Spring time is Alpaca shearing season.\n\nShearing Day is a time of teamwork and sharing. Alpaca owners, friends and family come together to assist in this fiber harvest.\n\nThe key to shearing alpacas is to be quick and efficient as possible as that reduces the stress on the alpacas.\n\nShearing day is also a great time trim toenails and get their annual shots.\n\nWhile some alpacas are frightened by the activity and noise, all the alpacas enjoy a good romp in the pasture when the winter coat is removed. \n\nThe shearing begins by restraining the alpaca’s front and rear legs and then laying them on their sides.\n\nThe Shearer starts with the belly and work their way up to the backbone, removing this blanket fiber in one piece. He then removes the fiber from the neck and legs. The alpaca is rotated and the process is repeated on the other side.\n\nThe rest of the team is trimming toenails, giving shots, gathering and sorting fiber, and checking the teeth.\n\nAlpaca fiber is gathered into 3 bags. Bag 1 is the Blanket, the best fiber on the animal. Bag 2, is the neck and shoulders, this can be as good as the blanket but is usually shorter. Bag 3 is the belly and leg fiber.\n\nAlpacas generally shear 6 to 10 pounds of fiber.\n\nThe entire shearing process only takes 10 to 15 minutes per animal.\n
