Solomons Alpacas

16/09/2026

Babies have to be weaned. Nobody likes it; well the mums do, usually....

I'm not an advocate of ripping off the plaster, so we start gently.

We set up a creep pen. It has small doors so that the herd can't get in, only the cria. It has food in it for them to investigate, and get used to eating, without the adults stealing it.

Each morning we herd them in and hold them there for a few minutes. They get used to doing something without mum, without being far away from mum.

Gradually they learn to go in themselves and help themselves to the food.

We are beginning that process now, about the fourth time they have been in.

I think, if you watch the video to the end you will see why i think that Honolulu might be a bit of a handful when it comes to halter training etc.

05/09/2026

A wonderful Saturday morning trip to Solomons Alpacas to meet the Babies and their parents!

Thank you so much for a truly lovely day 🦙

05/09/2026

Lovely day at the Dorset show today!

A 4th, a 2nd and 3 1st place's!

One more to go tomorrow....

As a bonus, we've sold at least half of the hand made, or handspun goods we took to the show...

Tired now, but excited for tomorrow.

02/09/2026

Follow this link to find out what's happening this weekend!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DRFtJuze3/

23/08/2026

What a privilege for Enola to feel safe and trusting enough to feed Hecate right in front of me!

I could watch all day.

You can see that Hecate goes round and round, from teat to teat, just taking a couple of mouthfuls from each one.

For a large animal, alpacas have a very small udder, so the baby sips from each rather than guzzling like a calf would.

She's getting plenty of milk, just has to work bit harder for it! You can see her milky moustache forming.

Only 10 weeks old and already for times her birth weight!

17/08/2026

The female herd are very hoppy! (And happy)

Yep, if you look closely, they have discovered wild hops growing on the fences!

Apparently they are like catnip for Alpacas. Having done some research, although they are likely toxic for dogs, there is no evidence that they are in anyway bad for alpacas.

Which is all very handy, as our usual go to forage; willow, Hazel etc are dying off in this drought, just the same as the grass. The hops however, are thriving!

So it's snack time for the girls....

More info below on hops.....

Aromatic lupulin glands are tiny, golden-yellow resin sacs found at the base of the bracteoles inside female hop cones (Humulus lupulus). They store essential oils and alpha-acids that give b**r its distinct bitterness, flavor, and aroma.

Key FunctionsAroma and Flavor: Produce volatile oils (like myrcene and humulene) that create floral, citrus, or earthy notes.

Bitterness: Store alpha-acids that isomerize during boiling to balance malt sweetness.

Preservation: Provide natural antimicrobial properties that help preserve b**r.

14/08/2026

I took this video today. A quiet moment, watching the cria play in the midday sun; mad fools.

But I was thinking about how they would survive, if there was a fire at the farm.

How would the whole herd survive?

My precious alpacas.

Then I started thinking about the horses next door, the sheep, the goats..... people's houses, the hay, barn, shelters and fences. The grass would burn, the trees; they look ok, but they too are catching fire in the wild fires.

The firemen are out fighting fires all day: help could be a long way off....

Am I being dramatic? Well, most of us have had the mobile phone alert. I started to wonder why the government did that; but a friend told me today, she saw some boys lighting a fire in a field; she challenged them, and they said dangerous fires only happen in Spain and France!

Just this Sunday, someone lit a huge bonfire just next to our land.

Please think before setting fire to ANYTHING! DON'T DO IT!

The rain will come. Just wait a week or two please! Then have that bbq or that bonfire, when the grass is green again and the country isn't a tinder box.

Think people!

Please!!!

09/08/2026

We had a fabulous day yesterday at the Ringwood and Ellingham show!

Such a fun event. Lovely to see some new friends, and old, visiting the show.

We took five boys, all got rosettes.

Goldmine got 3rd to Scrumpy Jack's 2nd which was brilliant, considering the first placed Artwork boy took the championship.

Faberge took 1st place again, despite behaving badly in the ring.

Arthur and Bertie took 2nd and 1st place in their class. Great, for two boys which had no handling until i got them late last year.

It was very hot and dusty, but the ice cream went down well!

Thank you to the organisers, and my helpers for giving us a grand day.

24/06/2026

Hecate is doing well, despite the weather!

Just under 10kg now, and not two weeks old yet.

21/06/2026