Blog #29

“And now, batting cleanup …”

So …, I’ve only got one gig left to reschedule from this blessedly hot and wet spring and summer, and it’s only taken since April to get the rest caught up.  While everyone wants shearing tomorrow, if not sooner, sometimes that’s just not realistic due to time constraints, weather, and owner/shearer availability.  I’m very thankful to those folks who have been working with me to get their sheep sheared after multiple setbacks.  I finally got one of the most worrying jobs complete!  The job itself is very straight-forward: a dozen Gulf Coast Native (GCN) sheep about an hour away, and easy to get to while still avoiding I-75.

The troubling part is that I rescheduled this job three times and then had to split it into two days.  The first reschedule was due to rain—can’t shear wet sheep.  The second time was also due to wet sheep, but they were in the barn until a tornado blew through, freaking out the sheep to the point they broke out of the barn into the rain.  The third time I actually got set up and shearing, only to succumb to heat exhaustion since Spring turned from temperate and damp to hot and humid overnight (see Blogs 22 and 25).  I finally finished those last three GCNs and they sheared up like beauties.  In a nice dry barn with plenty of airflow, the sheep were relaxed, and their wool just peeled off.  One ewe got a shoulder nick, but that still worked out to be a good learning opportunity.

 

 

Hospitals now use medical grade cyanoacrylate adhesive, also known as super-glue, in place of stitches where they can, and the same thing can be done with sheep, with a bonus.  When the nick is a bit bigger than a comb poke, but not truly serious, bring the edges of the cut together and run a bead of superglue down the seam.  Hold it together and gently apply a good layer of clean, freshly shorn wool to the cut, and hold it until it sets.  The glue will physically bind the edges together, and where it separates a bit, the wool acts as an anti-bacterial flex bandage, moving with the animal’s movement until a more complete healing forms.  If this is backed up with an anti-bacterial spray, such as Blu-Kote, there is a lower risk of flystrike or infection than simply spraying or gluing alone. Interestingly, early in the season I nicked two ewes.  One was treated with Blu-Kote, the other with superglue and wool.  The owner told me later that the glue/wool treated ewe healed faster than the other one.  Thankfully I’ve only needed to perform first aid on a few animals since then.  I learned this tip last winter—Thanks Shelly!

The big reason that this “fourth try” gig troubled me is that I don’t want to disappoint the owner.  It means a lot when someone entrusts me with part of their livelihood, their pet, or their hobby, and I don’t take that lightly.  Having to move their scheduled shearing around is additional work for everyone, but when it’s beyond the owner’s or my control, it can’t be avoided.  I still don’t like it, though.

One more rescheduled gig to go and I’ll be caught up, provided there are no other weather events to hijack things.  I’m not worried—it’s not like we have hurricanes come through middle Georgia, right?  Stand by for a round of reschedules …

C-Ya!

 

*** Shearing is an important part of sheep farming for the sheep's wellbeing***