From fluffy to flat
Today was our inaugural shearing day.
Thanks to the facts that the alpacas live on the opposite side of the road to the shed and several of them aren't halter-trained, there were some logistical difficulties, but hours and hours of physical labour spent moving portable stock panels made up for those problems (and provided a strong incentive to solve them for the future). I think the only time I've ever worked so hard is when I let a controlled burn become uncontrolled and had to run up and down a hill carting water for eight hours.
If you haven't seen alpaca shearing before, you might find some of the pictures from about the eighth photo a bit confronting. Alpacas are generally shorn stretched out on the ground, which means tied down. They're too big to handle the way sheep are, and this method avoids any struggling or cuts and takes only a few minutes per animal. They don't seem to be any the worse for wear or bear any grudges afterwards, so I think it's one of those things that looks much worse to the human onlooker than it feels to the animal.
Leaving paddock for roadside
Ready to cross road
From roadside to front gate
Going through They seemed to get into the spirit of things and were keen to get to the next spot every time we opened a gate, then waited fairly patiently for the next move as we banged and clanked around them.
Part way
But still a long way to go
Finally in shed
Finally in the right part of shed
Shearers setting up
Shearing I'm following along putting the no-good leg and tail hair in a bag to throw away. The good neck and body fleece go in separate bags and will need to be "skirted" or sorted in more detail later.
Sherry shorn She's looking a little shell-shocked here, but she seemed to take it all in her stride, as she does everything else.
Shearing Nutmeg Nutmeg is one of the oldest alpacas in the country, has seen this all before and didn't bat an eyelid.
Shearing Zareena The shearer is a nurse who takes a few months off each year to shear alpacas!
Zareena finished
Zareena up I was afraid she'd look really comical without her long fleece, but I think she looks lovely with short hair, and more importantly she's much more comfortable for summer. Look at those gorgeous front leg markings.
Heading back We were pretty tired by this point, after a 5 a.m. start that only barely saw us ready for the shearer at 8:30.
Still going back
Home
Grevillea shorn
Sherry looking more comfortable in her new hairstyle
The wool clip
Thanks to the facts that the alpacas live on the opposite side of the road to the shed and several of them aren't halter-trained, there were some logistical difficulties, but hours and hours of physical labour spent moving portable stock panels made up for those problems (and provided a strong incentive to solve them for the future). I think the only time I've ever worked so hard is when I let a controlled burn become uncontrolled and had to run up and down a hill carting water for eight hours.
If you haven't seen alpaca shearing before, you might find some of the pictures from about the eighth photo a bit confronting. Alpacas are generally shorn stretched out on the ground, which means tied down. They're too big to handle the way sheep are, and this method avoids any struggling or cuts and takes only a few minutes per animal. They don't seem to be any the worse for wear or bear any grudges afterwards, so I think it's one of those things that looks much worse to the human onlooker than it feels to the animal.
Leaving paddock for roadside
Ready to cross road
From roadside to front gate
Going through They seemed to get into the spirit of things and were keen to get to the next spot every time we opened a gate, then waited fairly patiently for the next move as we banged and clanked around them.
Part way
But still a long way to go
Finally in shed
Finally in the right part of shed
Shearers setting up
Shearing I'm following along putting the no-good leg and tail hair in a bag to throw away. The good neck and body fleece go in separate bags and will need to be "skirted" or sorted in more detail later.
Sherry shorn She's looking a little shell-shocked here, but she seemed to take it all in her stride, as she does everything else.
Shearing Nutmeg Nutmeg is one of the oldest alpacas in the country, has seen this all before and didn't bat an eyelid.
Shearing Zareena The shearer is a nurse who takes a few months off each year to shear alpacas!
Zareena finished
Zareena up I was afraid she'd look really comical without her long fleece, but I think she looks lovely with short hair, and more importantly she's much more comfortable for summer. Look at those gorgeous front leg markings.
Heading back We were pretty tired by this point, after a 5 a.m. start that only barely saw us ready for the shearer at 8:30.
Still going back
Home
Grevillea shorn
Sherry looking more comfortable in her new hairstyle
The wool clip