Shearing Alpacas

We’re still very busy shearing alpacas! We have quite a few alpacas to shear so it seems like we’ll never get done. So far we’ve sheared 76 alpacas and we still have quite a few more to go!

We’re not professional shearers so we’re happy when we shear at least 15 per day. The reason why it takes us so long is that we take the time to do all of the extras. Such as trimming toenails, trimming teeth, fixing top knots and tails, ivomec shot, diatomaceous earth or permethrin spray to keep the flies off, and preg-tone some of the females to make sure they’re still pregnant. You guessed it… all of the extras take time to do.

Dave does the shearing and I sharpen the blades. We need to pick up the pace because it’s coming down to the wire as we try to beat the heat. We want all of the alpacas shorn before the temperature goes up into the 90’s.

We’ve decided to shear Magic twice this year. He was the first to be shorn and he’ll be the last to be shorn. He’s so dense and he has such a long staple length so shearing him twice should help keep him a little bit cooler this summer. I just hope and pray this summer is not as bad as last summer… it was way too hot!!!

If your blades aren’t cutting like they should then check out our web page on alpaca shearing tips. There’s some helpful information on getting those blades to cut. Happy shearing! 🙂