Fall Shearing 2025 COMPLETE!

Blog #38

So …, since there are no shearing gigs scheduled, I’m saying Fall Shearing 2025 is finished.  I’m going to do a summary in the next blog, but for today I’m happy to say I sheared more animals this year than last, and I also clicked 35 times on my counter with Valais Blacknose sheep.  They were only at three locations, but they get sheared twice a year.  This single breed accounted for almost 15% of the total number of sheep and goats I sheared this year.  That kind of surprises me since they’ve only been available in the US for less than a decade.   Not surprisingly, they were the last breed on my calendar this year.

Along with being last round of shearing, this was also my last rescheduled shearing day, so -- Yay!  Dede and I had another peaceful drive out to Milledgeville and pulled up to a cattle barn that’s serving double duty right now.  While cattle and sheep have different size, spacing, and strength requirements, cattle and horse barns are always , I don’t know, I guess comforting to shear in.  I think in part it’s because they’re almost built to withstand a nuclear blast, and purposely so.  I’ve been kicked by horses and sheep, and while I don’t want to be kicked by either, I’ll take a sheep’s hooves any day over a horse, steer, cow, or bull.  Barns and stalls have to be built tough to contain an animal that can weigh a half-ton or more at maturity with the strength to accompany the mass.

Anyway, the sheep were penned up in the barn completely dry, friendly, hungry, and ready to be sheared.  Dede and I got set up and straight to work and the wool peeled off very well for a long-wool breed.  I had really good positioning today, so no loose wool got caught up in the cogs or shafting, which makes for a much less profane day. They sheared up well, and being all ewes, there were less ‘tickly bits’ to shear around, which is always less stressful.  I’m always careful when shearing around production areas, but with animals that can cost as much as a car, I’m extra-attentive.  Most owners are very understanding of the occasional nick on a flank or in the axilla, but when a single nick can send a sheep to the proverbial glue factory, no one wants to have that happen. 

Like the previous Valais Blacknose shearing day, these girls got the full spa treatment.  I’m still absolutely thrilled with the Hoof Boss® for finishing work on sheep hooves.  Hoof shears for taking off large pieces of overgrown hoof are a necessity, but for shaping, smoothing, and sorting out open pockets, the Hoof Boss is the way to go!  Each sheep received a complete shear, then moved over to the corner to have all four hooves trimmed and their udders evaluated.  Since these ewes were open I didn’t expect any issues with their milk production systems, and I didn’t see any, so everything went smoothly and it wasn’t long before we were packing up and heading home on a beautiful Georgia Fall afternoon.

 

 

I’m probably done shearing for about three months, so it’s a good opportunity to break down my machine and handpieces for a thorough cleaning and to send my dull combs and cutters off for some professional sharpening.  During the season I tactically clean and sharpen my own gear, but it’s good to have it professionally seen to periodically.  It’s much like a car:  Every 3-5,000 miles it gets an oil change, but every 30-50,000 miles it gets a full tuneup and inspection with specific items looked at for wear.

Aside from maintenance, the next things coming up are sending out the Spring Shearing 2026 scheduling email and getting ready for the annual Georgia Sheep Association annual meeting.  This year the meeting will be in Fort Valley and rumor has it there will be some really good presentations and a shearing demonstration among other sessions of interest to those in the community.  As information becomes available I’ll post it here and it will also be available at https://gasheepandwool.org/.

 

Thanks for following!

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. ***