[PDO_Lamb]

Last year I watched The Singing Shearer's YouTube video demonstration of hand shearing.
I thought folk might like to see some of my facebook friends in the USA rooing a Shetland Sheep Rooing 1

[Bangbang]

Good post - PDO_Lamb, helpful to see it done professionally!
We've got 20 to do shortly.

[suziequeue]

We did this on one of our sheep when we got them in for worming yesterday as she has been shedding her fleece for a week or two now and looks like Mrs Havisham trailing strands of dirty white vestments behind her.

We'll - we got so far - but she is left with a rather snazzy shrug and breeches which didn't want to come off.

The chap who came to look at her hedges said shedding a fleece was a sign of vitamin/mineral deficiencies........ which doesn't quite make sense to me as she has had the same diet as everybody else this year, hasn't lambed (she is only a yearling) and is in good condition.

Any other ideas - or is it just the time of year......

[goosepimple]

This is the first time I've actually seen someone doing it - it looks like a 1minute with a regular sheep shearer would be a LOT less stressful doesn't it?

[PDO_Lamb]

Traditionally Shetland Sheep were rooed and if I did clip most of mine with machine shears I would invest in a trimming stand and organise a squad as demonstrated. No all Shetland sheep naturally shed their wool and to be fair the ewe I rooed yesterday was sick at lambing and had a weakness in the staple. I have been waiting for a fuzz to regrow below the break. A month ago if I had rooed her it would have pulled off leaving bare skin.
Those that clip using hand shears try clip where the new season growth starts and this is where the wool will naturally break but in normal circumstances I would not try one till later in the season.

[colliewoman]

I must admit, when I roo mine it is just me and my sheep in the sunshine and I work slowly and steadily over the ewe.
Most of mine will carry on eating when i do them. That one did look slightly 'mauled' with 3 people pawing at her??
I dunno, I think I'm just too soft

[in the hills]

Too soft as well Colliewoman. Had wondered about doing mine but think they would get upset looking at that, so unless theres a problem I will leave them to it. I do pull off the worst dangling bits if they feel like letting me. 

Good to see the video and what is involved though.