Blog #27

Finally, 100%

So …, this has been a very damp spring and early summer.  One gentleman I shear for even commented online that we haven’t gone more than a few days without serious rain since Memorial Day and based on the number of shearing reschedules, I agree.  I finally broke my 50% streak recently, though.

This Saturday's shearing was a reschedule from April, and it was a must-do.  This was an adult, Blue-Faced Leicester-cross wether up in Dawsonville.  This sheep has the most beautiful gunmetal gray skin and wool that sun-bleaches to a light tan.  He’s also strong, and has no problem attempting to establish dominance, which is shown by kicking and stiffening up rather than flexing. My initial plan was to shear him with a Shearmaster, rather than setting up my big machine, but I was sweating so much that by the midway point I was getting water into the motor, which shorted through me anytime I touched the sheep with my off-hand.  Considering that my heart is between my right hand and my left-hand, I wasn’t a big fan of having electricity complete that circuit using me as a conduit.

So, we had a half-hour break to set up the EVO.  One issue with this wether is that his lanolin was set down tight near his skin, and his wool included an inch thick matt of felt.  It really felt like I was chipping his wool off rather than shearing it.  I was able to get him sheared and turned loose to forage in the cool woods of his farm in north Georgia, so it turned out well.

Following that gig I dropped off about 40 pounds of wool at Spirit Fiber Works for processing into wool pellets.  Wool is a fantastic fertilizer based on the nutritive components of wool plus some other benefits.  In soil, wool can break down in a matter of months, and it adds and fixes nitrogen into the soil as well.  When you consider that the wool market has been depressed for decades, finding an economically viable use for this incredible material is a godsend.  Rather than dumping taggy, dirty, coarse wool into a dumpster, it can be spread as a base for raised gardens, placed in the bottom of plant pots as a filler, filter, and long-term fertilizer, or made into pellets as a more controllable and spreadable fertilizer.  I mentioned a bonus feature—wool can act as a barrier defense against slugs and snails. Along with spreading or tilling it into the soil, if it’s placed in a ring around the base of a plant it acts as a deterrent to gastropods.

And that was just the first day of the weekend!

Sunday found me on the road to Milledgeville to shear a few Southdown Babydolls at Crager Hills Farm.  Sunny morning, hot latte, minimal traffic, and pretty soon I was there, but so was the heat.  Mid-80s by 0900, but thankfully the owner had multiple fans in the open-plan barn, plus a helper.  Wow!  Setup was quick with initial supervision from the livestock guard dogs, but once they sniffed and licked me and saw that I wasn’t a threat, they headed back to the shade.  The other animals were doing the same—goats, donkeys, and a few head of cattle are all well-fed, well-watered, and have plenty of access to shade and forage.  Some days I wouldn’t mind a life like that: no responsibilities, food and water brought to me, lay in the shade or sun as I feel led, health care provided on a regular schedule, and guards to keep threats at bay.  The Cragers run a happy, heathy livestock operation and it’s great to see that lived out.

These few sheep went as good as Babydolls can go.  A few were a bit kicky, and it’s always tight getting to all the places they have wool because they are such small-bodied sheep.  I’d finish an animal, the owner would work a quick couple of vaccinations, I’d get some water, then we’d go on to the next one.  The breaks, easy pace, and air flow made this possible.  Too many sheep too fast in this environment is a huge acute health risk, so the slower pace makes it work.  After packing up and having a bite of lunch it was time to get back on the road.  Before I left we agreed to get these sheep pre-added to next year’s schedule so they don’t get sheared in the heat of summer and have time to grow a bit of a coat back before sunburn can be an issue and also allow their wool to serve as a cooling insulator.

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. ***