Alpaca shearing

Back on April 2nd, I drove 2 hours north to Esparto to volunteer on alpaca shearing day at Derwydd Alpacas, a large farm. It turned out that they always have a group of UC Davis vet students helping shear, and I was the only non-student present.

The process went like this:
1. Bring a small group of alpacas into a pen at the back of the barn.
2. Consult The List, which tells us which alpaca gets which type of shear. Some owners wanted the legs shaved close, while others like them long. Most of the fleece was bagged for future sale and processing, but there were some exceptions.
3. Separate out the next alpaca on The List. They all had nametag collars on so that the volunteers could identify them.

4. Bring it into a tiny pen where two students vacuum the fleece to get some portion of dust and dirt out.

5. Weigh the alpaca pre-shearing.
6. Bring it to one of two tarps in the shearing area so that it's ready to go as soon as the previous one is done.
7. Sweep all the hair of the previous alpaca away before bringing the next one on, so its fleece doesn't get contaminated (especially important if you're switching colors of alpacas).
8. There are two noose-ropes set up at one side of the tarp and two at the other. You place these around the alpaca's ankles. Then one person uses a winch to pull the top two taut, while three people help ease the alpaca down and onto its side as its legs are pulled apart. Does that sound awful? It kind of is, though it's critical to keep the animal still while it's being sheared for safety. This is the traditional way to do so.

One other common way is to use a table which flips between horizontal and vertical. You lead the alpaca over to the vertical table surface, tie him to it, and then flip it horizontal.

9. Either way, you can trim the alpaca's hooves after it's down and while you wait for the shearer to clean and oil his clippers. This is similar to trimming giant dog nails. This is also the time to check for ear mites, worms in the eyes (EW), or other problems.
10. One person stays by the head of the alpaca while it's being shorn. They hold the head still and, if the alpaca is spitting in anger, cover its mouth with a rag. Halfway through, they lift the alpaca's neck and guide it onto its other side. I spent most of my day doing this job.

11. Once shearing is done, you let the alpaca up and weigh it again, which gives you the total weight of all the fiber that was removed.

12. Any necessary medications are given at this time, and then the alpaca is let loose with its herdmates.

The alpacas ranged from lying totally still (learned helplessness) to non-stop yelling and spitting. Since my approach to animal husbandry and training always focuses on making the interaction as stress-free as possible, I was concerned about this. None of the alpacas were hurt (other than a few nicks with the clippers if someone had a fatty growth hidden under all that fleece), and the process is done as quickly and efficiently as possible so that the stressful period is as short as possible. That said, if I ever do get my mini herd of fiber boys, I plan to do some clicker training to make the process better for them.

The blanket of the Huacaya fleece is carefully kept together and placed in bags for judging and sale.

Suri fleece is just bagged more willy-nilly.

Spinning progress

This week we learned to spin 3 ply yarn. Half the class found it easier to do 3 plies, while the others (including me) preferred 2 ply.

I've gotten good at spinning thin yarn using the cheap wool roving. Usually it looks like sport weight yarn but sometimes it's approaching lace weight!

At the end of class we were given 6 bags with small amounts of various kinds of roving, labeled cashmere tussah, angora/lambswool, alpaca (!), afghan, another tussah silk, and merino.

The long, soft tussahs were hard to spin with! They got easily tangled in my support hand, and the yarn kept breaking when I would try to spin it thin and the fibers slipped apart.

The merino, which is probably what we've been spinning on, was easiest to work with. It held together well and was easy to make into lace weight yarn. The angora/lambswool was similar.

The afghan was my favorite. It had a very short staple length - about 1.5". But it also held together well.

The alpaca (huacaya) felt rougher than I expected in my hand. It got a bit tangled as I was working it, but otherwise was fine.

Alpaca visit

I had a delightful tour of Alpacas of Marin on Sunday. They have a mix of suris and huacayas (as well as a few accidental mixed crias, oops), in a range of colors. She also showed me a few bags of raw fleece still waiting to be processed, as well as finished yarn from her own alpacas. I've been reading alpaca books and websites and watching videos, but getting to interact with them up close helps all the information fall into place. I plan to return to help on shearing day if I'm available. I've also already volunteered for shearing day on another large farm, which will be in April.

I suggest clicking on the pictures to see them pop up in a larger size, so you can better see their adorable faces.

Huacaya females.

Goth suri female. Look at that eyeliner!

Small suri female with another one making a derpy face in the background.

Suri mom and nursing baby.

Huacaya female with the classic fluffy top.

Suri female with unusual white nose.

Huacaya female taking a rest.

Huacaya boys. The black one was gorgeous.

Some sexy times happening among the girls.

Burying my hands into thick fleece.

Pulling the fleece open to see its true color, crimp, and length.

2015 goal review, plan for 2016

My goals for 2015 were set at a pretty low bar. I attained all of them except for visiting 2 alpaca farms, but I intentionally put those on the back burner. I'd still love to have alpacas on my future homestead, but 1) it's a much lower priority compared to raising produce, chickens, and rabbits, which are all much easier to get into, and 2) I want to live in the Tri-Valley, which is probably too hot in the summer for alpacas to be happy, so I might need to give up on that idea.

Let's set goals for 2016 which are attainable, but will force me to stretch a bit more:

• Implement a new marketing strategy for my dog training business each quarter. (This will be a challenge!)
• Watch at least 24 hours' worth of dog training DVDs from my stack. (2 hours each month - doable, right??)
• Observe or help with chicken slaughter, to gain hands on experience.
• Practice sewing/crafting with rabbit hides. I have a small stack of prepped hides but haven't done anything with them yet.
• Learn more about fiber. Hopefully take a spinning class AND see about volunteering on someone's farm on alpaca shearing day.
• Sew up the 3 pattern and fabric sets that have been sitting in my closet for a year. I just finished up a 3 day, intensive pants class at Stonemountain and want to make multiple pairs of pants from my new personalized pattern.
• Generally speaking, set aside larger chunks of time for myself, particularly for sewing.
• Continue cooking, gardening, crocheting.

Clarifying

Last month I went on a vacation to Maui for a week with my family. Yes, the vacation was relaxing, and Maui is of course beautiful. I really enjoyed snorkeling and seeing the lovely landscapes. But I got something else out of this vacation that I hadn't been expecting, and that was a renewed sense of purpose and eagerness to return home and get back to work.

I'm already on my way toward my dream life: my dog training business is doing well, my own dog is progressing toward a successful competition career, I have chickens laying plenty of eggs, and a little garden to supplement my diet. I'm in the process of learning about meat rabbits and practicing skinning rabbits, cooking the meat, and working the hides. These are all steps along the way to my dream life. Here is what I want to do:

- Buy land - I want to buy so that I can implement long term land use strategies that will improve soil health and allow me to select for plant and animal genetics that are well suited to the micro-climate of the place I'm in. I would prefer to find land that is close to the Trivalley, but I would be willing to relocate to another area as long as I'm close to a large enough city to rebuild and sustain my business.

- Live in a tiny house - They're adorable, they encourage a simple life and time spent outdoors, they're easier to maintain than a larger home, and are easier to customize. I like the tiny houses on wheels but a small cottage on foundation would be fine, too.

- Train dogs on my own property - I could do "board and train" as well as private lessons and classes. I want to build up my reputation as a sport dog trainer, in particular. In an ideal situation, I'd have a fancy training building large enough to host small events, but in a pinch, a simple barn would do to give us a controlled training area for privates.

- Large fenced dog run - For my own dogs to run around in, and to rent out as a private dog park.

- Grow as much of my own produce as is practical.

- Raise more chickens for eggs and meat. If I have clients coming to the property, they're an easy market for extra eggs!

- Raise rabbits for meat and fur. I have plans for the fur.
- Alpacas - possibly, lower priority, but I'm considering getting alpacas for their excellent fiber. Maybe not if I end up in agricultural zone 9b.

The big thing holding me back from achieving all this? Money, of course. I feel like once I had land, all of my ideas are achievable. Not easy, of course, but achievable. So I'm doubling down on building my business and taking on clients. In the meantime, I'm researching topics like fruit and nut tree care, water catchment, soil health, rabbit care, and permaculture principles and associated techniques. And I'm putting what I can into practice.

One other aspect to consider is that it makes more sense to buy more land and pay less per acre, as the extra land can be utilized in multiple ways:

- lease land to other homesteaders and/or tiny house owners, or farmers who will take care of the land according to my principles

- private campground for rental

- use for other types of livestock (either my own or lease out pasture)

- grow extra produce and do "u pick"

- plant lumber trees for future harvest

- tree nursery

- cultivate nice area and rent out for events, weddings, parties, kids' camp, classes

- agritourism

So with this update completed, let's get back to work!

Plans and goals for 2015

As a homesteader, one must always be planning ahead at least one season. I gave big plans for 2015 as a whole, and the next few months in particular.

• Build a raised bed (I'm starting this in today), and transfer most of my non-succulents into it. I don't know enough about guilds to take that sort of symbiosis into account, but I am considering the direction of the sun and wind and heights of the plants. Hoping to have this done by Jan 31st. I may set up drip irrigation? (Will have to learn more about setting it up.)
• Finish prepping for the chickens by Feb 28th. That includes building the coop, run, stuff to climb on, and getting some forage plants started outside the run.
• Learn more about raising rabbits for meat and fur.
• If possible, attend workshops about butchering chickens and rabbits, and/or get first-hand experience informally via friends.
• Continue learning to cook various dishes with rabbit meat.
• Continue learning about permaculture, organic gardening, raising livestock, and especially hugelkultur.
• Visit at least 2 alpaca farms. (I contacted two alpaca owners/farmers in 2014 but neither contact worked out.)
• Continue building up my dog training business. Implement at least two new marketing strategies.
• Host at least one party/social gathering quarterly.

All attainable goals that will keep me moving toward the life I desire.