First TOFT Timogen babe hits the ground...result

Always difficult to know when to start the boys mating the females. This time last year we decided to get our Champion Brown Male TOFT Timogen working earlier than usual as we have syndicated this male and the new owners were keen for him to work in 2015. At the time we had a couple of older girls that we decided to let him practice on. Today the first results of that boys graduation to being a man arrived in the paddock in the form of a beautiful dark brown female out of TOFT Snowdrizzle. Result!

And this afternoon it will be Assembly

10 small Hayracks rocked up today to take their place in the new TOFT quarantine area. Every alpaca family staying for mating will have their own little hay bar!

Girlie class of 15 coming out to play early....?

It's been a very dry summer so far here at TOFT and although it may not have done the hay making much good (we've still got yo see how much we get at the end of this week) the alpacas have loved it. The young girlies of 2015 are maturing fast and there's half a dozen of these elite maidens who may well become women by the end of the season. Good weight, good size and starting to show interest ....we normally leave it until the second year but these girls seem determined to change that policy this year....we shall see.

Surprise surprise !!!

One of our clients who has three alpacas in our quarantine facility for mating was pleasantly surprised last week when her grey female gave both to a lovely little grey girl... These things can happen. Apparently she had discovered an abortion in her herd over winter and now realises that she had attributed it to the wrong female...'Twas ever thus. An unexpected grey girl enabled her to get over any embarrassment very quickly- congratulations!

Finally we get to the finish..

Finally we have knocked in the last staple fixed the last gate latch and crimped the last wire joint on the new TOFT quarantine paddocks. The new area is self contained, consists of 17 small paddocks enabling the visiting females to live as their own family group separated by a paddock either side from the other families in quarantine. They can all see each other but the only contact they make with another alpaca during their stay at TOFT is whilst mating with their chosen male. 

No system is ever perfect but this is pretty robust. Coupled with the existing 15 other quarantine paddocks at TOFT it gives us a minimum of 32 options to maintain strict  bio security for our visitors females during mating.  

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!

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!

Ready when you are ladies....

Lavender Park Tulley and his mates are enjoying the dry readying for the off. If your breeding plan is veering toward Lavender Park Tullley then book early for he'll be a busy boy real soon. We are currently shuffling the females into their various groups for birthing and mating and on. May 1st we shall kick off making the next generation for 2016. 

Will you look who's here in Meppel selling his wares ?

We were sat there having a wee break in the alpaca judging at lunchtime, as you do, and who should strut into the ring but TOFT Ikrit as a participant in the stud service auction to raise funds for the event. 

I had a quick word and he told me he's settled in Holland ok, has serviced a few Dutch ladies already is busying himself with some young maidens and has many more in line... Mind you he finds the language a bit tricky but is taking classes in between donating his genetics. Keep it up old son and may your offspring do TOFT proud!

TOFT Nashira takes Champion Light fleece at the British Alpaca Futurity 2015

TOFT Nashira added to her broad ribbon Championship win at the BAS National fleece show with winning another broad ribbon Light Championship today at the British Alpaca Futurity Fleece Show 2015.

TOFT Nashira is a real TOFT treasure. She is out of our medium fawn stud male Barrabinda Flinders Star. She is maintaining excellence in her fleece as she ages having put forward her fourth fleece this year to take the Huacaya Light Championship in both the BAS Nationals and the British Alpaca Futurity.

What about us? Don't we get to go to the Ricoh?

Sorry dudes, we can't take you all. You may have won rosettes at the British Alpaca Society National but this is a different ball game and entries aren't cheap.

In a Futurity it's the nominated sires who are actually competing through their offspring. The sire with the the most winning points achieved through the competition of his progeny  wins the Futurity. Technically if you have a sire with a stack of offspring and your sire happens to pick up the dams colour, and produces elite alpacas and they do well in every class and achieve champions in something you are In with a chance. Not a big ask, huh?  At least I think that's how it works ...

LAVENDER PARK TULLEY who is standing at TOFT is one of the sires and all our entries for the Futurity are his offspring in as many colours and age groups as we can muster. Does he have a chance? It all depends on who is standing next to his kids...hey, that's show business!

First Maters arrive in TOFT quarantine... from Derbyshire

Please, I know 'Maters' is not a word it just aptly describes these two lovelies from Derbyshire who arrived in the TOFT Quarantine paddocks last Friday to be mated to Lavender Park Tulley.  Tulley was a very happy boy yesterday at first sitting with his first go of the season. If any other breeders out there are thinking of using Tulley this season and have not yet booked in with us here at TOFT can we suggest you give Shirl and I a call ASAP as the boyo has a very busy schedule planned for 2015.