Stud Male Selection
written by Nick Harrington-Smith
Quite simply, selecting your stud male, whether to buy or use at stud, is going to be the most important decision you ever make if you are to improve your herd. Even if you only consider yourself a hobby breeder there is no earthly reason to keep on reproducing mediocrity. After all, it is highly likely that at some stage you will want to sell some or all of your herd, and quality stock is always easier to sell.
Alpaca breeding for herd improvement is all about selection. This means choosing those alpacas that will become parents and deciding which male will best compliment any given female. Remember any single stud male will have more impact on both individual or national breeding programs than any female because only the male has the ability to reproduce its genetics many times in any one breeding season.
It is important to select stud males with those positive traits that you are seeking to establish in your herd. That is not to say you forgive negative traits but remember some traits are more highly heritable than others. For instance, in cattle leg set is considered lowly heritable, but in sheep, fleece characteristics are considered moderate too highly heritable. It is thought that with alpacas it would be reasonable to assume somewhat similar heritably values. Given this sort of information you can begin to evaluate those traits that you can select for and against, once you have assessed your breeding female.
So, what should you be looking for in an ideal male? One should always keep in mind that we want to produce progeny that are “fit for the purpose”. Alpacas are primarily fleece producing animals and it is from that fleece that we should ultimately derive value. With this in mind we need to decide what those value traits are.
Below is a table that clearly defines such traits and once you have decided your list of priorities you can then look for a male that has those traits you are seeking to fix on your own herd. As a general rule it is easier to achieve the fixing of one trait at a time. It may well be that you want to achieve heavy cutting fleeces and accept that the micron might be one or two greater.
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The above table is extracted from “Synthesis of a Miracle” by Mike Safley, a highly recommended read.
OK, all you now have to do is find the right male and you’re away, really simple! Unfortunately in your quest for a male you will be faced with many different challenges. Not least of all the emotional pressure to believe that the male Flossy had two years ago is up to the job. Of course this is nothing to do with the issue of saving money, just that little Romeo is the best alpaca ever born, and after all you bred him. Now you have to be really honest with yourself, remember even the big stud farms would only get 1% of the males born to qualify as stud males, the rest would be geldings. So in reality you have to ask yourself what is the likelihood of Romeo being up to the mark. Mind, he could be, so just be careful and call in professional advice if you genuinely think he is in with a shout. The next step is to view other breeders and assess those studs they are offering up. Don’t be persuaded that their “Romeo” is the best thing because they talk passionately about him. Remember, your Romeo was castrated because clear thinking told you he wasn’t good enough. You are about to spend money, and any breeder worth their salt will want to take it from you, after all you are only talking to them because they have said he has a good stud! Try to reduce the risk of a bad result by asking the right questions. Here are but a few things to consider whether purchasing a stud male or just buying services. Ask for and consider:
- The pedigree, this will give you a heads up on how deeply grounded his genetic quality is
- His fibre stats, see if he was very fine in the first fleece but has become significantly coarser since. Be wary when there is a big difference between 1st and 2nd fleece results. Be reasonable about expectations on older males
- When was the last fibre sample taken, why are they only quoting a sample taken 4 years ago
- Check him over for any defects, does he have llama traits which can be reproduced in his progeny?
- Is he proven, not does he work, but does he have cria on the ground?
- Can you view his progeny, if not why not?
- What quality of female produced those great cria you have been shown. After all a really prepotent male will be successful over a wide range of females
- Have his progeny had success in the show ring?
Remember if you ignore the basics you have to live with result for many years to come. Poor female cria impact on your breeding program for 10 years plus. A poor male is never going to amount to more than a gelding but he has just wasted at least one year in your program.
Now having dealt with the theory there will be one factor that controls all, the budget. We all have financial constraints but you need to be careful. In trying to save money by using low quality, cheap males, your are constantly and consistently devaluing your breeding herd. Just because you buy a supposed stud male for the sum total of your annual service fees, doesn't mean the male in question a worthwhile stud, he is just your stud.
You also need to remember that when you allow a breeder to sell you either services from an inferior male, or indeed an inferior male as a stud, they will quickly promote your business as an endorsement of their stud. In short you have given them credibility in the market place.
Here is quote from Mike Safley’s book which I believe should be committed to memory ready to ponder on when formulating your breeding program. “Although there are some outstanding producers in the herd, the animals, if randomly mated, will produce offspring that resemble the average of their ancestors.” This clearly demonstrates the importance of male selection.
To sum up, do your homework, breed to the best male you can afford, and don’t breed to something because it’s conveniently just down the road. Remember, you spent lots of money buying the breeding female, look to enhance not devalue both the financial and aesthetic value of your herd.
Finally, remember you don’t have to breed every female every year, so consider spending more on individual breedings, and not breed the whole herd.
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