Blog #16

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

So …, three shearing gigs scheduled, two completed lately.  There’s a saying that “in combat, the enemy gets a vote.”  In agriculture, the weather gets a vote.  For safety and efficient shearing, sheep have to be dry and off all feed and water for at least 12 hours.  Keeping them off food and water isn’t exceptionally difficult, since they can be effectively shut in a dry pen overnight.  That’s true until a storm (like a tornado) hits.  When the rain blows sideways and animals are subject to panic, a light gap and they’re out of the barn, in the weather and into food and water. The first two jobs were straight-forward and smooth. The last one, well, it's getting rescheduled.

I was able to complete one gig after work, having all my gear loaded into the truck so I could shear “on my way” home, although the barn was an additional 40 miles away from home.  The two retired show wethers, Hampshire/Suffolk crosses, were penned up in a beautiful barn, well-socialized and curious about what was happening.  They sheared up very well and were back out in the pasture in a matter of minutes, complete with a fresh pedicure to boot.

The next site was a good time for all involved.  We took off on a sunny morning, driving out across lots of farm and woodland, and took the turnoff down a long drive, where we were escorted by a hawk.  No kidding, we followed it down the road to the post it lit on, then again as it flew down the lane to the left, off toward the barn with the sheep.

  

Dede and I got set up and the owners wrangled the sheep that were to get shorn so I could focus on the job at hand.  These girls were off additional feed, but they still had access to grass, so they were a bit uncomfortable on the board with full rumens.  The other thing that made these fun was their breed.  This batch of sheep was all Valais Blacknose, so wool everywhere, horns, and a face that causes depth perception issues due to the 100% black nose.  It seems their wool also has a propensity to matt, especially around the muzzle.  When shearing up the neck, the handpiece starts out at the brisket and is run up the underside of the neck blind, flat against the skin, coming out under the chin.  With a matt right at the chin, the handpiece can’t readily break through, so the shearer has to pull it back down the neck and slice through the matt to continue shearing the neck wool.  Cutting through matts is never easy, but sometimes there’s no choice.

 

These sheep were due to be shorn several months ago, but the owners had difficulty finding someone who would shear six-month old lambs.  Valais Blacknose are relatively new to America, so shearers don’t have a lot of exposure to them, and they need to be treated much more like a long-wool sheep or angora goat, sheared every six months from the start.  Thankfully, the owners asked me to put them on the schedule for October, so they’ll stay on a good shearing/hygiene schedule.  The ewes also got a quick mani-pedi, and then they were back in the pasture for a bite and a quiet afternoon.  The owner has well-divided pastures, and  planned to push them into a partially wooded pen so they have plenty of grass, water, and access to shade while their skin toughens and wool fills back in, reducing the likelihood of sunburn.  While generally having a full, medium micron-wool, these sheep can still use sun protection immediately following shearing.

  

 

The last job, the gig that wasn’t, happened following a spring storm that spawned some terrific wind, soaking the sheep.  While it may not seem like a big deal, several things add up to make shearing wet sheep dangerous.  First, water and oil don’t mix, so wet sheep on a shearing board covered with lanolin makes for too slippery for safety.  Second, when skin gets wet it gets soft, making nicks, cuts, and scrapes more likely, which is not good for the sheep.  Finally, a squirmy, wet sheep with a layer of lanolin on the skin is difficult to handle and maneuver with just one hand and two knees, increasing the likelihood of a mishap.  Fortunately, the owner was good with rescheduling, and is close by, so it wasn’t a wasted drive across the state, but instead a beautiful drive a few counties over, complete with deer hightailing across a pasture on the way.

Several more gigs are on the schedule, and I’m regularly getting texts and emails to shear.  I think I’ve got plenty of opportunities to see more of Georgia, find new coffeehouses, meet great folks, and add to the number of breeds I’ve sheared.  I’m looking forward to what’s next!

 C-Ya!

Shameless Plug:  Shearing sheep is a dirty, sweaty job, leaving the shearer smelling like, well, sheep.  The soapmakers at Blackberry Farmstead turn out a great bar of soap, and after a shower using their goat milk soap called “The Gentleman” I feel clean and smell a whole lot better.  Check their website at www.blackberryfarmstead.com.

 *** No animals were harmed in the making of this post. Shearing is an important part of sheep farming for the wellbeing of the sheep. ***