Alpaca Shearing is an annual event for alpaca owners. Like sheep, alpacas need to be shorn for their health. Unlike sheep, the alpaca's "wool" is a valuable commodity. Paying for shearing can get spendy, so we decided to learn to do it ourselves.

If you are planning on shearing your own alpacas, these instructions will be of help. But, experience will be a far greater teacher than anything on these pages. Expect your first dozen shorn alpacas to look like poodles that were shorn in a blender. As with anything, improvement will come with practice.

There are a few things that are highly recommended before you get started:

The Rescue Remedy may be used on your more hyper-sensitive animals. You may also decide to use some yourself after your first shearing experience. It's OK, it gets better with time and experience. Finally, you will need:

The latter may be the most important. Alpacas are intelligent, and they will devise an infinite number of ways to cause you frustration and stress when you are trying to take their fleece. Far better to enjoy and laugh than it is to try to fight the inevitable. Like me, you will probably conclude that they converse in the pasture on ways to frustrate those of us that want to shear.

To shear an alpaca, you must first understand the tools, in this case power shears, combs and cutters. This will help to ensure the safety of your alpacas and yourself.

Power shears have three basic parts - the handpiece, the comb and the cutters. Commercial sheep shears, having a powerful electric motor attached to the ceiling (see photo at left), are not recommended for alpaca shearing. Due to their size, alpacas are not easy to manipulate, and a stationary motor attached to the handpiece by a downshaft requires that you bring the alpaca to the shears. Difficult at best.

Portable electric shears have the motor inside the handle of the handpiece. There are a number of models available, but it is important that you purchase a heavy duty, commercial model. To base your purchase on cost alone is false economy. Alpaca fleece is relatively dense, and alpacas are large. Inferior shears will wear out quickly. Expect to pay $250-500 for a good set of electric shears.

The comb attaches to the nose of the handpiece by two screws, which allows you to adjust its position. The flat, ground side faces up, away from the alpaca. The purpose of the comb is to enter and separate the fiber on the alpaca, while providing the surface against which the cutters cut. Combs come in a variety of configurations - 9 tooth, 13 tooth, goat combs, sheep combs, etc. Each offers its own pros and cons. Combs generally cost $15-35 each. One comb will shear 2 or 3 clean alpacas before it dulls.

More teeth on a comb generally mean a cut closer to the skin. At first, this may seem contrary to logic, but visualizing how the shears work will make it clear. As the cutter moves across the surface of the comb it comes in contact with the fleece. The fleece is pulled up into the mechanism before it is actually cut. (Anyone who has ever used an electric razor has experienced this “pulling,” especially if the razor had dull blades.) Fewer teeth on a comb mean that more of the fleece is further away from the cutting edges of the comb and cutters, thus leaving more fiber on the alpaca. The number of teeth have little influence on the safety of the comb. (We will discuss injury from shears later.)

Goat combs are made with their teeth lying parallel to each other, and have a convex, or prow shaped, profile. They tend to separate the fleece as they enter it, much like a boat moving through water. They can lend themselves to second cuts because they do not do a good job of gathering the fleece at their edges. They are, however, easier to maneuver around angular body areas (knees, hips, etc). Shearing with goat combs takes longer because the shearer must be sure to overlap each stroke (blow) in order to remove all of the fleece.

Sheep combs have teeth that are flayed away from each other and have a concave profile. They are made in both left and right hand models. A sheep comb gathers the fleece as it moves through it, and is therefore significantly more efficient. However, they can be difficult to use on angular body areas, or in areas where there is a lot of loose skin.

Cutters generally have 4 points, triangular protrusions, and attach to the handpiece by way of four “fingers” that press them firmly against the comb. Cutters are the first thing to dull, and you will probably want about 3 cutters for every comb. Changing cutters is quick, and it ensures a sharp tool. Remember, dull tools are dangerous tools. Cutters cost $10-15. You will usually need to change cutters after every alpaca.

The ground surface of combs and cutters appears flat. Actually, they are ground with a slightly concave face. This is so that the tension applied to them by the handpiece forces them into perfect alignment. If they were flat, the tension of the handpiece would force the center down and the edges would tend to separate. This is why it is important to have combs and cutters ground by a professional that has the proper equipment. (Sharpening equipment runs $500-1200.) Keep your equipment sharp for the safety and comfort of your animals and yourself.

Alpaca shearing is most efficient when the shearer uses a consistent approach to getting the fleece off of the alpaca. With practice the pattern of blows comes automatically.

This diagram shows the various parts of the fleece on a "stretched" alpaca. The blanket is the prime fleece on an alpaca, and is usually finer, more consistent and of a longer staple length.

The neck and upper legs of an alpaca may be a bit coarser than the blanket, may have some guard hair present, and often is of a shorter staple length.

The lower legs, brisket and belly of an alpaca usually have a large amount of guard hair and may be very soiled. The fleece in these areas should usually be discarded.

The following diagrams illustrate the "blow by blow" method of shearing and alpaca. Remember, in alpaca shearing you will get your best results using long, even blows, and at the end of the blow pull the shears straight back. Do not end a blow by lifting the shears as your hand continues to move forward, or you will surely produce second cuts!

You have just sheared half an alpaca! Turn the alpaca over and repeat these steps on the other side. Let the animal up. Now is the time to trim up the bangs if necessary. Hand shears or scissors can be used to trim any "tags" or long pieces of fleece that you might have missed here and there. Allow the alpaca to go enjoy its new haircut. The first thing it will probably want to do is go roll in the dirt, but then all the other alpacas will want to come and check out the new "hair-do." Wonderful and intelligent animals are alpacas!

Before releasing your alpaca from the restrained position, you may want to finish up with some other basic grooming. Now is a good time to trim nails, give shots or trim teeth if the alpaca needs it.

Be sure to clean up before shearing the next alpaca. In general, it is best to shear from light to dark and from fine to coarse. This will keep the contamination of fleeces to a minimum.

Figure about 10 to 15 minutes per alpaca, but expect your first couple to take 30 to 45 minutes each. Above all, approach it in fun. your alpacas will sense your mood. If you are calm and in control all will go smooth. If you are tense and nervous, so to will your alpacas be.