Abstract
Abstract The objective of this trial was to determine if an anticipated first shearing at 10 months of age affects skin characteristics and fibre quality in alpacas in order to assess the possibility of practice two different shearings over a period of 16 months in the animals destined for slaughter. Twenty alpaca Huacaya (10 females and 10 males) were randomly assigned to two groups named Group S and Group NS. Group S alpacas were sheared in December at the age of 10 months, when fibre had reached the length of 12.78 cm. Group NS alpacas were not sheared and their fibre length in December at the age of 10 months was of 13.11 cm. Skin biopsies and fleece were sampled from each animals at 10, 11, 12, and 16 months of age. The recorded data were used to calculate the fibre diameter, the fibre length, the percentage of active secondary follicles and the ratio of secondary to primary follicles. Data were analysed as a split-plot design with the shearing effect as whole-plot, the age effect as subplot and the animals as replication term in testing the shearing effect. Fibre diameter, percentage of active secondary follicles and S/P ratio showed no statistically significant differences between treatment groups and age. Significant different (P
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