[sarahdean_66]

I have taken in 2abandoned sheep, the ewe is a 2yr old rough fell and has not been sheared this year so she is a walking carpet, I know I need to get the dreadlocks off her bum and tidy her up but not sure whether to shear her all out or not. I hand shear so can leave it a bit longer than usual but the weather has just changed here  and got rather chilly now! Thanks guys.

[moony]

I would just dag her and shear her early next year.

[SallyintNorth]

Poor girl - glad she's come to you 

No, I wouldn't shear her all over now, either.  Unless... is she pregnant?  With our Texel types, I'd be quite worried about them getting stuck on their backs when heavily pregnant if they still had last year's fleece on 'em.  But then you'd have to keep her inside for the winter...

[devonlady]

Dears of them and good for you   Good luck with them. Are they not ear tagged? They may have strayed or been stolen then abandoned.

[Marches Farmer]

I agree on leaving her until the weather warms up next year.  Just crutch two strips each side of her vulva and down to where her udder starts.  That will leave her udder protected from the wind (assuming she's pregnant) and you'll need to keep a careful eye on her to check she's not cast, especially if you have lots of corvids in your area. Can you check at first and last light?  Do get her shorn promptly next year as she'll be a prime candidate for flystrike, especially if we have a wet winter and she gets fleece rot.

[Womble]

you'll need to keep a careful eye on her to check she's not cast

   Just when I thought I was starting to get the hang of all these new words as well! 

[Fleecewife]

you'll need to keep a careful eye on her to check she's not cast

   Just when I thought I was starting to get the hang of all these new words as well! 

Here it's 'cowped'.  I don't think you'll ever learn them all Womble.

[Womble]

Oh, you mean a riggwelter?     I couldn't work out how losing her teeth would have anything to do with an overgrown fleece. I've got you now though, thanks! 

[SallyintNorth]

Hereabouts, 'cast' means 'cull' - ie., a cast ewe is one being sold as no longer fit for breeding

'cowped' means knocked over, usually applied to equipment - as in, 'the wind cowped me trailer'

a ewe stuck on her back is 'kessin' 

[sarahdean_66]

Thanks guys, I have dagged her and done a little bit on her flanks which was really matted and soggy as worried about flystrike if we get any warm weather! Yes i can check her for getting stuck im hoping shes pregnant but no idea when she is due! do they dont have ear tags, we sort of know where they can from but said farmer was allowed to graze small paddock behind the pub, took 4 sheep earlier in the year, no tags and basically left them their, 2died from flystrike despite the landlord telling the farmer they were ill he took 3 days to respond and said sheep were dead by then. landlord knows nothing about sheep and just let him use the grazing but the farmer is now denying the last two are his and doesn't want anything to do with them for some reason!! they needed moving because of a firework display to be held in the paddock which was why a friend contacted me to see if i could help. The other sheep a ram has a had a large nasty patch of infected skin on his rump which had a touch of flystrike so he is lucky i got him when i did! he has been treated and cleaned up!

[Marches Farmer]

Sounds as though they're going to have a much better life with you.

[sokel]

I took  2 in last year that had not been sheared for 2 years. I decided to take just over  half off by hand and gave them access to a stable, They where fine even when we had 5 ft + snow drifts. I then had them sheared as normal this year