Feb 12
3
Color Choices For Your Alpaca Farm
The color of your alpacas can be quite an important consideration when setting up an alpaca farm.
There are 22 distinct colors of alpaca fleece, although at agricultural shows, judging occurs in 16 color categories. White is obviously one of the most sought after colors, as it is easiest to dye. It occurs most frequently in Peru, their native region, which boasts an alpaca population of around three million animals. In that country, breeders observe very strict standards of color purity since many of their customers for alpaca fiber are top fashion designers such as Ralph Lauren and Armani. No color contamination is allowed. This is the term used, when the fleece of, for example, a white alpaca, contains a few errant hairs of fawn, grey, black or brown.
The grading of color may not be as strictly adhered to, when the manufacturer of yarn is a co-operation of small breeders, who produce and distribute their own yarn. A designing house on the other hand will easily return a shipment of cloth, if even a few rogue hairs are found. It may reject a complete consignment and demand a refund, an outrageous discount or even sue for lost labour hours. This represents a great loss to the breeder in question. Some Australian owners of alpaca farms are so cautious that they keep no colored animals on their land, for fear that a few stray hairs caught in a fence, may contaminate the fleece of another alpaca.
Color is not always a bad thing, though. Those who appreciate natural undyed yarn are often inspired by the beautiful natural shades of alpacas. Apart from natural black or white, there are two different greys, rose grey and silver grey, which each occurs in light, medium or dark. Other colors such as brown and fawn can also be found in light, medium or dark. Some manufacturers utilize these natural tints to create an attractive range of earthy colors.
In the United States, each new alpaca cria is entered in the national Alpaca Registry and there is a slot for assigning it to an existing color group. A color chart can be ordered from the Alpaca Registry to best match a newborn cria’s fleece to an existing color group. A sample should be clipped as close to the skin as possible and the cut end of this must be compared to the chart. A rule states that if the color falls between two color gradients, the darker should be assigned.
In the management of an alpaca farm, the right color combination can be very important.
