Westhill Alpacas is situated in the beautiful North Dorset countryside. The fields we own were once owned
by Rosemary's Uncle and were part of the Courage family farm for many
years. We owned the fields for some time before we were able to move
to Dorset and it was just over three years ago that the big move took
place.
We started keeping alpacas in 2007 with our foundation herd of 2 wethers (gelded males) and two females. This herd has steadily grown and continues to do so! This year we have a further nine births due. We spend a lot of time with our alpacas and know
them all individually - everyone is very different. Our son, Sam, is always on hand to feed and help out with husbandry -
particularly if it involves the Quad bike!
The
year promises to be a very exciting one here at Westhill Alpacas with
a huge list of tasks to accomplish - fencing, hedge laying, halter
training, barn construction as well as all the routine tasks like foot
trimming and shearing. Our first alpaca products, made from our own fleece, will also be made avaiable
We are passionate about the welfare of our animals and the alpaca industry as a whole. Life with alpacas is more rewarding than even we ever imagined and to sit with a group in the early evening and watch the cria play together is magical!
We are members of the British Alpaca Society.
Biosecurity is very important to us and we have taken the difficult decision not to show our animals this year. Our wethers - Dobby, Caedmon and Spike are kept completely separately with our small herd of sheep and it is they who are the publicity arm of Westhill - meeting their public at Turnworth in Spring and the Ellingham Show!
All vehicles entering the site are required to pass over disinfectant mats and visitors who come to the paddocks are requested to make use of disinfectant boot baths. None of our alpacas have contact with neighbouring animals.