# How to wash a sheep



## doxiemoxie (Mar 19, 2013)

My ewe really needs a bath!  I will probably wait until after she lambs (about 10 days away) but she's kind of grimy.  She is a high percent dorper, her wool is about 3 inches thick and feels lanolin rich right now.  What type of shampoo should I use so that it will rinse clean and how important is it to use warm water? Warm water would have to come out of a bucket versus more pressure from a hose, but cold.  We have been having off and on warm weather (in the low 70s) what else do I need to consider?


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## purplequeenvt (Mar 19, 2013)

We use dish soap and water straight from the hose.


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## goodhors (Mar 19, 2013)

Use the shop vac as a blower, to get the extra water off her when finished.
Blowing the sheep that way, will get her dry faster, so she is not chilled
or staying soaked for long times.  With you using soap on sheep wool, 
it breaks down the lanolin, to get sheep actually "wet" to the skin.
Not like sheep left in the rain, that shed off rain with greasy wool.

You might want to get this over and done with soon, while you have
time before delivery date.  You don't want to stress her, cause an 
early delivery or problems.

Have you clipped or cleaned off her rear end and udder?  Cleaning the
back end, shortening wool, will let her lamb and clean off easily.  Less wool for fluids or 
afterbirth to stick to, develop a problem.  An exposed udder, clean of
wool, lets lambs find the teats for easy nursing, so lambs are getting
needed colostrum quickly.


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## doxiemoxie (Mar 19, 2013)

Thanks for your responses!          Being dorper, (and having already been clipped once) she doesn't need to be crotched. Her udder is beautiful and naked, the hairline along her belly and rump is all short, no tags or anything to block a baby suckling.  I am not going to bathe her until AFTER she lambs because she is already "tired" and uncomfortable and I don't want to stress her.  But her face, neck and chest are almost black with something she rubbed in. I like the idea of using the shop vac as a blower.  I was worried that the soap would lift too much of the lanolin.  Will she replace it quickly enough that if she's out in the rain (her choice, she has a shelter) within a week or two of her bath that she'll have enough to protect her?


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## boothcreek (Mar 20, 2013)

Being a hairsheep and depending on where you are I wouldnt bother with washing, they should start shedding pretty soon anyway. Up here mine generally start shedding mid april, I would think further south they would be shedding up a storm at this point or starting pretty soon.

Got a ram that looks beyond nasty, not sure how he managed to break off all his guard hairs and almost the whole outter insulating layer too, but he is also greased up pretty good and just looks filthy. The weather doesnt bug him though(and its snowing right now, ugh, go away white stuff!!!).

Already noticed with my ewe group that some of the girls are shedding their wool but not their hair yet, soon very soon!

So as long as she didnt roll in something toxic I would leave it be, she will shed it out pretty soon.


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## aggieterpkatie (Mar 20, 2013)

boothcreek said:
			
		

> So as long as she didnt roll in something toxic I would leave it be, she will shed it out pretty soon.


I agree.  There's not really any benefit to washing sheep unless you show them.


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## purplequeenvt (Mar 20, 2013)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> boothcreek said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


X2, I was about to add to my previous post that we only wash our sheep in preparation for a show.


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## TexasShepherdess (Mar 24, 2013)

Ditto above..I have dorpers and I never wash them unless they are going to a show (before clipping and then right before we show them)

I noticed the other day my ram is looking pretty grimy..he doesn't seem bothered by it and he'll be shedding soon enough (one ewe is already starting)


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