An Alpaca a day until Christmas

December 24th

And last but  not least we have  the beautiful Jasmine

Jasmine was our third cria born in 2024. Her mother is the beautiful Lucy, whom we introduced a few days ago. We are delighted that Jasmine is another grey girl, and she seems to have inherited her mother's gorgeous ears.

When Jasmine was born, Lucy was very overprotective of her for the first few days. Since it was Lucy's first birth on our farm, this was understandable. However, it wasn’t long before Jasmine decided she had enough of her mother following her everywhere. She soon broke away from Lucy and began playing with Jumanji and Jasper, joyfully racing around the field.

Jasmine is such a timid girl—probably the quietest we have had when it comes to vaccinations and dosing. She doesn't even flinch when we have to inject her; she just stands still and doesn’t notice the needles at all.

December 23rd

Our little miracle of  2024 - Jasper

Jasper, our first suri cria from Angelique, was born three weeks premature. He needed a lot of  TLC for the first week or two , but we knew he was a little fighter. He was hypothermic and hypoglycemic and required plasma, along with dealing with a few other issues. Thankfully, we managed to get him through it. Angelique was a terrific mum throughout  and still is. 

He was bottle-fed for a few months afterward, but now he has grown into a very strong boy. Jasper has a funny personality; when we are feeding them, he dashes into the shed first for his meal. After a few minutes, he looks for a way to come out so he can beg for a little extra from us. He is very quiet, relaxed, and has the most adorable little smile. His fleece is not  white but a light shade, and we love watching him run because it sways from side to side.

Jasper gets along very well with Jumanji and Jasmine, but he always waits for Jumanji when moving from field to field and at feeding time. We are thrilled to have had out first suri cria and thankfully he has grown to a strong  boy after such a tough start.

December 22nd 

Today  its our first cria of 2024 - Jumanji

Jumanji was born in May of this year. He is the son of Isobella and Bronson, and is a full brother to Haribo. Jumanji has a beautiful grey fleece and adorable markings on his face. Like his dad and sister, he is very friendly and has quite the character. Before he had any little companions to play with, he would follow us everywhere, then sprint around the field, keeping his mom busy watching him. He always wants to be at the center of everything. Jumanji gets along very well with Jasmine and Jasper, who were also born this year. It's adorable to watch him and Jasper wait for each other when the animals move from one field to another. Every evening at feeding time, Jumanji goes into the shed and makes a loud commotion. He rolls around before eating, often getting in everyone else's way, but they don't seem to mind him and continue eating.

December 21st

Here's Lucy - Yes today's alpaca is the gorgeous Lucy.

In January 2024, we welcomed Drumraw Lucy into our herd. We had seen Lucy on a few occasions and couldn’t help but admire her beauty, and her fabulous ears.

When Lucy became available, we eagerly jumped at the opportunity to welcome  her into our herd, thanks to Ambermoon Alpacas. Although she was a bit nervous at first, it was clear that she was simply assessing her new surroundings, particularly since she was pregnant and protective of her unborn cria.

It didn’t take long for Lucy to settle in. Before we knew it, she was leading the way up and down the fields, with the other alpacas following in her footsteps. We were thrilled to witness her natural leadership.

In June of this year, Lucy gave birth to a beautiful grey girl, whom we named Jasmine. For the first few days, she wouldn’t let Jasmine leave her side, proving to be an excellent mother and it was her first birthing experience on our farm. We will share more about Jasmine in a few days. Lucy is just stunning in every way and we hope she is happy here with us. 

December 20th  

The handsome  Suri Stud Purple Reigh

A few days ago, we introduced you to our two Suri females, Angelique and Carly. Today, we are excited to tell you all about the very handsome Purple Reign. After acquiring the two females, we knew we would eventually need a suri male stud. However, since Angelique had already been mated for 2024, we weren't in a hurry. Then we discovered that Purple Reign had become available, and it felt like a perfect match. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to acquire such a fabulous male, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to Amberly Alpacas for entrusting us with him and allowing him to join our herd. Purple Reign has a lustrous rose grey fleece, and rose grey Suri males are quite rare, making us even more excited about having him here. Although he was shy at first, he has settled in remarkably well. When he arrived, we placed him in the field with the non-breeding males, giving him time to acclimate to his new environment. He got along so well with them that we decided to leave him there rather than moving him in with the other studs. 

Purple Reign is a lovely timid boy and is also getting accustomed to receiving treats now and then. We are delighted to have him as a part of our breeding program, as well as for outside matings.

December 19th

Today's girl is our Independence

Independence, also known as Indie, was our third and final cria born in 2023. She is the first offspring of Apollo and Ezequal and has a beautiful fawn-colored fleece. After having three boys, Apollo was absolutely besotted with Indie, and we were thrilled for her arrival.

Indie has a playful personality and loves to run and prance in the field. It's quite amusing to watch her take off and continue prancing while the others have stopped. Although she has a calm and lovely temperament, she tends to be shyer than some of the other crias and doesn’t pay much attention to strangers. At night, she still sits very close to her mum, which is wonderful to see.

December 18th

Two Beauties Dandelion & Mandalorian. 

DANDELION

Dandelion came to us from Ambermoon Alpacas n 2023.  She has a beautiful mid-brown fleece. She is a very sweet, loving girl who enjoys kisses and cuddles. She looks right up into your face, making it impossible not to want to cuddle her. Dandelion and Carly are eating buddies; when everyone else has left the shed, they both go back inside to see if there are any crumbs left on the floor. Then they munch on hay before finally leaving to join the others. Dandelion once visited a nursing home with one of her companions, and she loved it! She sat down and didn’t want to leave.

MANDALORIAN 

Mandalorian came from Ambermoon Alpacas the same day as Dandelion. We fell in love with both of them when we saw them. Mandalorian is a light fawn color, and she has an adorable little face covered in a dense fleece, which we keep trimmed back so you can see her beautiful eyes. She is a bundle of sweetness and loves receiving kisses and cuddles. Calm and gentle by nature, she is very easy to handle. Mandalorian stole the show at a recent outing where we brought her along with Haribo and Harmony. She loved interacting with everyone who came over to say hello and take photos.

December 17th 

Todays duo are Indigo & Idaho

INDIGO

In May 2023, Isla and Bronson welcomed their second cria, a lovely grey girl named Indigo. Indigo boasts a beautiful light silver-grey fleece. In appearance, she strongly resembles her father Bronson, but her temperament and nature are definitely inherited from her mother, Isla. She is calm, gentle, and easy to handle. While she is friendly with us, she tends to be much shyer around strangers. Unlike her more outgoing full sister Harper, Indigo's personality is more reserved, but we appreciate having a quieter companion as well. After her first shearing this year, she seemed to gain a lot of confidence, almost as if she had grown two feet! You can see this in the photo attached. 

IDAHO

Idaho is our second cria of 2023 and the first offspring of Donnie Darko and Blanchett. He has a stunning brown coat, which was a delightful surprise since both of his parents are black. Upon reviewing his pedigree, we discovered that his great-great-grandmother on Blanchett's side was brown. Idaho is a very sweet boy with a calm and friendly disposition like both of his parents. He gets along well with his companions in the field: Fargo, Greenday, Hawkins, and Purple Reign. Additionally, he is halter trained and enjoys going for walks. Sometimes at feeding time, Idaho decides he does not want to eat with the others, he prefers to eat away in a little container for himself. 

December 16th 

Today's girl is gorgeous Suri Carly

Yesterday we introduced you to Angelique of Moonhall Alpacas. Carly is Angelique's beautiful daughter and she joined us a few months after her mum. She is an unbelievably friendly girl and loves her kisses and cuddles. Carly had lovely long locks when she arrived and when she ran down at feeding time they would sway from side to side. In these winter evenings, we don't have to call the girls at feeding time, they are already in the field at the back of the house waiting. If we don't make an appearance, Carly has started coming to the fence and looking into the back garden to see if there is any sign of us, this is visible from our kitchen window, she is such a funny girl. She settled in very quickly and like her mum, she sometimes likes her own company. She likes to sit on her own at night, we now know that this is normal for Suri's.

December 15th 

Two exciting ladies today - Appaloosa Divine Intervention & Suri Angelique 

DIVINE INTERVENTION

In January 2023, we welcomed our very first Appaloosa Alpaca, the beautiful Amberly Alpaca's Divine Intervention. Divine is a calm and gentle girl with a timid nature. When she first arrived, we would give her treats to help her get used to us. Now, almost two years later, she still comes looking for her favorite snacks. She absolutely loves her dried grass treats. If, for some reason, we don't have any with us, she throws her head in the air and runs off in disgust. It's quite cute and funny to watch!

To read more on  Divine go to our "Appaloosa Alpacas" tab.

ANGELIQUE

January 2023 also saw the arrival of our first Suri Alpaca - Angelique of Moonhall Alpacas. Angelique is a lovely mid brown colour. She is just beautiful and graced the fields with her head held high from day one as if she had always been here. Suri alpacas like to do their own thing sometimes and enjoy their own company. With Angelique when we would check on them at night she might be sitting a bit away from the rest of the group. At first we thought it was because she was new but we soon realized it was all normal. To read more on Angelique go to our "Suri Alpacas" tab. 

December 14th

Today alpacas are Haribo & Hawkins

HARIBO

Haribo was our third cria born in 2022. She is the daughter of Isobella and Bronson. True black in color, Haribo is a mirror image of her mother, Isobella, in every way. Like her half-sister Harper, whom we introduced yesterday, Haribo is incredibly friendly and runs down the field to greet visitors. She has enjoyed several outings with Harper and some of the other girls, relishing the attention she receives. One memorable outing was to a nursing home, where we almost couldn’t get her to leave; she adored the staff and residents.

HAWKINS

Hawkins is the fourth and final cria born in 2022. He is the son of Destiny and Hercules. With his mid-fawn fleece, he closely resembles his mother, while also displaying some traits inherited from Hercules, such as his tendency to try to take food from others during feeding time.

Hawkins loves being in front of the camera and often pushes his face directly into the lens when we attempt to take pictures. He is halter-trained and enjoys going for walks with Greenday and Idaho.

December 13th

Today's duo are Harper & Harmony

HARPER

 Harper was born in 2022 and is our first cria with Isla and Bronson. She has a lovely Mid Rose Grey fleece and beautiful markings. Harper is quite timid, a trait she inherited from Isla, but she is also very friendly and one of the first to greet visitors. Like Bronson, she has enjoyed a few outings with her sister and loves the attention she receives. In the field, Harper is easygoing and doesn't rush to eat like some of the sprinters we have. Instead, she patiently waits with her little friend Harmony, which is why we’ve put them together today. We hope to use Harper for breeding next year.

HARMONY

Harmony joined us in the summer of 2022, accompanied by her mother, Samba. She is such a sweet little girl!  She has faced a few challenges in her two years, you can read more about her journey under our "blog" tab. Harmony has a beautiful bay-black fleece. While she will always remain small, she is more than capable of standing up for herself.

She gets along well with the cria each year, but unfortunately, they all grow bigger than her, causing her to drift away from them. Recently, she has formed a lovely bond with Harper, and it's adorable to watch them together as they wait for each other. Due to Harmony's size, she will not be used for breeding, so we are unsure if her bond with Harper will change once Harper becomes a mother.

December 12th

Our Alpaca today is Greenday

In July 2021, we welcomed Greenday, the son of Apollo and Hercules. He was our only cria that summer, but he was never lonely because Foxtrot came to the rescue once again. She missed Fargo since he moved to the boys' field, so now there was a new little white cria for her to dote on. Greenday has his mother's calm nature and seems to have inherited some of her looks as well. He gets along well with the pet boys in the field and is quite easygoing. The only time he might become a bit scrappy is during feeding time, but then again, many of them do.

December 11th

Today we introduce to fabulous Isla

In 2021, we made the exciting decision to utilize Bronson as a stud for our breeding program. Given his grey coloration and his family ties to many of our existing females, we set out to find a female that would complement him well. This led us to  Amberly Alpacas where we were introduced to a beautiful grey female named Isla.

Isla possesses an exquisite beauty that captivates everyone who sees her. We are overjoyed to have her as part of our herd. She adds a wonderful presence to the field with her calm demeanor and gentle nature, making her a favorite among our team and visitors alike.

Since her arrival, Isla has already had two beautiful daughters, both of whom are grey and have inherited her striking traits. 

We have more about Isla and her journey on  "Our Alpacas"  tab. 

December 10th

Today we introduce Ezequal

EZEQUAL

Ezequal joined us in June 2020. His registered name is Duke, but since he arrived at the same age as Elijah and Eureka, we decided to give him a nickname that starts with "E." Isobella, whom we introduced a few days ago, is his granddam. Ezequal has also inherited some of the curls on his face.

At the age of two, he showed a strong interest in the females, but we decided to wait until he turned three before using him to breed with Apollo. We're thrilled to report that his very first mating was successful, and 11.5 months later, Apollo gave birth to a beautiful fawn girl whom we named Independence. Ezequal has made us proud!

December 9th 

FARGO

As most of you know, Fargo was born in June 2020 and sadly lost his mother after she developed complications from her C-section. He was a tiny boy, weighing only 4.8 kg at birth. Given the circumstances and the loss of his mother, we weren’t sure if he would survive, but he proved to be a little fighter and adapted to bottle feeding without much trouble.

Instead of going into too much detail about Fargo here, you can read all about him on our website under the "Fargo's Story" tab. He is a very clever little boy.

FOXTROT

Foxtrot was born two weeks after Fargo, and from day one, she took him under her wing. Being twice his size, she felt very protective of him and taught him everything he needed to know about being an alpaca. Foxtrot is fawn in color and is the second daughter of Blancett and Hercules, as well as the full sister of Eureka. She has also inherited her mother’s friendliness. We are forever grateful to Foxtrot for the way she looked after Fargo; it was truly amazing to witness.

December 8th 

Today's two Alpacas are Elijah & Eureka

ELIJAH

Elijah was born in 2019 to Fudge Sunday and is the half-brother of Cloud. He is our largest animal, truly massive in size. Elijah has a very easygoing and placid nature; he never rushes for anything, not even food. His calm demeanor is particularly evident when we have visitors. He interacts wonderfully with adults and children who have special needs. Due to his size, we will not be using him for breeding.

EUREKA

Eureka was born in 2019 and is the first daughter of Blanchett and Hercules. She has a white coat like Hercules but inherits Blanchett's friendly nature. Eureka is a favorite among visitors because she will sit patiently and wait to be petted. However, she can be a bit greedy during feeding time, so we have to keep a close eye on her. She loves sunbathing and sometimes gets so lost in her own little world that she doesn’t realize it’s feeding time, and we have to go and get her.

December 7th

Today's Alpacas are  Isobella & Donnie Darko

ISOBELLA

Isobella joined our herd in 2018 with her young cria, whom we named Donnie Darko. She is true black in color. Although she is quite tall, she has a slender frame and doesn’t carry extra weight. One of her trademarks, which she passes on to her progeny, is the curls on her face. In 2022, she gave birth to her mini-me daughter, Haribo, see photos)  and this year she had a grey boy whom we named Jumanji. Our stud, Bronson, is the sire of both. One thing Isobella loves is to sunbathe; as soon as the sun appears, she is right there soaking it up.

DONNIE DARKO

Donnie Darko joined us in 2018, accompanied by his mother, Isobella. He has a true black fleece. While his fleece isn't particularly dense, upon closer inspection, it offers an almost velvet- like texture. Like his mother, Donnie is tall and slender, inheriting a graceful physique. One of his most charming features is his enchanting curls. In 2022, we decided to mate Donnie with Blanchett, resulting in the arrival of their son, Idaho, the following year. This year, we expanded Donnie's role and began using him for outside matings, much to his delight.

December 6th

Today we introduce Destiny

DESTINY

Today, we are excited to introduce the pouting queen, Destiny. Born in 2018, she is the second daughter of Astra and full sister of Blanchett. Destiny shares her mother’s love for the camera and posing. She is very friendly and enjoys being around people, often sitting down and waiting patiently to be petted, much like Cloud. Inquisitive by nature, she often finds herself in the midst of any activity. In 2022, Destiny gave birth to Hawkins, who is her spitting image.

December 5th 

Our Alpaca of the day today is Bruno

Bruno joined our herd in 2018.  When Bronson and Clyro went on their excursions, Hercules was not very fond of these outings, so we brought in Bruno to keep him company in the field when the two boys were away. Bruno is content to wander around in his own little world,  however, he always makes sure that the others are not too far away. He loves to be fed by hand every now and then when the others aren’t looking. Bruno is a lovely, placid boy and is here as a non-breeding male.

December 4th 

Today it is time to meet Clyro & Cloud

CLYRO

Clyro was born in 2017 and was the second grey son of Apollo. He is a full brother of Bronson. Clyro has striking markings on his face, which can make him look quite scary at night. He has a very quiet temperament and although he is curious, he is shyer than his older brother. Together, they make up a dynamic duo that attends weddings, hen parties, and open days.

CLOUD

Cloud arrived as a young cria with her mother, Fudge Sunday, in 2017. She has a white fleece and has grown to be quite a large female, displaying some llama-like features. Cloud is a timid girl who loves to see visitors. After some time, she will often sit down, inviting them to rub her down. Due to her size and not being able to find a full family history, we will not be using her for breeding.

December 3rd

Today it's time to meet Hercules

Hercules arrived here when he was just 9 months old . We got him as a male companion for Bronson when we needed to separate Bronson from the females. They got along very well, and still do today. Initially, Hercules had not been halter-trained or handled much, so we had a bit of work to do with him, but we didn't mind and we got there after a few weeks. Once he was old enough, we used him as a stud for a few years, but we have since retired him. His offspring include Eureka, Foxtrot, Greenday, and Hawkins. Although Hercules isn't one of the friendliest alpacas, all of his progeny are, they inherited this from their mother's. 

December 2nd

Today is Bronson & Blanchett.

BRONSON

Bronson is the first cria born to Apollo, whom we introduced yesterday. He has a beautiful silver-grey coat and has displayed an unusually friendly nature since the day he was born. This delightful temperament is what inspired the beginnings of Hilltop Farm. Bronson thrives on human attention and loves interacting with people. He is now one of our stud alpacas, and we have six of his offspring here. Additionally, he participates in various events, including weddings and hen parties, making him a bit of a celebrity. Everyone who meets Bronson falls in love with him.

BLANCHETT

Blanchett is the firstborn cria of Astra and is bay black in color. She has a friendly demeanor and is known for being one of the first to greet our visitors, who adore her. Blanchett is the mother of two daughters: Eureka, a white girl, and Foxtrot, a mid-fawn girl. She has a lovely temperament, characterized by her big black eyes and prominent front teeth. Additionally, she is one of the leaders of the herd; where she goes, the others follow.

December 1st 

Today we introduce our very first alpacas - Apollo & Astra

They both arrived at our farm in the Autumn of 2015.

APOLLO 

Apollo is a light fawn colour. She is genetically grey which means she can produce Grey cria. In 2016 she had her very first cria and it was a grey male who we named Bronson . She went on to have two more boys, Clyro who was also grey and Greenday who was white. Then last year she had a long-awaited  little fawn girl who we named Independence (Indi- for short). 

ASTRA

Astra is a true black colour. Her very first cria was a little bay black girl which we named Blanchett. She then went on to have a fawn girl named Destiny.  We have now retired  Astra from breeding due to different issues she had but she is very much still part of our family and she just loves posing for the camera.