[kanisha]

thanks Fleecewife its good to know I am begining to "see" my sheep . SITN it wouldn't surprise me about living off fat in the tail, fat tailed sheep seem to have taken this to the extreme but i see this even sometimes with some breeds of dog that fat is deposited in different areas, intriguing.

No worries about picking them up tho' most go under one arm 

[Fleecewife]

Somebody (may have been you, FW!  ) told me that a Swaledale can live for a fortnight on the fat in her tail - one reason they don't dock Swales 

Wusnae me    but very interesting 

[Fronhaul]

This article on the subject appeared in the latest Gwlad to drop through our door:

http://gwladonline.org/famingconnect/121111haveyouconsideredwintershearing/?lang=en

[SallyintNorth]

That's fascinating, Fronhaul - thanks for posting that.

It implies that the ewes are shorn just once a year, in December - so they'd be carrying quite a bit of wool come the summer.  It makes no mention of increased risk of flystrike in the summer however. 

I wonder how the ewe's natural cycle of wool growth, rise and shedding is affected?  I assume that, with only shearing once a year, the fleece is ready to be clipped come December...