New Here with Questions

[ladyrsanti]

Hello! I'm new on this forum and new to sheep. Been on BYC for a while now but hopped over here for a bit. I just recently acquired a small spinner's flock of Jacobs. They are a few months old now. All three have lovely fleeces but I picked out the misfits. One little ewe has no horns. The little boy had forward facing horns and was castrated before he arrived. My third is the only registered ewe and she only has a slipped eye patch. Very cute! I was wondering what type/brand of electric shears everyone recommended and do you also keep the old fashioned variety on hand? Also, they came to me just after a round of worming medicine and had very messy butts. They've cleaned up a bit after our last rain but there are still some tags left behind. What is the easiest/best way to clean that up? Trimming? With the electric shears? By hand? Things my little sheep manual doesn't cover. Advice would be much appreciated!

 

[kfacres]

I have sheared two flocks of Jacobs for many years-- they would be close to the end of my list of wool used for spinning---- short, poor quality, and hard to work with.

Buy any kind of shearer- but a premier. If you are shearing them yourself, the first couple of years you won't have a fleece that's worth using.

To remove the dirty tags- you can get a set of hand trimmers, which is the easiest option.

How do you intend to shear these sheep, on a stand, or the professional way...?

 

[ladyrsanti]

I have been spinning the fleece of the sheep from the breeder I got them from for a while before I bought my own. It's some of the best wool I've ever worked with and I've spun many breeds. That's why I chose to purchase from them. I will learn as I go. It's how I roll. Thanks for the advice - anything but premier and hand trimmers for the tags. I have an old stand I can use. It needs a new board and a replacement leather strap but should be sturdy after that.

 

[purplequeenvt]

A well bred Jacob will have a nice fleece. It won't be the same (nor should it be expected to be) as a "commercial" breed such as a romney or merino. Jacob fleeces tend to be on the coarser side. People forget that they are a primitive breed and as such the fleece is going to be way different.

I would recommend starting with the hand shears unless you are really comfortable with using electrics. Since you only have the 3 lambs, it won't take much time at all to put them on your stand and shear with hand shears. No offense meant to kfacres, but, unless you completely mess up, you should have useable fleece the first time you shear. When my family first got sheep my sister and I, we were 11 and 9, sheared them all (10 or 11 of them) by hand with household scissors.

 

[BrownSheep]

Oddly enough I would offer the opposite advice. I would start off with electric. The hand shears proved to be more difficult for me. If you have never shear before don't expect to get a fleece (full one), but like she ^ said it should be perfectly usable .Since your just starting I would try shearing with a stand. Or possibly hiring someone to show you the ropes.

 

[SheepGirl]

If I were you I would shear the sheep completely and then put the fleece on a skirting table and cut the tags off then.

If you are going to shear them standing up, I would definitely invest in a stand of some sort. If you are trying to get a quality fleece (ie no second cuts) off a sheep standing up just tied to a fence, it's not going to happen.

Also after their first shearing, put a jacket on them (not the canvas ones, but the clear ones) so their fleeces stay cleaner so you can have cleaner wool the next time you shear.

 

[Trigoat&pbrlover]

Well I don't know anything about sheep but.... and