[ladyK]

My Soay ram has big patches of wool coming off in large pieces for a few days now (most of it kind of hangs on him still, so he has long bits of unravelled wool hanging all over himself, he looks like a rag tag!)
The skin underneath looks healthy, not inflamed, no sore patches on the skin, and it's covered with a very thin layer of wool already. I can't see him scraching frantically - he seems to behave quite normally otherwise. I've tried to look for lice but not easy while holding on a wriggling ram - still would it not be quite obvious if he was crawling with anything?

Is this lice or could he be already shedding his fleece? This is my first spring with my Soay flock, so I have no idea how the wool shedding looks like. But I thought it would be a bit later in the year.

Grateful for any thoughts.

[Ladygrey]

My neighbour has maybe 30 soays in his big field and they are all looking scruffy!!
The fleeces coming off in patches and dangly bits of wool every where 

Some of my shetlands are also starting to shed, necks are looking bare, wool hanging off bellies, tufts sticking up everywhere, may have to shear them sooner than I thought

[Brucklay]

Yip - same ragamuffins here - one bare bum, several tuffty, and lots of neck fleece here there and everywhere - I guess good for the nesting birds 

[ladyK]

That's reassuring, thank you!
One ewe also looking a bit tufty so I'll assume it is shedding. There is a first time for everything
Waiting for my first lambs too 

[Foobar]

As a slight aside, has anyone noticed their sheep fleeces having an early "rise" this year?  Mine certainly have, I presume it's down to the very mild winter?

[Marches Farmer]

Mine too.  The Badger Face are starting to shed a good six weeks earlier than usual.

[SallyintNorth]

Yup.  We were actually wondering if there's something wrong with them.

Bit of a b****r, we're supplying the sheep - and handshearer - for the Sheep to Shawl challenge at Wool on the Wall in mid July.  At this rate, we'll have nothing left with a fleece on it!

[Ladygrey]

My fleeces are promised to a hand spinner end of May

Im going to have to start shearing them end of April due to the shetlands starting to peel like bananas, will be walking the fields trying to salvage whats left!!!

My one wiltshorn cross shetland is holding on to her fleece so far, although not sure for how much longer