Shearing preparation

Get organised ahead of time to make the most of your fibre & reduce stress on the day. Some simple aspects to consider in the days, weeks & months before shearing:

• Shearing should take place once a year primarily for welfare reasons, fibre harvest is a secondary concern.
• Book your shearer early in the year, especially if it is your first year. The final date(s) may be confirmed nearer the time.
• Check with your shearer about particular requirements such as power, anchor points, shelter etc
• Ideally, you should have somewhere dry to house your alpacas the day/night before & possibly after shearing if the weather is inclement.
• Let your shearer know if you can provide a dry undercover area for shearing to take place. If not you may have to rebook your shearer for when the weather has improved.
• If you are able, take your fibre samples before shearing. Having your results to hand will enable you to be economical (on the day) with fleeces that you are not going to use.

Paddock Management & housing from a fibre perspective

• Vegetable matter (VM) in fleeces is always undesirable & anything you can do to minimise this will produce a more saleable/useable fleece & save you time in the long term. Consider the following:
• Minimise seed-bearing weeds – seeds invariably have hooks & are difficult to remove from fleece.
• Avoid topping or mowing paddocks in which alpacas graze to minimise grass getting stuck in fleece.
• Remove hedge cuttings & cut out brambles from field edges.
• Place hay racks low to (but not on) the ground to prevent cria from getting covered in seeds.
• Don’t place hay on the ground & pick up loose, spent (uneaten) hay.
• Avoid bedding materials such as wood shavings, sawdust and crushed stone.

Equipment list for shearing day

• It is recommended you check with your shearer regarding any particular requirements beforehand.
• Mains power & extension leads. Some shearers do have battery-powered systems.
• Suitable anchor points for shearing ropes.
• Cleaning & disinfectant solutions made up to the correct dilution.
• Floor sweeping brush to properly clear shearing mats up between animals.
• Towels & absorbent paper such as kitchen rolls for spit and urine
• Small sealable bags or A5 envelopes for mid-side fleece samples (only two staples of fibre required) if sampling has not already been done.
• Large (plastic/ paper/membrane) sheets for laying out blanket fleece as it is shorn
• Large plastic bags or paper sacks for storing skirted & noodled blanket fleece
• Additional bags for neck fibre which is typically shorter in length
• Bags for collecting thirds which should be clean & dry
• Permanent marker pens for labelling bags
• Scales to weigh the fleeces for animal record purposes – this can be done post-shearing
• Husbandry record sheets for making notes throughout the shearing day
• Toenail trimmers – your shearer may provide these
• Rubbish bag for toenails, paper towels etc
• First aid kits – human & alpaca

For owners with larger herds, helpers are always appreciated & often necessary to assist with the following tasks:

• To move animals to the penning area & turn them out afterwards
• To bring alpacas from the holding pen to the shearing mat
• Sweeping between each animal
• Carrying blankets to skirting table
• Skirting of fleeces
• Collect & labelling fleeces of each grade
• Labelling fibre samples
• Providing refreshments
• Routine vaccinations & husbandry tasks may be completed on shearing day – please check the latest advice.
  

Top Tips Summary

• Keep alpacas inside the night before to keep them dry (from rain & dew).
• Do not withhold water for extended periods.
• Consider not feeding breakfast on the day of shearing.
• Animals must never be rolled over their spines.
• Fibre must be dry (from rain, dew, sweat & urine) before being noodled &/or bagged
• Your alpacas should have access to fresh water & grass/hay if the shearing queue is a long one.
• Keep alpacas in their usual groups to minimise stress.
• Alpacas may need shelter from very hot weather or protection from the cold/wet – extremes of temperature post-shearing can kill.
• Alpaca coats should be at hand for vulnerable (old, young, infirm) animals who may well feel the cold having had their insulating fibre sheared off.
• Discuss & agree with your shearer what your expectations are before you get started; colour order, appearance, mid-side samples, top knots, toes, teeth, who’s doing what etc.
• Ensure all equipment coming onto your farm is disinfected – either by your shearer &/or by yourselves ahead of shearing.
• Have a list of your alpaca shearing order within each group prepared & know which fleeces are likely to be for showing, processing, selling raw etc
• Fibre should be sheared in the following order: blanket first & remove from the shearing area before the belly, leg, neck & face are sheared to avoid coarse fibre contamination into the blanket.
  
  

Further help & factsheets are available from https://bas-uk.com/alpaca-welfare/alpaca-shearing/

Here is a short video (without audio) that was taken during the 2022 shearing season. The expert shearer, Nigel Wood from New Zealand, starts by removing the blanket fibre before shearing any other area. It only takes him 41 seconds to remove the blanket! In just 2 minutes and 41 seconds, he finishes shearing the entire fleece while leaving protection on the alpaca’s head.