Yesterdayâs shearing day was a little slower than planned, but still a success. We managed to shear six alpacas from the girlsâ field, which means six more fluffy alpacas are now running around looking smaller, sleeker, and much more ready for warmer weather. Iâll be sharing several pictures from the shearing process in todayâs post, including a few action shots that really show how much fleece comes off during a haircut day. Every year itâs amazing to see the transformation from âextra fluffy pasture puffâ to âsurprisingly athletic-looking alpacaâ in just a matter of minutes.
The biggest challenge yesterday wasnât actually the shearing itselfâit was convincing the alpacas to participate. Word has clearly spread through the herd that gathering time somehow leads to unexpected haircuts. The girls are becoming increasingly suspicious whenever we start organizing panels or walking toward the field with purpose. A few alpacas suddenly discovered urgent business on the far side of the pasture, while others perfected the classic âif I donât make eye contact, maybe they wonât notice meâ strategy. Between the suspicious stares and tactical evasive maneuvers, we ended up shearing six instead of our hoped-for ten.
To give the girls a little break from all the excitement, next week weâll shift our attention over to the mature malesâ field for the next round of shearing. After that, weâll circle back to the girls again in about a week or so. Shearing season always becomes a bit of a chess match between humans and alpacas by this point in the year, but the alpacas always feel so much better afterward. Even if they donât appreciate the process while itâs happening, they definitely enjoy the cooler temperatures and lighter fleece once the haircut is over.
