What to Know About Alpaca Shearing

This post was originally published in May of 2020 and updated in February of 2025.

If you’re wondering how alpaca shearing is done and what you should expect during your first shearing day, you are not alone. I was pretty darn confused our first year of owning alpacas. Let me walk through how we handle shearing so you can get a good feel for the process, planning, and execution.

While everyone is falling in love with alpacas for their funny and quirky personalities, alpacas are livestock animals and they have been specifically raised for their luxurious fiber. In the United States, alpacas are sheared each spring and this produces fiber (also called fleece, fur, or wool) that represents that year’s harvest. In their native Peru, alpacas are sheared every eighteen months. Peru has a more consistent temperature, so they have the opportunity to extend duration of growth, while still keeping their alpacas comfortable and safe.

Shearing day is a major event at any alpaca farm! It not only prepares the alpacas for the summer heat, it is an opportunity to review the quality of an individual alpaca’s fiber. And once removed, the fiber will be converted into products, which makes this process the first step of revenue generation for many alpaca owners.

An adult alpaca weighing 150 pounds will produce about 5-10 pounds of fiber. This amount will vary based on the alpaca’s physical size, the length of their fiber, and the density of their fiber blanket. Fiber density and length play an important role in the amount of fiber grown. Dolly is a pint-sized female on our farm who is our smallest female. The interesting part is she is a top producer of fiber and always has been due to her great staple length and density.

Once removed the raw fiber will be graded for quality, cleaned, and then converted into yarn, clothing, or household items like throws and dryer balls. The final destination of the fiber is determined by the micron count (fineness) of the fleece. The lower the micron count, the higher the quality of fiber. A standard alpaca produces approximately 4 pounds of high-quality fiber (we call these firsts) and an equal amount of shorter/coarser fiber (we call these seconds and thirds).

While that all may seem simple enough, shearing an alpaca is not for the faint at heart. In our first year of shearing, I was totally unprepared and I walked out of the barn to get my emotions in check. I simply didn’t realize shearing a herd of alpacas is like taking a large amount of human toddlers to their first dentist appointment. By year two I was perfectly fine because I understood what was going to happen and how specific activities (like restraining the alpaca) were done for the health and wellbeing of the animal.

In the below video you’ll see Heartthrob being sheared. She is a cria (baby alpaca) and this was her first shearing. Notice how Heartthrob has different colors between her long fiber and the base of the fiber. This change in color is because the fiber tips were modified by the amniotic fluid in her mother’s womb. The amniotic fluid changes the color of the fiber during gestation, so when an alpaca is born, we really don’t know what color the fiber will be until it starts to grow outside of the womb. Removing these cria tips is always exciting because you may find a completely different colored alpaca hidden underneath.

An important note: The shearing team is not hurting Heartthrob at all. She just new to shearing, the noise, and the feel of the equipment. My husband is the man in the baseball hat. You can see he is close to ensure her safety and to assist if needed.

Is Alpaca Shearing Cruel?

Alpaca shearing is not cruel, and it is done for the safety and welfare of the animal. I cannot stress that enough.

Organizations like PETA would love you to think alpaca shearing is inhumane and wearing alpaca fiber is ethically wrong. That is 100% false and I get very frustrated with animal rights organizations that misrepresent our industry and miseducate consumers.

I researched all of this before we purchased our first set of alpacas. I’m what is called a “highly sensitive person” and as such I could never venture into alpaca farming if the claims of cruelty were true. It goes against everything within my heart and my soul.

In 2020, PETA released an article titled Groundbreaking Undercover Investigation to show the stress alpacas goes through during shearing. However, this video does not represent the average alpaca farm and the handling of the average herd. This video was allegedly taken at a large farm in Peru and what they show is well outside the acceptable norm of alpaca care. In Peru and in the United States we take extreme care in shearing. I am personally on the mat with each alpaca to make sure they are emotionally taken care of while the professional shearing team makes sure they are physically protected.

I also want to speak to the need for shearing. Alpacas do not shed their fur like a dog or cat. In the U.S. they must be sheared annually for their own health and welfare. Not shearing them is what is cruel because they can’t manage the summer heat and they would die of hyperthermia. An alpaca who is not sheared regularly also becomes matted and unmanageable. I’ve seen pictures on Facebook groups of rescued alpacas, and it is not a pretty sight.

I love my alpaca herd. I know them by name, I know their likes and dislikes, I know who they are friends with and who they hate, I know where they like to be pet, and I know what their favorite snack is to eat. Most of my alpacas proactively greet me to actively seek pets and kisses. They do so because we treat them with respect, genuine love, and care.

My husband and I exercise caution and close oversight when managing the shearing day and our herd as a whole. We hire professional shearers and we are with our herd the entire time that shearing is taking place. We know exactly what is done, why it is done, and we make sure nothing cruel ever occurs to the alpaca.

We also use shearers that we know will take even greater care with our pregnant girls and those who need special handling due to age. We do so because we care for these animals and want to give them the love they give to us.

Why We Hire Professional Shearing Teams

Not only do alpacas need to be sheared, most farms hire professional shearing teams so they can guarantee their animals are moved through the process quickly and efficiently to reduce stress on the animal. And most alpaca owners also stay close to assist the team so they can increase the efficiency of the process. We do so because we truly care for the welfare of our livestock.

Here is why we opt for professional alpaca shearers:

• Minimizes stress on the alpacas
• It’s a 3-4 person job that takes strength and dexterity
• While the alpacas are sheared, the team will also trim teeth and clip toenails
• The process requires specific equipment to help ensure the safety of the animal and human shearing
• The team is efficient, which makes the process quick and produces a lot less stress on the alpacas

Professional shearing is not cheap, but the money spent is well worth it for the alpacas.

How to Get Ready for Shearing Day

On our first shearing day, we were pretty clueless. We didn’t know what to do to prepare. Who would? It’s not like alpaca shearing is standard practice for the average American.

My husband was on-task to figure it out and the farm where we purchased our first alpacas was where he found solid answers and direction. I’ve always been thankful to Stephan for the mentoring we received those first few months of owning alpacas and shearing day was just another example of why.

What we did learn, was invaluable. It boils down to a few steps to make the entire process go faster and a lot smoother for everyone involved.

Here is my list of steps to ensure a quick and efficient shearing process:

• Keep the alpacas as dry as possible. If you need to lock them in the barn the night before, do so.
• Remove any straw you have on the barn floor. This makes shearing easier for the professionals and cleaning the fiber much easier for the owner or mill.
• Vacuum or blow out the fiber the day before shearing. The more vegetation you remove, the less “stuff” that will interfere with the shearing process and get stuck in your fiber during processing.
• Place the alpacas in a smaller space, so they will feel more secure and you’ll be able to quickly move them through the shearing process. This will be less drama for you and much less stress on the alpacas.
• Buy three clear trash bags for each alpaca.
• Prepare three labels for each alpaca and mark them with the alpacas’ name, year, and a 1, 2, or 3.
• Higher-end alpacas may also require you to “noodle” the fiber blanket, so research this further if you want to have special samplings and testing done on alpaca fiber headed to a fiber show. We purchase large brown paper rolls to help in the noodling process.
• If you have higher quality alpacas, have one small Ziplock bag ready to collect samples for fiber testing. You’ll want these marked with the alpacas’ name and ready to go.
• Have any immunizations and deworming shots prepped and labeled.
• Prepare a list of alpacas with special notes for you and the shearers. We always have lots of pregnant ladies and at least one older female. We needed this information front and center so the shearers knew what to watch out for and who to be extra careful with while removing the fiber.

In addition to that above list, I also tried and make sure we had a buddy system in place for younger alpacas or new arrivals. Heartthrob and Onyx are best friends, so I asked that they go right after each other. The same was true for Bean and Zula. That way they could stay with their buddy as they waited and then be with their buddy right after shearing was finished. In older, well established herds this wouldn’t be needed.

We had a large area waiting for them after the shearing so the alpacas could spread out, drink some water, and just relax. If it is a nice day, this will result in many alpacas sunbathing in their new skinny and fiber-free bodies.

Why Alpaca Fiber is So Valuable

At this point, you might be wondering why there is all this fuss about the alpaca fiber. And you would be correct in questioning this process. We tend to treat the alpaca fiber like it is gold because it is the harvest of our farm.

Alpaca fiber doesn’t have the full demand it should in the United States and this is because most Americans are unaware of the value it offers. But I’m hoping the world’s newfound love of alpacas and llamas will help more Americans see the value of this wonderful wool.

Here is what makes alpaca fiber so darn special and expensive:

• It’s hypoallergenic, so people who are allergic to traditional wool, can wear it. I am one of those people. Alpaca fiber doesn’t have the same lanolin, which is what I’m allergic to. I can wear sheep wool for three minutes before I start to develop a rash, yet I can easily wear alpaca clothing all winter long.
• Alpaca fiber is extremely warm, and honestly, warmer than traditional wool. It is estimated alpaca is at least three times warmer than a traditional sheep’s wool.
• Alpaca fiber is super soft with a very high comfort factor, so it makes an excellent option for clothing. From a softness standpoint, alpaca fiber is often compared to cashmere. Our industry pays close attention to fineness, comfort factor, and uniformity so we can produce the softest products possible.
• Alpaca fiber naturally repels water.
• Alpaca fiber naturally wicks water (aka sweat) away from the body.
• Alpaca fiber is naturally fire resistant.
• Alpaca is sustainable and eco-friendly in the best sense. Alpacas are soft on the earth and they require limited food intake, so they truly are a sustainable fiber producer.

What to Do With Your Alpaca Fiber

Alpaca fiber is also very versatile and this only adds to the growing worldwide demand for it.

When the fiber is removed from the alpaca, it is divided into three groups:

• The first group is called prime or firsts. This is the highest quality of fiber and it comes from the alpaca back and sides.
• The second group is called seconds. It comes from the chest, neck, and belly.
• The thirds (last group) is the legs and feet. It’s also the dirtiest and roughest of the fiber.

Each group of fiber has a purpose and can be used in a variety of things:

• Prime blanket – Yarn (Fingering, Sport, DK, Worsted), hats, scarves, socks, throws, and pillows
• Seconds and thirds – Dryer balls, felting, rugs, and nesting balls for birds

Options for processing your alpaca fiber:

• Fiber Co-ops – Co-ops allow alpaca owners to send in their fiber and receive money or credits to buy finished products.
• Micro mills – These are small local mills (also called cottage mills) that will make yarn, batting, roving, and felt.
• Large mills – These mills will make yarn, yarn blends, or finished goods at the commercial level.
• Facebook 50/50 groups – These Facebook groups allow alpaca owners to sell their raw fiber to a crafter who will hand process it into yarn. They keep 50% of the yarn and send the other 50% of it back to the alpaca owner.
• Hand processing – This would require someone to hand process the fiber through skirting, washing, picking, carding, and spinning.

Don’t worry if you are not crafty and that last item doesn’t appeal to you. I’m not crafty and wouldn’t have any clue about creating my own yarn or knitting yarn into hats or mittens.

Here’s how we have used our fiber through the years:

• Yarn – We’ll send our raw fiber to micro mills for processing into yarn so we sell yarn by animal or group it and sell it by color.
• Handmade products – We have  raw fiber processed into yarn at professional mills and then we recruit knitters to whip up something amazing. You’ll find some handmade items in our online alpaca store from my mother-in-law Lil.
• Mill made products – We’ve sent raw fiber to specialty mills for processing into dryer balls, trivets, or rugs.
• Commercial made socks and throws – In more recent years we’ve taken our raw fiber and pooled it with other farms to create products at the commercial level. This takes hundreds of pounds of fiber, which is why we will purchase fiber from other alpaca owners to create these high quality products. It is a win/win for the industry. It helps alpaca owners get fiber out of their barns, while also creating some great American made products.

Extra Things to Know

A few final points you should know about shearing if you are a new or future alpaca owner in the United States:

• There are few shearing teams in the U.S. so make sure you research early and ask for referrals.
• It’s hard to get on a team’s schedule, so plan ahead and book your shearing months in advance. In the United States we typically request shearing in January, shearing schedules are published in March, and the teams arrive in April or May.
• Your shearing date is your date and changes are not allowed. These teams need to move quickly throughout the country and they do not have the option of rescheduling.
• Our farm is always windy and this makes shearing difficult, so after our mistake the first year, we learned to set up inside the barn.
• If you opt for outside, make sure you have a tent up to protect the shearing team from direct sun and heat.
• Biosecurity is super important, so select a shearing team that adheres to quality standards and best practices for cleaning clothing, boots, and equipment between farms.
• The cost of shearing is about $30-50 per alpaca plus a $100 setup fee. Budget for this, because it is a non-negotiable item in any farm business plan.
• If you are a smaller farm, ask other local farms if you can shear at their location. This will remove the setup fee and keep costs down.
• You’ll need to have cash on hand to tip the shearing team. The tip would scale  along with your herd size and the amount of time they spent on your farm. I usually tip 20%.
• The shearing teams work long hours, so feed them. I bake our team a lasagna, have a place for them to sit and eat, then I send the leftovers with them.

And important note: I’d like to remind you to stay calm and relaxed. Alpacas are emotionally intuitive animals and they can sense your anxiety and stress. The more relaxed you are, the more secure your alpacas will feel.

While the alpacas hate the shearing itself, they feel fabulous once done and they roll around happily in the grass. When they are done rolling, they take naps in the sun. So expect a few sprawled out alpacas sunbathing everywhere.