Blog #45
So …, This was our third field trip to shear this flock
of Gulf Coast Native sheep, plus the chance to hang out with one of the oldest known
Pygora goats in the world. The Ornery
Shepherd hosted Dede and I over the weekend and it was a great time. Good food, company, and hard work combined
for a really good weekend.
This weekend was also a learning moment for me. Like Toby Keith sang, “I ain’t as good as I
once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.”
Well, I’m not as fast but I’m more consistent when I shear. My tallies will never be listed anywhere but
on my spreadsheet and maybe this blog, but the sheep come out looking smooth,
and most of the blood shed so far this year has been mine. I’m okay with that, too. There’s definitely a need for small flock
shearers who will come out for a sheep or two and aren’t looking for flocks
over a hundred. I’m fine with flocks up
to a dozen.
A combination of things make this shearing trip enjoyable. The owners are very
engaging and straight-forward and treat shearing weekend as an event. The sheep were already penned when I showed
up, off feed and water, and the materials I need on-site were prepped. There was a plan for sheep movement to
minimize herding, and post-shearing was straight-forward, right out off the board. At suppertime, but before we ate, we went up the
hill to feed the guard dogs and look at the barn to make sure everything was
set, since no one wants a surprise at the beginning of a major project.
The flock itself was 34 sheep plus Lewis, the senior
Pygora goat. He’s 21+ years in, and even
though he moved a bit slower, he still saw what’s going on. There were two sheep sitting out shearing due
to health issues, and they will get their fleece removed later on in the year
in an even more relaxed environment than my shearing provides. The sunset and evening sky was beautiful to
see over the pastures and surrounding woods, and the bats were out as well, getting
their fill of evening bugs. The owner is
definitely not new to penning animals, so the sheep were in the pen behind a Powder
River-style gate with goat latches, and the gate was further blocked by a feed
trough. She really didn’t want to chase
down sheep or have to reschedule if they got soaked by rain or dew.
Saturday morning started out with a good breakfast and
coffee, then up the hill we went. The weather was overcast and cool, which worked out well. Setup was a good warmup
without breaking much of a sweat, so when the sheep started to come across the board
I was ready to go, and the sheep were about as dry as could be, except one. He
managed to delay getting penned up as the rain started earlier in the week, so
we decided to shear him toward the end.
With the sheep being snugly penned and good airflow, he was well dried
out by the time we got him on the board.
This flock was all ewes and wethers, so no nursing ewes or intact rams
to contend with. I worked out the adjustments
on my handpiece and made sure to scrub the lanolin, then oil the cutters
between sheep and my gear stayed in top form all day. I was exceptionally pleased that the owner
stayed right in the shearing pen with me but wasn’t over my shoulder. She had a great view of shearing, was able to
see how the flow was going, and also see the condition of the animals
during and after shearing without disrupting the flow or missing anything
important. As the day moved on, she
assisted in catching and tipping but generally was reserved from the process to
keep an eye on the big picture. She and
Dede had a great visit, and the two of them also worked the fleeces after
shearing so each animal’s fiber can be identified when it gets processed later
on.
Shearing continues to be the physically hardest job I’ve
ever had. When I was growing up, I
picked green beans from about 0600 – 1300 in the summer, Monday – Saturday. Later I worked in plywood and lumber mills
between school terms and once got hauled off to the ER due to an injury on the job. None of those gigs are as exhausting and taxing
as sheep shearing, but none of them give the sense of accomplishment shearing
does, either. At the end of the gig
there’s nothing like seeing the sheep munching on grass or hay, laying about,
or just doing what sheep do, relieved of the weight of a year’s fleece, knowing
that I did that. It’s an incredible
feeling to leave a site knowing there were no injuries to the sheep or the shearer,
the owner is pleased that animals look good, there’s a crop of natural fiber
for eventual use as clothing, carpet, insulation, or craft material, and knowing
I did it correctly, proficiently, and humanely. Whether one sheep or thirty, seeing them relaxed, hanging out, and free of wool feels great!
This brings the total to 35 sheep so far this season, two
gigs complete.
Next up—Swiss Valais Blacknose sheep in eastern Georgia!
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.
***
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