How enviroment can influence the fleece -GIFT example 2

We are looking at how much the first fleece can change over the period of time, which can reflect in the micron range of the fleece stats. Remember, when we are looking at histograms, we are looking at any point of time.We are looking at Alpaca "K"" for this purpose, who was born 30/12/06. If we look at Graph 1 we can see the point of birth, and all the influences that can change over the period of time that has been tested.

This is her first fleece, and pre and post natal influences does affect the fleece.

The fleece that you are seeing at that point of time, is influenced by 6 weeks prior, so in other words, under the skin, what enviromental influences you are seeing at that point, is from 6 weeks ago, which is how long it takes that fibre from the point of conception to the time it erupts through the skin is 6 weeks.

Again as we look through Graph 1, we can see the point of weaning, the stress Kasarni experienced through being weaned, which is very normal, and then the slight increase, being the spring flush, and then how she settles down after being weaned, and she is getting quite happy being now apart from mum, and also the beginning of summer as we see the nutritional intake is going down again as the grass dries out, and less nutrition in the grass.

Sheep farmers use these graphs to see how their farm is going, as if all the graphs of each sheep is the same, then any changes over the years, reflects the environmental influence on the fleece because maybe a bad or good year.

But if one graph is different to the rest, then it reflects, something is going on in that one sheep, maybe stressed, or suffering something that has not yet been picked up.

This is a vital tool for the breeder and farmer.

So if we go to graph 2, which is the first fleece test, and again, we can see how this is only part of the picture, as we can see in graph 3.

If we measure the points that the ODFA 2000 has picked up along the length of the fleece to come to the final fleece stats, we can see that the average of all the points is 19.2.

But if we just test the fleece 2 months later, on 27/10/07, on graph 3, we can see that there were other influences along the fleece, that affects the outcome of the micron.

as you can see graph 1 is the line graph from graph 3, and we have picked up 14 points along the graph, which brings the micron down to 18.9.

Interestingly, on year 2, we see a different picture, although i do not have a graph to show this, but i do have the statics which are.

Mic 16.9 SD 2.9 CV 17.1 Comf Fact 100 sp fineness 15.9 for a full years growth on her 2nd fleece.

So we now do not have the mothers influence on the fleece, here, Kasarni had settled down to being away from her dam, and her fleece reflects a different picture.

i would also like to note in this example, that the spin fineness in 2007 was 16.7, which is reflected again in the 2008 fleece.

I would also like to point out in Graph 2 and graph 3, different information was picked up.

so for instance graph 3 has picked up a little more information that graph 2.

Also in the 2008 fleece, her along fibre SD, was .9, which means along the length of the fleece, the micron range was only .9 difference, which reflects that this alpaca is a high quality female, as the environment is not affecting her nutritional intake, which also means that each fibre in the bundle is taking up a more even amount of nutrition, that the average alpaca, and that is also reflected in her SD 2.9.

I hope I have explained this so you can understand.

After being more heavily involved in GIFT, although i had a good understanding of reading histograms, i can pick up so much more now, which helps me to breed better fleeces, and helps people that i am associated with to understand breeding a lot more, which ultimately will assist them in making more precise breeding decisions, because of their fleece results and understanding these statics better.

GIFT has given me a great breeding tool.