Today we officially shifted shearing operations over to the “big boys field,” otherwise known as the mature males herd. After spending the last stretch working through the girls, we started noticing that the ladies were becoming a little too smart for our plans. Somehow they always seem to figure out exactly what the shearing setup means, and suddenly gathering everyone becomes a much bigger negotiation than expected. We decided it was probably best to give the girls a short vacation from haircut season before we come back to finish the job.
That break should give us enough time to work through the mature herd sire field, and today was the first day of getting started. The boys handled things about the way alpaca boys usually do: with a healthy amount of suspicion, dramatic expressions, and a firm belief that absolutely none of this was their idea. They may not appreciate the haircut process while it’s happening, but once they’re shorn and back out in the field, they seem much happier and far more comfortable.
It’s always amazing how different the alpacas look after shearing. Big fluffy boys suddenly turn into sleek summer alpacas, and everyone looks just a little smaller than they did the day before. With warmer weather settling into Montana, the timing works out perfectly for them. We’ll keep working through the boys over the next several shearing days, and then after the girls have had enough time to forget all about us, we’ll quietly head back over to their field and try our luck again.
