Daily Archives: April 6, 2014

Fiber animals don’t enjoy haircuts anymore than young children and today was their annual haircut day.   They also get their annual boosters and feet trimming.    Interestingly, after having had to put up with a haircut, they don’t even flinch at hoof trimming and shots.

Here Mauve is being shorn.

Isn’t she pretty all white again.   As you can see, even with a coat, she did not remain totally clean.    That is because she didn’t get a coat until she was a few months old and this is her first shearing.    However her fleece will be a breeze to wash as she doesn’t have lots of debris in it.

And Pinky is getting a new blue coat this year.  .  (Named Pinky because she was the first one coated and had a pink coat last year.   This year it is blue but she won’t get a name change.)    The coats are plenty big, but the sheep will grow into them rapidly as their fleece grows and the coats will be tight by fall. They  look so pretty with their new coats just in time for Easter!

After the 3 sheep and 1 goat, the alpacas got their turn.    They have all done this before, so there wasn’t much resistance once they were caught.   And if you can see how they are held down (so neither they or the shearer are injured), you understand why they don’t resist much.

They look so tiny when shorn.   This black one, Scout,  didn’t care for the procedure so as soon as he was allowed up, he jumped the fence to be over on the side with the dogs.    However, as soon as we were through with his buddies, he jumped right back in.

The sheep all have to get reacquainted with each other after their haircuts, not so the alpacas.   They have their haircuts and shorts and are all good for another year.