Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Sheep shearing  (Read 6451 times)

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Sheep shearing
« Reply #15 on: June 06, 2013, 11:18:00 am »
Get yourself something comfy to sit on - a bale of hay or straw is handy as it won't tip over like a stool (but wrap it in a tarp so as not to get any bits on the fleece). Grab yer sheep, tip it up, sit yourself down on the bale with the sheep between your legs.  And then start - belly first.
You will find it much easier doing it sat down, and you can always stand up when you need to or lean the sheep up against the bale if it wriggles.
For your first time don't worry about getting it off in one piece like the pro's do, just concentrate on the cutting. :)  And take your time.  And don't do it in the full sun or else you'll be dripping in sweat in no time! (but do it somewhere where you have good light so that you can see what you are doing) :)

And if your sheep won't co-operate, you can always just do the underside, neck and "edges" whilst the sheep is tipped up, and then stand it up (tie it up with a halter) and cut the top whilst the sheep is standing.  Again the bale is useful here, you can have the sheep up along side a gate or something and the bale on the other side of the sheep for you to sit/kneel on, and it helps keep the sheep contained.

Keep the skin taught with your other hand and don't pull the wool, and you should be able to do it all without cutting the sheep :D.

You will get away with using dagging shears to begin with but they might make you hand hurt quicker.  Try to get yourself some "double-bow" shears that are a bit longer and they will be easier to squeeze.

Good luck :)
« Last Edit: June 06, 2013, 11:22:02 am by foobar »

 

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