how often can you shear

[thestewarts]

Obviously a fleece left to grow a long time is most profitable but I was wondering if it was ok to shear a sheep a couple times to keep them more comfortable in summer. We just brought our first sheep home yesterday and we were told they've been sheared recently but their wool is pretty think already and it's already in the 80s. I was thinking we may shear them again in May anf if needed in September

 

[Roving Jacobs]

You bought icelandic sheep, right? Icelandics are often sheared twice a year but its generally not a good idea to shear them in the middle of the summer. Usually its done around March then again in the fall. The wool keeps the sun off of them and keeps them from getting sunburned during the summer. At most you might trim their belly fleece or crutch them. As long as they have plenty of access to water and shade it should not be a problem though. If they are really baking you can set up a barn fan or misting system to cool them off.

 

[goodhors]

I don't think misting sheep, even with a good fan going, will help keep them
cool once the wool soaks up the water on the outside layer. The skin won't
reached at all, to be cooled, and could cause them to overheat with water layer
holding in the body heat. Fans just can't remove the water well on standing sheep.

This is different than misting cattle, horses or pigs, because they don't have
the wool layer or thick hair in summer heat. With these other species, the
fans CAN remove dampness, so body heat is lowered with misting AND fans
constantly moving the air across them.

I think plain fans ARE helpful in cooling sheep during hot days. But adding
the water in misting sheep, is not a good idea.

Our Market lambs got shorn every 3-4 weeks, but they were not wool sheep.
Removing their wool DID keep them cooler and they gained weight faster during
the summer months. We also used a fan on them during the hottest hours of the day,
when they came inside for shade. Seemed to reduce the panting with better air
circulation. There were always plain fans moving air in the Sheep Barn at the Fair.

 

[purplequeenvt]

Wool acts as an insulator keeping them warm in the winter, but also helping keep them cooler during the summer. I've known people who had some sheep with longer fleeces and some more that were recently sheared and the woolly ones were out grazing and the naked ones were panting in the shade.

Water is the most important thing to make sure they always have access to. Clipping just their stomachs could be helpful and, if you are somewhere very hot, a big barn fan might not be a bad idea either, but I think that you will find that they will do perfectly fine without either.

 

[thestewarts]

Thanks Y'all! They seem just fine today. Though there is a great breeze where as yesterday it was pretty calm. They probably seemed more hot after being in the truck and then having all the room to run. They were very happy to get out and graze! My husband said there wasn't a single blade of grass at their last place.