In an auction arena, it’s usually the sires who get all the attention. After all, they can affect the outcome of a larger crop of crias with their genetics than a female can. Alpaca and llama females can only produce one offspring per year with their annual gestation averaging from 335 days to 350 days.1 So what do we think makes a dam worthy of distinction? Why should you be interested?

At WoodsEdge, a female who earns the prestige to be ranked as one of our “Dams of Distinction,” must be a proven producer with a track record of excellence. She also typically exhibits good milking ability (including ability to produce high IgG colostrum), good mothering abilities, and the ability to conceive easily. Her positive fleece characteristics and positive conformational traits are passed onto her progeny. Although the sire is contributing 50% of the genetics in each of her cria, you quickly realize not all of his progeny are equal! In most cases, the differences in quality amongst paternal siblings are directly related to the dam! Of course the dam’s genetics can help you make an educated guess as to who will be one of your top-producing dams, but the proof is in the progeny. Miss Inga, a young dam, has qualified to earn this title with her first cria, Isabella, who had an IgG of 1678, and an excellent daily weight gain. Inga was a calm, attentive dam, “teaching” her cria to be calm when handled by humans. Isabella’s fleece qualities match if not exceed those of her dam. For a first time mom, Inga exceeded our expectations and thus earned the title of “Young Dam of Distinction”.

Older dams like Taglia have an established track record. By this point in her production, we know she has been a consistent producer with all the maternal qualities required to earn her the title “Dam of Distinction”. For example, her latest cria, Safari, was born with an IgG of 3217! We look to dams like Taglia to produce our Junior Herdsires!

Finally, when selecting a herdsire for our breeding program, it is of paramount importance to us that any sire we use come from a “Dam of Distinction”! When we see a dam like LeMont’s mother, 6Peruvian Ravenna, who has consistently produced quality herdsires, we are confident these sons will continue their dam’s legacy into future generations!