Made By Alpaca People For Alpaca People
BEW's or Blue Eyed Whites
Thanks to all the info on BEW’s and the wonderful responses from all over, this is what I have learned………..
ALL tuxedo greys and or greys with any white extremities carry a BEW (blue eyed white) or a “white spot” gene. Pair them up with ANY alpaca with white on them or all white (which is a sign of a BEW or white spot gene) and 25% of the time you too will get a BEW cria. Both parents have to have the BEW gene. This is not to say that all animals with white on them have a BEW gene but the possibilities are there. From our pics our little BEW female, Tutu, she is the most beautiful thing we have ever seen but we were lucky to have her hear. Not only is the chance of a BEW possible but most BEW’s are deaf. I didn’t get a percentage on this but from the sounds of it we are very lucky. The little boy born in Nov. we still are not quite sure if he can hear but he is a wonderful, normal, bounding baby boy and very alert so I feel safe to say he can also hear as well. Now Carleeta (brown with a white chin and white on the neck) was bred when she came to us to a tuxedo grey and produced little Izzy who is a spitting image of her mother but this year, bred to our Marlin we hit that 25% with her.
Also mentioned was that most BEW’s have remarkable fleece and Tutu is the perfect example but many people have reservations when showing BEW’s. The rule books say that judges are NOT supposed to take points off for blue eyes and a BEW took best in show in a very well known show just a couple of years ago but, others have said that they have heard of animals not placing or placing below what they should have because he judge didn’t like the blue eyes. I heard some great advice on both sides but as someone said…… keep your BEW deaf animals home to romp and play but if you have an exception BEW that is well adjusted, can hear, has great confirmation and the remarkable fleece as they are known for, go for it!
Bottom line……..Tutu is a registered female and will be with us always. If we ever breed her she will be bred to an all one color dark male. Now knowing of the BEW gene in our Marlin we will now change our breeding program with him and the girls we breed to him too. And, If our little girl keeps growing the way she is, look for the most beautiful blue eyed female in 2009 in the ring!
ALL tuxedo greys and or greys with any white extremities carry a BEW (blue eyed white) or a “white spot” gene. Pair them up with ANY alpaca with white on them or all white (which is a sign of a BEW or white spot gene) and 25% of the time you too will get a BEW cria. Both parents have to have the BEW gene. This is not to say that all animals with white on them have a BEW gene but the possibilities are there. From our pics our little BEW female, Tutu, she is the most beautiful thing we have ever seen but we were lucky to have her hear. Not only is the chance of a BEW possible but most BEW’s are deaf. I didn’t get a percentage on this but from the sounds of it we are very lucky. The little boy born in Nov. we still are not quite sure if he can hear but he is a wonderful, normal, bounding baby boy and very alert so I feel safe to say he can also hear as well. Now Carleeta (brown with a white chin and white on the neck) was bred when she came to us to a tuxedo grey and produced little Izzy who is a spitting image of her mother but this year, bred to our Marlin we hit that 25% with her.
Also mentioned was that most BEW’s have remarkable fleece and Tutu is the perfect example but many people have reservations when showing BEW’s. The rule books say that judges are NOT supposed to take points off for blue eyes and a BEW took best in show in a very well known show just a couple of years ago but, others have said that they have heard of animals not placing or placing below what they should have because he judge didn’t like the blue eyes. I heard some great advice on both sides but as someone said…… keep your BEW deaf animals home to romp and play but if you have an exception BEW that is well adjusted, can hear, has great confirmation and the remarkable fleece as they are known for, go for it!
Bottom line……..Tutu is a registered female and will be with us always. If we ever breed her she will be bred to an all one color dark male. Now knowing of the BEW gene in our Marlin we will now change our breeding program with him and the girls we breed to him too. And, If our little girl keeps growing the way she is, look for the most beautiful blue eyed female in 2009 in the ring!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Maryann Marsh on -
Went to visit a friends farm this past week and to see a cute little white cria with one blue eye and one brown eye! Wonder what the odds are of that?!
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Permalink Reply by Janet Tapply on -
We had a cria born a few days ago that has one mostly blue eye, the other is the brown. She is as cute as can be with awesome fleece. She will be hitting the show ring blue eye or not!
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Permalink Reply by Janet Tapply on
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By the way - she is white on the bottom with rose grey on the top line and into the blanket with a little grey on the head. As cute as can be!
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Permalink Reply by Janet Tapply on
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Here is a picture of her...
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Rose (Medium).JPG, 50 KB
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Permalink Reply by Kathy Simpson on -
oh my goodness i have a female that could be could be your crias mother, she has one blue and one brown and had never thrown a bew cria. We have bred her with all white, all dark and we have been very pleased with her. She has only had one male out of 5.
One the other hand we have a all white female with just speckle of blue in both eyes an she has breed for 3 years and not had a cria. Our vet is looking into the matter. She is georgous, fab wool but no crias.
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Permalink Reply by Maryann Marsh on
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pic of the two colored
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2 color eyes email.jpg, 71 KB
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Permalink Reply by Liz Werner on -
I'm also a dog breeder and this type of gene appears in some breeds that have "merleing." The spottiness, as in collies and australian shepherds. it's called lethal white. Horses have it, too in certain colors. Deafness as well as blindness can occur. And also internal problems, organs badly affected so as to cause death. Or forcing the owner to euthanize, lack of intestines, I've heard of. I wonder if these can occur in a severe case in the alpacas?
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Permalink Reply by Maryann Marsh on
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Yes it does liz. I have also read of the lethal white in alpacas as well. Our little Tutu can hear just fine and is growing like a weed. We have not seen any issues internally so hopefully when she is old enough we can breed her.......of course to an all one color, dark male with no greys in the background!
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Permalink Reply by Liz Werner on
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The defective dogs can pass defects on to their offspring. I don't know about alpaca.
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Permalink Reply by sandy kunath/glacial ridge alpacas on -
can you please tell me what show the bew took a best in show in, i specialize in whites and i'm very interested. thanks.
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Permalink Reply by Maryann Marsh on
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Sandy, a friend told me about it and the name was never given but will deff. look into it for you!!!
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Permalink Reply by Janet Tapply on
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We were at a show in Phoenix (if I was the friend you were talkinga bout Maryann) that a bew took a color champion - this was 3 or 4 years ago, but it must have had the best fleece!
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