Shearing day - why it's important

Shearing day is here!

All year long, we love seeing the coats grow thicker and longer on our wooly herd. 

Watching wool grow is like watching grass grow, but we can see the changes in the appearance of their coats over time.  

Below are some of the most common questions we hear about alpaca shearing:

How often do alpacas need to be shorn?

Unlike sheep that are shorn two to three times a year, alpacas only need to be shorn once a year because their coats grow at a much slower rate than sheep.

Why shear?

1.  the alpacas' health & well-being.  Alpacas don't shed and without shearing, their coats would continue to grow throughout the summer, getting heavy, matted, and will cause extreme heat stress.  Imagine wearing your winter parka and snow pants all summer.  Ugh!
   
   
2. alpaca fiber is a highly desirable and sustainable resource because of its many benefits (ultra-soft, wicking, odor & water resistant, hypoallergenic, etc,) in its multiple end uses (yarn, dryer balls, insoles - just to name a few).  Even if alpaca fiber is discarded, it's biodegradable and will not harm the environment.  

Is shearing cruel?
Absolutely not!  Alpacas are not harmed in any way during the shearing process.  

Do alpacas like being shorn?
Absolutely not!

I say that with humor.  It depends on the animal really.  Some alpacas are calm the entire time while others will cry like a child getting their first haircut.


How long does shearing take?
Well, that depends.

If we shear the alpacas ourselves, it would likely take us all day.  That's not good for the animals or us.  Also, because alpacas are shorn annually, it doesn't allow us many opportunities to practice making it worthwhile.

Because we use the fiber for yarn and other purposes, shearing the alpacas ourselves may render the fiber unusable for making yarn if we did an amateur job.
  
So we hire a professional to do the shearing for us.  With this being his livelihood, our shearer can shear a single alpaca in less than ten minutes with great care to both the alpaca and its coat.  With our herd of 12, he should be done in approximately two hours.

This minimizes the stress on the herd (and us).

How do you prepare for shearing day?
The simplest answer is to have the shearing area, your supplies, and the alpacas ready to go for when the shearer arrives. 

This avoids unnecessary delays, standing around, and gets the alpacas back in the pasture as quickly as possible.

• identify and clean the area where you want shearing to happen  
  
  
• Electric outlets must be nearby to plug in electric clippers
  
  
• A broom to sweep the shearing area before, between, and when shearing is done. It makes collecting & cleaning fiber easier & without contamination.
  
  
• Cotton sheets, rolled paper, and/or bags to collect alpaca fiber.  We like to use sheets to collect the prime fiber from each alpaca and individual bags to collect seconds & thirds.
  
  
• 3 labels with each alpaca's name on them and which fiber is collected (i.e., 1sts, 2nds, & 3rds).  This saves a ton of time when skirting the fiber later.
  
  
• Ziplock bags with each alpaca's name on them.  This part is optional, but useful if you're collecting samples to be tested for show alpacas, or to keep a catalog of your alpaca's fiber annual fiber, and if you're breeding or selling alpacas, prospective customers will appreciate being able to examine a sample. 
  
  
• A holding area to contain the alpacas that is free of organic matter to keep their coats clean.  They may mess in the area while waiting in queue, so having a shovel, bucket, or wheelbarrow available would be useful.
  
  
• Barn fan to keep the animals cool while waiting their turn.
  
  
• A plan for where alpacas move to once their shearing is complete (another paddock, pasture, etc.)
  
  
• Immunization or deworming syringes (if appropriate).  Shearing day provides an opportunity to vaccinate any annual or monthly vaccines.
  
  
• A list of animals with special conditions (if you have more than a few) that the shearer needs to be aware of.  (i.e., pregnant, skin conditions, injuries, etc.)
  
  
• Volunteers to help manage the alpacas during shearing and/or collect fiber.
  
  
• Garden hose for the shearer to clean his equipment afterward (as appropriate)
  
  
• A dedicated volunteer to capture the moments via video/photo (if documenting is important to you) because you'll likely be busy working and managing the whole process.
  
  
• Bottled water for everyone.

If you want to learn about shearing firsthand, one of the best ways to learn is to contact an alpaca farm and ask if you can watch or volunteer.  


How is shearing done?

The nuances may vary from shearer to shearer, but there is a basic process:

The prime fleece is always removed first (prime is also known as "firsts," "primary," or "blanket") and is the midsection area on the alpaca (see image below) and is the softest fiber area on the alpaca.  This is where the best yarn in the world comes from.

The shearer will make long strokes from the shoulder to the hip that allows the coat to roll off in one big sheet with each stroke. The goal to in keep the coat intact as much as you and your volunteers can because it makes cleaning it and preparing it for yarn processing so much easier.   

Once the prime is removed, it is rolled up like a noodle (called "noodling") and then it's moved to a location where it will then be labeled (see bullet 5 above).

Then the seconds and thirds are removed and collected either separately or together depending on the alpaca farmer's intended use, if there is one.

Below is a 5-minute video from last year's shearing, which should give you a good idea of the shearing process on our farm.

Speaking of our herd, this year's shearing is a little special because it's Baxter's first FULL year of fiber growth -- it's about four inches long now and growing very soft and crimpy in matchstick clumps - a very desirable trait - and will make some beautiful soft yarn.

When Baxter was shorn last year, he was just eight weeks old and needed a haircut so he would be comfortable through the summer.

If you watched the above video, you most likely saw him getting that first haircut.

But now he's now a year old.

His full coat makes him appear larger than he really is because his coat grows perpendicular to his body.

We've gotten so used to him looking this wooly that it will seem "shocking" to see how little he is under all that fleece.

One year old Baxter stands next to his mom, Summer