 Breeding
silver alpacas since 1984.
In 1984, the alpaca business in the United
States was brand new. The first imports had just arrived and the only other
alpacas in the United States were found in zoos. Eric Hoffman was well known
in the llama business for his exploits as a trekker and many articles about
his experiences with llamas in the back country.
Importers Tom Hunt and Jurgen Schulz contacted
Eric and asked him if he'd like to market alpacas. For the next six years,
Eric was the exclusive agent for Camelids of Delaware which sold 95% of the
alpacas in the United States in those early years. This relationship put Eric
in a position to choose the best animals for the small breeding herd he
maintained in Santa Cruz, California. The result was that many of the gray and
silver alpacas living in the United States and Canada originated from the gray
and silver studs Eric selected for breeding.
 Hunt's
Chilean Pewter was the first outstanding
stud. Brought into the US in 1984, Pewter was a rose gray color with very fine
fiber. He also had excellent conformation. His offspring were often silver.
His influence is still alive in Bonny Doon's silver studs.
Following Pewter
was The Silversmith, who resided at Bonny Doon for six years where he produced
many offspring. He was later moved to Nell Vickers' farm in Michigan where he
continued to create outstanding offspring.
 The Silversmith produced such
famous Bonny Doon silver studs as BD Dustin
(owned by Eric Hoffman and
John and Barbara Chase). Dustin is closely related to BD Nosy, a rose gray 18
micron female (at six years). BD Nosy was one of the rare alpacas whose
histogram and fiber microns did not change with time, making her the logical
progenitor of outstanding gray studs who carry her characteristics. Nosy
is the mother of the current silver / gray studs at Bonny Doon, both BD McCloud
(owned by Eric Hoffman and Beverly Bell) and BD
McDuff.
Nosy came from a strong line of silver and rose gray
females. Her mother was Rosey, one of the first quality rose-gray alpacas
brought to the United States, and her mother was Posey who was sold to Irene
Wherrit and Fran Milde of Iowa.
BD McDuff has produced exciting silver stud prospects
such as
Claim Jumper, owned by Paul and Sands Belizzi of California.
 Eric considers
BD
McCloud to be among the best silver phenotypes operating in the US today. At
more than three years of age, he is incredibly soft and has maintained a
micron count of 18.8!
Bonny Doon Alpacas is proud of its silver
bloodline legacy. Contact us today to
plan a visit to meet our silver alpacas!
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