loumabel Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Last year I rescued two orphaned lambs from a smallholder who is an old work colleague of my Husband. We didnt need to shear them last year but we are obviously going to have to do it this year but I am not sure when we should do it. The weather here is not too good at the moment so I think I should hold off for a bit but are there any sheep owners out there who could give me some advice. Also never sheared a sheep in my life so any tips gratefully received Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 I didnt get my sheep sheared last year as only one was really old enough The year before we had them sheared in May and I plan to get them done this May too Lewis (Lwescott) came and sheared the oldest of my sheep a few weeks ago as she was pregnant and looking a bit uncomfortable, he sheared her by hand, it took ages and the result is a bit patchy but it did the job! If you want the sheep sheared by machine then its worth putting a notice up in your agricultural merchants to see if someone will tag your sheep on if shearing nearby (dont forget it needs to stay on your land though) The fleece needs to be dry before any type of shearing so at present its probably not practical If it suddenly gets hot and you are worried about flystrike then you can clip away the fleece at the sheep's rear end as an interim measure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I'm not a sheep owner but done Lambing on a few farms for 5 years so know a bit about sheep. As Tasha said, we hand sheared some of her ewes a few weeks ago... took a long time but hopefully she was a bit comfier after! They're usually done early summer to help against fly strike and cool them down or just before they're brought in over winter to stop them getting too hot. On the one farm all of the ewes are dagged - clipped around their tails + back legs - so they're a bit cleaner when lambing. Maybe ask the feed store or smallholder you got them from if they know of any local shearers who can tag you on if they are local. There tends to be a set fee, around £20, to do a small flock of up to 8/10 and then £1 or so per sheep after that. If you don't do them, the shearer will usually trim their feet for you too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loumabel Posted April 26, 2012 Author Share Posted April 26, 2012 Thanks to you both for replying. I have trimmed their bums a couple of weeks ago with some hand shears and it took me ages and my hand was killing me afterwards so I have massive admiration for you shearing a whole sheep with hand shears!!! The lady we got the sheep from shears her own ever expanding flock and I don't want to add to her already stressfull life and I would really like to learn to do it myself as my sheep are really tame and are just pets really that mow the lawn. I did manage to trim their feet with no dramas so I am hopeful between the two of us we can get them sheared, might not be pretty!! I have seen some electric shears on ebay and was thinking of buying these but I am worried about nicking their skin. The girls are kept outside all year, they have a field shelter but never use it they prefer to sit under two massive conifers that are in their paddock, so I really need to get them sheared so that there is enough time for the fleece to grow back for winter. I guess I should keep an eye on the weather and wait for the monsoon season to stop, I just don't want them to be either too cold or too hot and of course the dreaded fly strike is a worry. Thanks again for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 We asked around the local farmers and were given the number for a local lad. We phone/text in May and ask him to come over the following few weeks. He can't usually give us a date as he will usually fit our small flock in when he finishes early at one of the big sheep farms one day. We pay £20 for our 8 or so ewes and he also trims their feet. While they are penned we administer any vaccines and flystrike treatment as the native breeds are difficult to pen sometimes when there are only two of you. All ours will follow a bucket of food......unless they decide that something might be different then they will move together only to split into 3 groups at the last minute As previously said, you don't want them wet or damp but if you have to pen them then you also don't want their fleece full of straw so a pen on grass and in the shade is best. I use the fleece from ours so I don't want it full of straw either. Our shearer hates our Shetlands - they might be small but they aren't docile like commercial sheep and they won't stay on their backsides....they just get up and walk away. The big Kerry Hill pulled his complete rig over last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
