Mini cheviots

[aggieterpkatie]

I would caution against using a dog grooming table, especially if the sheep is flighty. THey can tip tables over licketly split, and at least with sheep height tables they don't have a far fall. Dog tables (the ones I've worked on) arent' nearly as stable and would have a much farther fall.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I would also hesitate to use a grooming table. I would think it would be too unstable, plus, you'd have to lift the sheep up higher. Much easier on the back to bend over for a little bit.

This is what we use at shows to fit our sheep, but we also use it to shear on. There are basic models that are a fixed height and models that raise and lower with a crank or hydraulics.
http://www.sydell.com/products.asp?id=27&title=Fitting Stands.

 

[SheepGirl]

I have tried to shear one of my ewes with the clippers my mom uses to give my dogs, my brothers, and my dad a haircut with. Didn't work...at all. I would suggest getting some sheep shears (they usually have a larger motor and larger clippers) so they can actually get through the wool. The lanolin in the wool just clogged them up because they aren't built for cutting thick, greasy fibers.

Our hand shears were dull and I didn't have anything to sharpen them with, so I ended up just taking brand new, SHARP scissors and cutting her. She looked awful, btw.

So instead of using dog clippers, I would get hand shears or electric sheep shears because they work much better. (Well, only when they're sharp!)

 

[20kidsonhill]

Our kids put the lambs on a grooming stand and shear them, husband made a wooden ramp and we walk them up it. then the kids shear them. It works pretty well. Probably take a little longer than just flipping them on their backs. but that would be impossible for my kids to do on their own.

We have actual lamb shears. It was well worth the investment, even with just the 3 or 4 lambs the kids shear, but they shear them 3 or so times before the fair. Plus we use the same shears with different blades on our goats.

 

[goodhors]

I suggested the dog grooming table because she plans to have SMALL sheep to clip.
Those dog tables are built to handle LARGE breeds, heavy dogs that are larger than
the little sheep. So while individual dog tables may be less stable than others, overall
a good dog grooming table should be able to hold up a very small sheep for shearing.
A dog can wriggle about as hard as a sheep up on a surface, so clipping either species
can be an "exciting" job to get done.

I figured she would probably just pick up the sheep, which seems quite common for
small sheep owners. Owners all appear to just lift and hoist the animals about to get them
where they want them. In our 4-H club, the Shetlands came to meetings in dog crates
in the back of their van. Kids just lifted the sheep into the van, pushed them into the
crate to go home.

While sheep are not the smartest of pets, they DO seem able to learn things if you
work with them a bit. Ours quickly learned to hop in and out of the stock trailer's
side door for rides. They had no problems learning to hop up on the sheep stand
for being clipped. So if a person worked with their sheep on being trimmed while
standing on a higher table, I don't think there would be any problems after a bit
of practice. Sheep would learn to stand quietly, get their wool removed. We also
did the clipping several times before Fair, so they did get lots of practice!!

Goats are commonly milked on higher stands to save your back milking them. I
don't see a problem with sheep standing higher in the air than is common, if you
need them higher to save your body from aching later.

Have to say the headrest is a great help in keeping sheep and dog quiet during clipping!
I use the sheep stand for grooming my dog, so headrest comes in handy for certain
parts on her. She gets sheared too, have half as much dog left as when I started!!
Enough hair on the ground to make several small dogs with. She is improving,
but 90# of wiggly dog is still work to shear off. I would rather shear the sheep.

 

[bluebirdsnfur]

Thank you guys for all the input! I really appreciate it! It gives me a lot of food for thought! Yes, my grooming table is very strong and stable but... I would try to slowly train them to stand on it while young and 'way' before they were due for shearing.Plus I can have either DH or one of the grandkids give me a helping hand. Now if it seems like it's not going to work, I can remove the legs and have DH build me a lower frame to attach the table top to...with a ramp. As far as my clippers...I would like to try them first before I go out and drop a couple hundred on regular sheep shears that I will only use once a year. Although I will if I have to.

Does anyone do shearing while the sheep is laying down? I used to groom a few medium sized dogs while they lay on their side then turn them over and do the other side. Worked pretty good for trimming nails too!

 

[bluebirdsnfur]

I would also hesitate to use a grooming table. I would think it would be too unstable, plus, you'd have to lift the sheep up higher. Much easier on the back to bend over for a little bit.

This is what we use at shows to fit our sheep, but we also use it to shear on. There are basic models that are a fixed height and models that raise and lower with a crank or hydraulics.
http://www.sydell.com/products.asp?id=27&title=Fitting Stands.

Those are pretty nice shearing stands! I have seen kids using ones like that at the fairs. If my plans don't work out, I guess I will have to invest in one. I will be attending a couple of fiber fests this spring and hopefully will get to see some sheep shearing and equipment. Thank you!

 

[TheSheepGirl]

I shear my little guys while they are laying down. Works quite well for my shetlands, but it involves a lot of sitting on the ground. I just spread out a sheet and sit on that with the sheep across my lap. It works quite well and they are easy to handle that way.

Your dog clippers should work just fine. It works with my minis and even the Llama. Make sure it is a wide toothed head, though. The wool on Miniature Sheep is much finer than the wool on large breed sheep and there is about 1/4 as much to shear off, so the clippers don't have to go through as much abuse to shear two little sheep.

The grooming table will work just fine. It is nice and sturdy and has the head attachment for the extra restraint of the sheep. The sheep will be small and will be quite a bit easier to handle than most larger breeds. They will stay small enough to pick up off the ground.

Remember that she has SMALL sheep, not LARGE sheep. There is a vast difference in handling, shearing, and many other aspects of raising Miniature Sheep as apposed to Large Breed Sheep. The wool is much finer and easier on the clippers, so dog clippers are a perfectly good choice. They are much smaller and easier to pack and lift being around 30-40lbs. full grown. They are even shown differently most of the time.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Remember that she has SMALL sheep, not LARGE sheep. There is a vast difference in handling, shearing, and many other aspects of raising Miniature Sheep as apposed to Large Breed Sheep. The wool is much finer and easier on the clippers, so dog clippers are a perfectly good choice. They are much smaller and easier to pack and lift being around 30-40lbs. full grown. They are even shown differently most of the time.

That sounds a little on the small side. The Mini Cheviot site says mature ewes are 45-85 lbs and mature rams are 55-100 lbs. And while I don't have experience with the Mini Cheviots, I have shorn several Babydoll Southdowns and they weren't all that much different to shear than standard sized sheep. I know for sure dog clippers would not have shorn them. There's a big difference in wool quality between breeds though, and even individuals so what may work for some sheep won't necessarily work for others.

 

[SheepGirl]

Remember that she has SMALL sheep, not LARGE sheep. There is a vast difference in handling, shearing, and many other aspects of raising Miniature Sheep as apposed to Large Breed Sheep. The wool is much finer and easier on the clippers, so dog clippers are a perfectly good choice. They are much smaller and easier to pack and lift being around 30-40lbs. full grown. They are even shown differently most of the time.

That sounds a little on the small side. The Mini Cheviot site says mature ewes are 45-85 lbs and mature rams are 55-100 lbs. And while I don't have experience with the Mini Cheviots, I have shorn several Babydoll Southdowns and they weren't all that much different to shear than standard sized sheep. I know for sure dog clippers would not have shorn them. There's a big difference in wool quality between breeds though, and even individuals so what may work for some sheep won't necessarily work for others.

X2.

The ewe I was referring to in my post was a 3/4 Babydoll ewe...and dog/barber clippers didn't work on her. However, Cheviots (no matter the size) are a meat breed, and so they do have medium wool, just like a Babydoll (Babydolls are "British Southdowns" - Southdowns are a meat breed).

You can try to clip the sheep with dog clippers, I'm just not sure it'll work.

P.S. I re-read the first post...you said you want them for wool, but being a medium wool breed, I'm not sure that they will produce a good fleece for you if you are looking to spin. The only thing I think medium wool would be good for is for felting.