Shearing on the stand

Sorry for the delay on posting. May was a bit crazy for me. When we packed up from Maryland I took a little fall and what I thought was just a bruised up knee was actually a dislocated knee cap. Then a storm came through which caused some damage and we lost power for about a week. I was finally able to start shearing last weekend. I have been shearing on a stand for about 8 years now because for me it is easier then flipping the sheep over. This year I would not have been able to flip even if I did in the past.

Now if you are like me and got a late start on shearing your sheep might have started shedding off their fleece. For new breeders I know that it can be a scary thing to see.That is something that primitive breeds do when they get to hot. I have a few that have done that and today I sheared one of them Bear you will see him in the video below. Last week I started with my Natural Coloreds because they are Jacob Cotswold crosses and do not shed and can get over hot in the summer if not sheared.

One of the reasons I like to shear on a stand is because I get to see the condition of the sheep. Did it lose weight over the winter or in the case of Buddy did he gain to much weight. Do they need to have their hoofs trimmed? Do they need wormer? You get to see the shape of your flock first hand.

Now the video below is of me sharing Bear he had already started shedding so it made a starting point easy but in the case that they have not already started doing the work for you just part the wool on the top of the back and start there.