The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Mays on June 17, 2014, 05:45:09 pm
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LOL! I suspect its v hard, but I am seriously thinking of getting my self trained to do it, so anyone recommend how to learn?? I have 10 willing ewes, I have various clippers (so I can buy sheep blades) I just need the know how!
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I think the BWMB do courses - worth looking into?
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Having learn't by doing it myself, in hindsight a course would have been better; a lot of shearing is how to hold the sheep, once the sheep is comfortable and calm sharing is easy.
BWMB do run courses, I wanted to do one before I fell ill.
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ok I will look into that, I can tip them for routine work, and know its a very tough job but in light or our recent flystrike I'd like to at least be able to shear them in emergencies :sunshine: last night took us several hours to hand shear a badly effected ewe
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If that is why you want to learn then I wouldn't worry, just make them comfortable and take your time and remove the fleece any way you can.
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I'd recommend a BWMB course, or one of the privately organised ones (bit late in the season for both now, though). Once the sheep is held correctly it relaxes, which is less stressful for both it and you. The shearing competition boys make it look easy but it's not. If you start out by shearing one in 20 minutes without nicks and scrapes you're doing extremely well!
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I'd recommend a BWMB course, or one of the privately organised ones (bit late in the season for both now, though). Once the sheep is held correctly it relaxes, which is less stressful for both it and you. The shearing competition boys make it look easy but it's not. If you start out by shearing one in 20 minutes without nicks and scrapes you're doing extremely well!
Totally agree :thumbsup:
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Well it's easier than shearing an angora goat.
I didn't make a very neat job of them but not too bad for a first try. I sheared three shetlands on Sunday and my neighbour didn't laugh (too much) at my efforts.
I'm not sure I'd manage a bigger sheep though and will leave the ram for him to do.
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I would try you-tube, knowing that site their will be several video clips
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A friend showed me how last year, but to save my back this year I wanted to do one a day rather than all at once. With the help of a some drawings, watch in the shearer at the Spring festival and watching some youtube it worked out quite well. The first one looks a bit like a poodle, but it got better and better. Courses are great if you take things in at them but you’ll forget about footwork etc as soon as you walk out the door, you just need to keep reminding yourself. Personally I found it better being shown and then getting on with it. Advice I can offer from my 7 shearing! experience is don’t pull at the wool, and be brave with the blows.
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And keep the skin taut or you'll end up with a vet's bill for the stitches.
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Did a BWMB course just now you wont forget the footwork in a hurry! You will wake up sweating if you even dream of putting your foot in the wrong place!
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well done Angus practise makes purrrrfect, and don't forget black sheep harder to shear as you cant see where ure going aswell ,even the professionals say so.Shearers charge a fortune to do a few but they have to charge for fuel time etc and are more int in doing large amounts.Even the experts make mistakes and nick the sheep there just quick and must have good backs!
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If you have trouble tipping the sheep you can always use a head restraint, usually works unless you have a mad Shetland.
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I Learnt to shear with hand shears initially, you can then leave a little wool on the ewe so as not to get too close to the skin until you become more confident and also if you take your time will cause less damage to the ewe. It is also less stressful on shearer and animal I find. If you don't get the feece off in one piece with the price of wool it's not exactly going to break the bank!! I have sheared our weather (all 120kg of him) stood up in a halter he must have enjoyed the experience as he was asleep most of the time!!
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i would either get someone to show you or do a course as you can easily ruin your back fighting a awkward ewe. i got my handpiece stuck into my right hand yesterday when fighting a 100kg mule ewe, and she got away with a daft tuft on her bum!
so be careful! i bled everywhere!
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I learned to shear by helping the guy who used to shear mine. He has bad hips so the smaller ones were harder for him to bend down to. He showed me how to shear blind from the breast up to the neck with my hand shears and the rest was easy after that terrifying experience. I refused to start with electric shears and only used my electric shears for the first time this year - still find I get a better finish with hand shears. Best tip for you would be to keep the shears flat to the skin and keep the skin taut if possible.
A good shearer can shear blind and work by feel, you have to for some areas as the fleece just obscures the shears completely. I wouldn't have confidence in a shearer who said the blacks were harder to do personally, it makes no difference at all.
See if you can get some 'hands on' with someone who does their own and just go for it. You will get neater and faster as the years go by. I just do a couple a day, it's too hard on my hands and hips otherwise and as long as they all get done what does it matter.
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I learnt to hand shear as that was all I had available, think it took me about 2 hours to do my first sheep, but was very pleased with myself even though she looked like she was having a bad hair day! Never thought about going on a course (wish I had) but managed to progress eventually to the electric sheep clippers which made my life much easier. The majority of my sheep were easy to handle and I knew how to hold them, once saw someone clipping their own sheep and the amount of nicks was unreal and they had been doing it for years. I take a long time to do it and they may not be perfect but it does the job. I would suggest a course too like everyone else, then if you get really good you could do all the other smallholders in the area and barter for goods :)
I still watch the shearers come in to one of the farms I help at that time of year and marvel how quickly they do them!
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I would also invest in a shearing belt, its marvelous for posture. :thumbsup:
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thank you everyone for the tips and input, much appreciated, Ive the shearer coming tomorrow so he is going to show me... think a course might be necessary though
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I went on a course and the most useful thing was a poster they gave me with diagrams of each stage. At first sight the poster seemed strange because all the pictures were upside down. But if you stick it to the wall opposite it is as you are shearing it makes it easier to copy each position. After a bit of practice you learn that its one continuous movement rather than a set of stages. Having said all that what I really learnt is that the £1per sheep I pay to the shearer is money very well spent. If I did it myself it would take twice as long and I would still need to find someone else to roll the fleece and catch the sheep. The proper clippers are also very expensive and I couldnt justify spending all that just to do 50 sheep a year.