Apart from taking fleece samples which we send away for analysis. We keep samples of all our alpaca fleeces here in the office.



The integrity of sampling, the careful and proper selection of a sample, is the most critical factor involved in measurement of fiber diameter in individual alpacas. The samples must be taken at the middle of the side in the blanket location. The sample should be uniformly cut at the skin level, which is the base of the staple, and should be no smaller than a two-inch square in size. The sample should be kept in the staple configuration, which is its natural growth state. It should not be brushed out, cleaned up, or folded. Flat bladed shears or clippers are recommended as the safest tools to use in the taking of samples.

Maintaining the staple formation of the sample submitted to the laboratory is important for a practical reason: The two-millimeter sample used for measurement is cut close to the base of the staple to measure fiber that has grown side by side under the same environmental conditions.

These conditions include level of nutrition, pregnancy, lactation, and stress caused by sickness or trauma. Working with staple lengths shorter than one and a half inches is problematic because the staple configuration breaks down and the lab are unable to take an even cut across the base during sample preparation.

Adrian Stewart