Shearing

We schedule our shearing date in January....then wait in 

anticipation for that date to come.

This year it was a bit chilly, but we all hung in there,

we had many hands to help with all the duties.

Catching each sheep in the holding pen, handing her off to the 

shearer and removing her coat so she can be shorn.

Another helper was keeping track of each sheep's ear tag number, 

recording it on an index card and slipping it into a large clear plastic bag.

The plastic bag was then handed off to another helper to gather

that precious fleece and place it into the plastic bag for safe keeping 

until it can be skirted and I can record the details about each fleece and 

who it was from (this being done at a later date).

While another helper would sweep the plywood board after each

sheep was shorn, so as not to contaminate wool fibers or have debris

on each separate fleece.  Leaving the shearers only one job to do.

Remove the precious wool from our lovely girls.

As I had mention earlier, I had already trimmed all the hooves and 

CDT shots have been given.

 I did hold out about 13 sheep to be roo-ed.  Some of our helpers wanted to 

experience rooing so we will be working on this several 

weeks from now.  I had many that were ready and I could have roo-ed

but the fleece was coming off right next to the bare skin and 

I didn't want a bunch of bare (bald) skinned sheep running around.

Now that most of them have been shorn it is much easier to monitor

baby bellies and get a better sense of who will be delivering first.

I expect that we will begin lambing approximately March 19th.

Based on when I put my cross breeding group together.

...hopefully we'll have lamb photos in a little over a week...