About Marshwood Alpacas

Geoff was an Agricultural Engineer for 30 years of his working life which is how he came to notice the lack of handling equipment for alpacas and then set about remedying this. He designed and now manufactures all of the equipment on this website in his own workshop with the exception of the weigh-scales, which are bought in.

Geoff and Brenda have kept alpacas since 1998 first at Bettiscombe in the Marshwood Vale and now at Payne’s Down Cottage.
We find Alpacas, if cared for correctly, are charming, gentle animals who live very happily and contentedly, adapting very well to our climate. Alpacas need to be vaccinated and wormed 6-monthly, protected from mites, given vitamins during the winter and sheared once a year.
The best thing to give an alpaca is time, nothing is gained by rushing them. Time to come in from the field in hot weather, time and space to feed. Time at birthing – usually, not always, they manage this very well with no help from us, given time.
Time for them to realize where you want them to go when moving them – they are intelligent creatures and will soon catch on.
Halter training is necessary for showing but they soon catch on to this too – after the initial indignation at being restrained! If they are walked in a different area to where they are usually kept, their natural curiosity takes over and they accept that this is where they must go. And once trained, they don’t forget.
If showing alpacas they ride very well in a cattle trailer or horsebox and usually sit down for the whole journey.

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