Care of Camelids: Llamas and Alpaca Shearing

• Like sheep, llamas and alpacas do not require grooming but must be fully sheared at least once a year. This needs to be done, even if their wool is not utilised as they continue to grow their coats and do not naturally shed in the warmer seasons.
• Llamas and alpacas, related to wild vicuna and guanaco, are native to the Andes Mountains, living in areas of high altitude with a relatively cool climate and low humidity. Without shearing, they are at risk of heat stress and matting in our warm, humid summers, so clipping their woolly coat plays a crucial part of their welfare.
• The fleece of these camelids is also highly sought after. Prized for their fibre, alpaca fleece is desired for its softness and warmth, while llama wool is valued for its durability. Prices per kilo reached £15 for baby white skirted fleeces at UK Alpaca for 2024 - This underscores the importance of expert shearing and careful wool handling to maintain its quality for sale.

The optimal time for shearing is from May to June and as a general rule, must be done before the end of July. Clipping later than this not only risks the flock overheating in summer but also means they may not grow sufficient fleece before winter.

Shearing in the spring also reduces the risk of flies causing problems. Llamas and alpacas, like sheep, can be susceptible to flystrike (myiasis), a condition where blowflies flies lay eggs in dirty, wet fleece and the hatched larvae feed on the underlying tissue causing severe distress and suffering to the animal.  

When shearing, it's crucial to ensure the herd retain a good length of fibre to protect them from the elements and potential sunburn. Skin protection needs vary according to the llama's skin colour, with lighter-coloured skin requiring more protection from the sun.

Shearing must only be done be experienced persons and requires an amount of consideration and preparation to ensure the process runs safely and smoothly, with the least amount of stress on the animals.

• Penning the herd the evening before shearing will ensure the fleece is kept clean and dry overnight. Shearing a wet fleece can cause the shears to get caught in the wool which can be an uncomfortable or painful experience for the animal.
• Llama and alpaca shearing is best done when there are multiple handlers to help restrain each animal and to carefully handle, collect and bag the fleece if it is to be used.

Unlike sheep, alpacas are usually sheared lying down. This is either done on a dry, clean ground mat or a specialist shearing table with the front and hind legs tethered. This helps to keep the animal still and the skin taught so that shearing can be safely performed within the shortest time to reduce stress. Llamas are usually haltered and stood to shear, like horses.

• There are different types of clips for llamas and alpacas which include the Full or 'Nudie' cut,  where the fleece is clipped from head to toe, reserving the hair only on the head and face. 
• There are also other versions known as the Barrel Cut and Lion Cut which removes the hair around the barrel of the body whilst leaving the remaining fleece on the shoulders, chest, neck and legs and may include half of the back legs. These clips provide ventilation and cooling whilst leaving more protection from the weather and flies. 
• The choice of clip should be considered for each individual animal and their needs.  

Shearing camelids is performed using the same shears designed for shearing sheep. Whilst hand shears are silent to operate, they take a good while to completely remove the fleece and great care and skill to be used. Electrical shears will quickly and effortlessly clip the entire fleece in minutes, allowing for each animal to be returned to the group quickly.  

For smaller herds, the mains powered Masterclip Ewe 2000 shears are ideal for shearing llamas, alpacas and sheep.

• The Ewe 2000 clippers are lightweight, weighing in at just 1kg and are suitable for both novice and professional users and can be used with traditional shearing and dagging blades. 
• These shears are also compatible with a specialist camelid comb which has a higher bevel to leave a slightly longer clip than sheep shearing blades. This clip length allows the remaining fleece to offer a little extra protection from the elements as required.
• The Ewe 2000 clippers can also be purchased with an additional clipping head which will allow for the handset to be used with a range of A2 clipper blades for clipping other livestock such as cattle, horses, donkeys and long coated goats such as Angoras. 
• With the Multihead, there’s also the option to use the A2 livestock blade to shear or dag. 

For a flexible but heavy-duty solution, the Masterclip Outback shears are a completely cordless model that comes with a traditional shearing head.

• Just as with the Ewe 2000 model, the Outback shears are compatible with our own Masterclip dagging and shearing blades plus other makes of standard fit shearing blades, offering a wide selection of blade choice.
• The Outback comes with two rechargeable li-ion batteries with a run time of around two hours per battery. Need more time? Extra batteries and chargers are readily available.
• A superb choice if you need a handy, powerful, cable-free clipper. 

Stocking up on shearing essentials such as clipper oil, blade cooling spray, sharp blades and making sure batteries are well charged for cordless shears, will help to ensure your llama or alpaca shearing process goes as smoothly as possible.