# HELP! SHEARING QUESTION?



## scooby

My daughter is doing her first 4-h lamb this year. And its hot! I need to shear her but  last time i sheared was 15 years ago and i dont remember how o and i gashed a 3-4 inch gash down my lambs side so i am a little resistant to do it my self. but all the shearers numbers the extension office gave me fell through. But they do have a pair of shears they will loan out. so here is my questions I read that if you use a 23 or 24 tooth cutter or/ slick shearer that is harder to cut the lambs and that even children can use it succecfully. is this true? also can you tell me anything that relates to shearing.... do's/ don'ts. and are the cutters interchangable or do they have to be for that model /make. also any one know where to get a cheap usable pair(under $100) if she decides to continue to do this?
Thanks for any info i appreciate every bit!!!


----------



## nsanywhere

I did my first shear this year. Tried the GIANT sheep shears from my cousin's farm - total disaster. They were hard to hold, I was terrified, my sheep got cut, fur bits everywhere, uneven and incomplete. Ugh.

We ended up using dog clippers and it was brilliant. Took about an hour, and lots small passes, but we got the whole fleece off like a giant blanket.

Even better, no cuts to my ewe, and the fleece was trimmed almost right to the skin so she is nice and comfy cool now.

I will be using those dog clippers again next year for sure!

good luck


----------



## scooby

so would regular clippers work? I got a pair of those in my bathroom!!!! How mush where the dog clippers?


----------



## ksalvagno

I don't know if the dog clippers would work but I would think you would at least need a 7 skiptooth blade. I use Andis clippers on alpaca crias and no other blade works on their fiber except the 7 skiptooth. Can't remember how much they are.


----------



## Mea

Any chance that an older 4-H er might be willing to help You ???     Some of those kids can be better than some adults !    Might check with Your extension office.

  Also You could put a listing on Craig's List for shearing...or Help with Shearing. 


    Just a couple ideas that occurred to me.    Good Luck.


----------



## scooby

Ya talk to the extension office already, unfortunatly around here all the 4-hers pretty much do everthing themselves. What is the diffrence between dog clipper, horse clippers and sheep clippers?


----------



## scooby

o ya and whats the best way to shear them? standing up/ laying flat, should i just tie her to the fence or push her up against one?


----------



## goodhors

Who is your sheep leader?  Ours were really helpful in teaching how to prep the market lambs for show.

Our routine now is to wash the lamb, usually with liquid Tide that takes out dirt and gunk in the wool.  We use the blower side of the shop vac, with a nozzle for crevices in furniture and blow off excess water.  Then with lamb on a stand, we use clippers and shear while wet.  

We have the big Sunbeam/Oster clippers using the 83-84AU blades for clipping.  Those are just regular blades, not sheep blades.  Does a pretty nice job and lamb stays pretty still on the stand.  Goat milking stand would work too.  Just get the lamb up off the ground to save your back with no leaning.

Haven't ever tried clipping sheep with small Oster clippers!  Could work since I clip the dog really short using the A5 or A2 models.  I use the #10 blades for that.

We have a shearing head on clippers.  Have a variety of blades and combs that friends said worked on THEIR sheep for shearing.  Did NOT work for us on our meat sheep.  Long fingers of combs will rip a sheep FAST.  Even on clean sheep, newly sharpened blades, they just do not cut well, neither smooth or fast.  One move by lambs and they are torn open.  Just ugly, since we are not unskilled in shearing, but sheep clippers don't work as promoted by others.

With the "all purpose" blades on the clippers, we have had no cuts or rips if sheep jumped around.  Blades go right thru the wool, leaving a neat, SHORT length behind for showing.  Sheep or lambs need to be dampened, those blades don't seem to cut well on dry or dirty wool.

Very odd to me, that sheep folks sell sheep specialty tools that don't work well for all.  I have now got a shearing head and a number of blades that don't work for sheep.  Using the same clippers and blades for body clipping the horses AND the sheep.

Make sure to keep any blades cool.  They will get hot enough to burn a sheep or yourself!  If you can't hold blades of clipper in your hand, they are too hot for the sheep.  This is why we have multiple pairs of clippers, so we can alternate when they get warm.  Hot blades will lose their "temper" as steel changes in the heat, dull up fast.  Wastes your blades and then you pay again for resharpening.


----------



## scooby

so what type of clippers id sunbeam.....horse/cattle /dog ect. and you just use a regular clipping blade not shearing blades?


----------



## nsanywhere

I don't know the clippers we used exactly - will have to ask my friend - but they were sunbeam.

We don't have a stand so got her on her back and held the front hooves while sitting on a stool. We started with the tummy and got most of the way around, legs, etc., then had her stand up to do the back, head and neck. 

Once we got a big chunk off and she realized how much better she felt she didn't fight us. She was a bit skittery for the rest of the day, but all good now.

Def a 2 person job!


----------



## aggieterpkatie

The biggest tip in preventing cuts to sheep is to keep their skin taught.  For example, when you're shearing their side, make sure they're not bending towards you.  You want their skin kept taught so there are NO wrinkles.  This is why you see shearers bend and move sheep certain ways.  

In general, the more teeth the comb has, the easier it is to shear without cutting.  I usually use a 13 tooth comb with my shearing machine.  

Do you have any A5 clippers? Those would work well.


----------



## goodhors

Here is a picture of Oster A5 clippers.  They are small, maybe 8 inches long.  They have single and 2 speed models, I have one of each.  Single speed is powerful, does a good job.  I got a deal on the 2 speed used, would not have gotten it otherwise.  

http://www.householdappliance.com/goldena5.html

This is what we call the "big" Sunbeam/Osters for body clipping.  Sunbeam used to be the company name, Oster bought them out.  Still haven't got it straight in my mind when talking about them.  Mine are elderly, were Sunbeams when I got them, still call them that!  Probably should just call them Clipmasters, which is the model name.

http://www.householdappliance.com/clipmaster.html

I would strongly recommend a single speed model, they are more powerful than the variable speed models, don't get hot as quick.  Somehow there is a power loss with the variable speed switch.  We have had both kinds, traded off the variable speeds for single speed black ones.  These black ones are what we use for both the sheep clipping and the body clipping of horses, same blades.

Clipper body is the same, whether using the head and blades above, or changing it to put a shearing head that uses combs instead.  Not hard to do yourself.  We have done that with one clipper we have.  Then we changed it back to the regular head since it works better on the sheep.

Here is a site with all the clippers, blades down at the bottom, in all sizes and shapes to fit these clippers.

http://www.householdappliance.com/oster_clipper.html

There are LOTS of other places selling these clipper models, so it can pay to shop around.  Even worn or old, all the parts are able to be replaced, so finding some yucky looking clippers in these models cheap, getting them fixed, could be a bargin.  Blades need to be sharp, so sending clippers and blades in for attention is part of the expense of using them.  Our local guy is GOOD, fixes and sharpens or tells you they are not worth fixing.

Other clipper brands are popular too, our 4-H folks like Listers.  They have a LOT of sheep, but the Listers are what they use at the shows for market lambs.  They do not use sheep blades either, which is where we learned our clipping methods.  Wool comes off like a hot knife thru butter.  No holes in the lambs, because they are clipping a couple hours before showing!

http://www.sheepman.com/ecommerce/ecomm_product_details.asp?prodId=1517&source=cat&catId=32

We also did the "more teeth on comb, the better the cutting" on advice from friends.  I think ours are 17 tooth combs, which didn't do any better on our lambs.  We do pull skin taut, have non-wrinkly sheep!  Still do best with the old Clipmasters and regular blades, not sheep blades.


----------



## GladeCreek

goodhors said:
			
		

> Here is a picture of Oster A5 clippers.  They are small, maybe 8 inches long.  They have single and 2 speed models, I have one of each.  Single speed is powerful, does a good job.  I got a deal on the 2 speed used, would not have gotten it otherwise.
> 
> http://www.householdappliance.com/goldena5.html
> 
> This is what we call the "big" Sunbeam/Osters for body clipping.  Sunbeam used to be the company name, Oster bought them out.  Still haven't got it straight in my mind when talking about them.  Mine are elderly, were Sunbeams when I got them, still call them that!  Probably should just call them Clipmasters, which is the model name.
> 
> http://www.householdappliance.com/clipmaster.html
> 
> I would strongly recommend a single speed model, they are more powerful than the variable speed models, don't get hot as quick.  Somehow there is a power loss with the variable speed switch.  We have had both kinds, traded off the variable speeds for single speed black ones.  These black ones are what we use for both the sheep clipping and the body clipping of horses, same blades.
> 
> Clipper body is the same, whether using the head and blades above, or changing it to put a shearing head that uses combs instead.  Not hard to do yourself.  We have done that with one clipper we have.  Then we changed it back to the regular head since it works better on the sheep.
> 
> Here is a site with all the clippers, blades down at the bottom, in all sizes and shapes to fit these clippers.
> 
> http://www.householdappliance.com/oster_clipper.html
> 
> There are LOTS of other places selling these clipper models, so it can pay to shop around.  Even worn or old, all the parts are able to be replaced, so finding some yucky looking clippers in these models cheap, getting them fixed, could be a bargin.  Blades need to be sharp, so sending clippers and blades in for attention is part of the expense of using them.  Our local guy is GOOD, fixes and sharpens or tells you they are not worth fixing.
> 
> Other clipper brands are popular too, our 4-H folks like Listers.  They have a LOT of sheep, but the Listers are what they use at the shows for market lambs.  They do not use sheep blades either, which is where we learned our clipping methods.  Wool comes off like a hot knife thru butter.  No holes in the lambs, because they are clipping a couple hours before showing!
> 
> http://www.sheepman.com/ecommerce/ecomm_product_details.asp?prodId=1517&source=cat&catId=32
> 
> We also did the "more teeth on comb, the better the cutting" on advice from friends.  I think ours are 17 tooth combs, which didn't do any better on our lambs.  We do pull skin taut, have non-wrinkly sheep!  Still do best with the old Clipmasters and regular blades, not sheep blades.


Okay, I bought the Oster A5 and it comes with a #10 blade. What blade # would I need to get to shear my sheep?


----------



## goodhors

We used the #10 blade to clip the already sheared sheep down to the skin.  She could not find the big clippers, so she got out the A5 and did a nice job.  Cut off short wool, since lambs get sheared often to keep cool, gain weight for Fair.  Left a very short fuzzy layer, perfect for showing.

Again, wash sheep well, liquid Tide is good, cuts grease and gets out dirt.  Then blow off excess water with a shop vac or towel dry the lambs before shearing.  May take half-dozen towels if wool has any length.

She cuts the wool while it is still damp.  So do all the kids at shows, with their market lambs.  Seems to work fine, they get an even, close cut for the class.  I do take the blades off after, dry them to prevent rust.  Kind of odd because I can't get any cutting done on the dry wool with those same clippers!

I would have more than one set of #10 blades on hand.  If they heat up much, they get dull FAST.  Test for heat with your hand.  If you can't hold the blades, they are too hot for the sheep as well.  You need to change blades or let the clippers cool off.  If you cut and find dirt in the wool, you can dull them up.  Keep them lubricated, try not to recut the same wool that didn't fall off well.

Some sheep are fine to sit down and shear.  Mine have ALL fought like tigers, they didn't read that chapter about sitting and being quiet!  We use a stand, which allows us to easily reach all parts with little or no fight.  Getting lambs up higher, is easier on your back.  Height makes a HUGE difference to me!  Maybe you can cobble up a stand on a crate or workbench, with a headlock for the animal.  My stand doubles as the dog grooming bench between sheep, dog is easier to do up there too!.


----------



## SDGsoap&dairy

If you're getting your blades wet make sure and oil them after each use.


----------



## GladeCreek

Hmmm....it sounds like I may have to trim the sheep with hand shears first and then use the clippers for a better looking cut....:/ I may have to think about this for awhile.

I have 2 Shetlands and they are pets only so I have no need to shear them more than once a year, I think. I am still new at all this. The people I bought them from just used regular hand shears and sat the sheep on their laps while they cut. I think I would prefer a stand though since I am now clipping my dogs too. Hurts the back, like you said, having to bend down all the time.

As far as a bath goes, do you just use the cold water from the faucet or do you use warm water? My babies could use a bath no matter what. They are dirty....


----------



## goodhors

We use warm for that first shearing of long wool of lambs.  Helps soap cut the grease and really clean the wool.  Like everyone, the lambs LIKE warm water! 

However with Shetlands, you may want to save the wool, and warm water may make wool felt if you rub it a lot to get it clean.  Never sheared a Shetland!  I would try the liquid Tide with cold water, see what you get.  Other soaps could work, just may not work on grease as well.  After bathing, I would REALLY blow them off with the shop vac, to remove water and fluff the wool well.  The Fair Shetlands being shown, looked very clean and nice after blowing them to remove water.  Kind of the "cotton ball on toothpicks" look which was very cute.  Clean wool allowed examination for texture, crimp and "lustre" according to the Judge.  He remarked on what nice lustre one ewe had.

I would be very hesitant to use hand shears, they are pointy and sharp!  Just a big chicken, aiming such tools at an animal!!  I am picturing here the one-piece old-fashioned shears with wide, triangular blades.

I would believe you could shear the long wool, using the A5 clippers.  I use the A5s on my dog who has a massive coat each Spring.  Her hair is like wool, curly and grows year around.  She is trimmed using the #10 blades, like all the other animals.  Our A5s had no problem with the lamb wool.  Length should not be the problem, same amount of hairs attached to the sheep as if wool was short!!  Just cut slowly, giving blades a chance to do their job, not push faster than they can cut so they bind up with clogs.  Remove cut wool by a wrist flip with clippers or use the other hand to pull cut wool off the sheep.  This cleans the  skin working area, you are not double cutting the same wool to use up blade sharpness.  AND you can see what you are doing better.  If you want to save the wool, lay an old sheet under clipping area to collect it after you finish.  Know that sheep seem to pee a LOT as you shear, so you don't kick wool under the stand to get VERY wet.


----------

