Well, It's Fathers Day today and what better time to recognize the Alpaca Herdsires of the world!  These elegant creatures have proven themselves to be the best of the best.  So, what is the life of a herdsire?

Usually, a herdsire has to prove himself in the Alpaca show ring.  Many of these amazing animals travel great distances before they begin the life of increasing the Alpaca population.  Starting at about 6 months of age, they travel the country participating in one show after another.  Many are color champions (the best of all in their class), or are blue ribbon champions.  Some have dozens of ribbons before they are two years old.

But, is the show ring the only way to get a great herdsire?  Not necessarily.  Some breeders don't immediately recognize the value of their male until they mature.  Others are offspring from prize winning Herdsires.  But, only a small percentage of male Alpacas ever get to be called a herdsire. A common percentage thrown around the Alpaca world is 5 percent of all males are worthy of the title "Herdsire".

If your guy is one of the lucky few that make the grade, they are a valuable asset to your farm and ranch.  Many have separate barns for their Herdsires, and of course, the Herdsires are the only ones that get to meet the ladies.

After a herdsire is identified, he must now prove himself, and that will take at least another year.  These lucky guys get to visit the girls on a regular basis, but it is not always a fun encounter for them.  The mating rituals of Alpacas are quite interesting.  Generally, an open female (one that is not pregnant), will flirt with the boys if they are near by, but if they are pregnant, they want nothing to do with them.  We'll get to that in a second.

When the  Herdsire is introduced to a female Alpaca (usually referred to as a Dam) that is open, there is a kind of courting ritual that might last seconds or a few minutes.  If the female is interested, the mating ritual begins.  The male "sings" to the female with a sound called orgalling.  The mating act continues for 20 minutes or so, and then the Herdsire and Dam part, usually on a friendly basis and hang out together if given the chance.

However, once the Dam is pregnant, it is a different story, but allow for an easy way to check for an early pregnancy.  When a Herdsire is introduced to a pregnant Dam, the female will have nothing to do with him and will actually spit at him!  Now, being spit on by an Alpaca is not a fun experience, so often lesser quality males are put in with a female that is suspected to be pregnant.  This guy is in a lose / lose situation.  He will either be spit on, or pulled away.  But, at least the Herdsire didn't have to deal with rejection.

So, if all goes well, in about 11 and one half months, a baby will be born.  An Alpaca baby is called a cria.  Now it's up to the crias to prove themselves and make their dad proud!

So Happy Father's Day to all of the proud Herdsires of the world!  You help make our national herd stronger, better, and more valuable.  Keep up the good work and make us proud!