Llama Shearing

The most frequently quoted poems of Ogden Nash:

   The one-L lama, he's a priest
   The two-L llama, he's a beast
   And I would bet a silk pyjama
   There isn't any three-L lllama

Thank you RC for enlightening me on this poem!
 
Getting to know these new and sometimes strange creatures has been interesting - to say the least.  We often look left then right wondering if Dr Doolittle has arrived.

I decided early on that the best approach to the llamas is to view them like a horse.  A young horse can be readily spooked and unpredictable, so from my experience this was the best way for me to approach the llamas.  Basically, I rarely assume anything with them.  Yet, we have become accustomed to each others' behaviours.

I expected that shearing day would involve spit and kicking.  None of that happened.  I was almost shocked with how well things went, certainly very pleased.  I began the day with a bad back experience so ending the day well with no back challenges was excellent.

The first challenge was to find someone to shear them.  When arranging for a fellow to come and shear the sheep I asked last if he does llamas and he said, "No, I try to stay clear of them actually."  Having found someone to shear my few sheep I did not want to cancel him, but kept looking for someone to do the llamas.

One fellow who does all fibre critters had already been in the area three times and was now off to Central Ontario for several weeks of shearing there.  He could be available at the end of June.  It's getting pretty warm then and we will be away around that time, so I kept looking.

I had left a message with my shepherdess neighbour but had not heard back from her.  Then one morning there was a voice mail message from her.  She had emerged from lambing her fifty plus flock.  Her shearer was coming in the next week.  I left him a voice mail about doing the llamas and didn't hear back from him.  The neighbour and I decided I should come over on the first day of shearing and speak with him.

So, I spoke with Charlie and he agreed to come that afternoon, after four, to do the llamas.  I had to go to the bank to get funds to pay Charlie.  Just before six o'clock I drove over to the neighbours and Charlie had three sheep left to shear and still wanted to do the llamas today.  About an hour later Charlie arrived.

I had put the llamas into the small box stall the day before.  I could not find the halter I had bought for them.  It must be with the sunglasses I lost this morning - in the ether of the barn, somewhere.  I used a halti dog collar on Henrietta.  She didn't like it but I was successful getting it on her.

Charlie started with Henrietta.  I hooked a horse lead up to Henrietta's 'halter' and away we went.  The humming began - the constant conversation between Sheba and Henrietta.  I hummed back.  I think Sheba was trying to reassure her daughter the whole time.  This was Henrietta's first shearing experience.

She was great.  There was some pushing and shoving.  Then she settled down.  Once in awhile there was more pushing and shoving.  When Charlie got to the top of her leg, she seemed irritated by the flapping fleece over her leg and went down on her knees.  She did this on each side.  There were a few other ticklish spots. Charlie took firm hold of the lead to finish up her long neck. Charlie just worked with her.  When she got twitchy in one spot he moved to another spot.  He talked to them too in a calming tone.

Charlie explained to me that the llamas fibre is coarser than wool and therefore harder on the blades of the clippers.  He had to change blades a few times.

To facilitate getting the job done I had to ignore the fibre.  I told Charlie in advance not to worry about it, just let it fall into the stall and I will get it later.  The goal had to be to get the fleece off the animal.  So, by the time we were done there was fibre shin deep throughout the stall.  Beau-dog looked into the stall later, after I'd picked up the bulk of the fibre, leaving the shorter clumps, and he wondered what animal or animals were in there!  I went in the stall and showed him it was just fluff.

Next was Sheba.  Putting a halter on her was not going to happen.  First I got my cotton lead rope over her neck.  I slid it up behind her ears and quickly managed a loop over her nose.  Then suddenly I had a makeshift halter on her and secured it under her jaw.  We were good to go.

I expected a real show of disagreement and un-co-operativeness.  Sheba was better than Henrietta!  She stood still the entire time and just let Charlie calmly trim her down.  Sheba's fleece is very coarse.  The softer, fluffier stuff on her neck is too short for spinning.  None-the-less it came off.  No ticklish belly here as she has no fleece on her belly.  On some level perhaps she knew she'd feel so much better once this was over.

I had been wanting to de-worm these girls too but just didn't know how I'd get close enough.  That morning I had gone out with my syringe of apple flavoured horse wormer that people use for llamas.  Oh, and a Ziploc bag full of cut up apple.  I intended to grab Henrietta, poke the syringe into the inter dental space and squeeze the goo into her mouth.  Then I'd do the same for Sheba.  And there would be kicking and spit and such nonsense.  None of this was necessary.

Hmmm, I thought, apple and apple...  I squeezed a half teaspoon of gel medicine into my palm and coated an apple chunk with it.  Sheba ate it.  She was giving it second thoughts but then, she loves treats, and I offered more.  Three or four pieces of apple did the trick.  Then I did the same with Henrietta.  It was done!

The de-wormer I used also takes care of external parasites such as lice and the blood sucking keds that bother the sheep.  I had expected to see these on the llamas when they were clipped.  I was glad to see that there were none that were noticeable.

So, the funny llama things got funnier looking.  As you can see in the photo they are thin;  not due to malnourishment - they are just built that way.  Charlie said their behaviour was excellent, based on his experience of shearing the beasts.  I see that they have a good layer of flesh on them - which you can only see when they are clipped like this.  So, I am very satisfied with the work accomplished, the condition of the llamas, and their behaviour.