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Island Alpaca 5th Annual Shearing Day - April 2012

Enjoy photos from our Fifth Annual Island Alpaca Shearing Day, Saturday April 21, 2012!

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Sixth Annual Shearing-Day Fest: Saturday, April 27, 2013 -- More info below!!

For video click here! 

We sheared 435.8 pounds of fleece from over 70 alpacas!! That's amazing! What's more impressive is that our herd sire, Chase Tavern Estrada, had 12.4 pounds of fleece sheared off of him!! Each alpaca produces between 3 and 10 pounds of fiber depending on age, genetics, environment and nutrition. So we were absolutely amazed when we discovered that Estrada's blanket weighed 5.8 pounds and his leg/neck fleece weighed 6.6 pounds together. Estrada continues to impress us!

Thank you to all who came to watch and explore the full process of harvesting the fleece from our herd and witness the start of the fleece to fiber transition. 

Alpacas are sheared once a year in the Spring. Shearing is an important part of alpaca farming, and benefits the alpaca greatly to get some relief with the onset of the warmer weather to come.

Alpacas can be sheared standing up or stretched out on the ground or a table with out any harm to the animal. We prefer to lie them down, tying the front legs together and the back legs together. This method allows the shearer to work faster and get a more even cut. We think it is less stressful too because it is faster. Typically each animal is sheared in less than 10 minutes. 

Not only does shearing keep the alpaca cool and comfortable, it provides us with valuable fleece that can be processed into yarn, roving or simply felt, and then later, beautiful hand made products that we feature at our farm store.

Saturday, April 27, 2013,
Sixth Annual Shearing Day Fest

10-5 pm,  RAIN OR SHINE... 1 Head of the Pond Road, Oak Bluffs, 508-693-5554, www.islandalpaca.com

It is official... The date is confirmed! Mark your calendars for this terrific event. This event will feature some of the area's finest alpacas. More than 70 alpacas are scheduled to be on hand for shearing and public viewing.

Bring the family for an hour or two of fun, and education. Meet the alpaca and enjoy a day with island friends. For those interested in the alpaca lifestyle, this open house event will enable you to understand better the alpaca investment, and ask questions about how to best get started, setting up farm facilities, alpaca nutrition and herd management, financing, and what to do with all that fabulous fleece! Experience the fleece to fiber transition first-hand! There will be ongoing spinning/fiber demonstrations too as well as an ongoing video presentation. Observe the expert shearers as they work their clippers through the alpaca's fabulous fleece, without any harm to the animal. You may also purchase the yarn from specific Island Alpaca Farm animals, as our farm store will be open all day!  Find beautiful roving, yarns, and locally produced garments from these wonderful animals that graze in our pastures! Refreshments available for you to enjoy while watching the newly shorn alpaca showing off their new haircuts. The farm's viewing area comes complete with picnic tables for you to sit and relax! Admission: $5/person. We hope you can join us!

Shearing Fun Facts: Alpacas are shorn just once a year in the Spring. Each alpaca produces between 3 and 13 pounds of fiber depending on age, genetics, environment and nutrition. Alpacas can be shorn standing up or stretched out on the ground or a table. We prefer to stretch them out, tying the front legs together and the back legs together.  This method allows the shearer to work faster and get a more even cut, it is less stressful for the alpaca this way. Shearing time varies greatly by the expertise of the shearer, but generally 10 minutes per animal is standard. Alpacas are shorn with the same clippers that are used for sheep.  Blades have to be sharpened and oiled often.  Because alpacas don't have natural lanolin oils like sheep, the clippers need to be oiled more frequently.

This event was fun and informative for individuals of all ages!