Shearingalpaca.com


Show Quality Shearing for the Conscientious Owner
Frequently Asked Questions


Q. How does the calendar work, or when will my date be posted???

A: Because i am scheduling for 6 independent but cooperative shearers, i usually post dates between 3 and 6 wks in advance... i hold back posting some of the smaller farms and my younger shearers in order that we can go through areas more than once and cover late schedulers and/ or rain dates...  it also helps me accommodate more of your special needs to wait a week or so after first posting as i am almost always getting a few calls about dates that won't work.... i will add a week or two's worth of dates at a time every week, so checking the calendar is essential...  if you're not there yet, don't panic...
Generally the master shearers go through an area catching the biggest farms  first (we build the calendar around you guys, and by majority regional preference) and then i fill in around the regions until their schedules are packed... if you are new to us and have a small farm, or just contacted me recently, i will fit you in as soon as i can... Please be patient... most of our clients have been registered and waiting since before January. Latecomers, reschedules and small farms will generally be added to the younger crews schedules which are naturally posted a little later for logic's sake...
if you got a confirmation email and a popup screen when you preregistered, i will get you on the calendar...
  
i am only human and occasionally i miss obvious mistakes or duplicate farms... if any of you see something that makes no logical sense, or see duplicate dates, feel free to call my attention to it via phone call (if it's your farm) or a facebook note....if you see everyone around you posted and you're not there, just drop me a note and i'll see if your registration didn't go thru for some reason..

As always, expect a phone call from me a day or so before your scheduled shearing date...
 i will be making adjustments in problem areas or due to the circumstances we run into at farms,   without disturbing as much as possible. I will also ask that all of you be as flexible as possible as the schedule progresses.... these guys have tight schedules and generally we run pretty close or a little ahead, but understanding that each individual farm has unpredictable situations, we truly appreciate it when the farms are able to bear with us over slight delays, or allow us to start a little earlier in the event of a cancellation or reschedule.

Q: Can you tell me what time to expect the guys weeks in advance??

A:  No....i can only guesstimate...  i call every farm a day or so before shearing to confirm your apptments...if we have cancellations or special needs to accomodate, the order of the farms may change.
if you have a specific need regarding time that is inflexible, please let me know in advance and i will do my best to accomodate your need.  Generally the posted dates are pretty final and the order is logical, but we cannot predict the behavior of the farms before or after you and may have to make minor shifts or adjustments before your date... please take this into account when you are scheduling your help.  my four man crews do not require you to have tons of helpers, but if you have other scheduling issues, let me know in advance and i will try to work with you.

 Q: Do you do teeth?

A: All of our crews have experienced handlers who can do teeth for a separate fee.  we use a toothamatic for front teeth, and fightamatics or ob  wire for fighting teeth.  if you or your vet would like to vaccinate, worm or do teeth while  the animals are restrained, please be sure to let us know beforehand as this tends to slow down the process.


Any questions, comments or concerns, call me or drop me a  fb private message ..also.... i get most of the final details worked out on the weekends, so most postings will be  on monday or tuesday ...thanks for your patience..

Q: What can we do to prepare our fiber for sale?

A: If you intend to use your fiber or sell it, we generally recommend   vacuuming  with a shop vac or blowing with a leaf blower to get the majority of VM (vegetable matter)  out of the fleece as essential, and this should be done the night before shearing...
do not feed hay after you clean them as they are experts at redistributing VM... dirt and grain are easy to shake or pick out of a shorn fleece, not so VM... withholding food and water for a few hours before shearing can make the experience more comfortable for the animals as well as your fiber handlers.... pee washes out easily, but you never want to put wet fiber in a bag and leave it.... yucko..;)  please do not leave your animals locked up without water in the summer heat though....obviously...
If you are preparing a fleece for show,  you can pick out  chaff, etc, but vacuuming will disturb the lock structure and is not recommended.

Q: What should we do to be ready when you come?

A:  Our number 1 priority is that you have the animals penned and dry, relatively close to the shearing area.  Most of the time the guys will find their best setup area, we just need some cleared space...
If we are shearing outside, you must provide a shaded area.  Shearing in full sun can cause heat stroke and death, especially in darker animals. Access to electric and water is extremely helpful...  if it is raining or rain is expected, do your best to keep your animals dry... worst case scenario we will try to reschedule, but if you miss your date with us, i cannot guarantee that my guys will come through your area again... we do not cancel for rain.
If you are planning on doing shots or worming, having them drawn up beforehand saves a bunch of time.
Having your plastic bags marked ahead of time for fleeces, and baggies for fleece samples is also  helpful.  If you want to be able to use or sell your fleeces, please


Q: Do you tranquilize the animals to shear them?

A: We don't use drugs, (on ourselves or the animals...;-)) as this puts all animals, especially the pregnant ones at risk. If you or your vet want to give your animals something for anxiety, that is your choice, and we will use the same precautions we use for all animals.  we are not veterinarians, please check with your vet or mentor farm for their opinions on this subject.

Q: Do you have a minimum?

A: All of our crews will do small farms, however it is certainly more cost effective to combine resources if possible.... we offer several options to remedy this situation. some large farms don't mind small farms coming to their farm and  being a "hub" of sorts for their area... if transporting your animals is not an issue, splitting the setup with a larger farm and working within their discount rate will be something to consider... we also send out our younger guys in two man crews to cover the small farms, so one way or another, we can probably help you.