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Good Evening

I would like some advice about sheering 6x Shetland rams.

I know that they will not need doing till the summer months, so i may come across as being pretty keen. I am pretty new to sheep keeping (Since August 2012). I don't really know much about the process of sheering, or who to contact to arrange them to be sheered. I have read that they will shed there fleece (is this true?) I like the idea of being able to do it myself. I clip my own horses.

I have also read that you have to register with the wool board, as they will take the fleeces. I don't expect to get much if anything for the fleeces. They are not in the best of condition, as the boys tend to get brambles etc caught in it. They have also pulled out clumps of wool already.

How soon after they have been sheered can they be drenched?

Any advice welcomed

Kind Regards

Emily

[FiB]

Ihavnt registered with the wool board as I use/sell/give away my fleece.  It is a joy to clip yourself and the singing shearer is a fab teacher (google him).  Good luck and enjoy

[lachlanandmarcus]

In theory if you have more than 3 sheep or a rare breed you have to register. But a lot of people dont. However, I did last year and mine went off to the Board.
For six you could choose either to shear them with electric shears you buy, or hand shear them yourself, or try to find a shearer to do it (which will cost the same or a bit more per sheep than you will be paid by the wool board but at least that helps offset it).
Personally I would shear them yourself with hand shears. Im only an average sized female and I did 16 ewes and a ram with hand shears. Dont worry you will cut them, so long as you are careful (and ideally someone shows you basic stuff) you will probably cut them a lot less and a lot less deeply than professional shearers as you can go as slow as you need.
Also you can do it at the right time, early enough to prevent fly strike but late enough that the fleece has started to 'rise', this rise gives an oily yellow line in the fleece a short way up from the skin, and cutting down to the rise line would be enough from a welfare perspective if you dont need to sell the fleeces (it will also leave them with a little fuzz which can be useful if you shear and then it rains for 3 weeks or is very cold).
My Shetlands dont really shed their fleece apart from odd bits so they are sheared, it depends on the genetics, also shedding creates a hell of a mess so I prefer to shear.
NB Horse clippers rarely have the power to do many sheep without dying (plus it can be hard to get the sheep combs to fit), I bought sheep clippers even tho I have horse ones altho I still normally either hand shear or get a professional shearer in depending on the numbers.
If you let us know rough area/region we might be able to recommend a shearer or teacher (if you arent in singing shearer realm).
Keen-ness is a good thing :-DDD

[Dougal]

You Tube could be a useful friend here! The BWMB courses are good but very expensive. I shear about 10000 sheep a year and 30000 bellies, I make the bulk of my living cutting wool off sheep!  Even I can find it tough but for 6 I'm sure you will manage. Hand shears will be the easiest an cheapest option if you want to do it yourself, I'd avoid using horse clippers, the cable always gets in the way. The easiest way to shear sheep, and every professional and part time shearer will agree... get some other silly sod to do it!! Mid June is a safe bet for when best to do it d dose them at the time to save double handling.

[thenovice]

By dose do you mean wormer, of pour on insecticide? If you mean the latter, they have enough wool grown back after 3 - 4 weeks.

[SallyintNorth]

Again, when it is a good time to shear will depend on where you are and the conditions.

We generally clip mid-June here in a 'normal' year (haven't seen one of those in a long while, mind) but our friends up the hill can't clip before mid-July.

I imagine that 'down south' the sheep would be struck to kingdom come if they weren't clipped until mid-June.

If selling fleeces to handspinners, you will get a lot more repeat custom if you do shear to the line of the rise - if you clip any closer than that then the spinner will have to handle all the short bits that break off where the rise is.     (Which means either flick-carding all the butts - a lot of work - or putting up with lots of nepps in the yarn, which not everyone likes and which weakens the yarn.)