Why let the competitors take a clear advantage

At a time where the economy dictate us to drastically improve to stay competitive in a global market, we can see a clear difference on prices between top level alpacas and lower level alpacas. Does that means just large ranches or very wealthy breeders are going to make it? The answer is clearly No: We all have to pay more attention to which animals we breed and how. With what we can do in the US we just have to pay attention to increase finesse and density and maybe pay a bit less attention to conformation (even if it is still important), the true value is on the fiber. Look at fleece show, you will see amazing fleeces without knowing the confirmation and that is where the true value of our industry is. Now if we compare with our friends breeders in Australia we need to be more drastic or they , the Europeans breeders and the big farms in Peru who start to follow them will be way ahead very quickly. Embryo Transfer is a fabulous technique now available for alpacas and largely use in Australia. What does that means?It is very simple: all females alpacas become very interesting as carrier of the best genetic of your breeding program. Instead to progress by generation which is roughly 3 years for an alpaca, you progress in one year. Most important that will increase the value of the imports or old style alpacas, those females becoming carrier of the best you have. But the best is to read what Janie Hicks from Coolaroo Alpacas in Australia wrote in her website: Coolarooalpacas.com :

What is Embryo Transfer (ET)? Not pretending to be an expert I shall provide the background notes kindly supplied to me by Dr Jane Vaughan Embryo transfer (ET) is the process by which embryos are harvested from valuable female alpacas and transferred into less valuable females for incubation and nurturing. Each donor female is mated naturally by a male, which (a) induces her to release an egg into the oviduct and (b) deposits sperm in the female reproductive tract. The union of the egg and sperm (fertilization) in the oviduct results in the development of an embryo, which can be harvested from the uterus about a week after mating. Donor females are lightly sedated and flushed non-surgically. Embryos are transferred into reproductively-sound recipient females of lesser genetic merit. The donor female can be mated and flushed in subsequent weeks to allow more embryo collections and transfers. Thanks Jane

Why ET in the Coolaroo herd? 1. Coolarooýs skin testing research in line with SRSýbreeding principles quickly established a vast difference of follicle density between one alpaca and another. How could we infuse qualities of greater genetic merit into our herd? 2. Alpacaýs gestation is a long (relatively speaking) 11.5 months, 6 months longer than a sheep, and they do not as rule, multiple birth. Breeding programs are slow relative to other livestock such as goats and sheep. How to fast track upgrading our herds? 3. Coolarooýs alpaca population, imported initially from low density herds in Northern Chile, had unpredictable color genetics, browns, blacks, spots and white faces to name a few. Many of these early imports were dated. Already progeny, a result of rigorous breeding selection, exhibited and tested twice the follicle density to their dams. Color outcomes had become more predictable. The question would arise, what is to be done with these grand dams? 4. In a shipment in 1991 we had inadvertently imported 3 animals that carried genetic disorders which resurfaced every second generation. Some of these lines were now into their 4th generation. What could be done with these lines not welcome in the herdýs genetic pool? 5. And cullsýý..all stud masters have culls or those animals which do not meet with the breed selection criteria. In Peru and in other livestock we send them to market for human consumption. However, without this option in the current industry in Australia, how do you cull stock with blue eyes, lines carrying susceptibility to rye grass, those with poor disease resistance or other negative traits. 6. Infertility due to scarring or damage to the uterus. A female of considerable genetic merit that cannot give birth naturally may be worth persevering with if the successful collection of embryo is achievable. We have had mixed results with these females. Further advantages and pitfalls ý ET allowed us to produce a lifetime of cria from any one female in a matter of a year or two. This enables a stud master to make a breeding decision quickly and effect a change of joining or a reclassification up to elite donor level or down to natural stud reproduction. For example: In 2004/5 we trialed a highly prolific young female carrying a single spot on her neck. How would this spot affect the color of her progeny? Both her dam and sire had been registered as solid white of Peruvian origin but, as with most alpacas that are imported, we had no further genetic history. We involved her in 4 programs changing the sire on each occasion. The results were: Two multi cria and two solid coloured cria by the same male. All other eight crias by other males were solid colored. In a single year we were alerted to the importance of actively diluting that multi gene by careful selection of joining sires. Such information is normally accrued over years of breeding. ý Fast tracking the breeding program identified the ýflawsý in donor selection but having done so it allowed us to move to rectify selection for the next program. Conversely it identified ýsoundý donors equally efficiently. ý ET ensures the reproductive tract of the donor alpacas is regularly examined. In a larger herd, unless ultra sounded specifically it may take years to learn a female has a reproduction flaw such as undersized ovaries, found last year in one of the ýeliteý females, now culled. ý Costs versus risk needs careful analysis per individual breederýs circumstances but suffice to say that, whilst ever quality alpacas are rare in the worldýs market place ET, even its developmental stage, is well worth promoting to ensure its continued development to greater commercial merit. Costs are variable depending on the result 12 months after fees are paid depending on your male/female ratios and birthing rates. Costs to consider are drugs, travel costs for the vets, flushing and implantation costs as well as sire stud fees. There may be agistment costs if you are ýborrowing or leasingý your recipients but these all vary from operator to operator. In summary the advantages of ET to Coolaroo and to Coolaroo clients are: ý ET is a powerful tool to genetically improve a herd ý It has lessened the distance to the goalposts ý It has shifted the entire stud breeding female base to a new level ý It has increased the impact of genetically superior bloodstock ý It has harnessed genetically inferior stock which may have otherwise become redundant. ý It has culled ýwithout slaughterý genetically inferior stock ý It harnesses genetically superior females which may not either wise able to breed due to past birthing damage. ý Identifies reproduction problems in individual females Selection of Donors and Recipients Selection of recipients and donors has been by trial and error. It is risky to purchase a female as a ýdonorý when only 1 in 3 or thereabouts react to the treatment and this needs to be taken into account when you evaluate your purchase females. Equally, whilst recipients are of lesser value it is also paramount the animal has an excellent breeding history, amongst other things. The right Donor Only exceptional animals of high impact genetic merit should be donors or the programme will be ineffective and breeding results will not be satisfactory given the extra cost to land your cria on the ground. Worthwhile animals in donor programmes should have advanced wools and other genetic merit according to the SRSý Breeding criteria. The right Recipient Its easy to underrate the recipient but it is highly costly to do so. Females that do not conceive easily cause losses post transfer. Later, females that are of poor maternal merit i.e. small in frame that could experience birthing problems, poor doers, poor milkers or showing signs of age or fall back to low body scores when feeding their young, all increase the risk of loss Coolarooýs ET programme With some years of trial and error I would hesitate to recommend this advanced breeding procedure to the faint hearted. It has its risks but it is balanced by significant benefits. Coolaroo provides this service to clients keen to access our donor and sire genetics as well as a tried and tested pool of recipients. Our best results, (up to 13 embryos in a single flush) that survived through to weaning as crias, came from healthy donors and recipients that were carefully selected for the role.