Author Topic: Sheep Shearing  (Read 2632 times)

Lucy benfield

  • Joined Jul 2022
Sheep Shearing
« on: July 01, 2022, 01:22:38 am »
Due to the national shortage of shearers, Are there any courses/training for smallholders to learn to shear sheep?

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Sheep Shearing
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2022, 06:40:35 pm »
Best bet is the Wool Board (properly called the British Wool Marketing Board.)

If none of their courses work for you, you may be able to arrange a bit of tuition from one of the friendlier folk that go around shearing small numbers of sheep.  Philip the Singing Shearer got me started, and Michael Churchhouse (sheersheep) gave me an update a few years later (he is hand shearing only.)  But I would really recommend doing the proper course if you can.  (I only wanted to do hand shearing, and BWMB never ran a hand shearing course in my part of the world while I was looking - and I knew I would not be fit enough for their machine shearing course.) 
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

PipKelpy

  • Joined Mar 2019
  • North Shropshire
  • Dreamer with sheep.
Re: Sheep Shearing
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2022, 08:25:05 pm »
Is there a shortage? I know there was in 2020, the guy who was supposed to come to see to mine changed his mind and I googled and there were quite a few listed for small flocks. At time I had 11 sheep, 5 woolies + 6 lambs, which he sheared and I put in freezer a few weeks later!

I don't mind paying stupid money, (£50) they do a job i cant.

The chap i found was via Preloved, came back last year and this year, though down to 3 Woolies and 4 ewe X lambs who are staying and ALL feet, including the Wiltshire Horns. From speaking to him, he does a lot of small flocks. I will PAY him what he asks.
No matter how crap you feel, always remember you're one of the lucky ones with your own piece of land and loony sheep!

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Sheep Shearing
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2022, 08:54:40 pm »
Is there a shortage?

UK summer shearing used to rely heavily on Aussie and NZ shearers coming over for the season.  I assume that Covid has made a significant dent in that, no idea whether Brexit may have impacted too.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Nelson International

  • Joined Aug 2017
Re: Sheep Shearing
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2022, 10:05:50 pm »
I got a guy in the village to teach me, and after four years I'm now moderately confident doing it myself, but I definitely leave them preeetty patchy.

As a neighbour said, the only thing he's done that was harder was home schooling a pair of twins during the pandemic.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Sheep Shearing
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2022, 10:37:48 pm »
Hubby did a course with www.lantra.co.uk who do land based courses of various sorts. It wasn't a hand shearing course but later he adapted to hand shearing which is so much quieter and more relaxing than electric shears.
I tried to organise a hand shearing course some years ago in Scotland with the Wool Board but there was no-one to teach it  ::) so that was a fail.


www.lantra.co.uk/course/machine-sheep-shearing


Lantra also does e-training for long distance transport of animals
www.lantra.co.uk/course/level-2-award-animal-transport-road-long-journey-driver  and others


« Last Edit: July 01, 2022, 10:56:50 pm by Fleecewife »
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