Yet Another Shearing Season Finished!

Spring is in the air, and now the sheeplies are freshly shorn. All that we await now is the oncoming of new lambs!

This year we had about 50 sheep sheared, whih also included some 4 sheep from a neighbor down the road. We started at 8AM and finished about 4 hours later. We had sheep at 3 different stations - 2 barns, and one large lean-to with electricity available. We made sure to get all the sheep locked up in their respective stations the night before.

You really want to make sure that your sheep are locked up in a dry area before shearing. We were blessed with sunny weather the day before the shearing, and it didn't rain until later in the day after shearing was completed. Still, we didn't want to take any chances that the sheep would roll around in morning dew and get damp, plus you don't want to chase them down at the last second.

The Preparation

First of all, you need to get the sheep on a schedule eating in the area in which you plan to trap them, or near where you plan to trap them. Luckily sheep are also food motivated, so they will often easily follow the food bowl to wherever you want them. They do have their limits however. They get spooked by shadows, and don't like to venture into dark or small places without investigation (like barn doors). Also, if you do any sudden movements or changes in the few days before without them getting used to it, you may spook the sheep and they may avoid the area, thwarting your best efforts! Therefore it's good to set up any temporary fencing a few days before and the sheep adjust.

Temporary Fencing Between Pasture and Barn

The Boys

For the boys who were destined to stay in their lean-to, this was easiest. We set up one cow panel across the front, which enough room for them to still get inside, and let them eat inside. This way they wouldn't be spooked by the panel when the moment of truth arrived. We had another cow panel set to the side the day before, so that we could close off the the gap from the outside once they were inside eating. On the evening of their capture we fed them as usual, and I brought the panel from behind the lean-to and closed them in for the night. They were so busy eating, they didn't even notice.

The Boys Patiently Waiting for Their Haircuts

The Yearling Ewes

The yearling ewes were out in the goat pasture next to the main barn. They were a little more of a complicated story. I had grabbed one at a time while they were eating, and locked them up into a stall. A couple of days before, there were two elusive souls who we ended up trapping in a catch pen next to the stall area and putting them in the stall with the others. Due to their wild nature, they were locked up for a few days before shearing so as to avoid risk of having to chase them at the last minute.

The Neighbor's Sheep

The neighbors brought their sheep over a couple of days before the shearing, and we locked them into a stall next to the yearling ewes. They were quite content to just hang out until the main event.

The Ewes

The large group of ewes in the main pasture were the ones who'd need to the most planning. We built a temporary fence out of cow panels that stretched from the pasture gate to the back door of the chicken barn. For more than a week we had been feeding the ewes in this temporary area, and then bringing them back into the main pasture. Since they are food motivated, it was easy to call them and set down plates to get them there. On the day before the shearing, we brought them into this area, and shut the gate behind them, locking them into the temporary pen. We then used one of our border collies to push them towards the barn. There were food dishes inside the barn to help keep then inside once they made it through the door. Eventually, we managed to get them all closed into the chicken barn for the night!

Success

In addition to shearing, we used this time to also do a yearly checkup, CD/T, deworming, and hoof trimming. So right after a sheep was shorn, we grabbed them from the shearer and did our checkups. We also gathered the wool into breathable bags and marked them with the ear tag numbers, or names of sheep for sale later. Our neighbors were a huge help with this as well!

Condé Getting Sheared

After the festivities, everyone was released back into their appropriate pastures. While they were somewhat vocal about things, they’ve since quieted back down 🤣

The Girls Sporting Their New Looks

We will have wool for sale shortly on Etsy so keep a lookout for that if you’re interested! We also participate in the Shave ‘em to Save ‘em program if you are looking for passport stickers.