Alpacas get sheared

What a day it was yesterday Saturday, April 14th 2007. All 10 of our alpacas got sheared.
This was the first shearing of our herd. 2 weeks ago we went to Wildwood Alpaca Farms
to experience a shearing and help them.

It was a rainy day so all our alpacas were wet. They don't have the sense to come in out of the rain usually. It went fast we saved most all the alpaca fiber, even the 3rds. The 3rds are good for making felt, which can be used to make all sorts of things.

Stromy, the youngest black alpaca male we have is the sweetest alpaca, until you get him on a halter, then he becomes a broncing buck. I had to carry him! luckily he is only 50 lbs tops.
He lays on the ground and drags his feet, then when you get him where he is going he goes wild.
He hates being on a halter and a lead.

As usualy Pearl was amazing on a halter and lead. Logan our new herdsire was very well behaved on a halter and lead. Logan didnt even seem to mind getting sheared.

Tipper and pearl bitched the most about the shearing, and were pissing and moaning and complaining loudly through the whole thing. Reggie also didn't like it at all. The rest of them seemed to take it pretty well.

For some it was thier first time getting sheared, Jacob, Stormy and Vic were first timers.

They all got injected with Ivermectin by me. This was not fun it was my first time injecting Alpacas. I didn't realize it before but I guess they use the same Ivermectin that is used for Bovine and Swine. I got it from my Alpaca vet, B J Cambell. I think I am going to change to Karen Baum's program which is used by both breeders in VA (Wildwood Alpacas & Thistledown Alpacas) that I got my last 2 males from. Logan came from Thistledown and Misha came from Wildwood. Anyways Karen uses an oral worming instead of injection fro control of the Menegial Worm. I discussed this at length With Malcomb of Thistledown and Judy of Wildwood and with BJ Cambell and I think I like the idea of oral better, and Malcomb and Judy swear by oral worming and they are not new breeders.

The Alpaca fiber is drying on the farm and I have brought the samples and thirds home and they are drying. The samples were dry as we got them from near the skin.
Jacob and Logan had the most fiber.

They are all feeling better I bet as they are cool now with no fiber making them hot.
It is hard to tell some of them apart now. They all look so much smaller especailly Jacob,
he had an amazing amount of fiber as did Logan.

Sadly I forgot the nail clippers at home so I didnt get to clip any toenails. SO I will have to do that once it dries out here. It rained most of the day yesterday and most of the night so the farm is going to be muddy.