Babies Get Their First Hair Cut!

Twister seems to be saying he's not too sure about his new look but he has to be so much more comfortable in the summer heat, now he's lost his newborn coat.

Still being bottle fed twice a day, Twister is definitely the biggest baby in the pen in more than the obvious way.  He has gotten to enjoy his bottle so much, he follows us around making tiny mewling sounds.

Martin, however, is definitely enjoying his shaved look and is obviously so much more comfortable with his thinner coat.

It is important to shear newborn alpacas so their fleece can be used the first year - which is when it is at its finest and softest.  The cria tips felt extremely quickly which is due to a combination of the presence of amniotic fluid and the fact that cria do not produce body oils until after birth.  Therefore, the newborn fleece is without oil and forms into tiny hooks.  These tips act like velcro and attract dirt, hay and any other debris our cria can find.

As seen on Pauline's face, which was not shorn, the pieces of hay and grass are easy to spot.  If cria are not shorn within a few weeks of birth, they can quite literally look like a walking haystack by shearing time.  Although alpacas are not concerned with the cleanliness of their fiber, our sorters certainly are and, if it's bad enough, some of the cria's fiber cannot be used.

 The cria can look very different once they are shorn but Sox is still easy to spot with his white front fetlock.

Drop by and pay our cria a visit and if you come around 10.30, you may see Twister enjoying his morning bottle.