[Shawn]

My first time with sheep and shearing time is on its way. We have two Romney sheep is the shearing something i could do or should i get somebody in and we have sheers for the horse but can these be used for the sheep

[OhLaLa]

I advise you get someone in and learn from them.

And unfortunately no you can't use horse shears for shearing sheep. The blades are totally different and even if you change heads the motor usually isn't powerful enough. I wondered the same thing a few months back when I was setting up and ended up buying another set of Heiniger shears specifically for sheep. I got the 'Xtra' model:

http://www.heiniger.com/fileadmin/PDF/Products/export_katalog/EN_14_15.pdf

 

[Shawn]

OK thank-you... fancy a little shearing though! we have lots of sheep farming in the area i will put some feelers out and see if i can get some training.....

[Fleecewife]

Hand blades are much cheaper than buying electric shears and for two sheep can you justify such an outlay?  Hand shearing isn't difficult but it would help to learn from someone else or go on a course. The BWMB sometimes runs hand shearing courses.  My OH did their electric shearing course and modified the 'pattern' to suit blade shearing.  He now blade shears about 50 - 60 a year and takes on average about 7 mins per sheep, or a bit longer for something woolly like a Romney    Unexpectedly, it is less likely that you will cut a sheep when using blades than with electric clippers - this is because you can feel through the blades quite delicately, so you know if you are touching wool or skin, whereas with clippers you can potentially do more damage.   I know of several women who shear their sheep with kitchen scissors, with the sheep standing up    I am amazed that they don't cut the skin, but this method suits them.

[SingingShearer]

Fleecewife,

I have to disagree, machine shears are much safer than blades once you have learnt to use them properly, blades are also quite safe but can give the sheep a very nasty cut especially if the sheep moves suddenly.

A properly dressed comb on a machine if kept flat on the skin will almost never cut a sheep.

Shawn,

If you need any help or advice then let me know I am always happy to help.

Thanks,
Philip

[Freddiesfarm]

Personally I would chat up a sheepy neighbour and get yours done at the same time as theirs!!

Alot less swearing and sweating involved as it is really serious hardwork for the novice shearer, whereas people like Philip make it look as stressful as eating ice cream on a sunny day!

[Fleecewife]

Hi Philip - but you are a professional so you know how to set up and use electric shears properly  .  Many people are terrified of blades because they look so big but in all his years of shearing my OH (and me - I do a few each year) has never cut a sheep, whereas when our neighbour used to shear for us our sheep always came back with cuts and grazes, and we have seen sheep with various bits - ears, sheath, teats -  cut off by gung-ho shearers. That could happen with blades too of course, but you don't shear 'blind' with blades in the way you can with electric shears.  We don't shear close to the skin but wait for a good rise and shear through that, because I use the fleece for handspinning.  But from Shawn's point of view, I felt that investing in electric shears for two sheep was not worth it, whereas blades are a good possibility.  But in fact Freddiesfarm is right - probably best to get someone else to do it  

Fleecewife,

I have to disagree, machine shears are much safer than blades once you have learnt to use them properly, blades are also quite safe but can give the sheep a very nasty cut especially if the sheep moves suddenly.

A properly dressed comb on a machine if kept flat on the skin will almost never cut a sheep.

Shawn,

If you need any help or advice then let me know I am always happy to help.

Thanks,
Philip

[kanisha]

well I think you are both right it is the person doing the shearing not the equipment. as a professional groomer I scissor poodles and shear them too  it is possible to cut them with either and generally its careless use or sometimes an animal moving at an inoppertune moment. That said i shear my sheep but use dog clippers ( without an y problems) as the thought of those big blades scares the hell out of me and I'm used to clippers

[SingingShearer]

Hi Fleecewife,

I know what you mean, a couple of years ago I was shearing with three other shearers on a farm and the number of times they called for superglue because they hadn't got a needle and tread and I only needed two squirts of antiseptic spray for a couple of small cuts.

Horner shearing has motor in handpiece machines for sale at £130+vat http://www.hornershearing.com/acatalog/info_294.html so not too bad as the cost of shearing a small flock can be over half of that.

Kanisha,

You're right once you have learnt properly with blades or machine then either are safe although it is recommended that you use a circuit breaker with the machine as the wire is in my opinion too long.

Thanks,
Philip

[Madcow]

I've never sheared my sheep as before them we had goats and 1 was an angoran, I used to shear her with my needlework sissors, she was very good and stood still for the very very long time it took me, she looked like the poor dog from the specsavers ad on TV, I couldn't wait for it to grow back again as it mocked me every time I saw her in the field !!   :oand it didnt do my back any good either, I had to walk around bent double for ages !! So now its a pro every time, the chap we use we got through word of mouth here in France and it turns out he used to go to my secondary school in UK, small world or what !
Think if you only have a couple I would try to jion in with a neighbouring farmer would be a good solution all round

[Fleecewife]

I wonder how movement documentation would cope with that.

I LOVE that specsavers ad 

[robert waddell]

fleecewife you should see our dogs after Lillian has clipped them
the first time we viewed the advert we were bent double and always shouted Lillian through to see her efforts

[princesspiggy]

clipping horses is so so so much easier than shearing sheep, i bought electric shears and hate using them after i cut my fingers real bad. much prefer hand shearing but still takes me ages and get sore back, more peaceful tho as our electric shears are really loud. failing that chat up a local shepherd!!   

Personally I would chat up a sheepy neighbour and get yours done at the same time as theirs!!

 

[Fleecewife]

fleecewife you should see our dogs after Lillian has clipped them
the first time we viewed the advert we were bent double and always shouted Lillian through to see her efforts