Today we spent more time shearing in the mature male field, and several of the big boys officially received their summer haircuts. We’ll be sharing pictures of the shearing process, along with some shots of the freshly shorn fleece being carefully packed into bags after each alpaca was finished. There’s always something satisfying about watching a huge blanket of fleece come off in one piece, especially knowing how much cooler and more comfortable the alpacas will feel afterward.
The warm weather definitely made today’s shearing session feel a little more like midsummer than late spring. As temperatures climbed, some of the alpacas started sweating during the process, which can make shearing a bit more challenging. When the skin and fleece become damp, the fiber doesn’t cut as smoothly. Instead of gliding cleanly through the fleece, the shears can cause tiny little bits of fiber to bunch up or ball together. Since we always want the shearing process to go as smoothly and comfortably as possible for both the alpacas and the shearer, we decided to stop a little earlier than planned for the day.
Even with the heat slowing us down a bit, it was still a very productive day in the boys’ field. The freshly shorn alpacas are already looking slimmer, cooler, and much more ready for summer weather. Every shearing season has its own little surprises, and today’s lesson was simply that Montana spring can apparently decide to feel like July whenever it wants to!
