Bang bang bang... Those gate posts take a while

26 in and 8 to go... It's a long old job banging in the fence posts on this new quarantine facility at TOFT. This is my view for hours on end. Stiff neck- tell me about it!

TOFT Clovis looking very tidy on his first evening out...Boys 2 Girls 1

TOFT Clovis joined us today around lunchtime and his pedigree is evident from the outset. He is out of TOFT Catena a first time Mum from Barrabinda Flinders Star and his Father is TOFT Jaina son of Skywalker and all one can ever say on the first day is he shows a lot of promise. TOFT Catena is a 3rd generation first time Mum and if TOFT Clovis is the sign of what we can expect from the other elite maidens then It is going to get very exciting here in the next few months.

TOFT Princes in waiting ...on the new grass

Can you hear them munching? All the TOFT stock moved paddocks last week to enjoy the new grass growth. Centre here, surrounded by his gang of brothers is TOFT Timogen National Brown Champion in 2014 and 2015. 

These Intermediate brown males, sons of Lavender Park Tulley and half brothers to TOFT Timogen are loving the new chomp, look great against the green and are hopefully working up an appetite for the girlies! 

Timogen will be staying here but TOFT Titus, Tai Pan and Leander son of Jaina are all looking for new homes. We shear on the 20th so anyone interested in seeking out top colour genetics for their breeding programme needs to look soon as these wonderful fleeces will soon  be in the bag.

Jobs on... A new quarantine paddock begins at. TOFT

Well we've started so we'll finish. The youngest is getting to grips with a machine we hired as he breaks ground on our new project at TOFT. Only 35 gate posts, 20 strainers, 17 gates, 150 stakes and 70 struts to go and we'll have ourselves a second quarantine/ isolation facility at TOFT. 17 paddocks in total. He'll have tamed the beast by the end of that lot, I'm sure.

We have been running the existing quarantine of 15 paddocks successfully for 8 or so years and now we are doubling the size of the facility in the coming weeks.

This enables visitors who come for mating to the TOFT stud males can bask in their own family sized paddock with an empty one either side and the only contact the alpacas will have with any other whilst staying at TOFT will be during the mating itself which is also strictly controlled for biosecurity. This new facility will give us 32 isolation paddocks to accommodate more visiting females. You lucky lucky boys!

All right now ....

Unusual occurrence last Weekend when TOFT Nubia a maiden Skywalker girl gave birth to TOFT Tallulah a Lavender Park Tulley. Girl. This was our first cria of the season and with no precedent on the ground Nubia was totally surprised and bewildered by the new arrival. They struggled to bond, cria tried hard, Mother not sure why she was being pestered. Scott our eldest boy in charge. He followed the procedures, administered colostrum before the five hours, penned mum and babe together overnight, we bottle fed for a day or so, mother in law Myra playing a huge part as usual, as Mum and Babe got to know one another. Result? Over a couple of days it all came right until TOFT Tallulah is now running around the paddock with a tummy as tight as a drum and mother and babe are inseparable. Well done Scott a textbook re-bond and a great result. Lavender Park Tulley girls are as rare as warm days in winter so we hope she goes on to fulfil her huge potential!

Yoiking stuff around and 'doing' at TOFT...as yer do

I had the big guns out at TOFT yesterday with my youngest son lending a hand clearing the winter Hayracks off the main paddocks. We emptied all the big feeders and cleared the debris off our main hay paddocks so they can be harrowed and fertilised ready to grow the feed we need for next winter. Light was fading fast as we finished. It's always a good day on the Manor when it ends with the job finished. Thanks Son.

Are we gonna get on with it..... boss?

No ladies, we are not. You will have to wait for next week for the boys to come over and play!

At TOFT we start mating the first week of May. On Monday these older TOFT ladies who did not get pregnant for this season will join the queue of maidens lining up for the boys attentions. Draycote water will start to echo to the sound of orgling males for the next four months. If you have not yet decided where you are headed this season for elite genetics then check out TOFT Alpaca Stud and come and join the orgy!