Shearing a sheep

The first thing to be sure of is that the area where you will be shearing is clean. You might want to get an old rug to shear the sheep and also to keep the fleece clean. You will not want to have the sheep near the area where they are bedded or a storage area as you won't want chaff to be carried by the sheep or to be blown into the shearing area. You will want a bare ground floor that is clean and also a clean rug to shear the sheep upon.

The holding pen where you will be holding the sheep until you can shear them should not be crowded as there might be unsanitary conditions, such as urine or droppings. This could get on the fleece of the sheep before they are sheared. I would suggest that you provide an elevated slatted floor in the holding pens as the urine and manure can drop to a lower place and not be on the fleece.

You might want to consider shearing before the sheep are sent to pasture as grazing in the pastures will most likely have an effect on the bowels and the fleece could become stained. The cleaner the fleece the better the market value: this is something to remember and keep in mind when shearing the sheep.

The wool doesn't need to be kept on the sheep too late in the year and natural shedding will occur and affect the weight of the fleece when weighed to be sold on the market.

You might want to consider using a high runner comb to obtain No. 1 fleece on lambs that are to be marketed for slaughter and ones that are in good condition at shearing time. It takes about 60 days for a lamb to grow a No. 1 pelt if they are fed good rations.

When you start to remove the fleece, always remember: you want to remove the fleece in one piece, and never tear or break the fleece apart. You will want to shear close to the body except in the case of finishing lambs as the time to grow the fleece will be reduced. Try to avoid second cuts as they add short fibers to the fleece and the value on the marked is lowered. You want to be able to shear the animal just once and don't want to return to shear a second time.

It is best to remove any dung and grease on the fleece before sheering or any other foreign materials.

There is an invention from Australia that is known as the Barthwick power-driven shearing table, which can work as an assembly-line and will speed up the process of shearing sheep. You would be able to walk the sheep up a ramp and it would be held in a loading pen till the rotary table comes around for loading. The loading is tilted by pulling a string and the sheep falls on its back on the table where the operator fastens its legs to designed holders, then the shearing is done without the operator having to hold the sheep.

Every fleece should contain the following: a top knot, head and neck wool, shoulder, back and side wool, leg wool, belly wool, breech wool and tags. Remember that the back, side and shoulders of wool will make up about three fourths of the fleece and bring the most in value. You want to tie the fleece so that the most valuable part is on the outside. The fleece should be tied with a paper twine. It is done by going around the fleece once with paper twine, crossing, then going around once to the right angles to the first and then tie. Do not roll or tie too tightly as springy fleeces are more valuable.

The wool should be packed in bags of about seven feet in length. You will want to use either burlap or commercial waterproof bags with the seams turned to the outside so the bags can be more easily opened for display. You can form handles for the fleece by stuffing tags into the corners of the bag and tying them off. You should also use a stacking stand to hold the bag up and open so you can properly pack the fleece.

To store the wool make sure it is stored in a clean and also dry place. Cover the wool with a tarpaulin to protect it when transporting.