Studmaster™

Our Studmaster males have been very carefully selected. We take into account all the characteristics of their fleece, the presence they exhibit and their pedigrees. We look at conformation traits such as bite, bone density, size and movement. But most of all we evaluate their siblings and their cria. This is called progeny testing and it is the only way to identify an alpaca's genotype.

We believe that progeny testing is the most effective way to select herdsire males with high breeding value. This involves using the selection index (see "Alpacas: Synthesis of a Miracle") to evaluate a stud's offspring for important traits, such as fleece weight, fineness, and density. This means not just evaluating the stud's outstanding cria; either all of the offspring, or a random sample large enough to ensure accuracy, must be measured.

By way of example, alpaca shows have a class called Get-of-Sire where three offspring are shown together, hopefully representing the male's production capacity. As a breeder looking to purchase a replacement male or stud services, would you rather base your decision on the three offspring that the exhibitor brought to the show or a complete survey of the cria from the stud's production? At this web site, Northwest Alpacas gives you the information on as many of our Studmaster progeny as possible.

Progeny testing is a strategy that allows breeders to choose service sires for outside breeding or to purchase females who are bred to potent studs. New purchasers should also use it to select their foundation breeding stock. For a complete discussion of progeny testing, see "Alpacas: Synthesis of a Miracle".

Resource: Studmaster™ resources