Blog #26

Animal Rescue

So …, As stated previously, I’m shearing fewer animals in safer conditions until Fall. A recent morning found Dede and I on the road at 0600, stopping for coffee at Scooter’s along the Gray Highway, driving up to north Georgia.  As dawn broke, we saw several deer, cardinals, and rabbits out for the morning as we made our way to a barn well out of any nearby towns.  The barn had enclosed pens with ¾ walls and lots of airflow, lots of natural light and unhindered airflow, but full walls on the east/road side of the building.  Definitely good shearing conditions!

This is what I mean when I say climate-controlled conditions.  It’s not air conditioned, but no direct sun, plenty of airflow, fans if desired, and placed such that it takes advantage of natural cooling from the trees on the other side of the road.

  

We had five sheep to shear at an animal rescue farm. Dogs, sheep, horses, an emu, and many other animals, all living in peaceful conditions, well-fed, and with good veterinary conditions.  The barn I mentioned?  The side away from the pens is stacked with hay, and there’s alfalfa available as well for the forage animals, plus separate pastures adjacent to the barn.

  

Dede and I showed up, met the owner, and she took us to where we’d shear.  The animals were in a small pen, free of feed and water, with plywood to shear on, power and a post for mounting my machine.  She had a good plan for where the animals would go after shearing and pitched in when it was time to get the five sheep to the shearing board.  As I was shearing we had a good conversation about condition scoring, breeds, and animal health, along with talking about our kids, and how their family came to have such a menagerie of animals.

  

She said many people have requested they come pick up animals because the animal no longer fits their lifestyle.  That seems weird to me, since having livestock is a way of life, not something to add to a lifestyle.  I’m a city kid, and even I know that cattle don’t belong in a subdivision backyard, no matter how cute they are as a calf.  Much like everyone loves newborn baby humans when they’re so cute, quiet, and cuddly, but those babies can grow into sullen, moody teenagers with an unending need for clothes, food, and entertainment.  Why would you think a steer, a hog, sheep, or an emu would be different?  While I question people who buy livestock for a trend, I’m grateful there are rescue operations who will care for these animals when they are passe, so they won’t have to be put down.

All five sheep sheared well, from the tired, old, cross-bred wether to the energetic Babydoll ram.  The owner was at the gate supervising and chatting, Dede kept an eye on me, and before long we were packing up and heading back down the highway.
C-Ya!

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