Preparing for Alpaca Shearing Season

Welcome Fiber Arts Friday Folks! 
This weeks article has been brought to you by guest writers Chris and Jody Hatch of Salmon River Alpacas . 

• LOCATION OF SHEARING
  • Clean, dry and out of the wind, rain, and sun    Garages or work areas in the barn work great for shearing. Shearing in the hot sun or in a manure pile inside or out just makes for a miserable day, for alpacas and helpers. 
  • Good lighting-Dark animals are very hard to shear in poor light.
  • Power- A functional power source within 100 feet is appropriate. Most shearers carry long extension cords for this purpose.
  • Proximity to the animals    An efficient/convenient way to keep things going is to have the animals in pens near the shearing site. It is important to have the next animal ready as soon as possible.  Getting the next animal sometimes can take longer than the shearing.  Truly a waste of time and very frustrating.
• ALPACAS
  • Keep them dry!!!    This is the most important thing you can do.  Keep them inside….even heavy dew makes a difference.  Shearing a soaking wet alpaca just doesn’t work.  An animal that is wet because they stood in a bucket is different.  Cancellation is certain and rescheduling is difficult.
  • Getting the next animal    Have a system to bring animals quickly to the shearing station.
  • Fleece    Do not worry about debris in the fleece.  Rolling in hay before the shearer arrives is not a catastrophe.  Please don’t vacuum them before they are shorn….it freaks them out!  Clean your fleece later using your skirting table.
• PEOPLE
  • Provide assistants    For maximum efficiency it is important to provide at least 3 people to assist the shearer.  The shearer shears, one assistant controls the alpacas head, the others can collect fleece and/or prepare the next alpaca to come to the shearing site.  Have a plan for who is responsible for each ‘job’ and stick to it.  The more animals that you have the more people you should have.
• SUPPLIES
  • Shearer’s bring everything they need to shear your animals.  Some shear on the ground, with a shearing table or standing.
  • Bags- Clear plastic garbage bags work the best.  It is the responsibility of the farm to provide the bags.  You should have 3 bags per animal, prime or blanket fleece, second and thirds. 

Since 2003 Chris and Jody Hatch have owned and operated Salmon River Alpacas in Pulaski NY.  Their farm offers alpaca sales, breeding, boarding, brokering services, shearing service, a farm store, and lots of hands on enjoyment.  Visit the farm website a www.SalmonRiverAlpacas.com

See Photos from our 2009 shearing with Chris and Jody!

Short video of Chris in action.