January 22, 2021
We scheduled our 2021 dates with our shearer, and have finally decided to go ahead and shear our flock twice this year. Our sheep's wool grows about a half an inch per month, so with a once yearly shearing we end up with roughly 6 inches of fiber, which is the maximum length that our spinnery can handle. Even without issues at the spinnery, last year a couple of the fleeces were so long they became matted beyond redemption and couldn't be used. Shearing twice a year is twice as expensive, and twice the work, but we can't afford to be throwing fleeces out, so we'll give it a try. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this works for us. In retrospect, the gift that 2020 gave us, is that I can now say with some assurance “ sure, what the heck, we'll try it - it can't turn out any worse than last year...”
Another issue we encounter with 6 inches of wool is, that some of our Shetland sheep start to “roo”. Rooing is a form of natural shedding which has been bred out of all other breeds. Other domesticated sheep need to be shorn or their wool continues to grow indefinitely, no matter how long it grows, the fleece will never break, shed or roo. However, our Shetland sheep, being the self willed and independent breed that they are, roo when they are ready to roo and there's no stopping it. In the Spring when their wool breaks I can pull an entire fleece off by hand, just by gently pulling on it. That's fine when you get to it in time, but more often than not, I'm stuck retrieving tufts of wool from the underbrush, or finding it months later in some lucky bird's nest...
Ideally, we like to get the ewes shorn a month before the lambs arrive. That lets us evaluate if any of them need extra feed – it's very hard to evaluate their body condition when they are covered with 6 inches of wool! It also helps the newborn lambs find the mom's udder if it's not a wadded mess “under there”. The other, and most important, reason to get them shorn before they lamb is that when the moms still have their heavy winter coats, they are oblivious to the cold and are less likely to seek shelter, even with their newborn lambs in tow. After we shear the flock people always ask “won't the sheep be cold?” and my thought is “I certainly hope so!”
If I can encourage the mom to seek shelter, the newborn lamb will dutifully follow...