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Today, Saturday, was topknots and toenails day. This is a fairly infrequent occurrence on the farm. We really only have to perform this task a couple of times a year. The top knot is the big pile of fiber on the alpacas heads. Our herd was last shorn in April 2008 and haven't had haircuts since that time. We try to keep them from becoming wool blind by trimming their top knots before the fleece begins to cover their eyes. Then there is the toe nail trimming. This too only has to happen a few times a year.
This kind of day is a full hands on day. We take the time to handle each animal, body scoring, checking eyes, getting hands from ears to tails and down their legs. Just looking for anything abnormal. The whole herd took about an hour and half to trim up. The girls, most of them being pregnant were the most challenging. Unfortunately we started our task with the boys. There are fewer of them, and for the most part are somewhat more docile and better behaved.
Steve usually holds them while I do the trimming. Giles, our largest male at 235 pounds, is surprisingly the most gentle. All I have to do is ask him to lift and he will raise his leg and not try to pull it away when I grab to trim the nails. The younger boys are a little more squirmy. They aren't used to it yet and haven't really figured out we aren't there to harm them. Then there is Sigwanain (Sig). He is our fiber boy. Ever since the day he was born he has been vocal. More vocal than any of our other cria. Granted, Sig had a really tough start to his life and fought for survival a few months. That is a story for another day. The whole time we are trimming toenails and topknots, Sig is groaning and screaming. It is actually quite humorous and pitiful at the same time.
Once we had finished with the boys, we moved on to the girls. That is where we struggle the most. Many of them are pregnant. And no matter how loving and gentle they can be, when it comes time gently restrain them or try to pick up their feet, forget about it. The key to trimming toenails is to lift their feet underneath them. You must resist the urge to pull the foot away from their body. That puts them off balance and simply makes the experience worse. As I am bent over, holding the foot under the animal in one hand, they inevitably end up leaning on you. Remember, these girls are pregnant. So here I am squatting, holding up a slightly struggling pregnant alpaca, Steve is trying to avoid the spit and then I have to trim the moving toenails. My quadriceps are a bit sore today from the squats.
Although the toenails are physically demanding, it is the trimming of the topknot I find to be the most mentally challenging. I hate having those pointy scissors next to their eyes. No telling when they are going to get tired of sitting still. Then there is the fact that I am trying to do a decent trim while dodging spit bombs. Only a few of our girls spit, we know who they are. Their necks may be long. One would think we would have time to respond to the act of spitting, but once they get a mouthful started sometimes it is like machine gun fire.
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