It's about the end of April and we sheared our Alpacas a week and a half ago. Depending on where you live in the US shearing can begin as early as March. Here in central Virginia we generally shear in mid April. However, this year two of the alpacas that had been sold to a breeder in New York kept their fleece as they were going to be shipped north and the breeder still had snow on the ground! The season here will run through mid-May.
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| Don't get up Buddy, they'll make you look like that Dweeb behind us. |
Shearing day is pay-day for Alpaca farmers. Good alpaca fiber can realize prices close to $50 a pound. On the average an Alpaca will provide three to five pounds of fiber. Unless you have a huge herd you're not going to get rich but with proper breeding and genetics you can get top dollar for your fiber.
Alpaca shearers work hard for their money and generally prefer to shear as many alpacas at one time as possible. So shearing day is sort of like a barn raising used to be back in the day. At our shearing four different farms got together and brought their alpacas to Ashland Alpacas in Ashland, Virginia. Every one pitches in and lends a hand. Some folks worked as Alpaca wranglers and were responsible for getting the alpacas haltered, brought up to the barn and staged for their shearing. Others were responsible for accurately tagging the bags of fleece after the animals were shorn. Still others helped in the shearing area collecting fiber, bagging and clean-up after each shearing. We sheared twenty four alpacas in about four hours. That's one Alpaca every ten minutes, not including a short break to give the shearers time to work the kinks out of their knees and backs since they spend most of the time down on the barn floor. After the shearing everyone sat around and ate potluck that people had brought. Only thing missing was the moonshine!
Most shearers have some rules to follow to make things easier and faster. The first rule is that the animals need to be penned up and ready. Alpaca shearers don't get paid to chase your alpacas around the pasture. In fact if you don't have them penned and ready the shearer is likely to get back in their vehicle and move on to the next farm. The second rule is the alpacas must be clean and dry. Clean doesn't mean spotless but the more large vegetable matter (VM) you can get off before shearing the better off you will be. VM dulls the shears and makes skirting (cleaning after shearing in preparation for milling) that much harder. We use a regular leaf blower to get rid of the VM. The third rule is the shearing must be done in the shade. If you have a barn area that's perfect but you can shear outside under the shade of a tree. If you do shear outside make sure the you place a large tarp on the ground to make bagging easier.
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| Blowing off VM
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The shearers will also trim your alpaca hooves and their teeth if needed. This is generally included in the price for shearing although you should check with the shearer when scheduling to make sure there are no last minute surprises.
The shearers begin by shearing the blanket which is the fleece on the back, shoulder and flanks of the animal. This is called the first cut. They then shear the legs and neck which are called seconds. These are both bagged separately in large clear plastic bags and labeled with the Alpaca's name and which cut it is. The third cut is taken from the face, top-knot and fetlocks. Some farmers discard this third cut as trash, however, some keep the third cut and sell it to mills to make felt products such as insoles for shoes, and felt rag rugs. The first cut or blanket is the best fiber and is milled to create the best yarns used in clothing such as scarves, jackets, gloves and hats. The second cut is primarily used to make yarn for socks, mittens and other accessories.
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| Shearing the blanket |
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| Shearing the neck
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| Before Shearing |
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| After Shearing |
