Well, summer is almost here, and in many places it seems like it's been here for quite awhile.  Most of the Alpaca Farms and Ranches have finished their annual shearing to remove their Alpaca's warm soft fleece for the hot months ahead.  Shearing season starts for many as early as March and continues through June.  Most shearing decisions are made based on the climate in the area although some decisions are based upon the Alpaca show season. 

Here in Central Texas, we had record high temperatures in May, with several days topping 100 degrees.  The average temperature at this time of year is supposed to be in the 80's!  The hottest day ever recorded in Austin Texas was 112 degrees in September of 2000, so there are about 5 months when the possibility of 100 plus degree weather can occur.

Our family helped with two shearing events, one in early May and another on Memorial Day at the end of May.  It's always fun meeting fellow Alpaca breeders and everyone chips in to help.  Many breeders hire experienced shearers, but more and more are learning to shear their own Alpacas. 

The first Ranch we visited in early May was right down the road from us and we helped shear their 20 or so Alpacas and three Llamas.  We sheared outside under the shade of a large oak tree.  Most shearing is done with the Alpacas laying down and secured with various assortments of ropes, pulleys, and padding.  We used a wooden swing set as our anchor point and had a soft pad covered with a tarp as our shearing station.  One or two people would quickly but gently lower the Alpaca to the ground while another made sure the restraints were tight, and then the shearer performed her magic quickly and efficiently removing the valuable fleece from the (usually) cooperative Alpaca.

The next ranch we visited was about 80 miles away.  This ranch set up two shearing stations in a portion of the barn and the shearing went much faster.  While one Alpaca was being shorn, the next would be put into place ready to go.  350 Alpacas and four days later the job was done.  A professional sorter was on site to prepare the fleece for processing.  It all went quite smoothly.

For those who own Alpacas and have finished their annual clip congratulations!  For those who are considering owning Alpacas, visiting a ranch during shearing is a very worthwhile experience.

We'd love to hear about your shearing experience.