AlpacaKeep
Get early access
← All help articles
Basics

What do these words mean?

A plain-English glossary of the terms and abbreviations you see around AlpacaKeep, one line each.

AlpacaKeep uses some short words and abbreviations. Here is what each one means, in plain language. They are grouped by topic, then roughly alphabetical.

Events and tasks

TermStands forWhat it means
Event(no abbreviation)A record of something that already happened to an animal, like a vaccination or a shearing. Its date is today or earlier, never in the future. A logged medication event starts withdrawal tracking. See Events vs. tasks.
Task(no abbreviation)A job on your to-do list with a due date, one-off or repeating. To plan future work, make a task; completing it can open a pre-filled event form. See Events vs. tasks.

Fiber numbers

TermStands forWhat it means
AFD (also MFD)Average (mean) Fiber Diameter, in microns (µm)How thick the fiber is. Lower is finer.
SDStandard Deviation of fiber diameter (µm)How much the thickness varies. Lower is more even.
CVCoefficient of Variation (%)SD divided by the mean. Lower means more uniform fleece.
CFComfort Factor (%)Share of fibers 30 µm or finer. Higher means less prickle.
SFSpin FinenessPredicted spinning fineness. Lower means finer yarn potential.
CRVCurvature (degrees per mm)How curly the fiber is. Higher usually means more crimp.

Health and breeding

TermStands forWhat it means
BCSBody Condition ScoreA 1 to 5 fat-and-muscle scale (in 0.5 steps). The healthy band is 2.5 to 4.0.
BVDVBovine Viral Diarrhea Virus statusA disease-test status with five values (untested, negative, positive, inconclusive, pending). It is never just yes or no.
COICoefficient of InbreedingThe chance two animals share copies of the same gene because they are related. Safe is under 6.25%, linebreeding is 6.25 to 12.5%, close mating is 12.5% or more. See Inbreeding and COI.
EDDExpected Due DateWhen a pregnant dam is expected to give birth. Alpaca pregnancy is about 11.5 months.
Withdrawal period(no abbreviation)The wait after a medication before an animal is safe for milk, meat, or sale. It is advisory, so always confirm with your vet. See Withdrawal periods.

Farm and animal settings

TermStands forWhat it means
Herd code(no abbreviation)Your farm's short URL-safe slug used in sale-page web addresses.
Name prefix(no abbreviation)An optional readable farm prefix that AlpacaKeep suggests in an animal's Registered name field.
Registered name(no abbreviation)The full name on an animal's registration papers, stored as typed and shown everywhere. Pre-filled from your Name prefix as a suggestion when you add or edit an animal, and editable.
Origin(the "ownership" choice)Where an animal was bred, not who owns it now. "Bred on my farm" gets your prefix suggested; "Acquired from another farm" gets the breeder's prefix from the source contact. See Origin: bred here or acquired?
Reference animal(no abbreviation)A pedigree-only stub for an ancestor or rented stud you do not fully track. It does not count toward your animal limit. See Reference animals.
Fiber-tracked(a per-animal switch)When on (the default), the animal joins the 12-month "overdue for testing" fiber alert. Turn it off to opt out. An animal with no fiber sample yet is never flagged.

Related articles

Looking for something else?

Browse all help articles →