[mebnandtrn]

Having failed to find a shearer (see our other post) we are considering plan B - doing it ourselves!  Is this utter madness / likely to be the death of our sheep / a feasible plan?  There are only 5 of them to do, but obviously we don't want to traumatise them (or us!).  Advice on hand shears would also be greatly appreciated.  The biggest worry is cutting them - our midwife a few years ago told us about cutting a sheep so badly she had to do emergency stitches save its life - that story has stayed with us as a real fear!  Many thanks.

[Brucklay]

I've used shearer's in the past but last year my sheep were loosing their fleeces before he could make it so I decided to do mine myself. It was quite hard work with some and I found the darker colours harder even in bright daylight but it is possible.


I know I didn't do it in a conventional way - as they had lost most around their neck from the sides I clipped away - small clips and rolled the fleece towards the back - seemed to work.

[smallflockshearing]

Oh, it's incredibly hard - you need to pay someone like me to come and do it...   

Really, no it's not that bad. 

Guide for untrained shearing in desperation:  The tricky bit is controlling the sheep, which you need to do using your feet, legs, knees, body, maintaining firm contact and balance: pressure from 2 sides simultaneously helps.  If they are still, you can shear at your leisure, but don't expect them to stay still for long.  Holding them will tire you out and frustrate you.  Controlling their head helps a lot (keep it off the ground if possible), and if you are holding a leg then keep it close to their body.  A second pair of hands will make life easier.  Don't try to tether like you do with alpacas.

In terms of actually cutting into the fleece, you need to find 'corners' or entry points where you can see skin - brisket up or down, front of rear leg into the flank, neck, face.  Don't pull the wool up to see where you are cutting - that's when you stretch the skin and cut into it.  Work from these points outwards - flip over once you have passed the spine.

Be confident, but respect your ignorance if you are unsure of the anatomy beneath the fleece.  Areas to take plenty of time are around pizzles, teats, bums, eyes, ears, tail.  If there are bad dags, consider having a pair of scissors to hand.

I'd say give hand shears a go - you won't be that much slower first time round, and they're cheaper by lots.

Don't worry if they look scruffy - go over them again, or just wait for it to grow out!

[Fleecewife]

I haven't shorn all that many sheep myself (that's what Mr Fleecewife is for  ) but it wasn't so very difficult, given that I had the 'easy' ones, and surprisingly I didn't take much longer than he did, or to put it another way, I was nearly as quick 

What I did notice though was that the tamest sheep were the squirmiest, whereas the wilder ones seemed to give in totally and just let me get on with it.  Not what I'd expected.

There must be you-tube clips to watch, in fact doesn't singing shearer have one out there?  Watch many times before you have a go, then just go for it.  Also choose proper sized shears, don't try shearing with daggers, but choose a pair with a softer 'spring' if your hands are smaller or weaker than a roughytoughy chap who shears thousands - like smallflockshearing maybe? I'm making the assumption that sfs is male but apologies if not 

Brucklay, I love the pic of you unpeeling your sheep 

[shygirl]

i was going to suggest that on the other thread but then thought it was a bit presumptious. handshears are about £20 and it is very easy if you are confident and careful, though obviously you wont be very quick at it. but if you only have a few i wouldnt bother hiring someone.
once they are on their backs, they tend to sit still.

[Me]

Go for it, you will get it off somehow! I am a "self taught" shearer (and all that implies!) so bloody useless at it but it comes off, I don't cut many but swearing and back pain are not optional. If I can I will get someone to do it for Me this year.

[Dogwalker]

Have superglue and blue spray to hand for emergency battlefield suturing.

It works!

[Ladygrey]

Its not very hard, I am not very big or strong but I manage 

I have electric clippers but actually can do a neat job with the hand clippers

This is one of mine done with my hand blades and she still has 4 legs!



The best bet is to watch loads of youtube videos I did this to remind myself before shearing

[kanisha]

  Lady grey I'm curious to know if you sheared her seated or standing?

[Ladygrey]

Me or her seated or standing?

[kanisha]

either or 

[Ladygrey]

At the start of the day I was standing and the sheep were seated on there bums 

end of the day I was getting half way through the sheep and then ending up sat on the floor/sheep with the sheep on my lap/underneath me 

Thats why I prefer smaller stockier ewes 

[kanisha]

thanks very nice job I find using hand shears on sheep that are seated much harder hence my question. I am considering going over to hand shears but I do tend to sit on the floor with the sheep seated.

[Ladygrey]

Hmm so you find it easier with the sheep standing up??

I tried that but I find as the sheep's skin isnt stretched taught when she is just stood up I am more likely to cut her...

I sit the ewe on her bottom and start at her brisket, up to her head, do the whole neck, down her shoulder and across whilst bending her and keeping everything taught.

I then change her position to be sat still but bent the other way, face facing her tail end, and push my fist into her upper leg to extend her leg fully and stretch the skin, then do back leg and up, over her thigh, do far over the spine as I can and up across her ribs, then thats 75% of her done, I then tuck her head between my legs whilst she is sat facing me with my feet tucked under her feet so they dont touch the ground, then I can reach t'other side and start from her shoulder and go all the way down to finish.

Some have wooly bellies, I do these after doing back legs or roo them off, they roo off fine in the shetlands and I even roo off some bellies in other breeds, I also like to roo around ears

This is another ewe I did, a big texel mule, she was hard as she had loads of fleece and weighs much more than I do!

[FiB]

Gosh you are good lady Gray!!  Mine look a lot worse than that! But no cuts and as long as you both survive....     Where are you, maybe someone here can come and show you/ help?