|
First, I needed to decide what kind of alpacas I want to raise. I decided that I wanted both huacaya and suris. I like the light colored animals, and generally (although breeders are making amazing strides in colored fleeces) the white and light animals have finer fleeces. Not having an unlimited budget, I can relate to the people out there who want to join the alpaca ownership ranks, but can't, or don't want to, lay out $30,000 to $50,000 on a female. I started out with modestly priced, but healthy, older production females. Far more important to me was the males these females were bred to, and the progeny they (the males) had produced in the past, or the progeny the males’ relatives produced. My 2005 cria crop exceeded my expectations. In 2006, I have crias due from 2 different sires. Again, I am looking forward to the results.
I feel my niche in the alpaca market will be providing well breed alpacas at a reasonable price. The focus of my breeding program is three fold - fiber, reproductive qualities and conformation. I want to decrease the fiber diameter and variability with each generation, while increasing annual shear weight and staple length. I started with mothers with excellent reproductive qualities and no major conformational issues, and of course want to retain these qualities. .
I have spent the last 16 years helping people, as I am a Registered Nurse by trade. Researching , learning and teaching are second nature to me. Customer support is one of the strengths of WingNut Farms.
As alpaca breeding is a business, marketing is essential. The Internet had revolutionized many business, and the alpaca industry is no exception. The Ideal Alpaca Community is a marketing cooperative comprised of alpaca breeders that is intended to create the maximum opportunity for individual members. Offspring of StudMaster males, or females bred to them, are eligible so purchase of a WingNut alpaca has this benefit.. | 
