Broken bones and a quick car trip...

Alyona a four week old Cria was hopping around the paddock the other day unable to put any weight on her front right foot. At first we thought it a sprain but it didn't get better then we administered anti inflammatory and it didn't get better so yesterday we bundled her into the backseat of the Hilux and too fake her to Towcester Vests for a x ray. After some heavy scrutiny it was discovered that she had a broken metacarpal and a cast was put on. For the next six weeks she will be hobbling around the paddock toting this lump of plaster like Marleys Ghost, but hopefully she will mend quick and we can get her back solidly on all fours a lot sooner. She sat as good as gold in the back seat, Never made  murmur during the examinations and came back to TOFT like the queen on her birthday procession- all dignity and calmness in the face of all adversity. I kid you not its like they know you are there to help.

Eeee.... This grass is taking a bit of eating..!

You can't hear the grass growing at TOFT these past few weeks. We are busy shuffling the weaners around en masses to try and chomp it down. If we were growing cows or sheep we would be overjoyed but the alpacas are such efficient grazers that they get fat on concrete. As we prefer to keep our alpacas at their 'ideal' weight we are currently employing an intensive grazing and cutting regime to keep the grass under control. However this warm wet weather is doing its best to scupper those well laid plans. 'Twas ever thus!

Devon County Show with Mrs TOFT Alpaca Judge

Splendid Thursday and Friday this week at the Devon County Show in Exeter where Shirley was judging the alpacas and I was commentating on the proceedings and keeping exhibitors and public informed on the wonderful world of Alpaca. The weather heals off both days from being disastrous with a short break for rain on the Thursday when we went inside for a couple of hours. 

All in all the rain threatened throughout as it does in an English Summer but it never really materialised and a good crowd enjoyed the proceedings throughout. Jo Bridge was apprenticing with Shirley and together they kept up a cracking pace to get through 170 entries over the two days.

It was a great two days of Alpaca fun and the standard of alpacas seemed very high with a very large Suri entry making my job of keeping the 'rabbit' going fairly easy. Great crowd, great setting, fabulous alpacas and a great sense of camaraderie from the exhibitors makes this an unmissable event. Just look at the setting, a permanently fenced show ring, two huge back up marquees to house the alpacas and to keep the ring going in adverse weather. All this next to the main show attraction the Devon Eye! What's not to enjoy??

What a showcase for our magnificent creatures. Congratulations to all the winners, commiserations to those who didn't get placed. Well done Mrs TOFT Alpaca judge and her apprentice from....Suffolk!

Well done Devon!!

Six minutes on that table and look what happens...

That's all it takes to shear an alpaca- walk it from the pen, lift it onto the table, tether back and front legs, stretch and secure as someone holds the head. Once settled, toe nails are cut and shearing begins . Shear one side then  roll the alpaca and shear the other. Check teeth, administer vaccination and wormer if appropriate then release. 

Meanwhile the useable part of the fleece, which is the majority, is taken from the shearing table and placed on the sorting table where three other people rapidly skirt and grade the fleece to its relative batch in less than six minutes.

6 min is all it takes to transform our stunningly beautiful 'teddy bears on legs' into ' Pink Panthers'. Now we must wait 3-6 months for the 'look' to return whilst enjoying the comedy of our Panther romping around inthe sun enjoying the freedom of their summer clothing.

Why do we leave the top knots on? Because it's cute- shave the topknot and  they look a bit like 'Old Nick'. You can't sell an alpaca with a shaved topknot!

And they're off... Group sex on the hard standing at TOFT

Yesterday we began mating in earnest, well the males did. It's been a long winter for the boys and they've been waiting patiently in their paddocks this past month or so. The weather has been good if a little cold and although we could have had Cria born early this year there is no telling what next year will bring. 

Our Policy at TOFT is to begin mating as soon a shearing is over. In this way fleece can't get in the way or complicate the process in any way. As we shear around the second week in May it means our babies will not arrive next year until the beginning of May. It's an 11.5 months gestation period for an alpaca and they are ideally mated 2 weeks after birthing. So a little foresight and stamina is required over the next few months on all our parts whilst birthing and mating dominate at TOFT.

So yesterday it began mating with 8 stud males performing the first duties of the season in the pens on the hard standing.They went off like a bag of frogs. The sound of or 'orgling' males was deafening. The sex party was in full swing from the outset and those poor boys left in the field were non too pleased to be on the bench. 

TOFT will resound to these dulcet tones of mating males every Monday, Wednesday and Friday right through until the second week of August by which time hopefully all our breeding Mums for 2017 will be settled, scanned and the boys can rest all winter in the paddocks as their respective females concentrate on growing the next TOFT generation.

This year we are returning to scheduling all our 2017 births between May 1st and the end of July all things being equal. We did achieve this a few years back but birthing has got a little out of sync in the past few years. Any late birthers this year will be held over until this time next year. We much prefer our Cria to be on the ground early in the summer so they can thrive and be ready for anything our winter may decide to throw at them. 

It has been said and so it will be done- we hope. We can but try. As with any livestock operation we react to whatever the weather and circumstance throw at us and plan as a best we can against most eventualities. 'Twas ever thus!

TOFT Alpaca husbandry introductory day...

Lovely day yesterday with a cold breeze but a lot of bright sunshine as we ran the 2nd TOFT Alpaca Husbandry Introductory of the year on farm. Here's a shot so some very happy and now knowledgeable alpaca enthusiasts.

Thanks for choosing to come to TOFT to increase your awareness and experience with alpacas. We trust you went home with all your questions answered and your heads spinning with the wonderful world of alpaca. Thanks for your sense of humour and your company and we wish you well with your own alpaca adventure whatever that may be.

Talent will out...

There are millions of alpaca picture taken every week. These magical creatures steal the heart of everyone who comes into contact with them. However the great alpaca pictures come as always from those who have the eye to recognise the light , the situation and the composition as a potential upon which to lavish some time to get a great result.

Whilst in the last throws of shearing on Thursday I noticed my daughter Kerry Lord sitting cross legged in the paddock with a bunch of newly shorn alpacas. She is currently 5 months pregnant with her second child and there she was shuffling slowly forward on her back side inch by inch until she was in a position to take this photograph. Was it worth it? Well judge for yourself. I see lots of alpaca photies having been breeding them for almost 20 years now., I have taken loads but just occasionally you see something that takes your breath away and this one took mine. Is it the combination of colours all bright and new in the  air minutes after shearing? Is it the sense of release in the alpacas as they recognise summer after a wet winter? Is it the angle and the contrast against the deep blue sky behind?  It's all of those and a lot more besides but more than anything it's the taker who knew what she wanted and pursued it with patient determination to achieve a fantastic result. Luck no way! It's called talent. My eldest has the 'eye' and long may she continue to use it to surprise us. Enjoy!

Who's a smart boy then...?

Archie the TOFT Llama got his annual haircut yesterday as the final alpaca to be sheared at this sitting. Archie is sheared standing up and that cut is called a Barrell cut which apparently is all the rage in the Lllama soirees at the moment... Honest!

Archie has one main function at TOFT and that is to demonstrate the difference between a Llama and an Alpaca which he does magnificently. As you can see he is... A foot and half taller, has big curved ears like the handles of the European Cup, his tail is permanently cocked at a jaunty angle and his head is much larger and more accentuated giving him a haughty arrogant look which is not as submissive as the alpaca. Job done.. Well done Archie.

Mums in the Maternity Paddocks...

Excitement mounted this week at TOFT as we moved the first batch of expectant mothers into the Home (maternity) Paddocks closer to the house. Not long now before the Bambi moments fill our days.

At TOFT we move the pregnant Mums close in two weeks before their due dates and move them back for mating two weeks after they give birth when we know Mother and babe are coping well. Bit chilly yesterday with a touch of snow sliding through on the wind but nothing substantial save rain and cold. Nothing to stop these Mums birthing as soon as the sun shines and they get a bit of dry. 

Alpacas are the envy of the sheep world in that their natural instincts are still very strong ensuring that they normally give birth in daylight hours before 3.30pm, usually on a sunny day. The downside is they can give birth anytime over a four week period around their due dates. Swings and roundabouts!

TOFT class of 2015

All the TOFT Weaners have been moved onto fresh pasture in the last couple of weeks. These paddocks consist of un harrowed winter growth which has been left for six months to settle giving them enough new grass growth to get him through to shearing without their fleeces collecting any surplus vegetable matter. 

At TOFT these days all our cria are under 20 microns AFD in their first fleece, which is a fantastic achievement and a credit to their pedigree but it comes with the additional problem -these superfine fleeces will, if not looked after and managed properly, collect every but of dry matter out of their paddocks and make them unusable it we are not careful. We do our best adn hope that we can remove any excess that has gathered in these wonderful fleeces at shearing. We shear the second week of May so we have a bit to go yet.

Heart of England Alpaca Fiesta 2016

Popped into  the Heart of England Alpaca Fiesta yesterday at the Bury Farm Equestrian centre, Slapton near Leighton Buzzard.  Always amazed to think back to 2000 when we managed about 48 entries in the first BAS Alpaca Show at Purston Manor Brackley. Some exhibitors actually carried their alpacas into the ring to be judged and carried them out again. At that time there were less than 2500 alpacas in the country and halter training was in its infancy. The learning curve had only just begun. 

16 years later and the Heart of England Fiesta attains over 300 entries 24 hours after they opened for bookings.

 I think it's now safe to say as we approach our twentieth year of breeding alpacas that our South American friends have secured a permanent presence in the Agricultural landscape of the U.K. All we have to do now over the next 20 years is start to move to a more commercial fleece producing operation to add real value for the breeders to this magnificent fibre. Onwards and upwards!

'Ansome is as Ansome does- TOFT Suris

Sometimes whilst you are busy 'doing' the alpacas strike a pose that just demands you grab your phone and show that you care. Here TOFT Dolce- an elegant young lady in the weaner field just knows she's photogenic and so I obliged. Enjoy

Daffs are out at TOFT

Winters grip remains on the fields and runways but Spring is sprung in the copse with the Daffodils breaking out all over at TOFT. TOFT Coffee SHop Customers have only another 6 weeks or so to wait before the Cria will start arriving for 2016.

All tucked up for the Nationals

With the weather report threatening Snow and all sorts over the next couple of days we though it best to shed up the TOFT show team ready for the Nationals on Saturday. With over 500 entries at the National Show this coming weekend competition will be fierce. So we had better look our best. Alpacas don't show well in the wet. There is no lanolin in their fleece, when they get wet they get wet and dry themselves in the wind the minute the rain stops. Their fleeces have the ability to absorb over 30% of their weight in water so it's a bit like rubbing you hands over a wet dishcloth judging them when damp. Impossible. Anyway that's not a problem for TOFT we have them in the fed shed all tucked up against the elements for the next few days. Friday they go off to the International Centre Telford for the British Alpaca Society National Show. If you fancy seeing the very best the Uk has to offer you need to be in Telford 8am -5pm Sat and Sunday this weekend. Don't forget to come and see us if you get there. We wish the best of luck to our livery alpacas from Snapdragon and Arre alpacas who each have an entry in their weekend. They will be travelling with the TOFT team to Telford and we hope retiring with a rosette. 

High rise estate erected at TOFT....

What a day yesterday at TOFT for me and 'Bird-box Billy' aka Edward Lord. 

Together we knocked out a dozen new bird boxes and a bat box in Grandad's new workshop. It's rustic high rise accommodation for the bats and wee birdies at TOFT this season. And the bats well...first time we've ever made a bat box. The joy of explaining the mechanics to my three year old apprentice was simply priceless. "They land on the bit hanging down, grab hold of the wood, then crawl up the hole Dandad?" Apparently  he told his Daddy all about it when he got home and he had it all right too. Will the bats take up our offer of free accommodation? We shall see.

Widdy is a great Glue man dipping the perches in the white stuff and then putting them in the holes. Then of course he tested each one for robustness with his new hammer. "They all passed the test Dandad" 

The wee birdies will be spoilt for choice deciding where to live at TOFT this season.

We got half a dozen hung up last night before light stopped play and hopefully we'll get the rest up tonight when he comes in from nursery.  It simply must be done. Perfick! 

It's a bit chilly but we've plenty of chomp....

These dry cold days of winter at TOFT are ideal for the alpacas. Somehow they all look a lot more grown up as the dark days of winter begin to recede. It's probably the 4 inches of fleece they are carrying which rounds off the picture. 

At TOFT Whenever the weather allows we get the hay feeders open first thing in the morning and close them at dusk allowing the alpacas access to plenty of easy chomp all day long. There's not a lot of nourishment in the grass at this time of the year so the more chomp we can get down them the better.

Alpaca has finally made it into Sainsburys...Celebrate and donate!!!

Not in the traditional sense as chops thank goodness but here, on the side of a mug being sold for sports relief. To think it is but 19 years since the UK first embraced this amazing animal. We at TOFT have spent most of that time explaining to the uninitiated what they are , suddenly in the past couple of years alpacas have become mainstream. 

The first part of our job is now done and TOFT are honoured to have played a little part in that amazing journey. 

Well done sports relief, well done Sainsburys once I get one of these at TOFT I'll drink to you all!

A lady called Catherine Price just posted this pic on Facebook 

" Look at the sports relief mug this year! I got this one from Sainsburys, love it! £1.50 from each mug sale goes to sports relief."

Who be this then...?

Look who I found hiding on the wall of the feed store in the barn at TOFT. We are very busy this week clearing the old brick barn of the accumulated alpaca debris of the past 19 years and relocating the usable into the new barn.  It's surprising what you come across and each drawer you open bumps you off track down memory lane at light speed.

In a week where my eldest son Scott is celebrating his 27th birthday I came across this picture of him about 11 years ago when our foundation sire PA Accoyo Cornelius first won the Sires progeny shield at the BAS National Show. Proud, proud moments for TOFT at the time. Huge advances at TOFT in the meantime. Proud moments now as I see the man this happy soul has become. Enough I'm starting to feel old . Happy Brithday son and may 2016 fulfill all your expectations.

Shifting stuff...@TOFT

That's what we are doing at TOFT this week and last. And me and my new mate Makita will probably be doing so for at least a month to come. We are shifting and shuffling, stock, files, tools and the debris to 25 years around and about, up and down and round and round, as we organise our new shed into the storage facility we so desperately needed.

As I spend many hours erecting and reshaping shelving to suit I am reminded that the first set of shelves I ever put up was in  my Dad's garden shed around 1963. 

Since that time my journey can be tracked via the shelves I have built, bought, erected, removed, reassembled, readapted, as we moved flats, houses, sheds to finally arrive in the new incarnation we are dealing with today.

As all my children will soon embark on the joys of owning their own homes I have a feeling that the next two decades will also involve an awful lot of shelves, sheds and shuffling for yours truly as their life adventures develop. (At least we now have the cordless miracle Mr Makita to help) We know no fear and I thank the 'man' every day that I shall be around to share their journeys. Bring on the stuff....!

Hey ho, Life is ....shuffling your stuff until you can no longer shuffle anymore. 

Jobs done- new entrance to the TOFT Studio....

Well that's done. 4 days start to finish and the entrance to the TOFT studio is now up to Highway Specification - looks great but makes the rest of the road look a bit rough. Let's hope the lorries stick to the road and quit cutting the corners. A big thanks to all our customers this week who adapted well to find their way to the parking. All back to normal tomorrow.