November is the month for shearing at KINGSVIEW ALPACAS and for the first time in 5 years the weather forecast was for possible showers.  Any other weekend and I would love showers, however when shearing that makes it very difficult for two reasons: firstly, takes longer to shear if damp (don’t bother if wet) and secondly, you need to shed your animals at least the day before if they are dry.

We were reasonably lucky that the day before was dry and that the alpacas were only surface damp from overnight.  They were all rounded up the day before into groups and the first group were in the holding yards drying a little from the wind.

Over the years we have not really modified the location or the procedure for our shearing, however with more and more alpacas every year we have progressed with the use of a rouse-a-bout to keep the whole process moving along.  That was a success this year and we were provided with further advice on modifications to the holding yard setup for next year.

Overall the shearing went well, expect for the out of the blue cold snap that hit the next weekend, barely over 8 degrees all day and that was out of the wind, who knows what the wind chill was.  In the shed they went again to dry off and keep warm, with no fleece on them it would have been cold.  It’s 5 days later and the air conditioner is in use, you have got to love Melbourne weather! 

The latest alpaca show results available are for the October shows of Bendigo Agricultural Show and Wangarratta Show.  The Bendigo Show has been off and on due to the AAA National Show being around the same time when in Victoria.  It was the first time showing of alpacas at the Wangarratta Show.  Obviously the largest studs were not there, however there was large show teams from a number of Central Victorian Studs with many receiving solid results.

See results in the public spaces folder here.

It's on...for the month of November you can buy an alpaca for $220...that's right an intact male alpaca in either white or light fawn and ranging in age from 12 to 36 months for just $220.  You could use them as pets, herd guards or to mate with your females...there are so many uses!

Check it our HERE.