Author Topic: First attempt at handshearing...... (Read 2001 times)

Mallows Flock · « **on:** July 24, 2012, 08:01:35 pm »

Hi y'all

This evening I grabbed that little Poll Dorset and donning my new Jakoti shears managed to hack (and I MEAN hack!!!) a fair few inches off her fleece all over but left her head so I could given her a good clik-ing.
I used all the advice from my previous posting (thanks to all esp marcuandslachan) but it doidn;t go wuite as I expected. i couldn't find a break in the fleece and I thought I would just shear under her fleece and be able to roll in back in large strips but it just all came off in chunks.
Could this be because she is only 5 months old - I know other very woolly lambs we have had machine sheared have had their fleeces come off broken up. She has such a thick fleece she was suffering with it so I hand clipped her.
She looks a little untidy as it is a rather rough uneven finish (note to self....Lisa...know your limits... do NOT attempt to clip those Charollais' before the show in August!!!!) but I did not snick her even a tiny bit.
Any advice on a rather tidier finish next time would be gratefully received

Lisa x

Moleskins · « **Reply #1 on:** July 24, 2012, 11:02:20 pm »

A bad haircut only lasts a week ............
At least that's what they say round here.

graham-j · « **Reply #2 on:** July 25, 2012, 08:20:12 am »

Hi,very true Moleskins I sheared mine 8 days ago.They looked awful but just one week later they are beginning to look not too bad.They certainly look much happier.

Graham.

khajou · « **Reply #3 on:** July 26, 2012, 02:24:46 pm »

There probably wasn't a break in her fleece as she is this years lamb and her fleece wouldn't normally be sheared until she is a year old. Then you will find it lifting and the break in the wool is obvious. I bet she feels a lot cooler now.
I hand sheared all my sheep this year, all 25 of them!

Mallows Flock · « **Reply #4 on:** July 26, 2012, 06:42:59 pm »

I think I haven't clipped it short enough! I could take off another half inch or so all over. Maybe that would also make her look tidier. She almost looks like she is wearing a foam jacket that has been hacked into! LOL!