May 10, 2012

Aplaca shearing...

It has been so busy around here (and my internet is being very slow) that I haven't had the time to get on here and update y'all.  There is really too much to tell in one post...bathroom almost done, lighting in, bedrooms painted...so one thing at a time.  That one thing would be alpaca shearing.

The couple who bought the alpacas a month or so ago, invited me to come to watch the shearing, and a few weeks ago I did just that.  What an experience!!  I am watching this all happen and snapping photos and thinking to myself, "Who gets to do THIS??!!!  I get to do THIS!!  Life is adventure."



First, these two shearers lead one of the alpacas to the mat, and put each of their feet into a harness.  Once they bring the animal down, these harnesses keep it still and stretched out so that the shearing process is safe and fast.



Once down, one shearer stays with the head of the animal, talking to it, keeping it calm.  The other begins the shearing, starting with the "blanket", which is the flank and midsection.  The fleece around this area is No. 1/top grade of the alpaca fleece.  As the fleece is removed it is put into a bag, one bag for top grade, another for second grade and another for discards.  Each alpaca has three separate bags and all is labelled and kept separate.  The animal is amazingly calm for the whole process.




They even get a new hair do!


A pedicure!!


And a grinding down of their teeth!  Then they look all pretty....and very skinny with no fleece!





All the white or tan alpacas were sheared first.  And then they began on the darker coloured ones.  This little darker one was having his very first shearing, and the shearers took his "blanket" off all in one piece, and it was absolutely incredible...thick and soft and almost black!!!



It was a great morning, and so interesting.  These guys know so much about what they do and are happy to tell you everything they know, so it was very educational.  They say that they will shear about 1800 animals this spring!

I will try to get some more of the house progress up tomorrow.  Off to do errands now.

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