Building a storage shed

.) One by one, they were caught up by my hunky farmguy Joe and maneuvered over to the shearer. At that point, the sheep were all together in one group; the divider panels were only there to help move them along and keep them from smashing up against each other quite as much, especially since some of them are very pregnant.

After each sheep was sheared, they were urged toward a pen behind the barn where fresh hay awaited, but a number of the sheep chose to circle back around the shearer and me as I was gathering up the wool so they could hang out with their unshorn buddies.

Usually we would sort them back into groups at this time (the pregnant ewes get more food than the rest of the flock), but since we decided we wanted to work all the sheep first (trimming hooves and giving each of them a natural wormer and all-around health tonic ‘drench’ of garlic juice and organic apple cider vinegar), the pregnant ewes (along with a few really old sheep who need some extra TLC) were given a green chalk mark on their backs so we can easily see who to sort out after working them.

We used to shear our sheep in late spring after lambing season was over, but we’ve found that it works out better for everyone if we do it before lambing season—especially since late spring shearing always seemed to happen during a massive heat wave. You can read more about why we now shear early here.

And while it’s definitely still winter in southern Missouri, the sheep will be fine. The first three or four days after they’re sheared are the most critical, and it’s important to keep them warm and dry (freezing rain is the worst). The weather has been fairly mild the past few days, but we’ve been locking them in the barn at night just to be safe. Our shearer also used a different cutting comb than he does during warmer months, so more wool was left on the sheep.

The only drawback to shearing so much earlier is that juggling everybodys’ schedules along with the winter weather can often be quite tricky. I think this is the first time in four years that we actually sheared the sheep on the first day we planned to do it. You can read more about shearing rescheduling here.

We sheared a total of 39 sheep this year (the flock is small these days!), some of which were the crossbred Suffolk and Katahdin hair sheep we’re experimenting with in an effort to reduce internal parasite problems, specifically the ‘barber pole’ stomach worms that thrive in our three wet and warm seasons. So far the plan is working beautifully.

The purebred Katahdins in our flock, who are naturally parasite resistant, don’t need to be sheared; their hair comes off on its own. You can see how that works here, and you’ll find more photos of our Katahdin hair sheep here.

We also didn’t shear the three oldest sheep because the stress of losing their wool this time of year is too great. We learned this the hard way last winter. Big Chip and Skinny Chip (my two big pet wethers who were the first lambs born during my very first lambing season, and who still love to hug) and Martha, the last of the ‘old flock,’ are fourteen, which is old. Since most people get rid of sheep long before that (if they haven’t already died), there isn’t a lot of information available on the care of geriatric woolies.

Many of you ask what we do with all the wool. My original plan when I acquired my starter flock shortly after moving to the country 15 years ago was to raise colored wool sheep and become a handspinner (and better knitter). But things don’t always go as planned. Instead, we raise meat sheep. Yes, some of our lambs do end up on the dinner table—after they’ve had the very best, all natural, stress free lives possible. You can read a little more about how I feel about raising animals for meat, which I am so glad I do, here.

So we raise meat sheep, not ‘wool’ sheep, and the fleeces that come off our sheep when they’re sheared aren’t the kind desired by handspinners. Our sheep are mostly Suffolks (with the black faces and legs), and that breed is known for having wool that is coarse and short, which aren’t desirable qualities for spinning.

Add to that the fact that our sheep regularly tromp through the woods and brambles and do not wear little cloth coats to keep their coats clean, and let’s just say that basically their wool is a mess. That said, a few adventurous souls have actually spun some of it (after spending either countless hours cleaning it or lots of dollars paying to have somebody else do it), and I was thrilled to once touch a sweater made from ‘my’ wool.

At this time, we don’t have any wool for sale. And while the half-Katahdin fleeces need to be sheared off the sheep, I’m not sure if that ‘wool’ would even be spinnable.

We do, however, put some of the wool to good use around the farm. It makes excellent permanent mulch, and very cozy pet beds. And I have some of the nicest brown fleeces (that I love so much) set aside, just in case I ever have the time and inclination to do something wonderful and crafty with them.

The actual shearing time this year was just over two and a half hours, which really wasn’t long at all (I’ve had it take over 7 hours to shear far fewer sheep when it was just me and a different sheep shearer working in the heat), but it’s always an exhausting process nonetheless.

Okay, I hope I’ve answered all your questions, and that you’ve enjoyed this little sheep shearing adventure. Farmgirl Fare—it’s all of the farm fun and none of the work!

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