Question:
I recently purchased an electric shear and will be shearing my llamas. Is there a stand off available to keep from shearing them too close to the skin? If not, how do I shear them without getting too close or cutting them?

Answer:
When discussing shearing the first questions is, to shear or not to shear? There are several good reasons to shear your llamas. One is the use of the fiber itself. We get it carded, put into roving and sell it to spinners and weavers. The more important reason to shear is health related. In our part of the country, where we have high temperatures and high humidity, shearing llamas to tolerate the summer heat is essential to good health. Unshorn llamas are susceptible to heat stress and in general are much less active with less of an appetite than shorn llamas.

There are several ways to shear a llama. We started with hand shears and very quickly learned that hand shearing is very time consuming and the end product looks choppy and not smooth.

There is also a big difference in electric shears. Our first electric shear was a battery operated Lister with 18 tooth blades. We were not pleased with this set up. The battery model had less power and the 18 tooth blades got dull very quickly. We typically did not get over 3 to 5 llamas shorn per set of blades. We then switched to the Lister 110 volt electric model with 13 tooth blades. We found that unit to be light weight, cool running, more powerful, and the 13 tooth blades will usually shear 8 to 10 llamas before becoming dull. There are of course, many other quality shears available that are more affordable, but I would suggest that the 13 tooth blade is probably the most efficacious for shearing llamas. If the llama is blown clean prior to shearing, the blades will also last longer. All the dust and dirt in the wool that comes while rolling in dust bowls simply wears the edge off of the shears faster.

There are many different kinds of "hair cuts" for llamas. Perhaps even as many different ones as there are shearers. I think each of us has a reason for our preference. Other than the obvious reasons for shearing, a proper "hair cut" can enhance the appearance of a llama. For example, a neck can be made to look longer, a body can be made to look shorter, and a top line can be leveled out. I suggest that prior to shearing, the llama be evaluated and the shearing done in a manner to improve the overall appearance of the animal.

Now, to the issue of the actual shearing. Some years ago, I looked for a stand off to use as an aid to shearing. I did not find one that worked so I developed a technique that becomes effective with some practice. One or both of two methods can be used to not shear too close. I like to leave from a half to three quarters of an inch of wool on the llama. This prevents sunburn and leaves enough length to be able to go back and fix a boo boo. Setting the heel of the shears on the llama and tipping or angling the teeth upward slightly becomes very effective with practice. The other method is to place your hand (fingers) under the shears just behind the shear head and let your hand be the spacer. I personally find this second method less comfortable but I use both depending on the part of the body being shorn.

Many llamas have very fine fiber. If we all shear our llamas and work on developing a llama fiber market then wool can become a very lucrative end use for our llamas.