested using the OFDA2000 testing technology. A fleece sample from each mid-side will be required and the average of the two tests used as the final figure. The sample will be collected by an independent person, divided in half with one sample forwarded by the sampler to the program coordinator and the other half retained by the owner. The information required by the program will include micron, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, comfort factor, staple length, colour and average fibre profile. Third requirement. The fleece will be weighed at shearing by an independent person who will record total fleece weight and saddle. The male will be required to be shorn from the ears down the neck, the body and legs down to the knee, excluding the tail. The weight will be recorded and affirmed by the owner. A protocol will be established to remove soil contamination variability between animals. An additional option is to encourage breeders to have the sire tested for follicle structure by taking a half inch square skin sample and counting the secondary to primary follicles. This would involve an additional cost and would provide a real stimulus to the buyer interest in any sire. The information derived from the processing of the three requirements will paint a composite picture of any sire using objectively collected data. This data can then be used to make some initial assessments of the sire, allow comparisons between sires and lets sires be assessed on performance rather than subjective assessment reinforced by emotive promotion. Access to data The data and documentation of each sire would then be collated and processed into a website listing within a listing of "accredited sires" (or some such identifier). This website would be managed and maintained by Alpaca Consulting Services of Australia and would be open for public access. There would be a fee structure for animals entering the program and an annual fee to cover the testing, collating and data processing of the annual shearing results. Once entered into the site, the animal will remain until either it dies, the owner decides to withdraw or no new data has been collected for two seasons. There will be a photograph of the sire on the site. There will be no mention of show results. There will be an option to link any particular sire to the owners website or email address. There will be no service fee or other advertising on the site. Benefits The industry-wide benefit is access to sires demonstrating objectively measured fleece and conformation information collected by an independent person. This feature alone will place these sires at the forefront of breeders minds as the collection, testing and distribution of the information is not managed by the owner of the sire - a truly vested interest - but by someone with absolutely no interest in any animal. By making the data public both breeders and sire owners have a benchmark against which they can measure any potential sire but also a wider range of sires as this program allows any sire, or potential sire, in. Over time, the fleece history of the sire will become clear with those sires not blowing out in any measurable traits becoming more recognized and thus, potentially, more attractive as future herd sires. Owners of listed sires will no doubt be recognized as leading edge breeders as demonstrated through their strength of conviction in submitting their animals to scrutiny over the internet. Breeders looking for sires will, for the first time perhaps, have a broader range of sires from which to select as small breeders unable or unwilling to exhibit at shows will have a vehicle through which they can market and promote their animals at minimal cost and at maximum credibility. Finally, the conformation examination by a veterinarian (if that is the final decision) will, for the first time, underpin an expanded guarantee of correctness of conformation by a sire owner. These are benefits that will not only enhance the reputation of the animal but also the owner in an industry which will place more and more emphasis on fleece production than is currently the case. In essence, breeders offering sires entered into the program will be attesting that their animals have met a documented conformation standard, have undergone independently collected, tested and recorded fleece measurements and, if selected, are prepared to disclose secondary to primary follicle ratios to buyers of both animals and service options. --- List Name: Alpaca Fibre Production ListAddress: alpaca_fibre@xxxxxxxxxxxxx List Archives: //www.freelists.org/archives/alpaca_fibre/ List Administrator: Ian Watt (alpacaconsult@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) How to Unsubscribe: send an email to alpaca_fibre-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and put "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the Subject line of the email. --- List Name: Alpaca Fibre Production ListAddress: alpaca_fibre@xxxxxxxxxxxxx List Archives: //www.freelists.org/archives/alpaca_fibre/ List Administrator: Ian Watt (alpacaconsult@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) How to Unsubscribe: send an email to alpaca_fibre-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and put "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the Subject line of the email.