Help me choose Shearers, ASAP!

[aggieterpkatie]

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

 

[secuono]

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.

 

[secuono]

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

 

[aggieterpkatie]

"I feel a draft!"

 

[secuono]

 

[SheepGirl]

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.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

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!

 

[secuono]

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.

 

[goodhors]

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!

 

[secuono]

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.