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bringing science to the art of alpaca breeding...

Dark Sky Genie™

a brilliantly simple way to get the most from your alpaca colour test results 


- deciphers NEOGEN results

- produces detailed allele codes eg Ee2a1a3

- calculates your breeding colour probabilities

- includes a true black probability calculation

- provides real reference photographs

- catalogues your alpacas by colour code

Who The Dark Sky Genie™ is for

People New to Colour Genotyping

People New to Colour Genotyping

People New to Colour Genotyping

Those new to colour genotyping who want to understand how it works and accelerate their learning 

Experts in Colour Genetics

People New to Colour Genotyping

People New to Colour Genotyping

People who are already experts in colour genetics who would like a handy catalogue of their results, helping to speed up mating decisions and provide accessible records

Specialist Colour Breeders

People New to Colour Genotyping

Breeders & Stud Service Providers

Specialist [colour] breeders for whom colour genetics data is crucial in their mating decisions

Breeders & Stud Service Providers

Breeders & Stud Service Providers

Breeders & Stud Service Providers

Established breeders & stud service providers who want to enhance their client offering by providing more guidance and advice on breeding for colour

Pioneers

Breeders & Stud Service Providers

Pioneers

Pioneers who are interested in helping the industry to develop by supporting further colour genetics research

Benefits

What The Dark Sky Genie™ can help you with

  • Targeted colour breeding - increasing the odds of achieving your desired outcome
  • Fleece improvement, particularly of darker coloured alpacas
  • Unlocking previously unknown opportunities / combinations 
  • Helping your clients better achieve their colour breeding goals 
  • Easy access to your colour results

Dark Sky Genie™ Overview

Dark Sky Genie™ is an Excel based mating programme that automatically deciphers the NEOGEN alpaca colour genetic testing results (old and new formats for both ASIP and MC1R alleles) into detailed codes e.g. “Ee2a1a3”.


The Genie allows breeders to work through all their breeding options at the touch of a button and calculate colour probabilities. It also includes a specific ‘True Black’ probability calculator that draws on the observed phenotype results published by Snowmass and Cotton Creek Farms in the USA.


In addition to the outcome probabilities the Genie also shows reference pictures of alpacas with identical codes (a 'phenotype' view - although there are no guarantees!).


There’s an easy data input form for each alpaca, which also allows for fleece data to be input. Although fleece data is not used directly in the mating outcome calculations, it is there to encourage the cross referencing with the colour genetics for consideration of the best overall breeding options.

The Detail Behind The Magic

Colour genetics and how The Dark Sky Genie unlocks the potential

Colour Genetics without the Jargon

For a brilliantly easy to understand explanation of colour genetics - Genie style!

Dark Sky Genie User Guide

How to set up and use the brilliantly easy Dark Sky Genie

How to get the Genie

It couldn't be easier to get up and running

Pricing

Convinced you need some Genie magic? All the pricing options explained

Buy now

Visit the Dark Sky Alpacas Shop

Try before you buy

Download a free demo copy of the Genie 


The Nitty Gritty

Get stuck in to the Genie detail...

Genie References

Immerse yourself in the research and papers on which the Genie is built

Genie FAQs

You have questions, we have answers 

Genie T&Cs

Important things to know

Why care about alpaca colour genetic testing?

Breeding for colour

In the same way we breed for uniformity, density and maximum fleece cut weight then wouldn’t it be great if we could better predict colour outcomes too? Alpacas have so many beautiful colours and, if we were able to harness that raw and natural beauty in all our products, we could help reduce the need for dying. With environmental considerations so high on everyone’s agenda, there is an opportunity for alpaca fibre to come to the fore – beautifully soft, luxurious, and naturally coloured fibre products with no need for artificial additions.


At Dark Sky Alpacas we care passionately about our beautiful alpacas, Suri in particular, and strive to celebrate and promote their fleece by producing luxurious woven and knitted products.  Our headline product is woven cloth in a bespoke Dark Sky tartan design which requires five different colour yarns.

Our breeding priorities

As a small farm we must be really considered about our breeding decisions, so we’re always looking for ways to help give us the best chance of success. The colour and quality of our cria is super important to us because:

·  we need all natural colours for our tartan – we don’t use any dye

·  all our fleece colours need to be equally fine, uniform and lustrous – so important for the feel and sheen of the cloth

·  and we love to look at that stunning variety of colours in our fields

Whatever your individual priorities are, understanding more about how base coat colour and pattern is controlled by genetics is a great advantage if you want to target certain colours or blends.  It’s also particularly helpful as we quest to breed across the colours to bring more fineness and density, particularly to the darker fleeces.

Colour Genetics Basics

If you're new to colour genetics, have a look at our guide to how colour heritability works

Find out more
Dark Sky Genie User GuidePricingBUY NOWFREE Demo Copy

2024 Launch Price List

Whole Herd Licence

Your own copy of the Dark Sky Genie™ for unlimited use with your own herd. Includes any Dark Sky Genie programme updates as a result of new developments in alpaca colour genetic understanding.

One-off Licence Fee

£200 + VAT (20%)

Includes initial set-up - loading your data and alpaca photographs.

Annual Photo Library update - optional

£50 + VAT (20%)

Full library refresh with all the latest photographs from Dark Sky Genie members - available each January

Ad Hoc Photo Library update - optional

£25 + VAT (20%)

An immediate library refresh when you contribute new photographs e.g. your annual cria births


Pay As You Go

Pay for individual mating outcome probability results including the most current library photographs where available. Purchaser to provide NEOGEN colour testing data for both alpacas.

Single Mating Result

£15 + VAT (20%)

5 x Mating Results Bundle

£50 + VAT (20%)

Up to 5 single Dark Sky Genie™ mating outcome probability results each 12 months

Unlimited Mating Result Bundle

£150 + VAT (20%)

Unlimited single Dark Sky Genie™ mating outcome probability results each 12 months

See Terms & Conditions below

BUY NOW

Terms and Conditions

  1. A single licence is for use of the Dark Sky Genie™ by the purchaser only and across their own herd. The licence does allow use for results related to external stud services if offered by the licence holder's own stud males. Onward transmission of the Dark Sky Genie™ programmme or selling or provision of mating results for alpacas not owned by the licence holder is prohibited.
  2. The purchaser undertakes to supply the data and in the form requested in the invoice email in order to complete initial set-up.
  3. Any photographs submitted confer to Dark Sky Alpacas Ltd full copyright rights for their anonymised use within the Dark Sky Genie™ photograph library, for onward transmission to academic research organisations, or anonymised if part of a commercial sale.
  4. To receive a Dark Sky Genie™ photograph library update the user must send a copy of their Dark Sky Genie™ file to Dark Sky Alpacas for the upgrade to be applied.
  5. The mating results predicted by the Dark Sky Genie™ do not guarantee any particular mating outcome. The results are probabilities created using the latest published research data and observed data from other alpaca breeders where stated.
  6. The Dark Sky Genie™ requires the use of the latest version of Microsoft Excel at the purchaser's own expense.

Why not try out The Genie...

If you would like an opportunity to see The Genie in action and test him out before you purchase then please head  over to our shop (via the button above) and download a FREE copy to try.


The Demo Copy is loaded with real NEOGEN colour genetic data from a number of our Dark Sky herd alpacas. 


The buttons on the data entry sheet are deliberately disabled in the Demo Copy, although you can see the fields and drop-downs that you would use to input your own data.


Other than that enjoy! 



FREE Demo Copy

Latest research on base colour intensity....

Download PDF

Other Useful Reference Documents and Material

GRAY, N., SHAH, I., GROTH, D., MUNYARD, K., 11 May 2023. Identification of six genomic regions associated with pigment intensity in alpacas

SAARINEN, C (Futuregen), 31 January 2023. Fleece Colour Test: A guide to interpret the results  https://futuregen.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Fleece-Colour-Test-How-to-interpret-the-results-PDF_compressed.pdf

SAARINEN, C (Futuregen). Working With Colours  https://futuregen.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FG_Alpaca_99.pdf

EDENS, L (Snowmass Alpacas)., GILL, J (Cotton Creek Farm)., July 2022, The American Alpaca Journal, Issue 7. Understanding the Black Base Coat Color Genotype  https://snowmassalpacas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/AAJ-July22-web.pdf

MUNYARD, K., 24 March 2022. Colour Genetics in Alpacas webinar https://youtu.be/ShuwaozkmBA 

The American Alpaca Journal, Issue 6, January 2022. Alpaca Coat Color Genotyping Review and Preview  https://snowmassalpacas.com/american-alpaca-journal/

SNOWMASS ALPACAS, 5 June 2021. Color Genotyping: What We Are Learning https://snowmassalpacas.com/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2021/06/Color-Genotyping-What-We-Are-Learning-Final.pdf

DUBE, G (Alpagas Sutton Inc.) Alpaca Colour Genotyping and the Classic Grey Mutation  https://www.alpagassutton.com/alpacas/colour-genotyping-and-classic-greys

JONES, M., SERGEANT, C., RICHARDSON, M., GROTH, D., BROOKS, S., MUNYARD, K., First published: 12 July 2019. A non-synonymous SNP in exon 3 of the KIT gene is responsible for the classic grey phenotype in alpacas (Vicugna pacos) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/age.12814

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