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The interest in Alpacas is gaining momentum with Australian farmers and though some may have a degree
of knowledge or expertise when selecting other forms of livestock (which has been well documented),
when it comes to purchasing Alpacas the criteria are, as yet, less defi ned. The aim therefore of this
article is to provide readers with information that can be and should be used as a guide only when
looking at selection.
The industry is still in its early beginnings and the ideal of
what constitutes the perfect alpaca is still very much open
to conjecture; the criteria also vary from breeder to breeder. Your
investment into alpacas is a substantial one, so your purchasing
decision needs to be the right one and, although the selection
of your fi rst alpacas may seem an awesome task, if you do
your homework and take a little time to educate yourself about
alpacas, you will fi nd the selection will be much easier.
Having made the decision to get involved you will no doubt
be fi lled with excitement and enthusiasm at the prospect of
purchasing your fi rst alpacas, but it is important right from the
start to clearly defi ne what your long-term aims are so that the
animals that you purchase meet the criteria. It would be foolish
to simply go out and purchase the fi rst alpaca you see, and it is
important to remember that alpacas are very much companion
animals and will fret if on their own. They like, and need,
the company of fellow alpacas, and this should be taken into
consideration and also be part of your decision making, as you
will need to look at purchasing at least two animals. The total
alpaca population in Australia is less than the number of sheep
run on a single sheep farm, and this means that there may be
only limited numbers of alpacas for sale at any one time and
your foundation stock will more than likely have to be purchased
from several breeders over a period of time, and although photos
can be supplied by breeders of stock for sale, the hands-on
approach should be paramount in your purchasing decision. You
wouldn’t buy a house without seeing it fi rst, would you?
The essential ingredient in any purchasing decision therefore
is to make sure that you do your homework by getting out and
visiting as many breeders as possible and by personally looking
at and assessing the alpacas that are for sale. Although this may
be seen as an added expense and also very time consuming,
you will soon discover that there is much to be learned by
observing the variety of facilities and animals, not to mention
the additional knowledge and expertise that can be gained by
just talking to these breeders.
Make sure you plan your inspection trip by making appointments
with the breeders you wish to visit. This will not only assist you
because the breeder knows to expect you and will be there on
hand to answer any question you may have, but will also assist
the breeder in being able to have the alpacas that they have for
sale close at hand for inspection. You may also wish to have
an experienced Vet on hand to give you a critical appraisal of the general health of the animals.
Your initial appraisal should be made from a distance. Note
the general conformation of the animals for sale, note the way
they walk and hold their heads; this should be a good indication
of their general wellbeing. Pick out those alpacas which most
take your fancy. This fi rst selection will almost always stand
up to closer scrutiny. Good alpacas look good!
If choosing alpacas from a small group in a yard, take note of
the way they move around. Good healthy alpacas will move
around well and it is easy to pick those animals that hold
themselves well and have a bit of style about them.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Alpacas are graceful animals and do not fit into the classic
box shape which is often the aim of our livestock breeders.
The overall appearance of the alpaca should be that of a well
proportioned animal which is balanced and symmetrical;
i.e. the length of the legs or neck should be in proportion to
the body, and the head should be short, thick, triangular and
symmetrically formed.
The breed type is also quite evident in both the head and ears.
Generally, when looking at the head of an alpaca, especially
the females, it should have more of a petite looking head rather
than of a great horsey type nose, and its ears should be erect
and fi ne; i.e. spear-shaped, the size being in proportion to the
head. Short, stubby, gopher-type ears and banana-type ears are
not generally considered desirable traits.
The jaw should also be well fi tting. An inspection of the
mouth should reveal incisors which are rectangular in shape
which lack enamel on the inside surface. The lower front teeth
which press against the hard pad of the upper jaw are used to
shear the forage, and the cheek teeth are arranged so that the
upper and lower rows mesh to produce an effi cient grinding
surface. In other words, if the animal has either an overshot
or undershot jaw it will not be able to graze properly and will
be at a decided disadvantage and/or if the cheek teeth do not
mesh, proper mastication of feed will not be possible and the
unmeshed teeth, after years, may fail to wear evenly resulting
in sharpened points and impaired digestion.
(Refer Figures I to 4.)
A point to keep in mind though when inspecting the mouth is
to remember that because of the soft pasture which alpacas are
feeding on here in Australia the teeth may sometimes grow past
the upper pad and this is not classed as an overshot jaw but has
simply been caused by insuffi cient wear on the teeth.
DENTAL EVOLUTION AND AGE
The approximate diagnosis of an alpaca’s age through the
method of observing the change and the wearing of the teeth is
quite accurate, and with the evaluation of dental modifi cations
the age can be determined for up to seven years, but after that
it is very diffi cult to determine age through this method.
The changing from temporal to permanent teeth in alpacas
occurs differently from that of sheep. Sheep generally lose their
teeth and the replacements come in later on. In the alpaca, the
permanent teeth come in behind the temporal teeth without
these having yet fallen. Only as the permanent teeth develop
are the temporal teeth pushed out and lost. This can be observed
in Figures 5, 6 & 7. Although in relation to age, the individual
variations that exist in alpaca dental evaluation are notorious; it
is important to note that the age of the alpaca can be determined
with a great deal of proximity by the way in which the growth
of the temporal incisors takes place, by the way change of teeth
takes place, and by the wearing of permanent teeth.
a) The eruption and development of the temporal incisors
in relation to age.
1) The eruption of the temporal pincers. There is variation with
respect to the age at which the eruption of these teeth take place.
Some cases have been noted where alpaca are born with their
pincers in eruption; in other cases the eruption occurs during
the fi rst week of life; and still in ,others, it occurs later. But in
general the pincers have achieved their full development in the
fi rst ten days. (Figure 8.)
2) Eruption of the temporal median. There is also a variation
in respect to the age at which the eruption of the median teeth
occur, between the 14th and 84th day, although full development
of the median teeth takes place, on the average, between the
60th and 90th days. (Figure 9.)
3) The eruption of the temporal extremes. Within the variabilities
that exist with respect to the age at which eruption of the
extremes takes place, it could be said that on average it takes
place around the 67th day. And they begin their development
starting at the fourth month and achieve full growth around the
tenth month. (Figure 10.)
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b) Change and development of the permanent incisors in
relation to age.
Whereas the temporary incisors complete their development
between 3.5 and 4 months, the change of the temporal incisors
for the permanent ones is completed at 4.5 years of age.
(Figures 11 & 12.)
The chronological evolution of the lower incisors is more or
less the same for males and females. Nevertheless, in the dental
evolution of the upper incisors and the upper canines, there is
a notorious difference in relation to sex. The full development
of the upper incisors in males takes from between 3.5 to 4
years, in females it takes over 5 years. Similarly, it is true with
the eruption of the upper canines, which in the males occurs
around 3.5 years; whereas in females it takes place after the
6th year (when these exist, since many females lack canines).
In regard to the lower canines; in the males the eruption occurs
at 2.5 years while in females it takes place approximately at
3.5 years.
c) The evolution of the wearing away of the teeth in relation
to age.
The wearing away of the teeth is not produced uniformly in all
the animals. As we can suppose, many factors intervene in this
process, such as individual factors linked to their congenital
characteristics and to exogenous factors especially linked
to the type of pasture. For these reasons, the wearing away
or levelling of the teeth as a means to diagnose age is only
approximate. Above all, When the alpaca is over seven years
old, levelling of the teeth is subject to great variations.
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CONFORMATION
        
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Nature has designed innumerable shapes and sizes to deal with
the myriads of situations and environments in which animals
live. However, each animal must have four basic structural
requirements. First, the body and limbs must be able to support,
with stability, the individual when standing and moving.
Secondly, the movement of the limbs must be co-ordinated
with the body. Thirdly, there must be suffi cient variety in the
thrust of the limbs to allow for manoeuvrability, and fi nally,
the co-ordinated activity of all the structures must be effi cient
to provide suffi cient endurance to cope with environmental
stress. Good conformation and structural soundness should
therefore be an essential component of your selection process,
but it must be remembered that not all conformation faults are
equally serious, however, many can result in unsoundness if
developed to the extreme.
When looking at the overall conformation of the animal, fi rstly
check the body. The animal should have a strong back with
a reasonably straight but slightly convex topline. The rump
should be reasonably broad and sloping, with the tail set low.
Narrow hindquarters, as with any breeding animal, can mean
birth problems, so if choosing a breeding female look for
good size across the rump. The hind and forelegs should be
strong, relatively straight and square standing and the thighs
should also be well fl eshed. Pasterns should be fi rm and the
feet should be well formed; i.e. two toes, not fused. (Refer
Figures 14 - 22.)
Alpacas have fl at feet and for many it takes a bit of getting used
to, but this does not mean weakness of the pastern; but there
should be no evidence of bending of the bottom joint.
Run your hands over the body of the alpaca. By feeling down
the backline, which should be a shallow V, you should be able to
determine the condition of the animal. An acute V would mean
that the animal is overweight which could result in problems
when joining. The weight range for a mature animal; i.e. 3 to
4 years old, should be between 60 and 80 kgs.
If looking to purchase a breeding male it is important to check
that he is developed, relative to age, that both testicles are
present and uniform in size; this can only be achieved by feel
as the testicles are positioned quite high up. Find out if he has
mated and if so if you can see some of his progeny, as this
may also give you a good indication of his siring ability, but in
general, you will fi nd that the males on offer will be younger
stock and this will not be possible. On average, males need to be
2.5 to 3 years old before they are mature enough for mating even
though they may play around quite a bit before this time.
The selection of a good male should be paramount in your
decision making as this is where you should make good ground
with your breeding objectives.
With breeding females, the external genitalia should be normal
in appearance and the udder can be checked if she has previously
been mated. Though small, the udder should show no signs
of mastitis and should have four well-formed teats, but as
with males, you may fi nd that the animals on offer have not
previously been mated. Females should be at least 18 months
old and of good size for joining.
If you are looking at purchasing a pregnant female, which
generally would be more expensive, it is always advisable to
have the pregnancy confi rmed. This can be achieved by either
having an experienced Vet do a scan, or by having a blood
sample taken and sent to a laboratory for testing. It is advisable
to insist that the test be sent to a recognised laboratory for testing
rather than be done by the local Vet as it requires a bit more
expertise than with other animals.
FLEECE
The fi bre should cover the entire body with the exception of
the eyes, muzzle and mouth, and the fl eece should be judged
on the following qualitative characteristics: uniformity of fi bre
diameter, fi bre placement, crimp, quantity, condition, the quality
of fi bre throughout the body and throughout the fi bre. There
should be minimal guardhair and the fl eece should be dense,
soft, fi ne and uniform.
The head is a good starting point when looking at fi bre. A soft
topknot and good cheek wool is a good indication of the fi bre
of the rest of the animal. Open Up the fl eece on the mid side
of the alpaca’s body and rub the fi bre between your fi ngers. A
soft, silky handle is what you are looking for; your hand can
often tell you a lot more than your eye.
Once you have selected some animals for a fi nal choice it is then
down to personal judgement. This could be colour preferences
and just how the animal appeals to you. At this stage there
is no commercial preference for colour, and although in the future selection may centre on straight coloured animals, if
you choose a two coloured animal (which appeals to you) this
does not necessarily mean that your choice is an incorrect one.
A two coloured animal can, and often does, produce a straight
coloured cria.
NEGATIVE TRAITS
The purpose of outlining these negative traits is to direct
attention to fl aws that can be observed in alpacas. Alpacas with
fewer defects will help ensure a healthy gene pool for breeding
purposes as well as the long term success of the industry.
1. Conformation and Balance
A. Angular Limb Deformity; excessive lateral or medial
deviation of the bones and joints of the front and rear
legs.
B. Humped Back; an increased convexity or upward curvature
of the top line of the back.
C. Sway Back; an increased concavity or downward curvature
of the top line of the back.
D. Post-Leggedness; essentially a straight line from the stifl e
to the fetlock without the normal zig zag pattern of the
hind leg.
E. Dropped Fetlock or Pastern; a weak pastern or less than
normal angle of the pastern, possibly resulting in the
fetlock and/or pastern touching the ground.
F. Cow Hocked; as viewed from behind, the hocks are
excessively deviated towards the midline.
G. Sickle Hocked; as viewed from the side, there is
exaggerated hock fl exion resulting in the hind cannon
bone being at an angle instead of nearly vertical.
H. Ectopic Testicles; one or both testicles not found in their
usual location.
I. Jaw Malocclusions; usually the upper jaw is too short or
the lower jaw is too long, contributing to protruding lower
teeth. Occasionally the lower jaw is too short or the upper
jaw is too long.
J. Female External Genitalia Abnormalities this includes
vaginal shelving (lips of vulva approaching horizontal
plane instead of normal near vertical plane), a tipped
up tip of clitoris (consistent with hermaphroditism and
diminutive size).
K. Umbilical Hernia; the presence of a soft fl uctuant bulge
at the site of the umbilicus.
L. Gopher Ears; short, stubby ears that are not due to frostbite,
but are congenital and hereditary.
M. Banana Ears; more typical of a llama.
N. Gonadal Hypoplasia; smallness of either one or both
testicles.
O. History of Surgical Correction For - Angular Limb
Deformity, Shortening of the Jaw, Hernia, Hermaphroditism and Ectopic Testicles shall be a basis for disqualifying the
animal.
2. Fleece
A. A tender staple with pronounced weakness along the length of the fibre.
B. Lack of uniformity.
C. Brittle fibre.
D. Existence of parasites.
E. Excessive matting.
F. Excessive guardhair.
Finally, when looking to purchase your alpacas, make sure
you do your homework, take time to inspect as many animals
and breeders as possible, and if possible have an independent
inspection done by a Vet. As with any other enterprise, your
breeding will only be as good as the animals you start off with.
If you start out with poor animals, especially breeding females,
even if you have a good male you are not going to have the
genetic background on which to build.
And on having purchased your alpacas, make sure that you
give some thought to their transportation. You have invested
a substantial amount of money, and their well-being is in
your hands, so ensure that you transport them safely. Horse
fl oats are quite acceptable, as are enclosed stock transports,
and it is always advisable to take out insurance prior to
transportation.
Sheep breeders are still trying to breed the perfect sheep after
hundreds of years of selective breeding. The breeding of the
perfect alpaca still has a long way to go, but we hope that
this article will be of assistance to you when selecting your
alpacas.
Note:
There are two very useful publications which are a must for
alpaca breeders.
The Medicine & Surgery of South American Camelids by
Murray Fowler; an excellent book to have on hand or to give
to your Vet.
Animal Breeding and Production of South American Camelids
by Rogoberto Calle Escobar. Both available from:
Geoff & Nancy Halpin, Capalba Park Alpacas, 985 Kobyboyn
Road, Seymour, Victoria, Australia 3660.
