Once again shearing day was a great success. We had 12 wonderful volunteers helping with everything from using the shop vac to vacuum the animals, weighing alpacas, holding them on the shearing table, trimming nails and skirting fleece.
The day began at 9 AM with the arrival of the first volunteers and followed shortly after by Lukas the shearer. Two stations were set up for shearing, one on the table and an area on the floor. This way Lukas could move from one alpaca to another without having to wait.
We began with the darkest alpacas, moving to the whites. It's easiest to see the dark fibre when the eyes are fresh. As usual after they are shorn alpacas look pretty pathetic. I had made some "apres shear wear" (coats) for two of the smallest animals to help keep them warm until they adjusted to being naked.
We did some skirting right off the alpacas, the really hairy bits and lower leg fibre went directly into the felting bin. This made the process of bagging the shorn fibre a little easier.
The day wrapped up at 3 PM. The crew was tired and dirty and more than ready for the beer and barbecue that followed.
We are very grateful for the help of both old and new friends.
The day began at 9 AM with the arrival of the first volunteers and followed shortly after by Lukas the shearer. Two stations were set up for shearing, one on the table and an area on the floor. This way Lukas could move from one alpaca to another without having to wait.
We began with the darkest alpacas, moving to the whites. It's easiest to see the dark fibre when the eyes are fresh. As usual after they are shorn alpacas look pretty pathetic. I had made some "apres shear wear" (coats) for two of the smallest animals to help keep them warm until they adjusted to being naked.
We did some skirting right off the alpacas, the really hairy bits and lower leg fibre went directly into the felting bin. This made the process of bagging the shorn fibre a little easier.
The day wrapped up at 3 PM. The crew was tired and dirty and more than ready for the beer and barbecue that followed.
We are very grateful for the help of both old and new friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment