Colorado Alpacas: Our Herd
About Our Alpaca Breeding Program in Penrose, Colorado
As we visited farms and attended shows during our research stage, we were very drawn to the lovely spectrum of alpaca fleece color. When we began our selection, we decided to focus on what we loved and we loved the colors--all of them--from snowy white to vicuna fawn, from coffee & cream brown to royal maroon, and from silver and rose gray to blue black, and everything in between. With all aspects of sound health, correct conformation and quality fiber in mind, our foundation herd was chosen to reflect the wonderful color diversity of alpacas. We did our research on bloodlines and have chosen quality American bred alpacas from diverse genetic backgrounds. Our herd represents over twenty excellent huacaya bloodlines of Peruvian, Chilean, and Bolivian descent (see herd bloodline list below) .
"Breeding to Improve Each Alpaca Colorfully"
Breeding for Fleece Like This
Our Farm Breeding Goals
1. To breed for healthy, hardy, well-conformed alpacas from diverse, quality bloodlines.
2. To breed for quality fleece: dense, fine fiber with good character in a broad spectrum of lovely alpaca colors.
3. To breed to improve each alpaca offspring for the enhancement of the North American herd.
2. To breed for quality fleece: dense, fine fiber with good character in a broad spectrum of lovely alpaca colors.
3. To breed to improve each alpaca offspring for the enhancement of the North American herd.
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Blood Lines Represented in our Herd
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We have Colorado alpacas, or to be more exact, alpacas in Colorado with lineage from Peru, Chile and Bolivia that are suitable to improve your herd or help you get started with a top-quality herd with good bloodlines, physical conformation and color. We have done well in the show rings. Robin also trained and passed certification testing as an alpaca judge in order to ensure that we had the qualifications it takes to identify top-quality alpacas. To further enhance her knowledge of Alpaca fiber characteristics, fiber sorting, gradin, and processing, Robin also has participated in multiple fiber workshops and training programs in Colorado and other national Alpaca events with well known Alpaca fiber experts including Ruth Elvestad, Ian Watt, and Yocum McColl.
Breeding Alpacas for Lasting Fineness in Color
One of the major alpaca breeding goals that we have focused on over the years is lasting fineness of fleece in color. Through their breeding efforts in Peru, alpaca breeders have managed to achieve very fine fleece with lasting fineness in white alpacas. In the United States, breeders like us are focusing on improving fineness and creating lasting fineness in alpacas of all colors. In order for alpaca fleece to feel soft to the touch, it needs to be fine and also have uniformity of fineness throughout the fleece in the thickness of the fibers. The thickness of alpaca fiber can be scientifically measured in microns.
When we first started, we used Yocom McColl's fiber evaluation service to get reports on our alpaca fleeces. We use regular assessments of fineness and uniformity to gauge the results of our breeding program. The best herdsires will demonstrate lasting fineness into their advanced age as well as uniformity of fineness throughout their blanket fleece. And they will pass these traits onto their offspring. We are proud to say, that at little circle farm, our alpaca herdsires demonstrate these characteristics in their own fleeces and in the fleeces of their offspring. Robin has learned through many intensive fiber training classes to identify character, density, and fineness in alpaca fleece. She also has a clear understanding of the assessment of best-use-to-product of alpaca fiber from from the youngest, finest, fleeces to the mature fleeces of aging alpacas. Every fleece, from neck to blanket to leg, has it's "best use".
When we first started, we used Yocom McColl's fiber evaluation service to get reports on our alpaca fleeces. We use regular assessments of fineness and uniformity to gauge the results of our breeding program. The best herdsires will demonstrate lasting fineness into their advanced age as well as uniformity of fineness throughout their blanket fleece. And they will pass these traits onto their offspring. We are proud to say, that at little circle farm, our alpaca herdsires demonstrate these characteristics in their own fleeces and in the fleeces of their offspring. Robin has learned through many intensive fiber training classes to identify character, density, and fineness in alpaca fleece. She also has a clear understanding of the assessment of best-use-to-product of alpaca fiber from from the youngest, finest, fleeces to the mature fleeces of aging alpacas. Every fleece, from neck to blanket to leg, has it's "best use".
