The alpacas got shorn last week just in time for the HOT weather! I don't know about where you are but here in Minnesota its turned hot and humid fast. The alpacas are definitely happy to have short hair in this heat!
Shearing day started out with these gorgeous and super delicious cinnamon rolls (They came from Golden Corral) My dad ate a whole tray of them himself! He is not willing to admit it though ;)
We had the first time slot in the shearers day, so it was an early morning. We used Top Knot Shearing again this year. I highly recommend them! They are professional, fast and care about the animals.
We have a lot of questions asked about the shearing process so I will detail the process. We shear the boys first and then the girls. We also shear in order of color. We start with the lighter colored alpacas and work our way through to the black alpacas. This keeps the white fiber from being contaminated by dark colors.
The alpacas are restrained for their protection. They have delicate folds in their skin and the shears are sharp. We had a different shearer years ago that did not restrain the alpacas tight enough and one of them ended up with a big gash down his side. While they are restrained, we also trim their toenails, give them shots and check their teeth.
Here is a video of the shearing in action.
These guys are enjoying their summer haircuts!
Until next time
Dani