Tomorrow is the big day — shearing season officially begins here at the ranch. this week has been all about preparation, and that means sharpening combs and cutters for the shearing equipment. The comb is the wide metal piece that rests against the alpaca’s fleece, while the cutter slides rapidly back and forth across it like a tiny set of clippers working at lightning speed. Together, they glide through the fiber and remove the fleece in long, clean passes. When everything is sharpened correctly, the process is smoother for both the alpaca and the shearer.
Keeping combs and cutters sharp is an important part of shearing. Each piece is carefully sharpened so the metal edges meet perfectly. A dull comb or cutter can tug on fleece instead of cutting it cleanly, which slows the process down and makes shearing more difficult. There’s a little bit of craftsmanship involved in it all — equal parts ranch work and precision tool work.
Tomorrow we’ll begin with the females and yearlings. By Sunday’s blog, we should have our first full day of shearing behind us, along with plenty of pictures from the shearing floor. The alpacas may not be thrilled about their spa day at first, but by summertime they’ll definitely appreciate losing those heavy winter coats.
