Wash sheep before shearing?

[Singing Shepherd]

When I am planning the day on which I will shear my sheep this summer, should I plan a day of shampooing and air drying a couple days before shearing day? Their wool is really getting dirty, my sheep roam every kind of land from mud to sticker bush tracts to orchard to forest. I was just thinking it might make wasting the wool after shearing a little less of a filthy job!

 

[HeatherL]

Depends on what kind of sheep. For 4H we wash our black face sheep before shearing but if we were to wash our Targhee I would be afraid it would felt on their backs.

 

[SheepGirl]

No, I wouldn't wash the sheep before you sheared unless you could:

(1) Get them completely dry before shearing/getting themselves dirty again
(2) Protect them from any moisture whatsoever--the protective lanolin oil in the wool will be washed out.

Personally I think it would be EASIER to wash the fleece after it's off the animal and skirted. Plus if they have burrs/stickers in their wool it will hurt your hands to wash them when you can just cut them out of the fleece after it's off the animal.

My sheep are dirty too, all gray and filthy. However I won't bother washing them or their fleece. I kept my fleeces from last year so I will probably take all the fleeces and have them processed into yarn so I can crochet a blanket made of my sheep's wool

 

[purplequeenvt]

There is no need to wash the sheep before shearing. No one does. The wool gets washed after it has been sheared and gone through (skirted) to get rid of all the vegetable matter and gross spots.

 

[BrownSheep]

We wash our show lambs before shearing...We typically shear anywhere from immediately after to an hour or so later. How ever it can and will damage some clipper blades.

 

[Singing Shepherd]

Thanks for the info everyone. I too am looking forward to spinning then knitting with my sheep's wool. I know it will be interesting to see what each finally is like to work with. My Jacob's wool is so soft! Anyway, I will know how to proceed now, thanks.

 

[utterguy]

When I am planning the day on which I will shear my sheep this summer, should I plan a day of shampooing and air drying a couple days before shearing day? Their wool is really getting dirty, my sheep roam every kind of land from mud to sticker bush tracts to orchard to forest. I was just thinking it might make wasting the wool after shearing a little less of a filthy job!

I recommend cleaning them the same day as you shear and leave them wet not dripping. It will make the shearing process go much easier and it will keep the blades cooler. I do recommend before you ad shampoo and water to blow them off first and then wash them. This will get all the loose dirt and mud off of the wool or hair before you wet and shampoo it will also save your blades.