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Baymule
Herd Master
This is probably a stupid question.. but I've never had any dealings with sheep other than years ago at a petting zoo...
They have SUCH long, dense coats/wool - when it rains for days and days, does it just run off because of the oils or does it soak down a bit? I keep thinking about my grooming days when people would bring in Old English Sheepdogs with a year's worth of matting and we'd find maggots from their skin NEVER actually drying out!!!!
Of course - sheep are DESIGNED to keep that wool so they wouldn't get nasty and extreme like that. But I was just wondering about how they handle THIS much rain.
Not a stupid question at all.
Mine are hair sheep. They grow in a winter coat like a dog, but shed it out in spring and summer. Some have poor shedding capabilities, those generally get culled. I have one ewe that has a woolly back, but produces fantastic lambs with a good hair coat.
Mine are wet but I watch them shake like a dog and water flies. Hair sheep have lanolin but not as heavy as wool sheep.
These are horrible conditions right now. In a way, it’s good because I walk the fields and see the flow of water. I can throw up some swales to catch water drainage, giving it a longer time to soak in, rather than running off the farm. I just have to make my future barn high and dry for times like this.