Our story
Hello and thank you for taking the time to visit Gorefield Alpacas.
The family farm is home to our beautiful herd of around 30 alpacas and 100 sheep lovingly owned and cared for by me, Krystal.
Sometimes, I stand and look out across the fields at all the animals happily grazing away and wonder, how did I managed to get here! Well, I guess that’s a mixture of hopes and dreams that were only made possible by hard work, determination and unwavering family support!
After working in a school for 10 years and in retail management settings previous to that, I was feeling like I desperately needed a change of direction in life – so I took the plunge and quit my job! At the time I didn’t have a plan of what I was going to do next, I was a little bit lost in the world… but just knew that a quick change was needed to find a healthier mindset and way of living.
Born and raised on the family farm, I came back home after quitting my job to what I knew well and decided to add a small herd of sheep to my dads arable farm whilst selling furniture on Ebay to make ends meet and figure out a plan of what I was going to do with myself?!
My small flock of 3 sheep very quickly became my pride and joy and the following spring saw my first crop of lambs born. They were amazing! I’d always had a love for animals and found that working with the sheep was such a rewarding and enriching experience that I knew I’d made the right decision in leaving a long term career.
The sheep were soon joined by some beautiful friends to keep them company. A gift from my fiancé Steve, who went off and purchased 3 beautiful alpaca boys and had them delivered on the morning of my birthday. Safe to say, that was possibly the most amazing gift I have ever received and he won top boyfriend award that year!
From that point onwards, I spent my time immersed in learning and researching anything alpaca and sheep related. Breeding the sheep lead me into the next natural step of wanting some female alpacas to start breeding them too.
Lots of time was spent time carefully choosing a variety of females and eventually a fabulous group of pregnant females from a very reputable and experienced breeder who has some of the finest genetics around, joined our herd. The following spring was a magical experience as we waited patiently and welcome each new Cria into the world.
After that there was no looking back. The pleasure which the alpacas brought me on a daily basis coupled with the whole experience of caring for them and breeding through to the birth of new life was so satisfying and rewarding, that I knew this was the right path for me. All I could think about was increasing the herd and sharing my enthusiasm for these creatures with anyone that would listen.
And that gets me to where we are today – a stunning herd of breeding females, stud and pet males of mixed colours all with their very own uniques and quirky personalities. The hard work and determination continues on a daily basis to keep this lovely bunch in tip top condition and to ensure they have the best quality of life to which they deserve. It’s not always an easy job and there are always new challenges along the way that mother nature throws in to the mix. Keeping alpacas is a way of life for me now, but it’s absolutely the best way of life!
