SHEARING ALPACAS

Shearing Alpacas yields fleece...beautiful fleece! Shearing needs to be done yearly. The three reasons for this annual event are:

1. To get the alpaca fiber.

2. To keep your animals cool in summer.

3. To get a good look at body condition.

"Chris", a professional shearer, shears our animals. We prefer not to do the shearing ourselves. We like to assist only.

You need a clean place out of the wind for shearing alpacas. For us that is our garage. The night before the shearer arrives, we sweep the garage and put down mats from our alpaca trailer. The first year we did not use mats and when one of the alpacas relieved it's bladder during shearing, the cement floor became very slippery for us and the animal. The mats help give everyone traction.

We, also, set-up in the garage, our trash bags for collecting the fiber, baggies for fiber samples, scissors to cut the sample, a broom, and a marking pen (sharpie type) for marking trash bags.

Alpaca Shearing

On shearing day, we get the animals ready. They must be dry. You don't want to store wet fleece. Last year we had to cancel twice because our alpacas were wet. We prefer to shear in May and were unable to shear until mid-June due to rainy weather.

Before the shearer arrives, we herd, halter, and tie up our alpacas in the order to be sheared. Whites first, then fawn, brown, and grey. Doing the light colors first will keep color contamination in the fleece to a minimum.

Pick large debris out of the fiber. Blow dirt out with a blowdryer.

Have all other equipment ready when shearing alpacas. Wire for trimming teeth, toenail clippers, injections, and any other husbandry items that need to be taken care of while your alpacas are haltered.

When the shearer arrives, we let him set-up while we bring the first alpaca into the garage. The alpaca is tied to a post with his head up and a very short lead. Our shearer shears the alpacas in a standing position.

One person holds the alpaca for the shearer while the other collects the fleece. Be sure you have enough help. Two assistants and a shearer should be the minimum help.

We "ear" the alpaca to keep them still. Earing means to grab one of the alpacas ears at the base and gently pull. This keeps his mind on the ear and off the shearing.

The shearer will shear the blanket areas first. The blanket is collected and placed in a trash bag. The bag is labeled with the alpacas name. All other fleece from the alpaca is place in another bag. You may wish to separate out your fleece more than this. It all depends on what you are going to do with it.

When shearing alpacas, don't pull on the fleece as it is being sheared. Wait until the shearer has removed it otherwise you may cause the shearer to cut your animal.

After shearing the animal, trim teeth, clip toenails, or give injections if your shearer is not being delayed. (He may need to head off to another farm when done at yours.)

Skirt your fleece later if you don't have time during shearing.

When shearing is complete, the alpaca is turned out into the field.

Thoroughly sweep the floor and bring in the next alpaca.

Crias can be sheared at 2-3 months of age. Older alpacas may only need shearing every other year as the fleece grows slower.

If you have a difficult animal, consult with your vet about sedation.

Shearing alpacas is work but it's also exciting because you are harvesting that luxurious fleece. There will be a lot of sniffing out in the fields after shearing as the alpacas all check out each others new "do".

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