Today, I successfully shorn a cria (every so lightly) with no restraints or any man handling! I know that Marty does not like the idea of shearing so young. I agree that it does impact the relationship with the alpaca, but as of today I think I have a different opinion. The primary purpose of the alpacas on my farm is to produce fleece and breed. So, I must consider many pros and cons when choosing what I do and how I do it. When not shorn, the very first super soft beautiful fleece is trash as the fleece they are born with is like a giant velcro all winter long. Today, I decided to continue with this practice of shearing the crias, but used the new techniques Marty taught me. Actually, I personally did not use them as I was holding the shears! But, I got my preferred extremely scepticle helper to go with this and follow my lead. I had told my helper to meditate with the alpaca as she is doing the balancing actions. It worked like a charm. She successfully balanced Sir Lancelot and impressed her own self in the process. Sir Lancelot protested a few times and we stopped until we were able to achieve a balanced position once again. The entire process lasted for about 15 minutes in total and he rejoined mommy a happy cria. I am looking forward to working with my first beautiful bay black fleece. I am planning on hand spinning every ounce of it next spring. Thank you Marty for making my job less stressful for my alpacas. Lilou.
