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View Details of Breeder: Houghton Hall Alpacas
Farm Photo
Breeder Listings
Stud Services:
Breeder Information
Breeder Name:
Contact Name:
Mick and Liz George
Address:
Houghton Hall,
St Ives Road (Mere Way),
Houghton,
Huntingdon,
CAMBS,
Driving Directions: Farm entrance - 200 yards up Mere Way - Double wooden gates. Please call for access
St Ives Road (Mere Way),
Houghton,
Huntingdon,
CAMBS,
Driving Directions: Farm entrance - 200 yards up Mere Way - Double wooden gates. Please call for access
Postcode/Zip:
PE28 2BL
Telephone Number:
07764 469132 07860 430280
Fax Number:
01480 461510
Country:
England
Location
Cambridgeshire
Town/Village:
Houghton
Breed Type:
Huacaya and Suri
Herd Size (Approx.):
800
About This Breeder:
Houghton Hall Alpacas is a premium independent farm, breeding quality pedigree Alpacas in Cambridgeshire.
Since 2001 our dedicated sourcing and expert staff have gained recognition through selective breeding with prize winning stock to offer potential customers a real taste of the quality available in Alpacas. Our facilities have been purpose built for practical alpaca management. We also offer full support with every aspect of alpaca ownership.
We have many alpacas available for purchase, which may not be on our sales list. Just contact Mick or Liz to find our more.
Our Elite Herd includes:
Premium Huacayas and Suris available in a wide range of colours including:-
Top quality young pregnant females with excellent fibre
Recipient females, carrying elite embryo from our top breeding girls.
Male and female weanlings and geldings.
Prize winning stud males.
New studs on the block.
So whatever you are looking for, be sure to contact us and we are confident we will have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
Since 2001 our dedicated sourcing and expert staff have gained recognition through selective breeding with prize winning stock to offer potential customers a real taste of the quality available in Alpacas. Our facilities have been purpose built for practical alpaca management. We also offer full support with every aspect of alpaca ownership.
We have many alpacas available for purchase, which may not be on our sales list. Just contact Mick or Liz to find our more.
Our Elite Herd includes:
Premium Huacayas and Suris available in a wide range of colours including:-
Top quality young pregnant females with excellent fibre
Recipient females, carrying elite embryo from our top breeding girls.
Male and female weanlings and geldings.
Prize winning stud males.
New studs on the block.
So whatever you are looking for, be sure to contact us and we are confident we will have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
Latest News
Last Updated: 20th of October 2025:
Last Updated: 20th of October 2025:
20 October 2025
Hello All, How are you all doing? So sorry for the radio silence. We have had a difficult few years, with a lot of loss in our family. My last post was just before my Dad 'Ken' sadly passed away. Many of you had the pleasure to meet him at many alpaca shows. He is greatly missed. Mum is doing well with the support of all the family,
We have welcomed 50 gorgeous cria into our herd this year, slightly weighty on the boys, all are growing out well, although our last born was on the 8th September, so has a bit of catching up to do.
We are still striving to get some sales lists together on Alpaca Seller, apologies again if you are patiently waiting, However, in the meantime if you are looking to enhance your herd or are just starting in the world of alpacas, please get in touch. With over 500 alpacas in our herd of both Suri and Huacaya, we are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
We know winter is just around the corner, hopefully it will be kind to us all.
We look forward to catching up with you in the New Year, keep safe and well. Is it too early to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2026? Never too early.
22 January 2024
Hello All, well last year sneaked by with a blink of an eye! Here we are galloping or should we say 'pronking' through January.
We have had a busy start to the year, weaning a good chunk of our stunning crias and looking forward to potentially showing a couple in this years shows.
The weather has been challenging to a lot of us, but hopefully we are through the worst of it. Spring is just around the corner, thank goodness.
We are still striving to get some sales lists together on Alpaca Seller, apologies again if you are patiently waiting, However, in the meantime if you are looking to enhance your herd or are just starting in the world of alpacas, please get in touch. With over 500 alpacas in our herd of both Suri and Huacaya, we are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
Wishing you all an amazing 2024 and we look forward to catching up very soon.
28th August 2023
Hope you are all enjoying this Bank Holiday Monday. We can't quite believe that September is just around the corner.
We have finally come to the end of our Birthing season, welcoming 95 beautiful cria. Males rule this year, with 52 gracing our paddocks. Its still a very busy time on farm, but thankfully we are only assisting two Mums, with their cria with bottle feeding.
We are still striving to get some sales lists onto Alpaca Seller, apologies if you are patiently waiting. However, in the meantime if you are looking to enhance your herd of are just looking for a starter herd in this wonderful world of alpacas, please get in touch. We would be delighted to assist you. We have over 550 alpacas in our herd of both Suri and Huacaya. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
3rd July 2023
We welcomed some much needed rain today along with another two cria, which are coming daily now. To date we have 59 cria born with the males being more dominant at the moment, but with two females joining us today, maybe we are on a run for the girls to catch up.
We are striving to get some sales lists onto Alpaca Seller, however, in the meantime if you are looking to enhance your herd of are just looking for a starter herd in this wonderful world of alpacas, please get in touch. We would be delighted to assist you. We have over 550 alpacas in our herd of both Suri and Huacaya. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
15th May 2023
What a celebratory month we have had with all things ‘Royal’. We have had the absolute pleasure of meeting our King Charles III on a couple of occasions. We wish him a long and happy reign.
We have welcomed our first crias of the season and they are enjoying the lush green grass. We had one very tricky birth, but all the others have birthed beautifully.
We have just about finished shearing and we have to say we have some crackers that we will be putting on the market soon. We will especially be focusing on letting some of our outstanding suri males go to new homes. We sadly can’t keep them all. We have purchased many of our Suri’s from Australia and New Zealand and in turn have many stunning offspring that could be part of your herd.
If you are looking to enhance your herd with outstanding genetics sourced from all over the world, please do not hesitate to contact us, with a 500 strong herd, we are sure to have an ‘alpackage’ to suit you.
20th March 2023
We were extremely sorry to have missed bringing our Show team to The National this year. This was due to a few factors, but ultimately because the running order changed. It looks like it was a successful show, with some fabulous alpacas being shown. Many congratulations to you all. We very much look forward to seeing you all at future shows.
We have recently weaned all our Crias and they are coping well with their new found freedom. We have some absolute stunners amongst them, Suri and Huacaya.
We will be releasing some more of our herd for sale shortly. If you are looking to enhance your herd with outstanding genetics sourced from all over the world, please do not hesitate to contact us, with a 500 strong herd, we are sure to have an ‘alpackage’ to suit you.
19th October 2022
We have welcomed 104 Cria into our herd this summer and boys rule this time with 60% born were males! We have some stunners and have already earmarked our potential studs. The girls do not disappoint either with some absolute beauties amongst them.
We will be releasing some more of our females for sale shortly. Keep an eye on 'Alpaca Seller for more details. However if you are looking to enhance your herd with new genetics, please do not hesitate to contact us, with a 500 strong herd of suri and alpacas, we are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
9th September 2022
We are deeply saddened by the passing of our Sovereign, Her Majesty the Queen. She has been ‘Simply the Best’ throughout her 70 Year reign. Life will not be the same without her presence.
Our sincere condolences go to The Royal Family at this immensely sad time.
5th September 2022
September is upon us and we are grateful for the little rain we have had this week. It has been a challenging time for us farmers over this very hot summer.
We are nearing the end of our birthing season, with just a handful left. We have welcomed over 100 crias into our herd and let me tell you, there are some absolute crackers!
We have also decided to allow some of our yearling girls to be released for sale, We will post details and pictures shortly on Alpaca Seller. Although, if you don't see what you are after, just call or send us your wish list. With over 500 alpacas, huacaya and suri, we are sure to have an ‘’alpackage’’ to suit you, so if you are looking to enhance your herd with new genetics or starting in the wonderful world of alpacas, please do not hesitate to contact us.
1st August 2022
Here we are in August, how has that happened?
We hope all is well with you and your alpacas? The weather is challenging for us all and I’m sure we are all wanting some rain.
We are having a really good birthing season and have welcomed over 80 crias so far into the Houghton Hall Family. There are some real stunners amongst them.
If you are looking to enhance your herd with new genetics or starting in the wonderful world of alpacas, please do not hesitate to contact us. With over 500 alpacas, huacaya and suri, we are sure to have an ‘’alpackage’’ to suit you.
11th April 2022
Hello everyone, we can’t believe it’s almost a year since our last post. We do hope you are all doing ok and enjoying this warmer weather, summer is just around the corner.
We actually celebrate 20 years this year since alpacas came to Houghton Hall.
We’ve had a busy weekend shearing and are now eagerly awaiting our first crias due in a few weeks, always a favourite time of year for us, with over 100 crias due.
If you are looking to enhance your herd with new genetics or are just looking for a starter herd, please do not hesitate to call us. We are sure to have an Alpackage to suit you.
17th May 2021
Today is a remarkable day. We are slowly coming out of 14 months of uncertainty. Our 3rd ‘Lockdown’ is being eased, it feels good doesn’t it?
Here at Houghton Hall, we have completed our shearing and our birthings are well underway. We have had some births very late in the day, probably due to the unsettled weather we are having. So this keeps us on our toes for sure. There are some beautiful Crias to watch in our paddocks, such a lovely time of year.
We enjoyed attending the South of England Show, it was so lovely to catch up with everyone. It certainly gave us a glimpse of normally.
Enjoy your birthing season. We will be popping some cria photos onto our website for you to enjoy.
All the best
Liz and Mick
Houghton Hall HQ
1st February 2021
Hello to you all from Houghton HQ and a very Happy New Year to you!
We now find ourselves galloping into 2021 and after all the challenges of 2020, our hope is that we will shortly be finding our new ‘normal’ and we will all feel happier about our future.
The flooding we have experienced has brought us many challenges with grazing and it looks like the water is not going anywhere fast! Thankfully, most of our animals are coping really well and we are so pleased we have barns to house the older animals that need a little more luxury. We are so looking forward to springtime, we do have a glimmer of springtime already as our daffodils are already showing off their glory.
Most of our cria have been weaned and are enjoying their new found freedom, it’s always so lovely to watch them pronking around the paddocks without a care in the world.
We trust you are keeping safe and hope that sometime in 2021 we can all get together and do what we love.
Give us a call if you are looking for new genetics or are starting your journey in the wonderful world of alpacas. We would be delighted to assist you.
30th September 2019
We are proud sponsors of the Supreme Huacaya and Supreme Suri of the up and coming EAG Show. Well done to all the organisers and good luck to all Exhibitors.
It?s been another busy year here at Houghton HQ. We have had 99 successful births, it is always lovely watching the crias pronking through the paddocks. It certainly brightens any gloomy day.
29th April 2019 - HERD SALE CONTINUES INTO 2019
We can't quite believe we are almost at the end of April already. Life has been so busy at Houghton Hall HQ, with the addition of 14 lovely crias already.
We had a super show at the National, with many Championships, culminating in Supreme Champion for our gorgeous Suri male 'Houghton Hot Toddy'. sired by the renowned Surico Travatore, our fabulous imported male. The pairing of him with Hot Tomale, also imported was definitely a match made in heaven. It was so lovely to see everyone at this prestigious event.
We are bringing a small Team to The South of England Show, so look forward to seeing you then and hope the weather is kind to us.
Our herd reduction sale continues, so please contact us if we can help you in your alpaca selection.
8th January 2019 ~ HERD SALE CONTINUES INTO 2019
Happy New Year! We hope 2019 is good to you and brings you good health, happiness and success.
We are back to reality after a fabulous family Christmas holiday and are now getting ready for the National Show. We will be bringing a small show team with us this year and look forward to seeing you all there.
We are still continuing with our Herd Sale and are delighted that our genetics will be impacting many herds. We will be updating our website with new animals for sale this month. If you don't see what you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact us . We have a wide selection of alpacas in all colours and quality available. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' for you.
Liz & Mick
16th October 2018 ~ HERD SALE ~ HUACAYA AND SURI ALPACAS
Here we are half way through October already. We are busy getting our alpacas ready for the winter, making sure we are prepared for the weather ahead.
This weekend we are proud to be Platinum Sponsors of the Eastern Alpaca Group Halter Show in Chelmsford. We are just bringing a small Show team for this event and we look forward to catching up with you all there.
Our herd sale is continuing, we are busy updating our website with animals for sale, although whatever you are looking for, we are sure to be able to assist. Look out for Dams with adorable cria at foot for sale on our website. Weekend visits to our farm are welcomed.
Liz and Mick
29th September 2018 ~ HERD SALE ~ HUACAYA AND SURI ALPACAS
We can't actually believe we are nearing the end of September. It definitely feels like Autumn is upon us, although chilly today, the sun is shining. Apologies if you have tried to contact us via our mobile, it has been faulty, now fully working to take calls only. Take a look at our ever changing website, hopefully you will see something to tempt you. If you can't see what you are looking for, contact us with your enquiry and we will see of we can accommodate your wishes.
We have a wide selection of alpacas in all colours and quality available. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' for you.
6th September 2018 ~ HERD SALE CONTINUES ~ TOP HUACAYA AND SURI ALPACAS
What a busy summer we have had at Houghton Hall Alpacas. We have now welcomed almost 200 cria into our Herd. A few more boys than girls this year are pronking in our paddocks.
We managed a few weeks away in the amazing Maldives, which really recharged our batteries. We are now home and giving the much needed time to promote our Herd dispersal. You will notice that our website is now changing daily. There are some fantastic offers to browse through. We will do our best to accommodate any enquiries you have and welcome weekend visits. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you don't see what you are looking for on our website. We have a wide selection of alpacas in all colours and quality available. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' for you.
.
25th July 2018 ~ HERD SALE ~ Dams with adorable cria at foot FOR SALE
July is drawing to an end and this hot weather is a real challenge for us all. We hope all is well with your herd. Rain is expected later in the week, thank goodness.
We have been immensely busy on farm and have welcomed over 150 cria's into our herd and we have some absolute stunners. We are nearing the end of our birthing season - phew!
Our herd sale is continuing, we are busy updating our website with animals for sale, although whatever you are looking for, we are sure to be able to assist. Look out for Dams with adorable cria at foot for sale on our website. Weekend visits to our farm are welcomed.
Liz and Mick
10th May 2018
HOUGHTON DID IT AGAIN! SUPREME CHAMPION SURI - SOUTH OF ENGLAND SHOW
We had a fabulous weekend at the SOE Show with our Team of 10. We achieved many rosettes and broad ribbons. Five Championships in all, culminating in Supreme Champion Suri for our outstanding male Houghton Chancellor, Best of British for our super male Houghton Kendrick and our beautiful girl Houghton Cherished Secret. Our progeny Teams didn't let us down with Travatore taking first place in the Suri Sire's progeny with Storm taking a worthy 2nd place. We also took Dam's progeny with our 'two peas in a pod' Houghton Kendrick and Houghton Kaiser.
Thanks to all involved in making this show a great success, everyone was melting with the immense heat, but with the aid of many fans we kept going. Mary-Jo and Vicki Agar did a sterling job in the ring and it was great to have an appreciative audience.
19th April 2018
DOUBLE SUPREME!! HEART OF ENGLAND 'SPRING ALPACA FIESTA'
What a Show!
Our show team did us proud once more. We gained, 8 first places, 3 second places and a third. Culminating with 4 Champions, 1 reserve Champion. Our Sire's Suri progeny took a fabulous 1st (Storm) and 2nd (Travatore), with our Dams progeny (Kelsey) gaining a first too. Houghton Royal Star took Suri Supreme and Best of British, following in her Mothers footsteps and Houghton Kaleidoscope, owned by Lane House Alpacas too Huacaya Supreme. Our Grand daughter Olivia, walked confidently around with Cherished Secret in the Junior Handler class, gaining a well deserved 1st in her age group. Jess was a winner too in the fun Casino night. We had a fabulous weekend at this super, friendly well organised show. Well done to all the Exhibitors, we saw some outstanding alpacas being shown. Thank you also to the judges Matt and Cathy and lastly thank you to all that helped us this weekend, we really do appreciate it.
Liz and Mick
12th April 2018
HERD SALE
We have had a busy few weeks since The National Alpaca Showtime. A few sneaky days in Dubai, a lovely surprise from my hubby, recharged the batteries. Came back to five days of shearing in mostly beautiful sunshine. Now getting ready for The Heart of England Fiesta this weekend. We are taking a small Show Team, which will give us chance to enjoy the show and chat to all.
Our Herd sale is going well, thank you to all our amazing clients. We are sad and delighted to see some of our Award winning genetics going off to pastures new. If you don't see what you are looking for on our website, please contact us with your requirements. Or even better, call us to arrange a visit.
Looking forward to welcoming some more warmer weather, we could all do with it.
Best Wishes
Liz
27th March 2018
DOUBLE SUPREME
HOUGHTON TAILOR MADE AND HOUGHTON JUBILATION OF FANGDALE ALPACAS
Wow! what a great weekend at The National Alpaca Show. We so enjoyed catching up with everyone and thank you for taking the time to visit us. We had an amazing five Champions awarded, four Suri and one Huacaya of our owned alpacas, however, we were delighted that our clients brought Houghton bred animals to the Show too. Our fabulous trio of Storm Progeny and Travatore Progeny took 1st and 2nd in a superb suri sires progeny class. All of our Show team were placed, many gaining 1st's and 2nd's.
In a very tense Championship line up our amazing Houghton Tailor Made took Supreme Suri, thank you Jacob for showing him so well for us and Houghton Jubilation of Fangdale Alpacas took Supreme Champion Huacaya, huge congratulations to Nicky and Deborah.
Our herd sale is well underway. If you are looking to increase your herd or are just starting out, just give us a call or email us. We have a wide selection of alpacas in all colours and quality available. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' for you.
8th March 2018
Well here we are in March and I can't quite believe we have all endured 'The Beast from the East'.
It's so nice to see the sunshine this week. We hope you and your alpacas managed well in the adverse conditions.
We are looking forward to seeing all our friends and colleagues at The National Alpaca Show next week. We are bringing a smaller show team than normal as our 'Herd Sale' is going well and we have let some of our super show team go to new homes.
Our website is always a working progress. If you do not see what you are looking for on Alpacas Seller, please call or email us as we have our whole herd up for sale, so we are sure we will have an 'alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
See you soon.
Liz and Mick
11th December 2017
We hope you are all well after the snow fall we had this weekend. It did look pretty, however I'm not sure the alpacas really liked it. It's thawing well here at Houghton Hall.
We have almost weaned all our cria's which have grown out nicely. They are also included in our herd sale, so if you are looking for some pets or breeding animals, please give us a call. We would like to thank all our clients for their custom during 2017.
The snow has really has got us in the Christmas spirit, with only two weeks to go, we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Cheers to you all!
Mick and Liz
14th November 2017
As many of you may have seen in Alpaca World, we are having a Herd Sale. This is a unique opportunity for you to get your hands on our Award winning herd.
We have decided that we would like to downsize considerably, to allow us to concentrate more on the family, so if you are looking for new genetics for your herd or just starting up in the wonderful world of alpacas, give us a call, or drop us an email. We would be delighted to assist you in any way we can.
Christmas is just around the corner now - hope all your preparations are going well and you are getting in the Festive Spirit.
All the very best
Mick and Liz
11th October 2017
SHE DID IT AGAIN! SUPREME CHAMPION & BEST OF BRITISH SURI - Mystical Magic
Here we are well into October, galloping our way towards Christmas.
We were very proud to be sponsors of the Heart of England Autumn Fleece Show and also delighted that Mystical Magic was awarded Supreme Champion and Best of British Suri, she never ceases to amaze us with her consistent qualtiy. Our other consistent award winning females are Cracklin' Rosie, Champion Grey Huacaya & Roxanne, Champion Brown Huacaya.
Reserve Champion Fawn Huacaya - Houghton Jubilation
Our Junior Huacaya Houghton Titania received a respectable 3rd place with 83.5 points, amongst stiff competition.
Houghton Kaiser our stunning white Huacaya was 1st in his class
Houghton Pure Valor our super suri, achieved 2nd in his class.
Our thanks go to all involved in this Show and congratulations to all the competitors.
22nd September 2017
We can't quite believe we are into the autumnal month of September. We have had a very busy time on the farm with almost 200 births. We've also had a busy time personally including welcoming three Grandsons into our world. Life doesn't get much better than that.
Our exports are going well and we have had several shipments over the waters. We wish all our clients happy times ahead with their new stock.
We have also had a great show season thus far, gaining several Supremes in halter and fleece shows.
We have decided that we would like to downsize considerably, to allow us to concentrate more on the family, so if you are looking for new genetics for your herd or just starting up in the wonderful world of alpacas, give us a call, we would be delighted to assist you in any way we can.
Our website is always a working progress, if you do not see what you are looking for, just call. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' to tempt you with both stunning Suri's and heavenly Huacaya's. We are established in exporting into Europe.
22nd May 2017
Here we are well into May and well into our birthing season. So far we have welcomed 51 little ones into our herd, we absolutely love this time of year. All our animals are shorn in readiness for this beautiful sunshine that has graced us today. We have had a great show season, gaining several Supremes in halter and fleece shows. Our progeny did us proud too. We still have some 150 more crias due, so busy times ahead at Houghton Hall. We wish you a great year and hope your birthing season goes well.
2nd March 2017
Spring is in the air and another windy day here at Houghton Hall HQ.
We are delighted to welcome our first 2017 cria, born on St David's Day. He is a stunning brown suri male from one of our beautiful imported females Surilana Valle De. We can't wait to see him grow out.
If you are looking to purchase some new stock, look no further, with over 700 alpacas, huacaya and suri, we are sure to have something to tempt you. We are established in exporting into Europe.
We are busy preparing for the National Show, halter training is going well. We look forward to catching up with all our friends in Telford.
Liz and Mick
10th January 2017
GOLD SPONSORS
Wishing all our alpaca friends and clients a very happy new year. We hope 2017 will be kind to you all and look forward to seeing you all at the BAS National in March, we are proud to once more be GOLD sponsors.
Alpaca Showtime was a fabulous success in late 2016. Thank you for once again for all involved in running and supporting our 3rd Showtime. We will update you shortly on the date of our next show.
We had some stunning cria in 2016 and most have now been weaned. Some are available for purchase, if you are looking for new genetics in your herd just give us a call.
We have had another bumper year of exports going out across Europe with breeders looking for both elite males and females, including to Italy, Poland and Belgium. It's so rewarding to see your genetics being grasped by new and established breeders.
We once again took a trip across the pond to the Australian National in Adelaide, where we took the opportunity to purchase some prestigious new Suri and Huacaya Genetics, we can?t wait for them to arrive in Spring!
We are eagerly awaiting all that 2017 will bring; the anticipation of new cria, the beginning of the new show season and the arrival of our new genetics.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 700 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
Liz and Mick
3rd October 2016
THREE SHOWS/THREE DOUBLE SUPREMES!!!!
What an exciting weekend we have had. Following our Double Supremes at The National Fleece Show and The South of England Halter Show. We are ecstatic once again with the results of the HOEAG Fleece Show, achieving 'DOUBLE SUPREME' with our astounding light suri girl Houghton Royal Duchess and our super huacaya grey girl Houghton Joyous. The girls certainly did us proud.
Now it's full steam ahead for 'Alpaca Showtime'. All entries to be submitted via the BAS website. Closing date is Wednesday 5th October. For more details please look at the website. wwwalpacashowtime.co.uk
We look forward to catching up with you all very soon.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 800 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
September 2016
Here we are finding ourselves 'pronking' towards Autumn. Busy times on the farm. We welcomed over 200 cria this year and are very excited to see how they develop. We took a trip across the big pond to Australia and enjoyed their National Show in Adelaide. A few more exciting Australian genetics will be coming to Houghton Hall Alpacas in the New Year.
We are busy preparing for Alpaca Showtime 28-30 October, online entries will be open soon, watch the website for further information www.alpacashowtime.co.uk
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 800 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
25th May 2016
We can't quite believe we are almost into June, where has that first few months gone? We have been busy sorting the farm and garden out for a special wedding that recently took place. What a magical day we had.
We have had a quieter than normal show season, however did come away with Double Supreme Champion Fleece at this years National Show with our super Stud Sire Master General and sensational Suri Houghton Maddox. We also came away Double Supreme Champion at the South of England Show with our tremendous Titan and our beautiful Suri lady Mystical Magic.
Our alpacas are now all shorn and enjoying the sunshine, We have also sent some of our beautiful alpacas across the waters to Ireland, Poland and Italy recently and have welcomed over ninety cria into the world.
We also look forward to bringing new genetics into our herd shortly.
Watch out for more information on our Autumn show - Alpaca Showtime - 29/30 October 2016
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 700 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
Liz and Mick
18th January 2016
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to all of our friends and clients, we hope you have had a wonderful festive season and have started 2016 with a bang!
Here is a quick round up of the last, very successful, 12 months for the team at Houghton Hall Alpacas.
2015 saw yet another sensational show season for Team Houghton. We took the Double at Alpaca Showtime 2015 and at the Royal Three Counties, along with a further 8 Supreme titles from the 5 other shows we attended. Not forgetting the 2 Reserve Supreme Champions, 44 Champion, 33 Reserve Champion, 5 Best of British, 3 Judge?s Choice, 3 Best in Show ribbons, and countless rosettes. How will we top this in 2016?
There were some stunning cria on the ground in 2015 including the arrival of our first coloured suris. All have now been weaned and are ready for purchase.
We have had a bumper year of exports going out across Europe with breeders looking for both elite males and females, including to Italy, Poland and Belgium. Looking forward to many more over the next few months.
We were lucky enough to go out to the Australian National in Sydney, where we took the opportunity to purchase some prestigious new Suri and Huacaya Genetics from Australia, can?t wait for them to arrive in Spring!
We are eagerly awaiting all that 2016 will bring; the anticipation of new cria, the beginning of the new show season and the arrival of our new genetics.
Houghton Hall Alpacas - Proven Award-Winning Genetics
Get in touch if you are looking to add some quality bloodlines to your herd, in need of advice or just want to chat alpaca!
We?d love to hear about how good 2015 was for you, and what you are looking forward to in 2016, share with us in all the usual places Facebook, Twitter & Google+. You can also sign up for our mailing list to hear all about our latest animals for sale.
22nd December 2015
Poisonous Plants Advice
When deciding to start caring for a herd of alpacas it is vital to prepare their new environment to ensure anything potentially dangerous or harmful is removed. Alpacas are ruminants (chew the cud) and are one of nature?s most efficient eaters as they absorb around third more of the vital nutrients from their food than similar animals such as sheep. They will often forage in the hedgerows and bushes for tasty morsels to supplement their diet. However, this diet can lead to alpacas being over adventurous and mistakenly eating something toxic. So, what should you look out for?
All nightshades, All lilies, Tomato & Potato plants, Toot, Inkweed, Hemlock, Willow-weed, Jerusalem Cherry, Mallow, Acorns, Oleander, Lily of the Valley, Rhododendron, Azalea, Ricinus, Yew, Ragwort, Comfrey, Horseradish, Privet, St.Johns wort, Sorrel, Hemp Nettle, Rhubarb, Iris, Buttercup, Linseed, Lupin, Clover, Chickweed, Laburnum, Meadow Saffron, Monks Hood, Oak, Foxglove, Grass Cuttings, Poppy.
Please be aware that this is not an exhaustive list of all poisonous plants, it is just important to be vigilant on your farm checking all hedgerows and paddocks and pathways. Remember alpacas have long necks so can reach quite a distance for that appetising branch.
Common symptoms of poisoning are; diarrhoea, vomiting, drooling saliva, colic, difficulty breathing, staggering, weakness, unsteady pupils, trembling, hypothermia, slow heartbeat, paralysis and head shaking.
If you think any of your herd may have eaten something they shouldn?t it is vital to consult a vet as soon as possible, often alpacas will not show signs until it is too late.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
6th November 2015
Houghton Hall Alpacas take Double Supreme
What a spectacular weekend at Alpaca Showtime 2015. We are very proud of our two Supreme winners Houghton Day Breaker and Houghton Bright Spark who took home Huacaya and Suri Supreme Champion respectively.
Our young males and females did phenomenally well bringing home 6 Champion ribbons between them;
Houghton Day Breaker ? Huacaya Champion Light Male & Huacaya Supreme Champion
Houghton Magic Prince ? Huacaya Champion White Male
Houghton Roxanne - Huacaya Champion Brown Female
Houghton Bright Spark ? Suri Champion White Female & Suri Supreme Champion
Houghton Presley ? Suri Champion White Male
Houghton Georgia ? Suri Champion Light Female
The rest of the team didn?t let us down bringing home a total of 31 1st places and 5 Reserve Champions.
Reserve Champions
Houghton Gypsy Rose (ET) ? 1st & RC Huacaya Senior Grey Female
Houghton Titan ? 1st & RC Huacaya Intermediate Fawn Male
Houghton Angelina ? 1st & RC Huacaya Senior White Female
Houghton Made You Look ? 1st & RC Suri Adult White Female
Houghton Mystery ? 2nd & RC Suri Intermediate White Female
Junior Huacayas
Houghton Lord Remy ? 1st Huacaya Junior White Male
Houghton Casanova ? 1st Huacaya Junior Light Male
Houghton Cracklin? Rosie ? 1st Huacaya Junior Grey Female
Intermediate Huacayas
Houghton Magic Prince ? 1st & C Huacaya Intermediate White Male
Houghton Day Breaker ? 1st, C, SC Huacaya Intermediate Light Male
Houghton Roxanne ? 1st & C Huacaya Intermediate Brown Female
Adult Huacayas
Houghton Honeysuckle ? 1st Huacaya Adult Light Female
Houghton Majestic ? 1st Huacaya Adult Fawn Female
Houghton Xanadu ? 1st Huacaya Adult Black Female
Senior Huacayas
Houghton Cerian ? 1st Huacaya Senior Light Female
Houghton Rock Star ? 1st Huacaya Senior Fawn Female
Parrindi Joseph of Houghton ? 1st Huacaya Senior Grey Male
Junior Suris
Houghton Miss Magic ? 1st Suri Junior White Female
Houghton Chancellor ? 1st Suri Junior Light Male
Intermediate Suris
Houghton Bright Spark ? 1st, C, SC Suri Intermediate White Female
Houghton Presley ? 1st & C Suri Intermediate White Male
Houghton Georgia ? 1st & C Suri Intermediate Light Female
Adult Suris
Houghton Royal Duchess ? 1st Suri Adult Light Female
Houghton Made You Look ? 1st Suri Adult White Female
Houghton Galactic Powers ? 1st Suri Adult Light Male
Senior Suris
Houghton Jade ? 1st Suri Senior Light Female
Houghton Maddie ? 1st Suri Senior White Female
Best in Show
Houghton Bright Spark ? Suri Female
Houghton Presley ? Suri Male
Houghton Day Breaker ? Huacaya Male
In addition our Herd Sires and Dams came 1st in all Progeny Classes proving the quality and consistency of our genetics at Houghton Hall.
Navigator of Houghton ? 1st Huacaya 3 Progeny by 1 Sire
Suri Storm of Houghton ? 1st Suri 3 Progeny by 1 Sire
Travatore of Houghton ? 2nd Suri 3 Progeny by 1 Sire
Suri Storm of Houghton ? 3rd Suri 3 Progeny by 1 Sire
After tough opposition we were pleased to secure 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the Suri Progeny classes.
Houghton Timara ? 1st Huacaya 2 Progeny by 1 Dam
Houghton Mystique ? 1st Suri 2 Progeny by 1 Dam
Congratulations to everyone that took part, the standard of alpacas on display was extremely high making Alpaca Showtime a tough competition for all.
Now for the Thank Yous; We would like to thank the wonderful and incredibly knowledgeable judges Helen Testa and Rob Bettinson for taking the time to oversee the event, along with ring stewards Garry and Iain. Thanks to Roz who did a fantastic job sorting all of the awards and placements on the day, along with the marvelous event compering from John. We would also like to thank the wonderful staff of Houghton Hall Equestrian Centre. And finally we would like thank everyone that came and enjoyed the show, as well as helped out, including our very special co-coordinators; Bozedown Alpacas, Alpaca Stud UK as it wouldn?t be the show it was without you all.
If you haven?t yet purchased any photos from the fantastic photographer, you can find them here.
Many congratulations to Hilly Ridge on their purchase of our Supreme Champion winner, Houghton Day Breaker. Jo and Scott spotted his potential even before he achieved this title. We know with his stunning Navigator genetics, he will be a great asset to their herd.
Also sincere congratulations to Nero Alpacas who purchased two of our phenomenal young black alpacas; Houghton Cosmic who carries prestigious Australian genetics from his sire Parrindi Joseph, and Houghton Kala who has performed exceptionally as part of the Houghton Hall show team in 2015 winning Champion Black Female 3 times.
We are sure all three will be very happy in their new homes.
More exciting news to follow.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
6th October 2015
What a busy Autumn it has been so far, we have been lucky enough to go out to the Australian National in Sydney (10th-13th September) where we caught up with some wonderful friends both from the Antipodes and the UK. We were privileged enough to see some truly exceptional Huacaya and Suri Alpacas on display throughout the course of the event. We took the opportunity to carefully select some incredible new bloodlines for our herd back in Cambridgeshire. And certainly bought some fabulous animals that we can?t wait to arrive in the UK so we can share some pictures with you, but now for the long wait!
Whilst we were ?Down Under? Mick even squeezed in the time to make a brief interview with the ABC radio team on their Country Hour to talk about the future of Australia/Europe exports. You can hear it here. (45 mins in)
We?ve had a number of large exports across into Europe and Northern Ireland over the last couple of months which has been keeping us very busy, along with a further few in the pipeline, the fun never stops at Houghton Hall Alpacas.
A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to be invited to attend the Ely Cathedral Annual Pet Service which was filmed by the BBC?s Songs of Praise team. We took two of our young show boys; Houghton Spirited (Champion Huacaya Black) and Houghton Mustang (Champion Suri White) who behaved impeccably for the TV Crew. If you missed the episode but fancy alpaca spotting it is still available on BBC iPlayer.
We are looking forward to welcoming participants to our farm for the upcoming BAS course dedicated to improving knowledge of Alpaca Breeding and Traits this weekend (9th-10th October). We hope the weather holds!
If that wasn?t enough, we are also all eagerly anticipating Alpaca Show Time which is a mere few weeks away now! Can?t wait to see you all there. We have lots of exciting things planned and we hope you enjoy spending your Halloween weekend with us.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
16th September 2015
Hear Mick George and Steve Ridout discuss the future of alpaca exports between Australia/New Zealand and Europe on the ABC's West Country Hour.
The item begins at approximately about 48 mins.
We have extensive experience importing and exporting alpacas, so if you are interested in adding our elite genetics to your herd or want more information about our export services please contact Mick and Liz on 07764469132 or email us at info@houghtonhallalpacas.co.uk.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
14th September 2015
***Email Issue Resolved***
The issue is now resolved, however if you emailed our info@houghtonhallalpacas.co.uk during the period 8th-14th and have received no response please email again or call us on 01480 461 510.
Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Houghton Hall Alpacas team
11th September 2015
***Email Issues***
We are having issues with our email address info@houghtonhallalpacas.co.uk at the moment. If you have contacted us on this address in the last 48 hours and not received a response please call us on 01480 461510 or email houghtonhallalpacas@mickgeorge.co.uk.
Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Houghton Hall Alpacas Team
26th August 2015
We are proud to announce that we will once again be Gold Sponsors for the British Alpaca Society National in 2016. We love this event as it champions breeders of all standards and sizes displaying the very best the UK?s Alpaca Industry has to offer.
We are also pleased to say we will be Sponsoring the White and Grey Suri Colour Champions at the Heart of England, Autumn Fleece Show! Which is just next month, so best of luck to everyone whose entering.
We hope to see you all soon.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an Alpackage to suit
you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
14th August 2015
What are those Alpacas doing in Houghton?
Are you one of the many people in North Cambridgeshire that have spotted the strange long necked sheep wandering the fields of Houghton and St.Ives that seem to have been growing in number over the last decade? Well it?s not the Alpacalypse , not yet anyway. . .
We are the team at Houghton Hall Alpacas, owned by the husband and wife team Mick and Liz George (of Skip Hire fame!). Those fuzzy giraffes are actually alpacas, don?t call them llamas or they might get upset!
Most people have lots of questions; why do we own them, what do we do with them, and can they come and see them.
First things first why do we own them? We have around 800 alpacas on our farm and we love each and every one of them. They are cute, furry, friendly and produce the most amazing fibre. Once you meet them you will be smitten. We like to think we have a happy haven for alpacas.
What do we do with our alpacas? Well there are a number of things; we breed them using the finest genetics we can source to produce the best quality alpacas, which we then show at a number of alpaca events across the UK (which we are quite good at ). Once a year the whole herd gets shorn and we sell this fibre on to a number of different places for use in clothing and bedding, and soon we will sell yarn from it too! We also have a few alpacas that we keep simply as pets.
You may be asking yourselves; ?but what can alpacas do for me??
Well for starters they are great pets, super friendly and will be eating out of your hand in a matter of weeks. They love to munch on grass so are great for keeping your lawn trim. If you are a keen gardener their poo is a fab fertiliser so you?ll be growing giant veg and vibrant flowers in no time. For those that are a dab hand at arts and crafts could even spin their fibre into yarn after the once a year shear, or it can be sent a way for processing.
If you want to know more about these curious camelids take a peak at the rest of our website or contact us to chat ?alpaca?.
You can also find us at all the usual places Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to keep up to date with all things alpaca!
We do welcome visitors we just ask that you call us in advance to make a booking as we are a working farm.
3rd August 2015
Suris In Focus
As both breeders and lovers of the Suri at Houghton Hall Alpacas we?ve chosen to put the Suri in the spot light explaining what differentiates them from the teddy bear like Huacaya generally associated with the name ?alpaca?. We have aimed to provide some basic information, dispel some common myths about the breed, and (as we are slightly biased) promote how wonderful Suris are to own.
You may know that there are two distinct types of alpaca, the Huacaya and the rarer Suri; the main difference being fleece style. So what does a Suri look like? A good Suri will have long individual pencil locks that feel silky, soft and light to the touch with a rich lustre and sheen. This is due to Suri fleece growing differently to Huacaya or sheep whose fibre comes outwards from the skin, with Suris the fleece grows more like human hair as it hangs straight down the body. They also tend to have slightly larger ears than the Huacaya, other than that they are almost identical anatomically.
Where did the word ?Suri? originate? No one is quite sure where the term for a Suri alpaca came from, but it is thought that the Aymaran and Quechuan peoples of the Altipano (alpacas? native land) used it as a general description for the feathers of the Rhea a native bird. The Rheas feathers are silky and lustrous like the Suris fleece so the similarity may have led to the use of the word to describe this variety of alpaca. The literal translation means straight.
If you?ve ever thought about owning alpacas you may have heard some of these common misconceptions about Suris which we attempt to resolve below;
Suri fleece cannot be processed - Whilst the fleece is difficult to process due to it?s naturally silkier structure, it is not impossible, and many breeders make some incredible products as the fibres naturally hold the sheen and lustre after processing better than Huacaya. In fact we intend to start to sell our own yarn here at Houghton Hall of both our award-winning Suri and Huacaya fleeces.
Suris are not suited to the extremes in UK weather - Well this is easy to dismiss as the temperatures in the UK never reach the severe cold temperatures or searing heat that they would see in their natural habitat of the Andes. We also haven?t noticed that they ever seem to be more negatively affected by the weather than the Huacaya, as long as your herd have access to shelter from the wind and rain you shouldn?t have any issues. Suris can be more vulnerable to the rain simply due to the way their fleece hangs from their body, which leaves their spine more exposed to the elements. However, the Huacayas are just as ready to get out of the rain as the Suris are.
Suris are more flighty and nervous ? This we do not find to be true, in our experience any difference in temperament is generally due to their long fringes obscuring their eye sight. So it is important to regularly trim their fleece around their eyes, particularly if you only shear them every two years.
Suris are more expensive than Huacaya ? Any differences in value in the past could have been due to rarity, but we haven?t ever experienced any significant price increases in comparable animals. As with all alpacas the price varies due to the quality and colour of an animal, along with its purpose e.g. a pet male or a stud male.
The Suri gene is more dominant - This isn?t quite so clear cut as many breeders both here and in the US and Australia are now disputing the commonly agreed fact. Many put it down to the cross breeding of the imported animals in the native lands of Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The idea in basic terms is that to get a Huacaya the alpaca would have to be carrying only Huacaya genes; if one of the Huacayas has a Suri in their ancestry this could be passed to the cria and create a cross breed or if both do, a full Suri. It is a lot more complicated than that, but if you want to read about it in more detail visit here. Now that the Suris and Huacaya are generally being bred exclusively to only others of their breed rogue Suri genes are a much lower occurrence. So the thought is the ones imported originally had more Suri genetics in them and now through selective breeding the balance is evening out. However, time will tell which is correct as there are strong believers on both sides. It is very possible that some Suris in your herd may have a Huacaya ancestor in their bloodline or vice versa.
Why do we breed Suris at Houghton Hall Alpacas? We love the Suri which are often overlooked by newcomers to alpaca breeding, but really nothing beats watching the majesty of the Suris in full fleece running and pronking in the field. So don?t overlook this elegant alpaca breed next time you think about purchasing alpacas.
Looking to breed or own some super Suris? At Houghton Hall Alpacas we have some of the UK and Europe?s finest Suri genetics in our herd. Having sourced some of the best bloodlines available from Australia and New Zealand our herd have improved year after year with a number of our females being unbeaten Supreme Champions; Houghton Royal Duchess and Houghton Mystical Magic. Not to mention that one of our top Suri Stud Sires, Storm of Houghton took home 1st in the Progeny class at every event we attended in 2015.
Or are you looking to inject some dynamic and world class genetics into your herd, ask us about our selection of Suri Stud boys.
Get in touch today to book your visit to our award-winning Suri and Huacaya farm in Cambridgeshire.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an Alpackage to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
**2nd and 3rd images are copyright of Karen Harvey© I Don't Like Peas
20th July 2015
***Phone Issue Resolved***
20th July
***Phone Issues***
Just a quick notice to let you know we are having phone problems at the moment. Hoping to resolve asap.
If you need to get in touch please call 07764469132.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
15th June 2015
What a weekend we had at the Royal Three Counties!
***We Won the Double***
Houghton Most Wanted - Supreme Champion Huacaya and Best of British
Houghton Bright Spark - Supreme Champion Suri and Best of British
Houghton Kala - Champion Huacaya Black Female
Houghton Monaco - Champion Suri Light Male
Houghton Mystical Magic - Champion Suri Light Female
Houghton Dazzler - Champion Huacaya White Female
Houghton Master General - Reserve Champion Huacaya Fawn Male
Houghton Moon Drops - Reserve Champion Suri Light Female
Houghton Maddox - Reserve Champion Suri Light Male
Houghton Perry - Reserve Champion Huacaya White Male
Houghton Galactic Powers - Reserve Champion Suri Light Male
Thank you to everyone who helped us out over the weekend - we couldn't have done it without you!
A big thank you also goes to the organisers for yet another fantastic event.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an Alpackage to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
10th June 2015
A Visit to Houghton Hall Alpacas
Liz Wright discovers a world of quality and colour
I think it?s fair to say that Mick and Liz George, owners of Houghton Hall Alpacas are passionate about alpacas ? in fact Liz says that it is ?love me, love my alpacas? as far as they are concerned!
Back in 2001 Mick saw some at an agricultural show and fell in love with them. He started keeping them and his first showing experience (fifth out of five) was enough to give him the show bug. He?s now more used to getting firsts! But when Liz met him eight years ago he had 100 alpacas. Today there are 800 adults and 200 cria expected or now safely unpacked, for the 2015 season. This makes Houghton Hall Alpacas one of the largest alpaca studs in the UK and Europe.
At the British Alpaca Society National Show at Telford the stud took home 19 Firsts (22 if you include Progeny), Seven Reserve Champions, Four Championships, One Best of British and a Supreme Champion in the form of Mystical Magic who is a light fawn Suri aged seventeen months. Mystical Magic has a truly ultra fine fleece which is also dense and carries amazing lustre.
In the Fleece Section, Royal Duchess (a Supreme Champion last year) carried the honours.
Liz and her assistant Emmeline were friendly and pleased to show us their lovely animals. My colleague Karen was entranced by their beauty. But what is the attraction for Liz?
She told me that their aim was to breed the best quality animal they could with the best fleece and capable of having quality offspring. She said that they loved showing and told me that in the show ring the fleece counted for 60% of the marks and conformation for 40%.
How are alpacas shown?
Alpacas are shown just as they are with minimal tidying, no grooming and from paddock conditions. Liz feels that the quality of alpacas has increased a lot in the last eight years especially amongst the white alpacas but the blacks are certainly coming up fast too. The fleeces from the Houghton Hall Alpacas are currently processed in the UK, and for the first time, this year they will be selling the fleece as yarn.
There is nothing wasted in an alpaca fleece ? the prime saddle area is used for garments while the rest of the fleece can be used for a variety of uses including duvets, pillows, carpets and even insulation.
Alpacas everywhere you look!
Houghton Hall is extremely well organised with excellent facilities. Sturdy safe fences divide the alpacas and there are walk ways between the paddocks. Liz says with genuine enthusiasm, ?They are so adorable, so humbling to see them all out here and especially when the babies are playing around?
Karen and I have to agree but Karen is soon off with her camera capturing more of the charm of alpacas.
Liz used to be a school secretary which has come in handy with the paperwork for the stud but now cannot imagine not being outside.
Liz believes that if alpacas are well managed then they will stay very healthy and their management is geared to this belief. It is certainly paying off looking at the happy, healthy animals that surround us. Despite having so many, Liz knows them personally, their names and their histories.
Getting started with alpacas
So what does Liz believe are the best pieces of advice to people thinking of getting started in alpacas?
Liz says what she would really like people to do is to come for a day to Houghton Hall particularly around shearing time if possible to see how they are managed and get to understand the handling. So much can be learnt by looking, learning and getting some practical experience.
You will need good fencing and two to three acres of grassland, enough for 6 alpacas, so that it can be rested and rotated and she advises at least three alpacas to start with. You will also need to protect young trees. They eat hay and haylage and require a mineral supplement ? and you need to find a vet who understands alpacas. It is important to remember that alpacas are shy, gentle inquisitive animals who like to be treated quietly. They should be halter trained which is comparatively easy to achieve especially at weaning. They can mix well with sheep. Alpacas can be good flock guards.
Liz believes that Houghton Hall Alpacas offers a very personal service to buyers, no pressure and takes in to account whether the buyer wants to show to top level or, at the other end of the scale, have neutered males for pets. She says the interest in keeping alpacas continues to rise from all sectors. Membership of the British Alpaca Society will also get alpaca keeping off to a good start.
If you do intend to breed then you must buy the best quality female alpaca you can and use a quality stud male for breeding. If you don?t want to keep a stud male yourself then send your females to a good male. And never stop learning yourself. Go to shows, ask questions, meet breeders and learn, learn and learn!
An excerpt from Practical Sheep, Goats and Alpaca magazine?s Summer 2015 issue, out now! www.sgamagazine.co.uk
You can find the issue here!
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
5th June 2015
Why do we all love alpacas?
At Houghton Hall Alpacas we pride ourselves on providing a warm welcome for anyone with a passion for alpacas, be it as a pet or for breeding purposes. We understand that everyone is looking for something different when choosing and owning their alpacas; which is why we recently decided to find out what it was about these curiously fuzzy creatures that made you fall in love with them. As ever our faithful alpaca friends and fans helped us out by answering our short survey.
The main reason highlighted by the questionnaire quite pleasingly was the alpacas? personalities and the joys of actually caring and taking responsibility for them. Here is a selection of the answers we received;
?(Their) individual personalities, together with their looks, their fleece, everything about them apart from poo picking.?
?They are lovely, relaxing animals to work and live around. They bring calm to your life. Intriguing and entertaining. So different from many other animals.?
?Actually caring for them, feeding, husbandry and looking after them on a day to day basis.?
?Looking out of the kitchen window and seeing them all at the gate waiting for breakfast, then going out to feed them and they all run up to say hello. They are all different and each one is lovely!?
?Interaction. Sharing the qualities of their fleece. Taking for walks. Everything.?
?The joy of breeding a better one each generation?
?The friendly smile and welcome that's always received when we go into the field?
Overwhelmingly the largest group who answered the survey classified themselves as alpaca breeders at just under 60%, but we were pleased to also hear from people who were just admirers with the hopes to one day own alpacas at 15%. We also received responses from those who classed themselves as pet owners and smallholders, it was great to have such a diverse group of respondents, so thank you to everyone that answered it.
On a final note this is what our lovely Liz had to say about alpaca ownership; ?It is difficult to pinpoint just one particular thing about alpacas, but seeing them out in the paddocks happily pronking around makes all the hard work worthwhile.?
Want to let us know why you adore the cutest of the camelids? Share it on one of our social pages twitter, facebook or google+.
Don't own alpacas but this article has made you think about getting some? Give Mick and Liz a call to chat 'alpaca' on 01480 461 510 or 07764469132.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an Alpackage to suit you. We welcome
Hello All, How are you all doing? So sorry for the radio silence. We have had a difficult few years, with a lot of loss in our family. My last post was just before my Dad 'Ken' sadly passed away. Many of you had the pleasure to meet him at many alpaca shows. He is greatly missed. Mum is doing well with the support of all the family,
We have welcomed 50 gorgeous cria into our herd this year, slightly weighty on the boys, all are growing out well, although our last born was on the 8th September, so has a bit of catching up to do.
We are still striving to get some sales lists together on Alpaca Seller, apologies again if you are patiently waiting, However, in the meantime if you are looking to enhance your herd or are just starting in the world of alpacas, please get in touch. With over 500 alpacas in our herd of both Suri and Huacaya, we are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
We know winter is just around the corner, hopefully it will be kind to us all.
We look forward to catching up with you in the New Year, keep safe and well. Is it too early to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2026? Never too early.
22 January 2024
Hello All, well last year sneaked by with a blink of an eye! Here we are galloping or should we say 'pronking' through January.
We have had a busy start to the year, weaning a good chunk of our stunning crias and looking forward to potentially showing a couple in this years shows.
The weather has been challenging to a lot of us, but hopefully we are through the worst of it. Spring is just around the corner, thank goodness.
We are still striving to get some sales lists together on Alpaca Seller, apologies again if you are patiently waiting, However, in the meantime if you are looking to enhance your herd or are just starting in the world of alpacas, please get in touch. With over 500 alpacas in our herd of both Suri and Huacaya, we are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
Wishing you all an amazing 2024 and we look forward to catching up very soon.
28th August 2023
Hope you are all enjoying this Bank Holiday Monday. We can't quite believe that September is just around the corner.
We have finally come to the end of our Birthing season, welcoming 95 beautiful cria. Males rule this year, with 52 gracing our paddocks. Its still a very busy time on farm, but thankfully we are only assisting two Mums, with their cria with bottle feeding.
We are still striving to get some sales lists onto Alpaca Seller, apologies if you are patiently waiting. However, in the meantime if you are looking to enhance your herd of are just looking for a starter herd in this wonderful world of alpacas, please get in touch. We would be delighted to assist you. We have over 550 alpacas in our herd of both Suri and Huacaya. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
3rd July 2023
We welcomed some much needed rain today along with another two cria, which are coming daily now. To date we have 59 cria born with the males being more dominant at the moment, but with two females joining us today, maybe we are on a run for the girls to catch up.
We are striving to get some sales lists onto Alpaca Seller, however, in the meantime if you are looking to enhance your herd of are just looking for a starter herd in this wonderful world of alpacas, please get in touch. We would be delighted to assist you. We have over 550 alpacas in our herd of both Suri and Huacaya. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
15th May 2023
What a celebratory month we have had with all things ‘Royal’. We have had the absolute pleasure of meeting our King Charles III on a couple of occasions. We wish him a long and happy reign.
We have welcomed our first crias of the season and they are enjoying the lush green grass. We had one very tricky birth, but all the others have birthed beautifully.
We have just about finished shearing and we have to say we have some crackers that we will be putting on the market soon. We will especially be focusing on letting some of our outstanding suri males go to new homes. We sadly can’t keep them all. We have purchased many of our Suri’s from Australia and New Zealand and in turn have many stunning offspring that could be part of your herd.
If you are looking to enhance your herd with outstanding genetics sourced from all over the world, please do not hesitate to contact us, with a 500 strong herd, we are sure to have an ‘alpackage’ to suit you.
20th March 2023
We were extremely sorry to have missed bringing our Show team to The National this year. This was due to a few factors, but ultimately because the running order changed. It looks like it was a successful show, with some fabulous alpacas being shown. Many congratulations to you all. We very much look forward to seeing you all at future shows.
We have recently weaned all our Crias and they are coping well with their new found freedom. We have some absolute stunners amongst them, Suri and Huacaya.
We will be releasing some more of our herd for sale shortly. If you are looking to enhance your herd with outstanding genetics sourced from all over the world, please do not hesitate to contact us, with a 500 strong herd, we are sure to have an ‘alpackage’ to suit you.
19th October 2022
We have welcomed 104 Cria into our herd this summer and boys rule this time with 60% born were males! We have some stunners and have already earmarked our potential studs. The girls do not disappoint either with some absolute beauties amongst them.
We will be releasing some more of our females for sale shortly. Keep an eye on 'Alpaca Seller for more details. However if you are looking to enhance your herd with new genetics, please do not hesitate to contact us, with a 500 strong herd of suri and alpacas, we are sure to have an 'alpackage' to suit you.
9th September 2022
We are deeply saddened by the passing of our Sovereign, Her Majesty the Queen. She has been ‘Simply the Best’ throughout her 70 Year reign. Life will not be the same without her presence.
Our sincere condolences go to The Royal Family at this immensely sad time.
5th September 2022
September is upon us and we are grateful for the little rain we have had this week. It has been a challenging time for us farmers over this very hot summer.
We are nearing the end of our birthing season, with just a handful left. We have welcomed over 100 crias into our herd and let me tell you, there are some absolute crackers!
We have also decided to allow some of our yearling girls to be released for sale, We will post details and pictures shortly on Alpaca Seller. Although, if you don't see what you are after, just call or send us your wish list. With over 500 alpacas, huacaya and suri, we are sure to have an ‘’alpackage’’ to suit you, so if you are looking to enhance your herd with new genetics or starting in the wonderful world of alpacas, please do not hesitate to contact us.
1st August 2022
Here we are in August, how has that happened?
We hope all is well with you and your alpacas? The weather is challenging for us all and I’m sure we are all wanting some rain.
We are having a really good birthing season and have welcomed over 80 crias so far into the Houghton Hall Family. There are some real stunners amongst them.
If you are looking to enhance your herd with new genetics or starting in the wonderful world of alpacas, please do not hesitate to contact us. With over 500 alpacas, huacaya and suri, we are sure to have an ‘’alpackage’’ to suit you.
11th April 2022
Hello everyone, we can’t believe it’s almost a year since our last post. We do hope you are all doing ok and enjoying this warmer weather, summer is just around the corner.
We actually celebrate 20 years this year since alpacas came to Houghton Hall.
We’ve had a busy weekend shearing and are now eagerly awaiting our first crias due in a few weeks, always a favourite time of year for us, with over 100 crias due.
If you are looking to enhance your herd with new genetics or are just looking for a starter herd, please do not hesitate to call us. We are sure to have an Alpackage to suit you.
17th May 2021
Today is a remarkable day. We are slowly coming out of 14 months of uncertainty. Our 3rd ‘Lockdown’ is being eased, it feels good doesn’t it?
Here at Houghton Hall, we have completed our shearing and our birthings are well underway. We have had some births very late in the day, probably due to the unsettled weather we are having. So this keeps us on our toes for sure. There are some beautiful Crias to watch in our paddocks, such a lovely time of year.
We enjoyed attending the South of England Show, it was so lovely to catch up with everyone. It certainly gave us a glimpse of normally.
Enjoy your birthing season. We will be popping some cria photos onto our website for you to enjoy.
All the best
Liz and Mick
Houghton Hall HQ
1st February 2021
Hello to you all from Houghton HQ and a very Happy New Year to you!
We now find ourselves galloping into 2021 and after all the challenges of 2020, our hope is that we will shortly be finding our new ‘normal’ and we will all feel happier about our future.
The flooding we have experienced has brought us many challenges with grazing and it looks like the water is not going anywhere fast! Thankfully, most of our animals are coping really well and we are so pleased we have barns to house the older animals that need a little more luxury. We are so looking forward to springtime, we do have a glimmer of springtime already as our daffodils are already showing off their glory.
Most of our cria have been weaned and are enjoying their new found freedom, it’s always so lovely to watch them pronking around the paddocks without a care in the world.
We trust you are keeping safe and hope that sometime in 2021 we can all get together and do what we love.
Give us a call if you are looking for new genetics or are starting your journey in the wonderful world of alpacas. We would be delighted to assist you.
30th September 2019
We are proud sponsors of the Supreme Huacaya and Supreme Suri of the up and coming EAG Show. Well done to all the organisers and good luck to all Exhibitors.
It?s been another busy year here at Houghton HQ. We have had 99 successful births, it is always lovely watching the crias pronking through the paddocks. It certainly brightens any gloomy day.
29th April 2019 - HERD SALE CONTINUES INTO 2019
We can't quite believe we are almost at the end of April already. Life has been so busy at Houghton Hall HQ, with the addition of 14 lovely crias already.
We had a super show at the National, with many Championships, culminating in Supreme Champion for our gorgeous Suri male 'Houghton Hot Toddy'. sired by the renowned Surico Travatore, our fabulous imported male. The pairing of him with Hot Tomale, also imported was definitely a match made in heaven. It was so lovely to see everyone at this prestigious event.
We are bringing a small Team to The South of England Show, so look forward to seeing you then and hope the weather is kind to us.
Our herd reduction sale continues, so please contact us if we can help you in your alpaca selection.
8th January 2019 ~ HERD SALE CONTINUES INTO 2019
Happy New Year! We hope 2019 is good to you and brings you good health, happiness and success.
We are back to reality after a fabulous family Christmas holiday and are now getting ready for the National Show. We will be bringing a small show team with us this year and look forward to seeing you all there.
We are still continuing with our Herd Sale and are delighted that our genetics will be impacting many herds. We will be updating our website with new animals for sale this month. If you don't see what you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact us . We have a wide selection of alpacas in all colours and quality available. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' for you.
Liz & Mick
16th October 2018 ~ HERD SALE ~ HUACAYA AND SURI ALPACAS
Here we are half way through October already. We are busy getting our alpacas ready for the winter, making sure we are prepared for the weather ahead.
This weekend we are proud to be Platinum Sponsors of the Eastern Alpaca Group Halter Show in Chelmsford. We are just bringing a small Show team for this event and we look forward to catching up with you all there.
Our herd sale is continuing, we are busy updating our website with animals for sale, although whatever you are looking for, we are sure to be able to assist. Look out for Dams with adorable cria at foot for sale on our website. Weekend visits to our farm are welcomed.
Liz and Mick
29th September 2018 ~ HERD SALE ~ HUACAYA AND SURI ALPACAS
We can't actually believe we are nearing the end of September. It definitely feels like Autumn is upon us, although chilly today, the sun is shining. Apologies if you have tried to contact us via our mobile, it has been faulty, now fully working to take calls only. Take a look at our ever changing website, hopefully you will see something to tempt you. If you can't see what you are looking for, contact us with your enquiry and we will see of we can accommodate your wishes.
We have a wide selection of alpacas in all colours and quality available. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' for you.
6th September 2018 ~ HERD SALE CONTINUES ~ TOP HUACAYA AND SURI ALPACAS
What a busy summer we have had at Houghton Hall Alpacas. We have now welcomed almost 200 cria into our Herd. A few more boys than girls this year are pronking in our paddocks.
We managed a few weeks away in the amazing Maldives, which really recharged our batteries. We are now home and giving the much needed time to promote our Herd dispersal. You will notice that our website is now changing daily. There are some fantastic offers to browse through. We will do our best to accommodate any enquiries you have and welcome weekend visits. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you don't see what you are looking for on our website. We have a wide selection of alpacas in all colours and quality available. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' for you.
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25th July 2018 ~ HERD SALE ~ Dams with adorable cria at foot FOR SALE
July is drawing to an end and this hot weather is a real challenge for us all. We hope all is well with your herd. Rain is expected later in the week, thank goodness.
We have been immensely busy on farm and have welcomed over 150 cria's into our herd and we have some absolute stunners. We are nearing the end of our birthing season - phew!
Our herd sale is continuing, we are busy updating our website with animals for sale, although whatever you are looking for, we are sure to be able to assist. Look out for Dams with adorable cria at foot for sale on our website. Weekend visits to our farm are welcomed.
Liz and Mick
10th May 2018
HOUGHTON DID IT AGAIN! SUPREME CHAMPION SURI - SOUTH OF ENGLAND SHOW
We had a fabulous weekend at the SOE Show with our Team of 10. We achieved many rosettes and broad ribbons. Five Championships in all, culminating in Supreme Champion Suri for our outstanding male Houghton Chancellor, Best of British for our super male Houghton Kendrick and our beautiful girl Houghton Cherished Secret. Our progeny Teams didn't let us down with Travatore taking first place in the Suri Sire's progeny with Storm taking a worthy 2nd place. We also took Dam's progeny with our 'two peas in a pod' Houghton Kendrick and Houghton Kaiser.
Thanks to all involved in making this show a great success, everyone was melting with the immense heat, but with the aid of many fans we kept going. Mary-Jo and Vicki Agar did a sterling job in the ring and it was great to have an appreciative audience.
19th April 2018
DOUBLE SUPREME!! HEART OF ENGLAND 'SPRING ALPACA FIESTA'
What a Show!
Our show team did us proud once more. We gained, 8 first places, 3 second places and a third. Culminating with 4 Champions, 1 reserve Champion. Our Sire's Suri progeny took a fabulous 1st (Storm) and 2nd (Travatore), with our Dams progeny (Kelsey) gaining a first too. Houghton Royal Star took Suri Supreme and Best of British, following in her Mothers footsteps and Houghton Kaleidoscope, owned by Lane House Alpacas too Huacaya Supreme. Our Grand daughter Olivia, walked confidently around with Cherished Secret in the Junior Handler class, gaining a well deserved 1st in her age group. Jess was a winner too in the fun Casino night. We had a fabulous weekend at this super, friendly well organised show. Well done to all the Exhibitors, we saw some outstanding alpacas being shown. Thank you also to the judges Matt and Cathy and lastly thank you to all that helped us this weekend, we really do appreciate it.
Liz and Mick
12th April 2018
HERD SALE
We have had a busy few weeks since The National Alpaca Showtime. A few sneaky days in Dubai, a lovely surprise from my hubby, recharged the batteries. Came back to five days of shearing in mostly beautiful sunshine. Now getting ready for The Heart of England Fiesta this weekend. We are taking a small Show Team, which will give us chance to enjoy the show and chat to all.
Our Herd sale is going well, thank you to all our amazing clients. We are sad and delighted to see some of our Award winning genetics going off to pastures new. If you don't see what you are looking for on our website, please contact us with your requirements. Or even better, call us to arrange a visit.
Looking forward to welcoming some more warmer weather, we could all do with it.
Best Wishes
Liz
27th March 2018
DOUBLE SUPREME
HOUGHTON TAILOR MADE AND HOUGHTON JUBILATION OF FANGDALE ALPACAS
Wow! what a great weekend at The National Alpaca Show. We so enjoyed catching up with everyone and thank you for taking the time to visit us. We had an amazing five Champions awarded, four Suri and one Huacaya of our owned alpacas, however, we were delighted that our clients brought Houghton bred animals to the Show too. Our fabulous trio of Storm Progeny and Travatore Progeny took 1st and 2nd in a superb suri sires progeny class. All of our Show team were placed, many gaining 1st's and 2nd's.
In a very tense Championship line up our amazing Houghton Tailor Made took Supreme Suri, thank you Jacob for showing him so well for us and Houghton Jubilation of Fangdale Alpacas took Supreme Champion Huacaya, huge congratulations to Nicky and Deborah.
Our herd sale is well underway. If you are looking to increase your herd or are just starting out, just give us a call or email us. We have a wide selection of alpacas in all colours and quality available. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' for you.
8th March 2018
Well here we are in March and I can't quite believe we have all endured 'The Beast from the East'.
It's so nice to see the sunshine this week. We hope you and your alpacas managed well in the adverse conditions.
We are looking forward to seeing all our friends and colleagues at The National Alpaca Show next week. We are bringing a smaller show team than normal as our 'Herd Sale' is going well and we have let some of our super show team go to new homes.
Our website is always a working progress. If you do not see what you are looking for on Alpacas Seller, please call or email us as we have our whole herd up for sale, so we are sure we will have an 'alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
See you soon.
Liz and Mick
11th December 2017
We hope you are all well after the snow fall we had this weekend. It did look pretty, however I'm not sure the alpacas really liked it. It's thawing well here at Houghton Hall.
We have almost weaned all our cria's which have grown out nicely. They are also included in our herd sale, so if you are looking for some pets or breeding animals, please give us a call. We would like to thank all our clients for their custom during 2017.
The snow has really has got us in the Christmas spirit, with only two weeks to go, we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Cheers to you all!
Mick and Liz
14th November 2017
As many of you may have seen in Alpaca World, we are having a Herd Sale. This is a unique opportunity for you to get your hands on our Award winning herd.
We have decided that we would like to downsize considerably, to allow us to concentrate more on the family, so if you are looking for new genetics for your herd or just starting up in the wonderful world of alpacas, give us a call, or drop us an email. We would be delighted to assist you in any way we can.
Christmas is just around the corner now - hope all your preparations are going well and you are getting in the Festive Spirit.
All the very best
Mick and Liz
11th October 2017
SHE DID IT AGAIN! SUPREME CHAMPION & BEST OF BRITISH SURI - Mystical Magic
Here we are well into October, galloping our way towards Christmas.
We were very proud to be sponsors of the Heart of England Autumn Fleece Show and also delighted that Mystical Magic was awarded Supreme Champion and Best of British Suri, she never ceases to amaze us with her consistent qualtiy. Our other consistent award winning females are Cracklin' Rosie, Champion Grey Huacaya & Roxanne, Champion Brown Huacaya.
Reserve Champion Fawn Huacaya - Houghton Jubilation
Our Junior Huacaya Houghton Titania received a respectable 3rd place with 83.5 points, amongst stiff competition.
Houghton Kaiser our stunning white Huacaya was 1st in his class
Houghton Pure Valor our super suri, achieved 2nd in his class.
Our thanks go to all involved in this Show and congratulations to all the competitors.
22nd September 2017
We can't quite believe we are into the autumnal month of September. We have had a very busy time on the farm with almost 200 births. We've also had a busy time personally including welcoming three Grandsons into our world. Life doesn't get much better than that.
Our exports are going well and we have had several shipments over the waters. We wish all our clients happy times ahead with their new stock.
We have also had a great show season thus far, gaining several Supremes in halter and fleece shows.
We have decided that we would like to downsize considerably, to allow us to concentrate more on the family, so if you are looking for new genetics for your herd or just starting up in the wonderful world of alpacas, give us a call, we would be delighted to assist you in any way we can.
Our website is always a working progress, if you do not see what you are looking for, just call. We are sure to have an 'alpackage' to tempt you with both stunning Suri's and heavenly Huacaya's. We are established in exporting into Europe.
22nd May 2017
Here we are well into May and well into our birthing season. So far we have welcomed 51 little ones into our herd, we absolutely love this time of year. All our animals are shorn in readiness for this beautiful sunshine that has graced us today. We have had a great show season, gaining several Supremes in halter and fleece shows. Our progeny did us proud too. We still have some 150 more crias due, so busy times ahead at Houghton Hall. We wish you a great year and hope your birthing season goes well.
2nd March 2017
Spring is in the air and another windy day here at Houghton Hall HQ.
We are delighted to welcome our first 2017 cria, born on St David's Day. He is a stunning brown suri male from one of our beautiful imported females Surilana Valle De. We can't wait to see him grow out.
If you are looking to purchase some new stock, look no further, with over 700 alpacas, huacaya and suri, we are sure to have something to tempt you. We are established in exporting into Europe.
We are busy preparing for the National Show, halter training is going well. We look forward to catching up with all our friends in Telford.
Liz and Mick
10th January 2017
GOLD SPONSORS
Wishing all our alpaca friends and clients a very happy new year. We hope 2017 will be kind to you all and look forward to seeing you all at the BAS National in March, we are proud to once more be GOLD sponsors.
Alpaca Showtime was a fabulous success in late 2016. Thank you for once again for all involved in running and supporting our 3rd Showtime. We will update you shortly on the date of our next show.
We had some stunning cria in 2016 and most have now been weaned. Some are available for purchase, if you are looking for new genetics in your herd just give us a call.
We have had another bumper year of exports going out across Europe with breeders looking for both elite males and females, including to Italy, Poland and Belgium. It's so rewarding to see your genetics being grasped by new and established breeders.
We once again took a trip across the pond to the Australian National in Adelaide, where we took the opportunity to purchase some prestigious new Suri and Huacaya Genetics, we can?t wait for them to arrive in Spring!
We are eagerly awaiting all that 2017 will bring; the anticipation of new cria, the beginning of the new show season and the arrival of our new genetics.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 700 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
Liz and Mick
3rd October 2016
THREE SHOWS/THREE DOUBLE SUPREMES!!!!
What an exciting weekend we have had. Following our Double Supremes at The National Fleece Show and The South of England Halter Show. We are ecstatic once again with the results of the HOEAG Fleece Show, achieving 'DOUBLE SUPREME' with our astounding light suri girl Houghton Royal Duchess and our super huacaya grey girl Houghton Joyous. The girls certainly did us proud.
Now it's full steam ahead for 'Alpaca Showtime'. All entries to be submitted via the BAS website. Closing date is Wednesday 5th October. For more details please look at the website. wwwalpacashowtime.co.uk
We look forward to catching up with you all very soon.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 800 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
September 2016
Here we are finding ourselves 'pronking' towards Autumn. Busy times on the farm. We welcomed over 200 cria this year and are very excited to see how they develop. We took a trip across the big pond to Australia and enjoyed their National Show in Adelaide. A few more exciting Australian genetics will be coming to Houghton Hall Alpacas in the New Year.
We are busy preparing for Alpaca Showtime 28-30 October, online entries will be open soon, watch the website for further information www.alpacashowtime.co.uk
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 800 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
25th May 2016
We can't quite believe we are almost into June, where has that first few months gone? We have been busy sorting the farm and garden out for a special wedding that recently took place. What a magical day we had.
We have had a quieter than normal show season, however did come away with Double Supreme Champion Fleece at this years National Show with our super Stud Sire Master General and sensational Suri Houghton Maddox. We also came away Double Supreme Champion at the South of England Show with our tremendous Titan and our beautiful Suri lady Mystical Magic.
Our alpacas are now all shorn and enjoying the sunshine, We have also sent some of our beautiful alpacas across the waters to Ireland, Poland and Italy recently and have welcomed over ninety cria into the world.
We also look forward to bringing new genetics into our herd shortly.
Watch out for more information on our Autumn show - Alpaca Showtime - 29/30 October 2016
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 700 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
Liz and Mick
18th January 2016
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to all of our friends and clients, we hope you have had a wonderful festive season and have started 2016 with a bang!
Here is a quick round up of the last, very successful, 12 months for the team at Houghton Hall Alpacas.
2015 saw yet another sensational show season for Team Houghton. We took the Double at Alpaca Showtime 2015 and at the Royal Three Counties, along with a further 8 Supreme titles from the 5 other shows we attended. Not forgetting the 2 Reserve Supreme Champions, 44 Champion, 33 Reserve Champion, 5 Best of British, 3 Judge?s Choice, 3 Best in Show ribbons, and countless rosettes. How will we top this in 2016?
There were some stunning cria on the ground in 2015 including the arrival of our first coloured suris. All have now been weaned and are ready for purchase.
We have had a bumper year of exports going out across Europe with breeders looking for both elite males and females, including to Italy, Poland and Belgium. Looking forward to many more over the next few months.
We were lucky enough to go out to the Australian National in Sydney, where we took the opportunity to purchase some prestigious new Suri and Huacaya Genetics from Australia, can?t wait for them to arrive in Spring!
We are eagerly awaiting all that 2016 will bring; the anticipation of new cria, the beginning of the new show season and the arrival of our new genetics.
Houghton Hall Alpacas - Proven Award-Winning Genetics
Get in touch if you are looking to add some quality bloodlines to your herd, in need of advice or just want to chat alpaca!
We?d love to hear about how good 2015 was for you, and what you are looking forward to in 2016, share with us in all the usual places Facebook, Twitter & Google+. You can also sign up for our mailing list to hear all about our latest animals for sale.
22nd December 2015
Poisonous Plants Advice
When deciding to start caring for a herd of alpacas it is vital to prepare their new environment to ensure anything potentially dangerous or harmful is removed. Alpacas are ruminants (chew the cud) and are one of nature?s most efficient eaters as they absorb around third more of the vital nutrients from their food than similar animals such as sheep. They will often forage in the hedgerows and bushes for tasty morsels to supplement their diet. However, this diet can lead to alpacas being over adventurous and mistakenly eating something toxic. So, what should you look out for?
All nightshades, All lilies, Tomato & Potato plants, Toot, Inkweed, Hemlock, Willow-weed, Jerusalem Cherry, Mallow, Acorns, Oleander, Lily of the Valley, Rhododendron, Azalea, Ricinus, Yew, Ragwort, Comfrey, Horseradish, Privet, St.Johns wort, Sorrel, Hemp Nettle, Rhubarb, Iris, Buttercup, Linseed, Lupin, Clover, Chickweed, Laburnum, Meadow Saffron, Monks Hood, Oak, Foxglove, Grass Cuttings, Poppy.
Please be aware that this is not an exhaustive list of all poisonous plants, it is just important to be vigilant on your farm checking all hedgerows and paddocks and pathways. Remember alpacas have long necks so can reach quite a distance for that appetising branch.
Common symptoms of poisoning are; diarrhoea, vomiting, drooling saliva, colic, difficulty breathing, staggering, weakness, unsteady pupils, trembling, hypothermia, slow heartbeat, paralysis and head shaking.
If you think any of your herd may have eaten something they shouldn?t it is vital to consult a vet as soon as possible, often alpacas will not show signs until it is too late.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
6th November 2015
Houghton Hall Alpacas take Double Supreme
What a spectacular weekend at Alpaca Showtime 2015. We are very proud of our two Supreme winners Houghton Day Breaker and Houghton Bright Spark who took home Huacaya and Suri Supreme Champion respectively.
Our young males and females did phenomenally well bringing home 6 Champion ribbons between them;
Houghton Day Breaker ? Huacaya Champion Light Male & Huacaya Supreme Champion
Houghton Magic Prince ? Huacaya Champion White Male
Houghton Roxanne - Huacaya Champion Brown Female
Houghton Bright Spark ? Suri Champion White Female & Suri Supreme Champion
Houghton Presley ? Suri Champion White Male
Houghton Georgia ? Suri Champion Light Female
The rest of the team didn?t let us down bringing home a total of 31 1st places and 5 Reserve Champions.
Reserve Champions
Houghton Gypsy Rose (ET) ? 1st & RC Huacaya Senior Grey Female
Houghton Titan ? 1st & RC Huacaya Intermediate Fawn Male
Houghton Angelina ? 1st & RC Huacaya Senior White Female
Houghton Made You Look ? 1st & RC Suri Adult White Female
Houghton Mystery ? 2nd & RC Suri Intermediate White Female
Junior Huacayas
Houghton Lord Remy ? 1st Huacaya Junior White Male
Houghton Casanova ? 1st Huacaya Junior Light Male
Houghton Cracklin? Rosie ? 1st Huacaya Junior Grey Female
Intermediate Huacayas
Houghton Magic Prince ? 1st & C Huacaya Intermediate White Male
Houghton Day Breaker ? 1st, C, SC Huacaya Intermediate Light Male
Houghton Roxanne ? 1st & C Huacaya Intermediate Brown Female
Adult Huacayas
Houghton Honeysuckle ? 1st Huacaya Adult Light Female
Houghton Majestic ? 1st Huacaya Adult Fawn Female
Houghton Xanadu ? 1st Huacaya Adult Black Female
Senior Huacayas
Houghton Cerian ? 1st Huacaya Senior Light Female
Houghton Rock Star ? 1st Huacaya Senior Fawn Female
Parrindi Joseph of Houghton ? 1st Huacaya Senior Grey Male
Junior Suris
Houghton Miss Magic ? 1st Suri Junior White Female
Houghton Chancellor ? 1st Suri Junior Light Male
Intermediate Suris
Houghton Bright Spark ? 1st, C, SC Suri Intermediate White Female
Houghton Presley ? 1st & C Suri Intermediate White Male
Houghton Georgia ? 1st & C Suri Intermediate Light Female
Adult Suris
Houghton Royal Duchess ? 1st Suri Adult Light Female
Houghton Made You Look ? 1st Suri Adult White Female
Houghton Galactic Powers ? 1st Suri Adult Light Male
Senior Suris
Houghton Jade ? 1st Suri Senior Light Female
Houghton Maddie ? 1st Suri Senior White Female
Best in Show
Houghton Bright Spark ? Suri Female
Houghton Presley ? Suri Male
Houghton Day Breaker ? Huacaya Male
In addition our Herd Sires and Dams came 1st in all Progeny Classes proving the quality and consistency of our genetics at Houghton Hall.
Navigator of Houghton ? 1st Huacaya 3 Progeny by 1 Sire
Suri Storm of Houghton ? 1st Suri 3 Progeny by 1 Sire
Travatore of Houghton ? 2nd Suri 3 Progeny by 1 Sire
Suri Storm of Houghton ? 3rd Suri 3 Progeny by 1 Sire
After tough opposition we were pleased to secure 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the Suri Progeny classes.
Houghton Timara ? 1st Huacaya 2 Progeny by 1 Dam
Houghton Mystique ? 1st Suri 2 Progeny by 1 Dam
Congratulations to everyone that took part, the standard of alpacas on display was extremely high making Alpaca Showtime a tough competition for all.
Now for the Thank Yous; We would like to thank the wonderful and incredibly knowledgeable judges Helen Testa and Rob Bettinson for taking the time to oversee the event, along with ring stewards Garry and Iain. Thanks to Roz who did a fantastic job sorting all of the awards and placements on the day, along with the marvelous event compering from John. We would also like to thank the wonderful staff of Houghton Hall Equestrian Centre. And finally we would like thank everyone that came and enjoyed the show, as well as helped out, including our very special co-coordinators; Bozedown Alpacas, Alpaca Stud UK as it wouldn?t be the show it was without you all.
If you haven?t yet purchased any photos from the fantastic photographer, you can find them here.
Many congratulations to Hilly Ridge on their purchase of our Supreme Champion winner, Houghton Day Breaker. Jo and Scott spotted his potential even before he achieved this title. We know with his stunning Navigator genetics, he will be a great asset to their herd.
Also sincere congratulations to Nero Alpacas who purchased two of our phenomenal young black alpacas; Houghton Cosmic who carries prestigious Australian genetics from his sire Parrindi Joseph, and Houghton Kala who has performed exceptionally as part of the Houghton Hall show team in 2015 winning Champion Black Female 3 times.
We are sure all three will be very happy in their new homes.
More exciting news to follow.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
6th October 2015
What a busy Autumn it has been so far, we have been lucky enough to go out to the Australian National in Sydney (10th-13th September) where we caught up with some wonderful friends both from the Antipodes and the UK. We were privileged enough to see some truly exceptional Huacaya and Suri Alpacas on display throughout the course of the event. We took the opportunity to carefully select some incredible new bloodlines for our herd back in Cambridgeshire. And certainly bought some fabulous animals that we can?t wait to arrive in the UK so we can share some pictures with you, but now for the long wait!
Whilst we were ?Down Under? Mick even squeezed in the time to make a brief interview with the ABC radio team on their Country Hour to talk about the future of Australia/Europe exports. You can hear it here. (45 mins in)
We?ve had a number of large exports across into Europe and Northern Ireland over the last couple of months which has been keeping us very busy, along with a further few in the pipeline, the fun never stops at Houghton Hall Alpacas.
A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to be invited to attend the Ely Cathedral Annual Pet Service which was filmed by the BBC?s Songs of Praise team. We took two of our young show boys; Houghton Spirited (Champion Huacaya Black) and Houghton Mustang (Champion Suri White) who behaved impeccably for the TV Crew. If you missed the episode but fancy alpaca spotting it is still available on BBC iPlayer.
We are looking forward to welcoming participants to our farm for the upcoming BAS course dedicated to improving knowledge of Alpaca Breeding and Traits this weekend (9th-10th October). We hope the weather holds!
If that wasn?t enough, we are also all eagerly anticipating Alpaca Show Time which is a mere few weeks away now! Can?t wait to see you all there. We have lots of exciting things planned and we hope you enjoy spending your Halloween weekend with us.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
16th September 2015
Hear Mick George and Steve Ridout discuss the future of alpaca exports between Australia/New Zealand and Europe on the ABC's West Country Hour.
The item begins at approximately about 48 mins.
We have extensive experience importing and exporting alpacas, so if you are interested in adding our elite genetics to your herd or want more information about our export services please contact Mick and Liz on 07764469132 or email us at info@houghtonhallalpacas.co.uk.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
14th September 2015
***Email Issue Resolved***
The issue is now resolved, however if you emailed our info@houghtonhallalpacas.co.uk during the period 8th-14th and have received no response please email again or call us on 01480 461 510.
Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Houghton Hall Alpacas team
11th September 2015
***Email Issues***
We are having issues with our email address info@houghtonhallalpacas.co.uk at the moment. If you have contacted us on this address in the last 48 hours and not received a response please call us on 01480 461510 or email houghtonhallalpacas@mickgeorge.co.uk.
Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Houghton Hall Alpacas Team
26th August 2015
We are proud to announce that we will once again be Gold Sponsors for the British Alpaca Society National in 2016. We love this event as it champions breeders of all standards and sizes displaying the very best the UK?s Alpaca Industry has to offer.
We are also pleased to say we will be Sponsoring the White and Grey Suri Colour Champions at the Heart of England, Autumn Fleece Show! Which is just next month, so best of luck to everyone whose entering.
We hope to see you all soon.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an Alpackage to suit
you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
14th August 2015
What are those Alpacas doing in Houghton?
Are you one of the many people in North Cambridgeshire that have spotted the strange long necked sheep wandering the fields of Houghton and St.Ives that seem to have been growing in number over the last decade? Well it?s not the Alpacalypse , not yet anyway. . .
We are the team at Houghton Hall Alpacas, owned by the husband and wife team Mick and Liz George (of Skip Hire fame!). Those fuzzy giraffes are actually alpacas, don?t call them llamas or they might get upset!
Most people have lots of questions; why do we own them, what do we do with them, and can they come and see them.
First things first why do we own them? We have around 800 alpacas on our farm and we love each and every one of them. They are cute, furry, friendly and produce the most amazing fibre. Once you meet them you will be smitten. We like to think we have a happy haven for alpacas.
What do we do with our alpacas? Well there are a number of things; we breed them using the finest genetics we can source to produce the best quality alpacas, which we then show at a number of alpaca events across the UK (which we are quite good at ). Once a year the whole herd gets shorn and we sell this fibre on to a number of different places for use in clothing and bedding, and soon we will sell yarn from it too! We also have a few alpacas that we keep simply as pets.
You may be asking yourselves; ?but what can alpacas do for me??
Well for starters they are great pets, super friendly and will be eating out of your hand in a matter of weeks. They love to munch on grass so are great for keeping your lawn trim. If you are a keen gardener their poo is a fab fertiliser so you?ll be growing giant veg and vibrant flowers in no time. For those that are a dab hand at arts and crafts could even spin their fibre into yarn after the once a year shear, or it can be sent a way for processing.
If you want to know more about these curious camelids take a peak at the rest of our website or contact us to chat ?alpaca?.
You can also find us at all the usual places Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to keep up to date with all things alpaca!
We do welcome visitors we just ask that you call us in advance to make a booking as we are a working farm.
3rd August 2015
Suris In Focus
As both breeders and lovers of the Suri at Houghton Hall Alpacas we?ve chosen to put the Suri in the spot light explaining what differentiates them from the teddy bear like Huacaya generally associated with the name ?alpaca?. We have aimed to provide some basic information, dispel some common myths about the breed, and (as we are slightly biased) promote how wonderful Suris are to own.
You may know that there are two distinct types of alpaca, the Huacaya and the rarer Suri; the main difference being fleece style. So what does a Suri look like? A good Suri will have long individual pencil locks that feel silky, soft and light to the touch with a rich lustre and sheen. This is due to Suri fleece growing differently to Huacaya or sheep whose fibre comes outwards from the skin, with Suris the fleece grows more like human hair as it hangs straight down the body. They also tend to have slightly larger ears than the Huacaya, other than that they are almost identical anatomically.
Where did the word ?Suri? originate? No one is quite sure where the term for a Suri alpaca came from, but it is thought that the Aymaran and Quechuan peoples of the Altipano (alpacas? native land) used it as a general description for the feathers of the Rhea a native bird. The Rheas feathers are silky and lustrous like the Suris fleece so the similarity may have led to the use of the word to describe this variety of alpaca. The literal translation means straight.
If you?ve ever thought about owning alpacas you may have heard some of these common misconceptions about Suris which we attempt to resolve below;
Suri fleece cannot be processed - Whilst the fleece is difficult to process due to it?s naturally silkier structure, it is not impossible, and many breeders make some incredible products as the fibres naturally hold the sheen and lustre after processing better than Huacaya. In fact we intend to start to sell our own yarn here at Houghton Hall of both our award-winning Suri and Huacaya fleeces.
Suris are not suited to the extremes in UK weather - Well this is easy to dismiss as the temperatures in the UK never reach the severe cold temperatures or searing heat that they would see in their natural habitat of the Andes. We also haven?t noticed that they ever seem to be more negatively affected by the weather than the Huacaya, as long as your herd have access to shelter from the wind and rain you shouldn?t have any issues. Suris can be more vulnerable to the rain simply due to the way their fleece hangs from their body, which leaves their spine more exposed to the elements. However, the Huacayas are just as ready to get out of the rain as the Suris are.
Suris are more flighty and nervous ? This we do not find to be true, in our experience any difference in temperament is generally due to their long fringes obscuring their eye sight. So it is important to regularly trim their fleece around their eyes, particularly if you only shear them every two years.
Suris are more expensive than Huacaya ? Any differences in value in the past could have been due to rarity, but we haven?t ever experienced any significant price increases in comparable animals. As with all alpacas the price varies due to the quality and colour of an animal, along with its purpose e.g. a pet male or a stud male.
The Suri gene is more dominant - This isn?t quite so clear cut as many breeders both here and in the US and Australia are now disputing the commonly agreed fact. Many put it down to the cross breeding of the imported animals in the native lands of Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The idea in basic terms is that to get a Huacaya the alpaca would have to be carrying only Huacaya genes; if one of the Huacayas has a Suri in their ancestry this could be passed to the cria and create a cross breed or if both do, a full Suri. It is a lot more complicated than that, but if you want to read about it in more detail visit here. Now that the Suris and Huacaya are generally being bred exclusively to only others of their breed rogue Suri genes are a much lower occurrence. So the thought is the ones imported originally had more Suri genetics in them and now through selective breeding the balance is evening out. However, time will tell which is correct as there are strong believers on both sides. It is very possible that some Suris in your herd may have a Huacaya ancestor in their bloodline or vice versa.
Why do we breed Suris at Houghton Hall Alpacas? We love the Suri which are often overlooked by newcomers to alpaca breeding, but really nothing beats watching the majesty of the Suris in full fleece running and pronking in the field. So don?t overlook this elegant alpaca breed next time you think about purchasing alpacas.
Looking to breed or own some super Suris? At Houghton Hall Alpacas we have some of the UK and Europe?s finest Suri genetics in our herd. Having sourced some of the best bloodlines available from Australia and New Zealand our herd have improved year after year with a number of our females being unbeaten Supreme Champions; Houghton Royal Duchess and Houghton Mystical Magic. Not to mention that one of our top Suri Stud Sires, Storm of Houghton took home 1st in the Progeny class at every event we attended in 2015.
Or are you looking to inject some dynamic and world class genetics into your herd, ask us about our selection of Suri Stud boys.
Get in touch today to book your visit to our award-winning Suri and Huacaya farm in Cambridgeshire.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an Alpackage to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
**2nd and 3rd images are copyright of Karen Harvey© I Don't Like Peas
20th July 2015
***Phone Issue Resolved***
20th July
***Phone Issues***
Just a quick notice to let you know we are having phone problems at the moment. Hoping to resolve asap.
If you need to get in touch please call 07764469132.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
15th June 2015
What a weekend we had at the Royal Three Counties!
***We Won the Double***
Houghton Most Wanted - Supreme Champion Huacaya and Best of British
Houghton Bright Spark - Supreme Champion Suri and Best of British
Houghton Kala - Champion Huacaya Black Female
Houghton Monaco - Champion Suri Light Male
Houghton Mystical Magic - Champion Suri Light Female
Houghton Dazzler - Champion Huacaya White Female
Houghton Master General - Reserve Champion Huacaya Fawn Male
Houghton Moon Drops - Reserve Champion Suri Light Female
Houghton Maddox - Reserve Champion Suri Light Male
Houghton Perry - Reserve Champion Huacaya White Male
Houghton Galactic Powers - Reserve Champion Suri Light Male
Thank you to everyone who helped us out over the weekend - we couldn't have done it without you!
A big thank you also goes to the organisers for yet another fantastic event.
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an Alpackage to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
10th June 2015
A Visit to Houghton Hall Alpacas
Liz Wright discovers a world of quality and colour
I think it?s fair to say that Mick and Liz George, owners of Houghton Hall Alpacas are passionate about alpacas ? in fact Liz says that it is ?love me, love my alpacas? as far as they are concerned!
Back in 2001 Mick saw some at an agricultural show and fell in love with them. He started keeping them and his first showing experience (fifth out of five) was enough to give him the show bug. He?s now more used to getting firsts! But when Liz met him eight years ago he had 100 alpacas. Today there are 800 adults and 200 cria expected or now safely unpacked, for the 2015 season. This makes Houghton Hall Alpacas one of the largest alpaca studs in the UK and Europe.
At the British Alpaca Society National Show at Telford the stud took home 19 Firsts (22 if you include Progeny), Seven Reserve Champions, Four Championships, One Best of British and a Supreme Champion in the form of Mystical Magic who is a light fawn Suri aged seventeen months. Mystical Magic has a truly ultra fine fleece which is also dense and carries amazing lustre.
In the Fleece Section, Royal Duchess (a Supreme Champion last year) carried the honours.
Liz and her assistant Emmeline were friendly and pleased to show us their lovely animals. My colleague Karen was entranced by their beauty. But what is the attraction for Liz?
She told me that their aim was to breed the best quality animal they could with the best fleece and capable of having quality offspring. She said that they loved showing and told me that in the show ring the fleece counted for 60% of the marks and conformation for 40%.
How are alpacas shown?
Alpacas are shown just as they are with minimal tidying, no grooming and from paddock conditions. Liz feels that the quality of alpacas has increased a lot in the last eight years especially amongst the white alpacas but the blacks are certainly coming up fast too. The fleeces from the Houghton Hall Alpacas are currently processed in the UK, and for the first time, this year they will be selling the fleece as yarn.
There is nothing wasted in an alpaca fleece ? the prime saddle area is used for garments while the rest of the fleece can be used for a variety of uses including duvets, pillows, carpets and even insulation.
Alpacas everywhere you look!
Houghton Hall is extremely well organised with excellent facilities. Sturdy safe fences divide the alpacas and there are walk ways between the paddocks. Liz says with genuine enthusiasm, ?They are so adorable, so humbling to see them all out here and especially when the babies are playing around?
Karen and I have to agree but Karen is soon off with her camera capturing more of the charm of alpacas.
Liz used to be a school secretary which has come in handy with the paperwork for the stud but now cannot imagine not being outside.
Liz believes that if alpacas are well managed then they will stay very healthy and their management is geared to this belief. It is certainly paying off looking at the happy, healthy animals that surround us. Despite having so many, Liz knows them personally, their names and their histories.
Getting started with alpacas
So what does Liz believe are the best pieces of advice to people thinking of getting started in alpacas?
Liz says what she would really like people to do is to come for a day to Houghton Hall particularly around shearing time if possible to see how they are managed and get to understand the handling. So much can be learnt by looking, learning and getting some practical experience.
You will need good fencing and two to three acres of grassland, enough for 6 alpacas, so that it can be rested and rotated and she advises at least three alpacas to start with. You will also need to protect young trees. They eat hay and haylage and require a mineral supplement ? and you need to find a vet who understands alpacas. It is important to remember that alpacas are shy, gentle inquisitive animals who like to be treated quietly. They should be halter trained which is comparatively easy to achieve especially at weaning. They can mix well with sheep. Alpacas can be good flock guards.
Liz believes that Houghton Hall Alpacas offers a very personal service to buyers, no pressure and takes in to account whether the buyer wants to show to top level or, at the other end of the scale, have neutered males for pets. She says the interest in keeping alpacas continues to rise from all sectors. Membership of the British Alpaca Society will also get alpaca keeping off to a good start.
If you do intend to breed then you must buy the best quality female alpaca you can and use a quality stud male for breeding. If you don?t want to keep a stud male yourself then send your females to a good male. And never stop learning yourself. Go to shows, ask questions, meet breeders and learn, learn and learn!
An excerpt from Practical Sheep, Goats and Alpaca magazine?s Summer 2015 issue, out now! www.sgamagazine.co.uk
You can find the issue here!
Don't forget if you want more information about Houghton Hall Alpacas and our prizing winning herd please sign up for our newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an 'Alpackage' to suit you. We welcome visits, but please call in advance.
5th June 2015
Why do we all love alpacas?
At Houghton Hall Alpacas we pride ourselves on providing a warm welcome for anyone with a passion for alpacas, be it as a pet or for breeding purposes. We understand that everyone is looking for something different when choosing and owning their alpacas; which is why we recently decided to find out what it was about these curiously fuzzy creatures that made you fall in love with them. As ever our faithful alpaca friends and fans helped us out by answering our short survey.
The main reason highlighted by the questionnaire quite pleasingly was the alpacas? personalities and the joys of actually caring and taking responsibility for them. Here is a selection of the answers we received;
?(Their) individual personalities, together with their looks, their fleece, everything about them apart from poo picking.?
?They are lovely, relaxing animals to work and live around. They bring calm to your life. Intriguing and entertaining. So different from many other animals.?
?Actually caring for them, feeding, husbandry and looking after them on a day to day basis.?
?Looking out of the kitchen window and seeing them all at the gate waiting for breakfast, then going out to feed them and they all run up to say hello. They are all different and each one is lovely!?
?Interaction. Sharing the qualities of their fleece. Taking for walks. Everything.?
?The joy of breeding a better one each generation?
?The friendly smile and welcome that's always received when we go into the field?
Overwhelmingly the largest group who answered the survey classified themselves as alpaca breeders at just under 60%, but we were pleased to also hear from people who were just admirers with the hopes to one day own alpacas at 15%. We also received responses from those who classed themselves as pet owners and smallholders, it was great to have such a diverse group of respondents, so thank you to everyone that answered it.
On a final note this is what our lovely Liz had to say about alpaca ownership; ?It is difficult to pinpoint just one particular thing about alpacas, but seeing them out in the paddocks happily pronking around makes all the hard work worthwhile.?
Want to let us know why you adore the cutest of the camelids? Share it on one of our social pages twitter, facebook or google+.
Don't own alpacas but this article has made you think about getting some? Give Mick and Liz a call to chat 'alpaca' on 01480 461 510 or 07764469132.
Our website is always a working progress. If you can't see what you are looking for, just give us a call, with over 750 alpacas, we are sure to have an Alpackage to suit you. We welcome
Services Offered by this Breeder
Agistment Services:
Yes Agistment is available to all our Houghton Hall Alpaca clients that require pasture for keeping their alpacas, we have approximately 80 acres of prime grazing land for Alpacas with many more available.
Stud Services:
Yes We offer an on farm alpaca stud service to our existing clients. One single purchase from Houghton Hall Alpacas gives you access to all of our quality stud males.
We require the clients female alpaca to stay with us until pregnant (this usually takes around 2 months to confirm), the costs for which is included in the our service fee.
We would continually strive to get her pregnant but if it should fail we would be be happy to change the female.
Our alpaca breeding service is offered with a guaranteed live cria (baby alpaca) up to 24 hours after the birth.
Other costs which may be incurred during alpaca breeding would be vets fees, should she require any treatment whilst with us but only after consultation with the customer and any travel expenses incurred by ourselves, transporting your alpaca.
At Houghton Hall Alpacas we have impeccable facilities where your female alpaca would be well looked after and regulary monitored.
We require the clients female alpaca to stay with us until pregnant (this usually takes around 2 months to confirm), the costs for which is included in the our service fee.
We would continually strive to get her pregnant but if it should fail we would be be happy to change the female.
Our alpaca breeding service is offered with a guaranteed live cria (baby alpaca) up to 24 hours after the birth.
Other costs which may be incurred during alpaca breeding would be vets fees, should she require any treatment whilst with us but only after consultation with the customer and any travel expenses incurred by ourselves, transporting your alpaca.
At Houghton Hall Alpacas we have impeccable facilities where your female alpaca would be well looked after and regulary monitored.
Shearing Services:
Yes Alpaca shearing is available to all clients of Houghton Hall Alpacas and any other smaller alpaca breeders in the near vicinity. We have a shearer come to us at various times during the year to service our own farm requirements but dates can be arranged, in advance to accomodate all.
Backup/Support Services:
Yes Here at Houghton Hall Alpacas we offer a full after sales back up service. We have a good team of knowledgeable staff that will be happy to answer any queries or questions you may have about keeping alpacas and their everyday care.
Can provide Finance:
Yes When buying alpacas we are very happy to offer you finance dependant on your individual requirements and to suit all budgets. All of which would be discussed in the strictest confidence before the sale of our alpacas.
Details of Importing:
Yes Houghton Hall Alpacas have been major importers and alpaca breeders since early 2006.
We are regulary buying the best available stock to compliment our alpaca breeding programme.
We have imported a large variety of alpaca stud males directly from Australia to compliment our breeding program, these are available for stud services.
We are regulary buying the best available stock to compliment our alpaca breeding programme.
We have imported a large variety of alpaca stud males directly from Australia to compliment our breeding program, these are available for stud services.
Details of Importing:
Yes Houghton Hall Alpacas have been major importers and alpaca breeders since early 2006.
We are regulary buying the best available stock to compliment our alpaca breeding programme.
We have imported a large variety of alpaca stud males directly from Australia to compliment our breeding program, these are available for stud services.
We are regulary buying the best available stock to compliment our alpaca breeding programme.
We have imported a large variety of alpaca stud males directly from Australia to compliment our breeding program, these are available for stud services.
Exporter:
Yes We are happy to assist in all the requirement needed for exporting alpacas to Europe.
Alpaca fleeces for sale:
Yes