Shear Madness...

I had originally planned to write a more detailed "Shearing Day" blog, but the gruesome discovery on the barn floor that morning turned me into a stressed-out mess for a few days...  I still think that an amended "Shearing Day" posting is in order so here it is...

Preparing for the Shearer -
I think it is important to carefully prepare for your shearer's visit, especially if you ever want them to return!

• You should have your worming/vaccinations/feet trimming done prior to shearing time OR have enough people there to help so that the shearer is not waiting for you.
• If you plan to have the shearer do "extras" like shots or foot trimming, arrange it with them ahead of time AND expect to pay for this service.
• Make sure the sheep are DRY on shearing day...  not only will wet wool not dry once sheared and bagged up, but your shearer will get soaking wet having to handle water-logged sheep.
• Have your sheep penned up prior to the shearer's arrival...  and don't expect them to catch your sheep for you.
• Don't feed the sheep before the shearer arrives - believe it or not, handling and manipulating a sheep with an empty stomach is much easier on sheep AND shearer.  A full stomach will not allow the sheep to bend appropriately.
• Have your supplies ready: bags for wool, broom, garbage bin, coffee or water for the shearer, wound dust, livestock dust...

Have a Plan -

• Who will catch the sheep, where will the sheep go after shearing, who will bag the wool, who will sweep between sheep?
• Which sheep will you shear first?  Usually we shear our white sheep first and then the black since we don't want to mix the black fibers in with the white clip, but grade of wool is also a concern.  We shear our white fine wool first, then our black fine wool, followed by our coarser wools.

Here is a diagram of our barn set up for shearing:

click to enlarge

Post Shearing -

• Dusting your sheep with Livestock Dust after shearing can be a good idea if you have had any issues with mites, ticks, or other bugs.  We don't worry too much in the winter, but do dust our sheep sheared later in the spring.
• It is inevitable that some sheep will get small cuts - maybe they were wriggling around and the clippers slipped or they have very wrinkly skin that got caught in a blade...  Have wound dust handy, but don't get too worried, the lanolin which sheep produce will likely have them healed in no time.
• Feed the sheep - their bodies will need to adjust to their new "climate" now that they are nudists...  extra calories will help keep them warm.  Food will also keep them busy as they "meet" all of these strange, naked sheep they think they are just meeting for the first time.
• Tip your shearer if they have done a great job...  If you think about the hard work they do, it is thankless, dirty, taxing on the body, and they will remember your generosity (even if the tip is lunch or some farm produce).

If you make every effort to be prepared for shearing day, you will end up with happy sheep, a happy shearer, and a good wool clip.

I love shearing day...  it is amazing to watch your sheep go from wooly beasts to slick and clean in a matter of minutes...  and suddenly you have a whole new batch of WOOL to play with or sell!!!