Shearing
Planning and preparation can make a difference By Michelle Malt – Big Sky Alpacas
By now most of you will have made arrangements to have your alpacas shorn but, if you haven’t already thought about it - now is the time to start your preparation. Each year as shearing �me has drawn closer, I have thought about what I needed to do to prepare, what had to be done on the day, and in the early years, almost every year there has been something I forgot about un�l either the last minute, or worse s�ll, a�er shearing was over. Hopefully these �ps will be useful to new and more experienced breeders alike. Set your shearing date / book your shearer / organise your ‘workforce’.
If you have a ‘regular’ shearer then contact them early to book your preferred shearing date. Many alpaca shearers complete a circuit and are only available for a limited period of �me, so allow for some flexibility on the day and date you plan to shear (although you may not be given a choice!) Rain and wet weather around shearing �me will necessitate a change in schedules, so if possible, have an alterna�ve shearing date pencilled in. Ask the shearer whether he shears on a table, or on the floor, and whether he provides his own table/shearing restraints. Some shearers also bring along a roustabout, and include payment for the roustabout in their charges – however confirm this with your shearer beforehand, to avoid any unexpected increase in your shearing costs, and also to establish whether you will need to organise addi�onal helpers on the day to cover all jobs.
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