TOFT TIMOGEN has a new extended family

Shirley and I are delighted to announce that, after much interest being expressed ,we have now agreed to share ownership of our Champion Brown Male TOFT TIMOGEN with Mark and Sue Steele of Patou Alpacas, Ron and Linda Mackintosh of Redens Alpacas and Tracy and Tim Hey of Inca Alpacas. We thank them for their confidence in investing in our hard work and look forward to working closely with them to develop the future career of this stunning young male. 

This is very much a first for TOFT after breeding alpacas for 18 years but we are very excited to be embarking on this next stage of our alpaca adventure in working with discerning breeders to get our elite genetics creating as much fine fibre as possible to satisfy the ever increasing demand for luxury UK Alpaca Fibre.

TOFT Timogen will work close to home this season with his new owners and will be available for service next season- book early to avoid disappointment.

TOFT TIMOGEN is a fourth generation male  out of our Champion female TOFT NASHIRA ( daughter of BARRBINDA FLINDERS STAR ) and our other co-owned male LAVENDER PARK TULLEY currently resident at TOFT and available for service.

This is a first...walking lessons.

After 17 years of breeding alpacas there is always something to surprise us... No, it's not the cut of my shorts!

 This young lady was found the other day not in the maternity paddock but in one of the prebirth paddocks. She was born a week or so early but wasn't particularly prem. She was probably born at sunrise and we found her tucked in a depression in the field around 11am. All dry, all fine except she didn't stand up. Then when she was placed on her feet she didn't seem to know where her legs were. Every time she went to move forward her back legs swing in front of her front ones and she tips back in an ungainly mess and lands on her bottom.

Only one solution. So here I am teaching her to walk. Forgive the shorts I am well aware it's not a great look. This light touch harness cobbled together from a lead rein stuffed through the support strap of her cria coat kept her on her feet long enough for her to gain some awareness of where her legs were and how they might work. A couple of ten minute sessions and she was getting herself up on her feet- so it works.

Each day she gains a little more confidence but she remains a bit 'special'. It's a worry and we can only hope that she will improve enough to be productive, we shall see. Mum is attentive but cria seems disinterested so is not feeding off her, We are bottle feeding the cria and she is doing real well. However she is still sometimes a bit wobbly on her feet and seems to wander off from her  mom far too often. She is walking and running on her own now but she wouldn't win any prizes for style!

Thanks, I really needed this...

Best laid plans... There I was just getting my schedule sorted for the weekend when the weather God obviously decided I didn't have enough to do and drops three tons of wood onto the bridle way. 

Not only is it in the way of those horsey types who come through on a weekend it's also smashed through 30 yards of stock fence. 

So guess who will be up at the crack of sparrows with the chain saws to get the pathway clear? Hey, ho. .twas ever thus !

On the upside- at least there were no alpacas in its way!