Alpaca Barber

Below is a copy of our newsletter. It is long but includes many updates and important information. Personal contact information has been removed from this copy to reduce spam. To contact us, please use the contact form. Thank you

​

Dear Friends and Clients

Please read this message in its entirety, it’s a long one as we have lots to share with you. Consider keeping a copy for future reference, and don’t forget to REPLY by the deadline!!!

 

Phew! Holidays are over and 2025 has come to a close. What a year! We hope 2026 is a beautiful and happy year for each and every one of you! We had some ups and downs and kept very busy with shearing, our farm, fiber business, and odd jobs. Did you know, 2026 marks our 15th year of shearing together?!

​

It can seem early with snow on the ground, but it’s time to think spring for a moment. Alpaca Barber is going to be setting up the spring schedule very soon and we need to hear from you!

​

Please respond to this message by Friday, January 23rd with ALL of the following information:

Name, full address (including city!), best phone number, corrected email address if applicable, and VERY importantly the number and species of animals you are requesting shearing services for. You should also include your preferred month only (April, May, June, or anytime), and a list of blackout dates that you are unavailable for, such as for weddings, meetings, graduations, or travel.

(For example: John Doe, 123 Alpaca Road, Somewhere MI, 12345. 123-456-7899 myemail@mail.com, 5 alpacas and 3 sheep for shearing and 2 goats for nail trimming only. April, unavailable April 15th).

Remember, we schedule by LOCATION first and foremost. We take your needs into strong consideration but we CANNOT and will NOT ACCEPT specific date requests.

​

If you no longer need our services for any reason, please just let us know so we can remove you from our list. Thank you.

​

Please be aware that we have slightly raised most of our rates in order to better provide for our family. We do not make this change of rates lightly as we know the economy has caused challenges for many of you. To be overly frank, we have been surviving for over 5 years well under the national poverty level of income despite this business and our other income sources. While we aren’t ready to close Alpaca Barber, we cannot sustain this for much longer without making changes. Exactly what other changes may be in the future, we do not know at this time. For now, a rate increase is how we have chosen to hold out for a little longer. Thank you for understanding.

​

Our 2026 Spring Rates are as follows:

Regular Full Shear (Alpacas/Lllamas): $38

Barrel Shear (Alpacas/Llamas): $28

Cria Shearing/tipping $32

Custom Shears: assessed at time of service.

Nail Trimming with shearing (sheep, alpacas, llamas): $5-10 based on condition.

Nail trimming without shearing (including goats, sheep, alpacas, llamas) $10-15 based on condition.

Teeth Trimming: $15

Sheep Shears: $20

Farm Call: $100 (certain trips may be more)

All prices are subject to change.

​

Payment is due at time of services rendered. We accept CASH or CHECKS only. We are discussing accepting ZELLE for the first time this year, but as of writing this letter, we have not confirmed this as an acceptable method of payment. NO CARDS, PAYPAL, or any other ELETRONIC PAYMENTS accepted at this time. This is due to the numerous fees imposed on businesses for these types of payments and processing fees. We have also had payments randomly stopped by processing companies for no apparent reason, meaning we don’t get paid for the work completed and have no means or basis for recovering our hard earned funds.

​

Shearing costs can be a large, lump-sum annual bill for many of our clients that can cause a strain. As always, if you need to make arrangements to pay for our services, we are happy to work with you! There is no shame, please just ask! If you do want to make payment arrangements with us, please request this PRIOR to our arrival on your shearing day so we can come up with a clear plan that works for all of us. We truly don’t mind, and we love the animals and want them to be cared for, and just as importantly, we want you to be comfortable with the arrangements made.

​

​

Scheduling:

There will be NO SHEARING on SUNDAYS or MONDAYS throughout the entire spring season. Tuesdays are reserved for LOCAL farms only (under 1 hour from our home) to ensure we are home in time to take Icyphene to her dance class on Tuesday evenings. We will also have a weekend in MAY where there will be NO SHEARING so that we can attend her first Ballet Recital. This date is still TO BE DETERMINED due to a fire at the theater and the dance studio searching for alternate theaters. This is certain to cause some shifting in the typical schedule from previous years, however, family comes first and this is a non-negotiable family event for us. Thank you for understanding!

​

​

Remember, animals need to be DRY on shearing day. If rain is in the forecast, get them under cover.  Excessive mud on bellies/feet/ankles also causes many problems as well.

Animals should be penned nearby in a small, easy to catch area to minimize stress and time wasted while catching. We need a clean, flat, dry area to set up in, preferably under cover in case of heat or rain or high winds. We will need access to electric (we carry a 50’ cord, longer distances and you will need to provide means to access), and it is helpful to have a broom and rags/paper towels on hand for messes. While we always try to minimize risks, a small first aide kit on hand just in case is never amiss. We do not provide containers for your fiber. Most people use clear trash bags and mark on them with a permanent marker or slips of paper inside the bag. Cardboard boxes, laundry hampers, pillowcases, feed sacks, and other such items also work well enough for fiber containment. We request an owner or representative to be present for shearing. We also request at minimum 1 able-bodied assistant to help with animal handling (usually an owner, but if owner is unable for whatever reason, we will still need someone available to help). Duties include but may not be limited to: catching and bringing animals to the shearing station, assisting with laying alpacas on the ground and holding their head while shearing to protect them (and us!), picking up fiber and cleaning up in between animals, etc.

 

 

Herd Maintenance for nail trimming and animal handling assistance is available year-round outside of the spring shearing season. We do not typically schedule this out very far in advance, just call or email us when it’s getting close to time you need us, and we will coordinate schedules with you and any nearby farms to set up a time to come. Rates for off-season herd maintenance are to be determined at time of writing this letter.

 

 

OUR POLICIES: (also published on our website)
Alpaca Barber requests that each farm have an owner or representative present during shearing and each farm should have 1 or 2 able-bodied helpers available for animal handling and more.

​

Payment is due at time of services rendered unless previous arrangements are made. Cash or Checks accepted. $30 fee for NSF checks. No electronic payments or card payments excepted. Thank you for understanding!

 

Cancellation policy: Our schedule and routes are planned very carefully far in advance of us arriving to your farm. Once your date is confirmed, if you cancel with 30 days or less notice of the confirmed date there will be a $35 cancellation fee. If 7 days or less notice there will be a $50 cancellation fee, and 48 hours or less notice will be charged a $100 cancellation fee except in true emergencies. Failure to plan for inclement weather is not an emergency!

​

Alpaca Barber nor its owners or partners will be held responsible financially or by any other means for accidents or injuries related to any shearing activities. We will always strive to provide a safe experience for the people and animals involved. Sometimes animals get spooked and their behavior becomes unpredictable and injuries or nicks may occur, it is unreasonable to expect otherwise. We generally carry a basic first aide kit with us for minor cuts and issues. It is in our experience since Alpaca Barber began that accidents and injuries are very RARE, however we as a business and the individuals involved will not be held responsible in any way as stated above.

 

By scheduling an appointment with us, we assume you have read, understand, and accept these terms.

 

Did you know?! We offer custom hat knitting services with your own yarns! Contact Katie at lazydogfiberart@gmail.com if you are interested and would like more information. Please do not use this email address for shearing inquires, thank you!

 

Don’t forget to respond with ALL of the information requested above by Friday, January 23rd, 2026. Remember, include only which month you prefer, and “no-go” dates, no other requests accepted at this time. Further, there will be NO SHEARING on Sundays or Mondays, and Tuesdays are reserved for LOCAL farms only. A copy of this email newsletter will be published on our website very soon (with personal contact info removed for privacy).

​

Office hours until the Spring are 9am till 6pm, Monday through Friday. NO OFFICE HOURS ON WEEKENDS.

​

Thank you for reading this message, we look forward to hearing from you very soon!

The Alpaca Barber Team,

-names and personal contact info hidden-

​

​