Alpaca Fiber Testing USA

The Alpaca Fiber Testing USA Advantage offers breeders and growers much more than just a simple fiber test:

1. a standard fiber test with a supporting reference document to better understand the histogram
2. average fiber profile which illustrates possible effects of nutrition, stress and climate as well as an assessment of the mothering ability of the dam (for cria fleece samples), and
3. personal access to a secure website where your test results are stored and can be compared to the average for your animals on the basis of geographic region, breed, color, sex and age as well as ranking your herd on all fleece trait measurements, and
4. hand measurement of samples to determine average daily growth rate, and
5. unlimited personal access for questions that may arise from the test results by phone or email 24/7

No other test provider offers this level of service to its customers anywhere in the world!

Alpaca Fiber Testing USA also offers a fast processing turnaround time same-day testing when possible (which is 90% of the time) and within three working days at other times.
Regrettably we cannot provide bulk discounts with the new reduced testing fee of $10 each, with a $5 webpage initiation fee (to record results for first time users only).

Alpaca Fiber Testing USA is proud to be the original provider of the OFDA2000 fiber testing system to US alpaca breeders since 2006! Despite consistent and ill-founded criticism of the technology and reporting abilities of the system, over 750 US alpaca breeders have used the service with the large majority continuing to do so.

A Rebuttal to Negative Comments and Innuendo about the OFDA2000 US Service to Alpaca Breeders
(new window, PDF, 165KB)

What the OFDA!—a paper on the differences between the OFDA 2000 and the OFDA 100 butt test.

Download the Sample Information Sheet (new window, PDF, 134KB)
Buy tests online
Buy tests offline (new window, PDF, 43KB)
AFTUSA customer login

The OFDA 2000 offers two distinct reports to breeders and growers:

1. A standard fiber test report incorporating:
• staple length
• average fiber diameter (measured over the length of the fiber)
• standard deviation
• co-efficient of variation
• fibers over 30 micron (expressed as a percentage), and
• a histogram
2. An average fiber profile incorporating:
• fiber length
• variations in micron along the fiber length, and
• maximum and minimum micron readings

The OFDA 2000 test has three major advantages over the traditional US butt sample test:

1. the test covers the whole of the length of the fiber and more truly reflects the production value of the fleece over a year
2. the test provides an average fiber profile allowing breeders, and growers, to assess husbandry and environmental effects over the production year, and
3. the test allows breeders an insight into the effect of micron blow out in both individual animals and bloodlines within a herd

The OFDA 2000 testing regime provides breeders with excellent animal and herd assessment tools for:

1. making future breeding decisions
2. assessing past breeding decisions
3. assessing the effect of environment and management on breeding decisions, and
4. offers an excellent opportunity to assess current and past management practices

By comparison, the butt sample test reveals production details on one day of the production year.

Alpaca Fiber Testing USA is owned and operated by Alpaca Consulting USA.

For further information, contact Ian Watt at
Alpaca Consulting Services USA
1540 San Bernardo Creek Road
Morro Bay California 93442
+ 1 805 772 1774

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