Sheep Shearing

What a lovely day it was, shearing day!  Good weather, good friends, good food and good fun.

I spent some time preparing so that things would run smoothly.  The shearer said he expected to arrive at around two or two thirty.  So, those that were able to attend to help out and take in the fun were asked to bring a contribution to a potluck lunch.  The idea was that we'd have a leisurely lunch and then head to the barn for shearing.

Well, most folks planning to join us were late, which was fine, really, since the shearer ended up arriving even later.  I had planned and so I had a dinner in the crock pot for those who remained afterwards - which ended up being everyone.

I had brought the sheep into the Small Barn at four o'clock the day before.  It was threatening rain and wet sheep cannot be shorn.  There was quite a storm overnight but the sheep remained dry.  Unfortunately, the sheep had to wait in the Small Barn almost a full twenty-four hours before shearing began.  I fed them hay but they were tight for space and hot.

Peanut was the last to lamb on Friday, May 16th and she and her lamb were still in a separate pen.  CP arrived late in the morning and helped me to bring Peanut and Baby down from the Big Barn.  My plan was for Peanut to be shorn first and then she and Baby would be outside and gradually meet the flock as they went outside after their shearing.  Yes, the lamb's name is Baby as she is the last lamb and so much younger than the others.

 In this photo, my sister is holding Baby (a.k.a. Poopy Bottom) while mother Peanut is shorn first.  Many young lambs had messy bottoms.  Like humans there is baby poo from the rich colostrum or first milk.  These animals are very healthy and I kept up the grain supply, plus the green grass shortly after lambing and the rich feed of mother results in soft stool in the lambs.  It clears up.  The older lambs are already chewing their cud like their mothers.

After this I de-wormed all of the adults.  This went well.  I hadn't done this in thirty or so years.  I had a few problems with the equipment but managed to figure it out.  The sheep were co-operative and swallowed at the appropriate time and not one bashed me around.  My body is not holding up to the bashing as well as it did thirty years ago.

The shearer finally arrived and apologised for taking longer at his previous job.  He was the tallest shearer I had ever seen.  Of similar age to me he did well to maintain his back in a healthy way.  He had a look around, got his equipment from his truck and set up.  It was interesting watching him perform what must be ritual preparations, including donning a specific pair of running shoes.  This made perfect sense to me as I watched him shear since he was often standing on the fleece.  I think too the runners were canvas and very washable.

Here are some pics of the shearer at work.   The pile of wool behind him is garbage wool, very dirty and very short.  I kept it to mulch the tomatoes.

It was very hot and humid.  Shearing is hard work.  It is not difficult to hold the sheep since the method of positioning the sheep leaves them pretty well immobilised.  The left side of the animal is done first.

Here he is holding her snout and pulling her neck straight as he glides the shears upward under her neck.

Side one is done here and he has begun side two. He will pull her up onto her bottom again to complete the right side, starting at the head and working along to the tail.

I had heard this fellow was good, very good.  And he was fast, a characteristic noted by CP, a fellow spinner in attendance. 

He also took a few minutes to show me how he - and other shearers - catch and immobilize the sheep.  It really is great to know and practise these things as it is easier and kinder to your back.  I appreciate that he took a few minutes to show me these techniques.


 Unfortunately he does not shear llamas and I had to find someone else to do them.






 Peanut was first.  Here she is with her lamb, outside for the first time with all the big kids.

  


After the ewe was shorn I gathered up the fleece and went through to the garage.  There I had set up a skirting table.  This is an old gate I found on the farm.  I have repaired the broken frame and replaced the broken and rusty wire.  The open fence material allows any loose vegetable matter in the fleece to fall to the floor.  The skirting team was warned that there were many burrs in the wool.

They had fun - as far as I could tell.  Okay, they said they had fun, too.  I overheard snippets of good conversation as I went in and out.  And there were oohs and aahs over various fleeces. 

 After skirting - literally removing the skirt or edge of the fleece - it is rolled up and put in a bag.

 Everyone had soft hands at the end of the day, despite the sheepy smell on their clothes.  The lanolin of wool is delicious to the hands.

And each fleece is weighed.  This is very important since it is sold by weight.

I am curious about moisture loss and will weigh again after a week.






Although a commercial flock, some of the fleeces were exceptional from a spinner's perspective, as declared by CP.  A spinner, CP was happy to take home Smudge's fleece which weighed five pounds.  CJ packed up the 5.3 pounds of Maybelle's fleece to begin a felting project.  I kept one adult fleece - that of Dot - and one yearling fleece - that of Peanut. 

Happy shorn sheep now adorn the fields.  This is Marmalade.  Some of the sheep look very different now and I have to figure out who they are. The lambs now look much larger next to their shorn mothers.

In the foreground is Spot, Tall Girl is in the middle and Charlotte is against the fence.  This is the small pond behind the house.

 
Not only is the lamb kicking up his heels after being cooped up inside for twenty-four hours but Mom - I think this is Spot - is very happy to be without her winter coat as she too kicks up her heels.







And afterwards the crew of us had a lovely dinner, enjoying good food and fellowship.  Thank you ladies!  What a delightful time we had together.