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Shearing Day Photo Report

Waiting for the haircuts (no, it doesn't hurt them--it's like a buzz cut):


Nick W. does our shearing for us. He's a national-champion shearer who is shearing his way through college:


They lay pretty still during the shearing:


See how clean and lovely the wool is on the inside?


If we do our jobs well, it all comes off in one piece--a fleece! The fleece is spread out on a table so that we can pull off the bits with lots of hay or dirt. These parts are tossed off to the side, and used later for mulch. The best wool is saved for yarn or roving or pillows:


Photos courtesy of Paul L. Johnson of pcsphoto. Thank you, Paul!


Any questions?
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Comments

  1. ShelleyMarch 11, 2009 at 9:03 PM

    My friends used to have sheep, but moved. We still miss having them around (the friends too!)Your photos are great! Makes me wish I wasn't allergic to wool!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 12, 2009 at 5:29 AM

    I love the pictures!! How fun!

    ReplyDelete
  3. kkaciMarch 12, 2009 at 6:41 AM

    "They lay pretty still during the shearing." ... unless they're a spoiled rotten ex-4H lamb and have an enlarged sense of entitlement, lol! Our matriarch is a pain in the, uh, fleece ;-). Our fault for training her to do tricks and taking her in parades. I give our shearer extra "headache" pay for dealing with this diva-sheep.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMarch 12, 2009 at 6:59 AM

    How do pillows get made from the wool? Do you mean it gets used for stuff or what.

    I can't believe that the shearer is "shearing his way through college", good for him!

    ReplyDelete
  5. LonaMarch 12, 2009 at 8:08 AM

    Liz--Yes, exactly. I should have been more clear. The cleaned, carded wool is used as pillow stuffing. And mattress topper stuffing. And comforter stuffing. And quilt batting, And the list goes on...

    Kkaci--LOL! Maybe your diva just needs to come on a road trip to see how sheep are supposed to act during shearing...

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownMarch 12, 2009 at 11:21 AM

    What a great walk-through of sheep shearing! I am - and always have been - a city girl, so I just love the chance to learn more about the actual day-to-day of farming life. Thanks for sharing!

    - JanuaryLove from SL

    ReplyDelete
  7. PitBullLadyDesignsMarch 12, 2009 at 5:00 PM

    Looks like you had a great day of shearing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. KarenMarch 12, 2009 at 5:05 PM

    Great photos, thanks for sharing! It's so fascinating to see the shearing done. Hope you are feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
  9. A Dusty FrameMarch 15, 2009 at 11:47 AM

    Cool! I'm going to show these to my son.

    I was thinking "Look at all that wool!!!"

    ReplyDelete

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