Staying at a friend’s property and she mentions the shearer is turning up to do her Alpacas. She has to work so do I mind being the shearers offsider ? Know sod all about it but hey, I’ll give it a go.
So the shearer turns up in the afternoon. Having already, I thought, penned all the Alpacas I’m totally embarrassed when he says what about that one in the other paddock. Never bothered to check how many there are. Turns out there are six not five. Fortunately for me the last one gets curious and comes over to see what’s going on so we manage to grab it and shear it.
So the routine goes – grab one out of the pen, manhandle it to the table edge, lift it onto the table on its right side and hold it down while the shearer ropes the legs. Then I go around to the other side and control the head while the shearer does the left side. Once that’s down we flip it onto its stomach, I hold it in a headlock while he does the right side. Then it’s over onto its left side while he does the toenails and then hold it down while he releases the ropes and then push it off the table.
Oh yeah, the shearers got a bad back so I get to wind the table up and down between get them on height and working height.
After six episodes of this in 35 degree heat I’m thinking this is not a career for me. Didn’t help that they hadn’t been shorn for over 2 years. Took the camera down with me but the shearer wasn’t keen on a photo shoot so only have post photos.