The Stubbs Farm Gift Shop!
Everything we earn through our gift shop goes directly back to the animals of Stubbs Farm.
Your support may go towards feed costs, medical bills or housing upgrades.
Every single sale helps us to maintain the best life for the animals and we can't thank you enough!
All the wooly products you find in the gift shop were made using the fluff from the alpacas.
You can see whose wool was used to make the various items!
A lot of love, patience, care and effort goes into the production and processing of alpaca wool.
Wondering about the process?
Alpacas have to be sheared!
Alpacas need to be sheared annually?
They do not naturally shed their fleeces.
Alpacas are a domesticated animal that have been selectively bred over thousands of years to produce large amounts of fibre.
Without annual shearing, they may struggle to regulate their body temperature which can increase the risk of heat stress, exhaustion and fly strike.
Not to mention it would only get heavier and heavier and the risks of matting greatly increase
It's also great for health checks and mummy alpacas!
After shearing, it is a lot easier to monitor body condition (and discover who's been stealing more visitor treats than others!!), skin health, any parasitic problems, injuries or wounds that may otherwise be hidden underneath the fleece.
Being fluff-free is generally more comfortable for pregnant or nursing alpacas. The cria (baby alpaca) can then also gain easier access for feeding!
Shearing is safe and welfare friendly!
A lot of visitors ask "do the alpacas get hurt during shearing?" and the answer is always that the team of shearers who come to Stubbs Farm are absolutely fantastic at their job.
They are incredibly kind, gentle and efficient when handling the alpacas. Great care is taken with all of them and a top tier shearer is worth their weight in gold.
There is no reason why the process of shearing should be harmful to the alpacas. There are lists of welfare / skill approved shearers that operate in the UK so you know that when you purchase something from our shop - the wool was harvested kindly, ethically and to a high level of skill.