Fiber
Health
Showing
Our Alpacas
Anatomy
100
Density, Fineness, Staple Length, Crimp, Handle are judged in a halter class.

What are characteristics of alpaca fiber?

100

Vaccines given under the skin by 'pinching' the skin and injecting at a 45 degree angle to the animal are delivered this way.

What is subcutaneously?

100

Alpacas are always walked from this side.

What is the left side?

100

Our very friendly grey female alpaca. Also the oldest on the farm!

Who is Yasmina?

100

Location found between the alpacas ears.

What is the poll?

200

A unit of measurement to describe average fiber diameter. Used frequently to describe the fineness of the fiber.

What is micron?

200

Annual vaccine given to every alpaca and can only be done by a vet.

What is rabies vaccine?
200

White shirt, black pants, black close toed shoes, no blingy jewelry and hair tied up.

What is proper show attire?

200

This old guy tore his ACL and fractured his pelvis last year. He's doing well now but still has a limp.

Who is Pagonis?

200

The joint just above the toes and below the knee.

What is the fetlock?

300

The amount of clean fiber sheared from a particular alpaca.

What is yield?

300

A type of parasite common in our region transmitted by white tail deer. It often causes neurologic symptoms and paralysis.

What is meningeal worm?

300

6-8 inches off the snap loose lead shaped like a J

What is proper hand position?
300

Only one of our alpacas who can be considered a pattern.

Who is Cobblestone?

300

Region on the rear leg between the stifle and the hock.

What is the gaskin?

400

True hair fibers which contain a hollow core. Often coarser than the overall fleece, less desirable portion of the fiber produced.

What are guard hairs?

400

The relative amount of muscle and fat that is carried on the frame of the alpaca. Often a number on a scale of 1-9 is used to describe it.

What is body condition?

400

When a handler does this they are not necessarily disqualified but they cannot place in a class above someone who did this correctly.

What is going off course?

400

This alpaca has a complicated name that can be translated to 'rain' but we call him something else.

Who is JJ?

400

Ears that curve inward, commonly found on llamas.

What are banana ears?

500

The process of removing lower grade fiber, debris or other excess matter from the fleece. This is done before processing or showing.

What is skirting?

500

There is only 1 of these, so often a gelding is kept on property for transfusions if there is a sick animal on the farm.

What is a blood type?

500

This type of turn is done by the alpaca pivoting on a front foot and hips turning around that point to the right.

What is a turn on the forehand?

500

When this alpaca showed at MAPACA in 2017 the judge in the halter class told us there she could find no faults on this animal.

Who is McFly?

500

The rump of the alpaca, just before the tail.

What is the croup?