Alpaca Buying The Golden Rule: Develop Selection Criteria.

Since the prices of quality breeding stock can be pretty steep, it is only natural to be concerned about making a mistake. The "mistakes" we've seen new breeders make have been very few. Most involved purchases in which the animals were not genetically able to meet their goals. Second, and much rarer, they did not have a clear understanding about particular a health or reproductive issue. Fortunately, since most buyers do a pretty good job educating themselves, most sellers are very upfront, and most sales are contingent upon a purchase exam performed by a qualified veterinarian, this doesn't happen very often. 

Our advice is to look at as many alpacas as you can. Talk to as many successful breeders you can find time for and read until you have an idea of what your breeding goals will be. Once you've formed your goals of your breeding program, you can begin developing your selection criteria, iIt becomes a much simpler task. Are you interested in certain colors? Buy stock that has proven to throw those colors.  Are you planning to show your alpacas? Then it is pretty clear that the seller should be able to provide show results to meet your requirements. Buying pregnant females will help jumpstart your program, but are there better quality maidens at a more affordable price? What does your business plan allow before you need to produce income?

Developing your selection criteria not only helps you narrow down the list of potential alpacas but it also will help you negotiate when you find similar animals that have different strengths. Frequently your criteria will even narrow down which breeders have the stock that qualify. The more "selective" the criteria  the easier the search.

Alpaca Buying Rule #1: Buy from a reputable breeder.

From the moment we saw an alpaca we knew that this was the livestock we were looking for. Deciding to buy one was a much more lengthy process. It has been one of the most enjoyable endeavors we have been involved in. Just mentioning the word "alpaca" makes people smile. You can't help but smile whenever you look at them. Alpacas have a unique connection with people. They are very gentle, serene and easy to train. If you like raising animals, you will enjoy the unique relationship that develops with your alpacas. They have an unexplainable draw for people. Although not for this reason alone, alpacas have a very special place in the livestock world.  

Whenever we are discussing alpacas, invariably the "cost" of buying an alpaca will come up. Cindy and I have to keep reminding ourselves that the general public has no idea what any livestock is worth, much less what "registered breeding" livestock is worth. From our experience, we do not believe alpacas are extra-ordinarily high priced.  However, all alpacas are not created equal. A reputable breeder should be willing to help you ascertain the type of alpaca that most fulfills your needs according to your goals. Seek out a ranch whose goals and practices most closely resemble your own.

Buying Rule # 2: Buy registered stock.

If you are looking to buy an alpaca, you will need to come to terms with value. Currently, the alpaca market is considered a "Breeders Market". This term, is referring to the current conditions, in which a high percentage of transactions involves, "Breeding Stock" (VS. a fiber market or in some livestock industries . . . a slaughter market) You may be wondering if this is good or bad? First, one must keep in mind that a "breeders market" exists in all livestock industries. So, the answer is, that the current breeder's market in alpacas is both good and maybe not so good. It is good for those that have a good breeding program and are paying attention as to improving their herd. It may be not so good for those that don't. Since Cindy and I have been in the alpaca business, the value of quality stock has increased a great deal. Whereas, the value for common or lesser quality  stock have seen price degradation. This pattern is the expected natural progression and maturation of the industry. It is expected that the industry will continue to sort, or sift, itself out in this manner.

The Alpaca Registry in the US requires offspring to be DNA matched to their Dam and Sire. The whole purpose of this system is to certify genetic lineages. When you are purchasing "Breeding Stock" you need to depend upon knowing what genetics you are purchasing. Another term for "Breeding Stock" could be "Gene Stock". Once your "Gene Stock" has developed to the point of predictably producing expected results, they can be referred to as "Seed Stock". Genetics play an ever increasing role in the value of an alpaca.

Values, are not only determined by genetics. Conformation and fleece quality also pay a large role in values as do breeding and birthing histories. The registry does not screen any alpacas before they are registered. Determining conformation, fleece and health qualities is totally up to the buyer.  Most knowledgeable buyers seeking quality, require complete health and breeding records to examine before they buy. The physical condition, or conformation of an animal is pretty apparent to most experienced livestock people or by an experienced veterinarian when performing a purchase examination.

We advise that you pay special attention to genetics in your purchasing decisions. Visit as many farms as you can, BEFORE you buy. Make it a point to meet and visit breeders who represent different breeding philosophies and opinions. 

Buying Rule # 3: Not all alpacas are created equal.

An important principle to understand is that in all livestock industries, the "elite quality" or "Seed Stock" animals become more refined ... and more valuable every year. The genetic bundle that particular animal has to offer should provide something that is of valuable to someone. The more unique the qualities, the more value that animal will have for the right buyer. It would be unreasonable to start with any unimproved or low quality animal and expect to "breed-up" to "Seed Stock" quality without spending a lot of money on breeding fees and waiting several generations to see if your successful.  It is a lot less risky and much less expensive to start as close to your goal as you can afford. Even if it means starting with less animals.

Pricing (and buying) becomes more difficult when selecting for higher quality. In selecting elite quality, pricing may boil down to "how much are you willing to pay" and will the owner sell.   Without a doubt, when purchasing highly graded breeding stock the owners reputation and success plays a large role. However, more importantly the alpaca must speak for itself. Some of the questions that you (or the seller) need to comprehend.

How does this animal measure up with others of its breed, color, age? Show records are helpful in this area. Generally speaking, the larger the show, the more competition and the more a particular placement may mean.

Genetics may be the biggest puzzle for most. Basically what you are buying is "A bag of Genes" You can get a pretty good idea about the genetics of an alpaca by learning about its "uplines" and siblings. How many generations of this quality has been produced from this line? Is the first "hybrid" or has generation after generation of this quality been produced. Since you will likely be looking to sell offspring from this animal, how likely will it be that similar or greater quality will be produced? 

An article published by The Alpaca Registry: Selection of Alpacas for Breeding by Chis Tuckwell
An article published by The Alpaca Registry: Breeding Strategies by D. Philip Sponenberg, PhD, DVM

Once you have you selection criteria in hand, it becomes a simpler task to determine where an particular animal fits in and observe what similar animals selling for.

What is the reproductive and health history? What are the statistics of its fleece production should also be considered.

Buying Rule # 4: "Going out of Business or Herd Dispersal Sales"

Frequently these sales have the perception of providing great bargains to new people getting started. Claims of discounts of more than 25% or 50% or more is very tempting to new breeders. However, buying at this type of a sale can be risky for new breeders. Typically, these type of sales generally involve purchasing numerous animals, requiring larger cash outlay. Accurate and complete information is usually hard to obtain and with the seller "going out of business", any type of guarantee would be questionable.

I've seen alpaca breeders sell all their animals in a "going out of business sale" only to see them reestablish themselves in the business with new, generally higher quality, alpacas. So, one of your main objectives would be to be to determine if the quality and health of the animals are going to even allow you to achieve your goals.

Why are they selling?  If they weren't successful with these animals, can you expect too be? Are you able to discern your amount of risk in the purchase?  Our advice would be to  wait until you've had sufficient knowledge and experience so that you understand the risk or hire someone to help that does.

I think it does matter especially for the new breeder. The dynamics of a "small farm" is the ideal environment to get the best quality, at the best price, with the best support. Most breeders would classify an operation as being small if most of the farm chores, and business matters are being handled by the owner. We consider ourselves to be a small farm and also a "full time " breeder in that this business requires our full time attention.  Being a small breeder also means having a very limited yearly production, which in turn requires selling animals that we would rather keep. We have found that large farms will sell some of their best but usually at pretty significant prices. So often there is so much marketing hype thrown out by large farms that you start thinking everything they own is of that quality. That is just not the case.  For example, If you are interested in purchasing a show quality alpaca, where will you be more likely to locate one.  At a small farm in which 100% of their alpacas are shown and proven in the ring or a farm with 100's of alpacas in which only a small percentage qualify to be in a show string?

The dynamics of a small farm is the ideal environment to get the best quality, at the best price, with the best support. We consider ourselves to be a small farm in that we have to sell our production in order to generate revenue.  Having a limited quantity, means selling animals that we would rather keep. We have found that large farms will sell some of their best but usually at pretty significant prices.

Should you stay away from large farms? No, not at all. It is just that the number of animals someone owns should not be part of your selection criteria.

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What has been the most helpful advice we received from a Veterinarian?

Stargazer Ranch Alpacas:   One of our favorite vets impressed upon us that nutrition is directly related to at least 80% of alpaca health problems. With that in mind, we routinely expend a great deal of energy and effort evaluating our herd's nutritional intake and "output". Monitoring our program is as easy as regular weigh-ins and body scoring. The results speak for themselves! We've seen evidence of abundance of mother's milk with almost all crias gaining between 1/2 to a full pound a day, almost double of what our crias experienced last year. Weanlings and yearlings that weren't making strong and consistent weight gains, put on and maintained their weight without receiving any "special" supplement or attention.

Witnessing the dramatic changes and enthusiasm our herd has at feeding time has given us a great deal of peace of mind knowing we are going in the right direction and that our nutritional program is working well.

What steps did we take to prepare for getting into the industry?

Stargazer Ranch Alpacas:  We started looking into alpacas in the late 90's. There was much less information available at that time than there is now. We came up with a list if every question we could think of to help us make a decision and called every AOBA breeder who had indicated they owned more that 50 alpacas. What impressed us the most is that everyone we tried to contact made time to talk. I asked every question we could think of to learn the different perspectives they all had on the industry and breeding philosophies. I never had anyone refuse to answer a question or become impatient.

We took all the similar answers as fact and formed our own opinions on the rest based upon our judgment and our past business experience. In the 10 years since, almost everyone I remember contacting are still in business today and we've ended up doing business with most of those I had contacted.

It's not that hard to do. There is not a lot of time needed or money spent to gather the information you need from farms located all over the country. What we've come to understand is that they believe if they can help you be successful,  you'll be doing business with them sooner or later.

What has been our biggest lesson learned in terms of breeding?

Stargazer Ranch Alpacas:  In terms of breeding husbandry, the biggest lesson learned is that you can't have too much information or history. Proper recordkeeping is very valuable. Having a clear understanding about camelid reproduction or access to a very knowledgeable veterinarian is very valuable to your bottom line.

In terms of a breeding program, the biggest lesson learned is that it is all about genetics. My best advice, is to decide what qualities you are breeding for and find the stock (male and female) that have the genetics to produce your goal.


If we could change one aspect of the Alpaca industry what would it be? Why?

Stargazer Ranch Alpacas:  There is so much that is "Right" about the alpaca industry. It isn't reasonable to think everything will be perfect, especially one where significant sums of money are involved.

However, what we find particularly annoying is breeders will frequently refer to their animals as having "Excellent Bloodlines or Genetics" without any reference as to what they are referring to. It would mean so much more if the seller would make a claim as to what that particular animal has and what that predisposes that alpaca to produce.

So often, when I do some research, I find that they are referring to only a single "quality" breeding or two somewhere in the previous 2 or 3 generations. I think this is very confusing and misleading to new breeders who don't know better.
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What do you tell prospective buyers who look at the small profit the alpaca fiber produces compared to the daunting prices of alpacas?

Stargazer Ranch Alpacas:  We are focused on producing "seed stock" alpacas. That means we are breeding for homozygous genetics. This is the same for seed stock producers in any livestock industry. A $30,000 "seed stock" pig won't produce enough bacon to justify its price either.

The alpaca industry is just in its infancy. It is the process of developing the beginning genetics of its future not only in the US but also the world. Decide what your alpaca business is focused on. If it is to produce breeding stock, spend your time and money producing the best breeding stock you can. To most pocketbooks this probably means is a few high quality females and maybe a male for breeding.

If your business plan is to produce a profit with fiber then it is likely based upon volume and you need to spend your time and money on the appropriate stock. For most pocketbooks this would likely mean a large herd of "unregistered" animals which are not considered high breeding quality stock.


What is our Background?
Stargazer Ranch Alpacas:  Also known as "The FronkenHeise's", Cindy Fronk and John Heise were drawn to include alpacas in their life largely due to Cindy's goal of becoming a Cowgirl as a third career. Cindy had been a consultant that helped companies with training compliance with government regulations. Cindy is a Registered Nurse with years of neo-natal ICU experience to draw upon in her herd health responsibilities.

After years working in real estate and construction, John now will help clients locate unique real estate opportunities. His general contracting experience has been of great help to establish a unique custom alpaca barn and facility that provides a high level of versatility and a smooth flow of operations.

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