The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: trish.farm on July 17, 2014, 08:41:02 am
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I have had an enquiry for some of my coradale and romney fleece, anyone know postage cost of a fleece please? (save me weighing it and a trip to the post office!) :)
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You have to weigh it as postal rates are calculated by weight as well as dimensions of parcel. Size of fleece depends on breed, so I would assume the fleeces from your sheep will be fairly hefty. You will need to roll them as tightly as possible to take up the least space, and remove air if you can. You also need to wrap in such a way that the grease doesn't contaminate the outside of the wrapping, given that it will be hanging around in the postal services for several days, and will be squashed and jumped on and whatever else they do to destroy parcels ::)
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While I'd agree with the weighing bit, including weight of packaging, there are a multitide of couriers who will price online and collect the item from you. As long as you don't exceed their maximum dimensions - overall size doesn't usually matter.
Pop it in a plastic bag (bin bag?), put it in a box (check dimensions fall within couriers allowed size), weigh on kitchen or bathroom scales. Pay and arrange collection online (except Royal Mail)
http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder (http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder)
http://www.parcelforce.com/price-finder (http://www.parcelforce.com/price-finder)
https://www.myhermes.co.uk (https://www.myhermes.co.uk)
and many more.
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The problem you will have is the size of the parcel not the weight. Most couriers have a length limit of 1m or 1.2m, and a volumetric calculation based on the dimensions.
I sent four fleeces recently for about 7 quid, via Yodel.
Use parcel2go to find the best prices for your size/weight ... but then go to that providers website and get a re-quote, as it may be cheaper.
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I've recently been orchestrating fleeces all over the country - actually, two countries! - and have found MyHermes to be reasonably priced and very easy to use.
Please be very careful about using plastic wrapping in hot weather; I had a chunk of beautiful silver Lincoln Longwool shearling felt to heck en route :'(.
A polypropylene, cotton or paper sack, inside a strong cardboard box, would be my recommendation. Although the Castlemilk Moorit fleeces from Brucklay arrived in perfect condition :)
I've been working on one good-sized fleece plus packaging is over 2kg (but less than 5kg), therefore £5.48 with MyHermes.
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A quick question .... what do you store fleeces in whilst they wait to be posted or longer term for spinning??
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The only word against myhermes is a lot of stuff never reaches its destination
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A quick question .... what do you store fleeces in whilst they wait to be posted or longer term for spinning??
paper feed sacks, left open at the top, or feed sacks - the meshed/woven ones not polyethylene/shopping type ones. Again I leave it open at the top, all stored in the garage - in the dry but not the house.
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Anke,
If you leave them open aren't you in danger of moths getting to them?
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A company called Collectplus I have found very useful for fleece distribution but you have to take them to one of their distribution outlets (usually a local newsagents or similar) I Think I paid about £6 or £7 pounds. I package by putting in a cardboard box then covering in a taped up bin liner around the box. (prevents the smells associated with fleece)!!
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wev sold raw fleece by mail order and the postage can be considerable, sometime more than the fleece. we wrapped in black plastic bags taped up tight. depends alot on grease and moisture in the fleece.
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A quick question .... what do you store fleeces in whilst they wait to be posted or longer term for spinning??
If unwashed...
Polypropylene sack, tied very very very tight, absolutely no way any moth could get in there :rant: :D
Or in a cotton pillowcase, tied ditto.
Somewhere cool, so no sun, no radiator, etc.
Ideally hung from a rafter but I confess I mostly don't manage this bit and so far (:fc:) have been fine.
I had one lovely Heb fleece felt slightly in its sack; it was in the byre and in that warm summer it must've got warm where it was. It's sister has been stored in a cool windowless room in the house, and is fine :relief:
Once they're washed you can store them in whatever you want. As long as it's airtight against moths.
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eek, mine are all in open topped cardboard boxes in a stable!!
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A few years ago I was given some shetland and BFL fleeces.
As the house was full of builders, plumber, electrician etc and I was living in a campervan I wasn't in a position to do much with them at the time and left them in a builders dumpy bag in the barn, the top was loosely folded over.
Bumblebees thought it a lovely place to make their nest, unfortunately where three were close together and I threw out quite alot of it and still found bits of bee in it when I came to spin it.
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It's always worth laying a newly shorn fleece out to dry before you store it. This might be over a gate or on a sorting board. Sheep do sweat - or if it isn't sweat then it's damp of some kind - so allow the cut side to cool off for an our or so.
Pick off any actual dags before rolling so there's nothing to cause rot, but leave the main skirting etc until you have time.
Open topped bags or boxes are a definite no-no. Clothes moths don't only eat wool; we found a whole lot of hatching wool moths in a feed bin once, and they live happily in out-buildings. But they do love wool so if you leave your bags open you are just inviting them in, plus every mouse looking for a cosy place to have her babies, or bees as Dogwalker found. Dust and cobwebs will get in too.
Like Sally, I store my fleeces in woven polypropylene sacks, new ones, and I hang them from the beams in the barn. With the top of the sack tied tightly, especially if you fold it over again and tie it again, the moths can't get in but air can still circulate. The one drawback of polyprop sacks is that they will eventually photodegrade if left in the light, which leaves you fleece full of tiny bits of sack, which are impossible to pick out.
Some times hessian sacks are recommended, but I don't like them as they often have holes in, or mice can chew holes in, and the weave is usually too coarse to keep the moths out.
Polythene bin bags are only suitable to store washed fleece in, or to transport a fleece to a show, but definitely not for long term storage of raw ie unwashed fleece.
If you leave the bags standing on concrete they will get rising damp and go off, so even if you can't hang them up, store them on a table or similar, up off the floor.
If you are selling fleeces, make sure you have stored them properly before they leave you, as no-one will thank you if moths or mice emerge when they open the parcel.
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I never had a problem with moths in un-washed fleeces... after all they don't go onto the sheep and the fleece still smells the same. Washed fleece is different.
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Open topped bags or boxes are a definite no-no. Clothes moths don't only eat wool; we found a whole lot of hatching wool moths in a feed bin once, and they live happily in out-buildings.
I can vouch for this. I was investigating an old bag of barley yesterday that was in the stable and it was full of hatching moths. OH is going to burn it all. My fleece are also stored in the same stable :( but are in tightly tied polypropelene bags so I think they are ok.
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So where is everyone getting their polypropelene bags from?
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I bought mine on ebay.
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Just found the link
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15-WOVEN-POLYPROPYLENE-RUBBLE-BUILDER-SACKS-BAGS-22x36-/380729381639?pt=UK_Packaging_Materials&hash=item58a53d5307 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15-WOVEN-POLYPROPYLENE-RUBBLE-BUILDER-SACKS-BAGS-22x36-/380729381639?pt=UK_Packaging_Materials&hash=item58a53d5307)
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I never had a problem with moths in un-washed fleeces... after all they don't go onto the sheep and the fleece still smells the same. Washed fleece is different.
Anke, you have been lucky so far. I have a Jacob's fleece that was left in an open shed for me, I didn't get around to dealing with it, it is full of moths now.
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If you are selling fleeces, make sure you have stored them properly before they leave you, as no-one will thank you if moths or mice emerge when they open the parcel.
In spades!!!!
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So where is everyone getting their polypropelene bags from?
Actually I use feed sacks that have only been used once. I always check for mouse holes first!
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For suppliers, I use one in Glasgow, mail order only. Minimum order is 100 bags though, and delivery is the same for all amounts up to a pallet load I think, so a good idea to order a few year's supply in one go. I also buy the big ones that companies such as The Natural Fibre Co send you to return full of your fleece. I use these to store non spinnable fleece, or to tidy up several smaller sacks of spinning fleece.
I'll see if I can find their url (after I've watered the polytunnel :garden: )
http://www.sackmaker.com/woven-pp-sacks.html (http://www.sackmaker.com/woven-pp-sacks.html)
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I never had a problem with moths in un-washed fleeces... after all they don't go onto the sheep and the fleece still smells the same.
lol - but moths like quiet, dark, undisturbed places. And a sheep's back is none of these!
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Unless its one of those sheep thats pointing at the clouds!