Author Topic: questions about dagging and shearing (Read 7303 times)

pikilily · « **on:** April 22, 2009, 07:06:12 am »

Hi I wonder if anyone can advise me..

I have five ewes all lambed 3/4 weeks ago. I think I want to get them shorn pretty soon. Especially the youngest who was born Feb 2008 and has not been de-fleeced yet. She seems to be feeling the heat, she has a very dense fleece, and pants a fair bit.

I also want to put some fly stuff on the flock but it seems to be a bit daft to do it then shear them. surely this will remove the (costly) anti fly lotion/oils!

I had wondered about dagging, in the interim, but am not sure whether this is best done with hand shears or clippers. What are the hand shears like to use? They look more lethal than clippers.....mental images of slicing through an udder....

I am experience with clippers on horses. I have my own Lister Showman set and have bought the sheep blades. Last year I sheared a friends four natives(as a bit of an emergency) and made a reasonable job of it. I am not planning to sell the fleeces so if I muck them up I am not fussed. I had thought about getting a professional in to do mine first and hopefully learn a bit from him/her. However having read about the shortage of shearers I am wondering whether I will be able to find someone....

So should I;

1. shear them all now, then douse them for fly strike etc.
2. dag them now, douse them, and shear later.
3. douse them, wait a while and shear.

Argh..decisions decisions!

Emma x

dixie · « **Reply #1 on:** April 22, 2009, 11:20:10 am »

I dont shear mine til May as the weather can still turn and they can get cold! then spray a bit later on. Are your clippers electric? if so be careful as the fleece must be bone dry or it could be shocking!!

pikilily · « **Reply #2 on:** April 22, 2009, 11:50:29 am »

Hi Dixie,

Yes my clippers are electric but run off a 12 volt battery, ie the car.
So, would you reccomend, maybe spraying with say dysect fly repelent, then shear in May and then put on an expensive flystike preperation later?

I am just watching the girls panting, and think they must be way too hot. Tuppence's fleece is about 8 inches thick and is very dense. She seems to be panting the most.

Emma x

VSS · « **Reply #3 on:** April 22, 2009, 07:36:11 pm »

I doubt the wool will come off them very well this early in the year. Unless you are somewhere warm late may is early enough.

Feel free to dag in the meantime. We dag all ours as a matter of course when they have lambed (an around the udder abit too). This generally keeps them clean enough until shearing. We don't use pour on on the ewes as shearing generally keeps the flies off them - we get the odd one or two with strike, but not many. On the lambs we use spot on at the beginning of May, dagging anything that is dirty, and then they have dysect pour on at shearing time, usually the first week in June.

doganjo · « **Reply #4 on:** April 22, 2009, 09:48:32 pm »

Not knowing anything about sheep can someone explain the term 'dagging' please.

pikilily · « **Reply #5 on:** April 23, 2009, 11:08:39 am »

Yeehaa.. I have dagged, jagged, and tagged today. Feel and smell very shepherdy.

Doganjo- dagging is cutting off all the poopy bits of wool around the rear end of the sheep. Urgh! smelly and horrible if they are a bit loose!

I have booked a local shearing expert to come and shear the ewes in 13/14th May. He is happy to teach me whilst he does it. I want to get it done before the shearers all get snowed under with work. He was really nice about my requests for a teaching session...keen to pass on some skills.

I dagged the ewes using kitchen scissors the only thing i could do cos the ewes were wet from the rain overnight. Oh, yes , my back is well stretched $:-\$ .... , and the scissors will stay down in the hut...out of the kitchen for good now.

The lambs are all tagged....poor wee souls

Emma x

dixie · « **Reply #6 on:** April 23, 2009, 01:04:25 pm »

Emma thats what I'd ahve done! only i havent tagged my lambs yet! $:-\$

VSS · « **Reply #7 on:** April 23, 2009, 01:42:17 pm »

Get a pair of dagging shears - like the hand shears, but with a much shorter blade. about 3 inches I think. Well worth it.

pikilily · « **Reply #8 on:** April 23, 2009, 01:54:28 pm »

Yes VSS I think I will, although must admit i was looking at them a few weeks back and was a bit nervous about them....worried I might cut the sheep or puncture an udder!

. So having had a bit of experience cutting hair i thought 'work with the sort of tools you are used to'.

An image for you to contemplate;

Ewes bahoochies being given a haircut! All nicely trimmed, one with a bob, the others wanted a 'Rachael', or we could take it further and say they have all been given a 'Brazil'....

Emma

greening · « **Reply #9 on:** April 27, 2015, 09:44:30 pm »

Where about are you based. I've available to shearer when fleece has risen on sheep. Also dag all year round

Fleecewife · « **Reply #10 on:** April 27, 2015, 10:14:25 pm »

Greening - pikilili wrote her message in 2009.

princesslayer · « **Reply #11 on:** April 27, 2015, 11:03:25 pm »

I had my first go with the scary looking dagging shears recently, and although my technique requires work, it was much less risky than I imagined. I did have someone else holding very tight to the ewe though!