# Help me choose Shearers, ASAP!



## secuono (Jan 17, 2012)

I need to order sheep shears and I need help choosing which brand and from website or seller. 
It needs to be cabled [plugs into wall, NO batterys], clipper and head, a kit would be nice so I don't have to buy all the other stuff separately. I rather not spend more than $150. A lot on ebay that are under $100 add 30-40 for 'shipping' just to get the full price. 

Any others or anyone selling???

$120 shipped.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/320W-Electr...A%2BFICS%2BUFI&otn=21&pmod=250947775881&ps=54 

$245 + shipping.
http://www.sheepshear.com/details.a...D=0&mfgID=8&keywords=&pTitle=Wahl-Lister Star


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## goodhors (Jan 17, 2012)

Have you checked on nearby Craigslist sites?  Seems like you can find everything
on Craigslist if you check.  Search using clipper, Oster, Sunbeam, Clipmaster, Shearing,
Sheering, Cattle, sheep, horse clippers..  They may not have the sheep head, but the 
body is the same if you locate a sheep head.  You could change it over. 

You probably will want to get your purchase checked over by a service guy,
blades sharpened, parts running smoothly, before heavy use.  I use sewing machine oil
on the blades and oil holes to keep it lubricated.  Sewing machine oil takes heat well, 
easy to locate and non reactive on any animals I used the clippers on.  Kool-lube is good
to help prevent blades overheating, losing their sharpness from heat.  Happens fast, so 
be careful.  Put blades on your skin, too hot for you, is too hot for the animals.  may need
to set the clippers down and let things cool off for a while.  

I know with the big Oster/Sunbeams that everything is repairable, on the Clipmaster
models.  The older model red ones work fine, take the same blades, but you can't
get parts if they die.  I found one pair in a Pawn shop!  $20, and they work pretty well.

Other brands, Lister, etc. should be pretty fixable too.  Just not as common in my 
area, might have to mail them in for repairs if no one services them locally.  We 
have an excellent sharpening and repair service, he fixes everything!


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## secuono (Jan 17, 2012)

Now I gotta ask, what do all the different combs and cutters do?


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## secuono (Jan 18, 2012)

Looks like the professional AC Sheep clipper[below links]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/320W-Electr...A%2BFICS%2BUFI&otn=21&pmod=250947775881&ps=54 
http://nbdarfoe.en.made-in-china.com/product/XeEmBbWlbPhu/China-AC-Sheep-Clipper-SC-0703-320W.html 

Is a Chinese product, so who knows if parts are available and how well it would hold up. So I should pass it, no?





What about this one?
http://www.amazon.com/EXCEL-Electri...34Z8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1326927383&sr=8-3


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## secuono (Jan 18, 2012)

Well, I went with this.
http://www.goodmans.net/i/2732/oster-78153-003-shearmaster-ew311-single-speed-cli.htm


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 19, 2012)

The more teeth there are on a comb, the less easy it is to cut them and the nicer finishing job it does.  If you're just starting out, I would start with at least a 20 tooth comb.  Look up some videos on Youtube for properly tensioning the clippers, and proper blade placement.


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## secuono (Jan 24, 2012)

It came in the mail today! Huge box in another box and the shearer is huge in itself! Says not to use on wet wool, so I'll have to wait for all the muck to dry up a bit. Hopefully this weekend I can post an update on how it went.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 24, 2012)

Good luck!  Remember, keep the skin taught but don't pull the wool out (since that will pull the skin up and make it easy to cut).  Also, make sure you know absolutely sure where teats, vulvas, sheaths, etc are while shearing!


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## secuono (Jan 25, 2012)

Hopefully they only have 2 teats to find and worry about. Not shearing the ram, he can wait until I turn them all into bald sheeps. 
I have no idea what and how to deal with the wool after washing it, so for now I'll be using it for insulating the Well House if it doesn't sell as raw, unprocessed fiber.


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## secuono (Jan 25, 2012)

Done!

Took a good 2 hours and 35 minutes, but two [yes, 2] ewes are done! Had to make a corral and then redo it as they are little smart *sses. Ewe w/o ear tag[fell off at last owners place] was so not ok with me messing with her. I believe she is the one with twins for sure. I used the hand shears first and did the large sections with the machine. Her bum isn't so nice and neat, but it'll do.

The other ewe, #8, was much more calm, stood and sat fairly peacefully while I shaved her. Much better time shaving this girl than the last and thus a neater trim. Now they both have bright white hinnies! 

I'll try and get pictures later today.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 25, 2012)

Great job!!  And you don't get points for neatness, so no need to worry about that!


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## secuono (Jan 25, 2012)

Lol, neatness is more for me. 
Thank goodness this first go around was not while shearing all of it off! Oh the funky looking things I would of created. Possibly a few with mohawks for fun! 
I smell like sheep now! At first I thought it was a gross smell, but now it's kind of nice, is that weird?? Makes me think of giant cotton balls grazing rich, green grass....

Sitting sheep down like all the pros do is near impossible with them, is it because they are pregnant, I'm not used to their weight and strength or just how mine are? Lots easier for me to crouch next to the sheep's left or right side, pull head w/collar to me and then the farthest rear leg to be pulled out from under them. Grab front legs and swivel the sheep around to shave them...made me laugh doing that. It's just so odd...

Couldn't get pics today, got dark real fast, wasn't paying attention to time...opps. Will tomorrow after work.


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## secuono (Jan 25, 2012)

Found this pic via google, other than the two that were nicked, this pic is so funny!


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 25, 2012)

"I feel a draft!"


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## secuono (Jan 26, 2012)




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## SheepGirl (Jan 26, 2012)

You did a good job! They look good!

The only thing I would recommend, though, is to also shear above their tail (and their tail, too) and then the belly right in front of the udder a bit more.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 27, 2012)

Great job!  Like Sheepgirl said, shearing above their tail is also good.  The person who taught me to crutch told me shear anything that would get in the way if I had to assist the ewe. You don't want to be dragging dirty wool into the birth canal with you!  Great job though, really!  And now it'll be SO much easier to look for udders bagging up!


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## secuono (Jan 27, 2012)

I did shave above their teats, a good 5 inches up their bellies. 
I didn't shave their tails or the top of their butt because I found no reason to have frozen-butt sheep. I trimmed the wool on the tail's end short, shaved the underside of the tail and 3-4in all around the vulva. Though only one sheep you can see that on, the other was the "practice" sheep and it's wool is on the longer side.


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## goodhors (Jan 28, 2012)

Let me add congratulation on your shearing job.  

Sorry to abandon you in the middle of the shopping, but I had to leave town for a week.

I would agree that you probably should do a bit more trimming around the rear end.  You
want wool VERY tight to the skin, to prevent contamination of the ewe as her muscles
and ligaments loosen for delivery.  Even a few little pieces of hair getting in the mucus could be 
carrying nasty things to contaminate her.  Worse chances for infection after delivery with her wide open 
and loose.

I am going to say that the "cold rump" thing is purely YOUR viewpoint.  Sheep herders have 
been clipping the ewes high on the tail, clipping wider and further up the belly than you did, 
without any sheep having problems.  Your ewes look like they are nicely fleshed out, 
so will easily be keeping themselves warm without the wool lqyer.  We have bred them to have 
more wool than they NEED, so we can clip and use that wool.  You don't feel sorry for the
sheep with clean heads when the weather gets cold!  Unless you have temps down below 
-20F often, the clean clipped rump is not going to make them cold.

I would suggest you bring the girls back in, go over them again in the rear end, move your edges 
out, to get the whole area cleaned up with shorter wool.  Longer wool above the tail will hold 
more "stuff", that could cause problems later.  Better to take all the wool there off now, prevent any
infections, than have to treat them later, or wonder WHY they didn't get bred next time around.
With the bred-in wool qualities we want, we have to do a good job helping the ewes with wool removal
when they need it off to prevent infection, lamb without problems and let lambs find the teat.

You could mark them with chalk lines standing, to know where you want to trim shorter.  Visible 
lines help while you may be wrestling with one who fights you.  We do ours standing on our 
sheep stand.  NONE of them ever read that part about "being quiet when seated" like the 
professional shearers do!  They fight like tigers!!  Using the sheep stand takes all that excitement
away.  So much EASIER on your back to work standing than bent over.

Your shearing time isn't too bad either, for a first time!  And I like your choice of clippers too!


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## secuono (Jan 28, 2012)

The first ewe was extremely stressed and panting heavily afterwards, so I will not shave her again while pregnant. Many people do not shave at all and the sheep do fine, wild cousins don't have people shaving their butts and they also do fine. My worry was the lambs sucking tags, that is no longer and issue. Next was thick wool, it's short now and good and clean enough. 
I'm done shaving until it's time to shave everything off. Waiting on lambs now, not going to stress them any more.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 29, 2012)

No offense meant here, but it probably stressed her out a little because it may have taken you longer as a beginner.  Many heavy bred (like, a month to a few weeks away from lambing) get their whole bodies sheared, and they do just fine.  It probably wouldn't stress her out if you did shear her standing up.  It's up to you though whether you do more or not.  Most likely they won't need any assistance and they'll lamb just fine on their own.


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## SheepGirl (Jan 29, 2012)

Just a note:

When sheep start panting (and they are being sheared NZ style) you NEED to get them up standing ASAP. We have had this issue the past two years with a couple of sheep out of a Babydoll ram we brought in for 2009 lambs. They start panting and within a couple minutes they're dead (we've had three sheep die while being sheared--all out of this sire). We don't know what happens (and it's happened with two different shearers) but when you get them up standing, they are shaking and have trouble balancing. We keep them in the shearing pen, get another sheep sheared, and then we shear them and they are usually okay. We've saved four sheep (again, out of this sire) by having them stand up.

One of the shearers we use says she thinks it's a genetic problem...she sees the problem a lot in the Dorset flocks she shears.

My neighbor has had sheep for over 70 years. And just in 2010 was the first time he's had that happen - ever.


I don't think this was your issue since you didn't mention it (other than the panting), but I think this is valuable information to anyone shearing sheep.


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## secuono (Jan 29, 2012)

She wasn't panting like a dog, I guess just breathing hard with her head low is a better description. She kept struggling and fighting me, the other didn't care what I did. I kept stopping and waiting for her to settle, so that's the main reason it took awhile with her. That played a big part in her stress. I had her laying on her side to trim her feet, since she wouldn't stand still and shaved her mostly while laying, too. The other who was calm I trimmed her feet like a horse, sat her to shave her underside. She was fine once I let her friend out and they went around the barn to meet up with the ram.


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