Shearing Our Sheep
It’s that time of year again when we shear our sheep! It is essential for the welfare of the animal that we shear the sheep. Wool is an incredible natural resource. It insulates amazingly well and is breathable, too, making it perfect for us to use. However, left on a sheep throughout the summer it can be fatal for them. The biggest issue is flystrike, blowflies lay eggs in thick, warm, damp fleeces which then develop into maggots that will literally eat the sheep alive. It is a horrible issue that we have to be vigilant against in our flock before the shearers come. Another big issue is the sheep getting cast. It gets itchy in the heat under that big fleece and as sheep roll over a bit to itch they can get stuck on their back and, again, this can cause them to die. In the heat, before they have been sheared we try to shepherd more regularly each day just to look out for these potential problems.
Unfortunately, shearing is no longer a profitable activity. Fleeces are worth approximately 30p each this year and we pay the shearers £1.50 to shear each sheep. Yes, that’s right, we make a loss shearing! The wool industry, which helped to build much of the infrastructure of towns and villages all over the country, has become an expense rather than a profit-making part of farming. Certain breeds of sheep have even been bred to shed their own wool, saving the expense of having them sheared for little or no profit every year.
On our farm over the last few years as our flock has grown in size we have hired a gang of professional shearers, who shear approximately 35,000 sheep every year. The leader of the gang we use is Dave Morley, cousin to Rosie and nephew of Steve and Jane.
Rosie has always been keen to be able to shear and to keep learning and getting better each year so she makes sure (when not pregnant) that she has a few to shear herself. Colin Morley (Dave’s dad) has been teaching her for the last 7 years. He is a great teacher and visits the farm each year to help Rosie improve and remember what to do!
What a tough year for the shearers this year has been, though! May and June would normally be busy for them but with a very wet May, June so far has been beyond flat-out! It’s been tough for them to keep up with the demand now the weather has changed. But we certainly do appreciate them coming to us, as the girls were getting rather warm! And, fortunately, we’ve got them sheared before any flystrike or cast sheep - such a relief! We’re not always that fortunate!