|
| Shearing
Shearing Alpacas
Shearing is important for both health and marketing reasons. Alpacas’ sweat glands are located in the areas of the belly, armpits, and groin. The skin is thinnest in these areas and has little or no wool. When shorn, and as wool is removed from the sides and tail area, it facilitates better air circulation, thus reducing the risk of heat stress.
Shearing, if done in combination with good husbandry practices, will also keep their fleece matt-free so that grooming can be accomplished without causing pain to the alpaca. Keeping your alpacas matt-free also means better air circulation for them and better quality fleeces for you.
While there is concensus that alpacas must be shorn to prevent heat stress and facilitate a better quality fleece, there are several different shearing patterns and techniques. Alpacas can be shorn using a "stand-up" technique or a "lie-down" technique. The stand-up technique involves restraining the alpaca either by a halter and lead rope alone or in a restraint chute, together with a halter and lead rope. The lie-down technique (also called Australian restrained) involves stretching the alpaca out by two anchor points where their front and hind legs are restrained by ropes. This can be done on a shearing table or on a tarp or flat surface on the ground.
It would be impossible to cover the many techniques used for shearing alpacas, and your preference for how your alpaca is handled will play an important part in which method you'll employ. For a more step-by-step guide to shearing your alpaca, you may want to order a two-DVD set entitled, The Complete Alpaca Shearing Guide compiled by Ted and Elaine Chepolis of Pine Lake Alpacas. They cover both stand-up and lie-down techniques, as well as methods for shearing crias and grooming your alpacas.
You may also be interested in a shearing table, which will facilitate moving the alpaca onto its side for handling and shearing. The shearing table uses the Australian restrained method, but offers the shearer an easier way to bring the alpaca into shearing position and is also easier on the back because shearing is done at waist level. Lee Hall in Alberta, Angel Knoll Alpacas in New York, and Totara Grove Alpaca Management Systems in New Zealand all sell shearing tables.
|
|
Shearing
|
|
