Shearing season is finally here and we will begin this weekend. We are fortunate we shear our own alpacas and sheep and can work when the weather permits. I remember last year we had such warm weather in April, a couple of days hit close to 90 degrees and we got an early start on shearing because of that heat wave. This year our Spring has been very cold and wet, the weather was actually more reasonable in Jan. It is ideal to shear when the animals are dry and when they won't be freezing after they have been shorn. So this weekend looks like the turning point not only in the milder conditions but a long stretch of dry weather is on the way. We will first start with our herd sires as their fertility can be affected by the heat. Our very pregnant girls will be done after they deliver as long as the weather doesn't get too hot for them. This year we will also tip shear the cria, the soft ends of the fiber act as a magnet to vegetable matter making the fleece difficult to clean.
I love the look of our alpacas after they have been shorn, they go from looking like huge fluffy teddy bears to long skinny necked E.T.'s.
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