[Mickey]

Please can someone advise how to find a sheep shearer or someone who perhaps shears sheep as a sideline.  We are ramping up our intent to start smallholding and are currently looking in area of Scotland but who knows where we will find our dream place :-)

Thanks,
Mickey

[Alistair]

Try the singing shearer, or better still get on the British wool board course and learn to do it yourself, other than that see if you can piggy back on to a local farmer when the contract lads come round

I know the likes of George Mudge down in Devon keep a list if shearers, I used to be on it, British wool board might be able to help also

I'd offer myself, but your too far away and my shoulder isn't upto it anymore, seriously considering selling one of my machines at the moment

[devonlad]

I think you've got 4 choices
1) as stated already, learn to do it yourself- though I've always resisted this back wrecking option !
2) Go for a hair sheep such as a Wilts Horn which self sheds. we started like this and although we still have mainly Wilts we have cross bred and ended up with some that need shearing. which lead to 3 and 4
3) there are shearers that will advertise for small flocks- I'm sure I've even seen some on here. the plus is of course that you have control to some degree over when you get them sheared. downside is its likely to cost a bit more if the shearer is travelling out just to do yours.
4) my favoured option for shearing and so much else is to get friendly with the big sheep farmer up the road. we now get his shearer popping down to do our few after he's finished with him. tends to be cheaper but on the downside less control over when they're done. Having a proper sheep farmer mate is handy in a thousand different ways. as someone who doesn't like getting some thing for nothing I'll go and give him a hand now and then just to balance the relationship, but for meds, advice, trailers and lots more he's a god send

[Mickey]

Thanks everyone for those helpful replies, not got the sheep as yet but plans are afoot :-)

[lachlanandmarcus]

I find hand shearing up to about 6 sheep a pleasure, from 6-12 ok and over 12 a bit tough. On the other hand its very good in poor weather as you aren't shaving right to the skin like machine shearing so the sheep appreciate that, and the shears are £12 ish compared with several hundred for electric ones or £40 upwards for a shearer.


I have the two ends of the spectrum. The Shetlands, ESP the white and moorits, I make more from the wool board than they cost to pay the shearer. But the Herdwicks I've recently taken on,,,,well, think i may be using theirs for hanging baskets or protecting brassicas from slugs, or selling privately as thei rate for them is a tenth of that per kilo than for the Shetlands!

[Mickey]

Thanks for that, much appreciate your thoughts.

[Shropshirelass]

Devon lad with the wiltshire horns how do u go about sending the wool off then? & here's a current price list for various wools of different breeds from the wool board:

http://www.britishwool.org.uk/priceschedule.asp?pageid=50

[devonlad]

The wilts horn wool litters the field for a week like white candy floss and then dissolves away Like magic.Fleeces from the others go in labelled sacks to the wool board