About Us
Family Owned and Run
Solomons Alpacas are homed at Blackhorse Farm in the luscious rural landscape of Waltham Chase, Southampton. A family owned and run farm, we pride ourselves on our ability to work with the natural landscape and our commitment to breeding the highest quality alpacas.
Established in the summer of 2019, the Solomons Alpaca herd has rapidly grown. We started with 17 females and 2 herd sires and by the end of August 2020 we have almost doubled those numbers.
Our Story
Five years ago my husband Jon and I (Nikki), having tired of the rat race and life in the city, decided to buy a piece of land for weekend picnics and summer evening BBQs. We were looking for an acre or so, with a stream and a tree so I could have a hammock.
The first property we viewed was the home of an alpaca breeder. One of his females was very friendly and followed us all over the plot nibbling my ears: I was smitten. I vowed that when we got our field, we would just have a couple of alpacas; they could keep the grass down for us and look where that got us!
It took two years it took to find a suitable place, stream and trees and all – it surprised us a bit. At the same time, coincidentally, I found a good quality herd for sale in Buckinghamshire and arranged the purchase of the 17 pregnant females and two males.
We have learned so much, now having 34 in total with last year’s (2020) cria. We now consider ourselves alpaca breeders: Every one pedigree, and have a herd improvement program in place using EBV (Estimated Breeding Value) and showing season next year to be looked forward to.
Would we do anything different? Well, no; although our timing could have been better. We sold our old house in the city and gave up our hectic jobs to breed the alpacas full time…. Just before Covid hit.
Has it been easy? Not always, we lost a cria at one month old and that breaks your heart, especially as she was bottle fed every two hours. But to hold a new born in your arms is about the best feeling in the world. I take time everyday just to sit and contemplate what we have achieved in so short a time and how lucky we are to be custodians of our land.
Our Mission
Our mission is to give our alpacas the best quality, stress-free environment to roam and grow up in. We are passionate about the health and welfare of our alpacas and by giving them the best lifestyle possible, we aim to improve the quality of our animals and the fibre they produce.
We are committed to the cultural enrichment of our cria, ensuring they have adequate toys (such as soil mounds, dog toys, balls, etc) to play with, encouraging their inherent curious and playful nature. They are also trained from a very early age to accept handling such as being haltered and having their feet trimmed thus ensuring that they are comfortable and that if you purchase or interact with a Solomons alpaca you will have the best possible experience.
We are committed to working with our environment in the most pragmatic and bio-conscious way possible. We are conscious of what we take out of the environment as much as what we put in. We encourage the growth of wild flowers and plants (although this is sometimes difficult as the alpacas eat them); we will continue to upkeep the ancient oaks in our care, will encourage wildlife to visit (and the butterflies will continue to visit if the alpacas don’t eat them too); we will avoid the use of chemicals wherever possible by cutting weeds rather than spraying them.
Our Family Team
Our family has a diverse background and extraordinary set of skills which we have pooled together to care for our alpacas.
Nikki
Jon
Address
Blackhorse Farm,
Solomons lane,
Waltham Chase,
SO32 2LY
Call Us
Nikki: 07727 121819
Email Us
nicola.joy.grant@gmail.com