TOFT T Team....Torranaga,Tamburlaine and Timogen

A Trio of T's - award winning sons of Lavender Park Tulley

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!

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!

TOFT Alpaca introductory Husbandry Workshop....

Great Alpaca day yesterday as the first TOFT Alpaca husbandry introductory workshop kicked off in cold but fine weather at. TOFT Alpaca Stud. Lovely people working with TOFT Champion Alpacas exploring their own alpaca inspiration. Cold but dry and lots of fun and back to the Cornflower Cafe for tea and Homemade cake- Perfick! Thank you one and all for a great day, see you soon and good luck with your own alpaca adventure.

I dunno, you turn your back for five minutes...

For a change this is not the TOFT studio knitters on the rampage- far too bright and unsubtle for the classy crafters of Toft. 

No this woolly  wonder was a feature at the Lodestar Music Festival last Sunday in Cambridge. Remarkable amount of effort to make someone's bike unusable isn't it? 

Mind you,  I wouldn't put it past those 'crafties'in the Toft Studio to give something like this a go. 

Best hide me Quad, methinks!

Young alpaca stud males eager for a partner...

These young boys are doing some serious fence time on the off chance that a young maiden or a 'cougar' may come knocking on the door.

 At just over two years of age they are not that fussy as long as she is willing. 'Twas ever thus! Pretty clear they are obviously maturing fast and taking an interest. These elite prizewinning stud males will soon be appearing on the for sales pages of our website now their fleece stats are back from the laboratories. And they make great reading, watch this space!

Heart of England Alpaca Group Halter Show this weekend

We are dodging the rain here at Toft today squirrelling the Toft alpaca Show Team into various sheds to keep them dry for the show. The. Heart of England Alpaca Group Halter Show is on at the Royal Agricultrual. Centre, Stoneliegh this Friday and Saturday. With almost 300 entries it will be a bit of an alpaca festival, providing an interesting alpaca event for alpaca enthusiasts all over the Midlands.

This will be our last show of the season as the birthing begins in earnest in May and continues through to the end of July. 

After our tremendous success at the BAS National and Alpaca Showtime we have our fingers crossed for a few rosettes this weekend- who knows? Different time, different judge? We live in hope.