[pikilily]

It has taken me all day long to shear three sheep. Needs must and all that....but this takes the biscuit. I ache all over, my bad shoulder is hurting like mad, I have a splitting headache, the sheep look as if they have been chewed by some horrible ovine-predator, and I look as if I have been down to the belly of same monster and been regurgitated.

I decided to sacrifice the fleeces for the sake of the ewes comfort; they got plenty of breaks whilst I had to clean the blades. Going to have a tea break now.

Only one more to go......
I dont know how these professional guys do it.
Emma T

[Helen87]

well done for having a go! the pro's make it look so easy, but I guess not! We had our 3 sheared last week, the guy wouldn't take any money, just the wool! Naturally we bought hime a drink.
The comical bit was catching them, me and a friend rearing them up in a 5 acre field wearing flip flops! we are legends...
We were thinking of clubbng together and buying shears so we aren't reliant on others, but after your comments I might get lessons. I was exhausted after chasing them, there's no way I could have done a days shearing after!

[Rosemary]

We had ours done on Friday. I could hear Duncan muttering under his breath "never seen as much bl**dy wool on a bl**dy sheep in my life" 

Still, done now. It would kill me to do them myself so well done for having a go.

[Anke]

We (so far) have been doing our own clipping, bought a set of clippers that connect to a car battery (managed to flatten the battery twice and OH needed his car jump started with mine next morning...). However this year we are up to 26 sheep to shear, and it will hopefully be our last... It takes us a few days to do them, and we have decided to do a couple per evening so not to exhaust ourselves completely as last year (and the shouting at OH is less too I hope)... so far 10 are done, thankfully it rained today....

I actually did go onto one of the WMB courses and it was very hard work - I couldn't walk for days afterwards. And all these 16 year old lads were strutting their stuff.... So sheep shearing not a career choice for a 40something old female I guess... And I find that the technique they teach is not really that suitable for two people working together (naturally) and we now have ours standing up for a large part and only do the bellies as per "instructions".

I hand clipped my Beltex ewe earlier this week, she was tied up with a halter and just stood and she has no belly wool. I really enjoyed doing her! Also my old Shetland girl (too bony to be done with electric clippers anyway) - I just roo-ed her by hand.

But next year - get the profesionals in (by then I hope my flock will be around 30, so nearly enough to make someone come out and do them I hope)

[salopian]

Have to agree it's a hard thing to pick up I had a go on Sunday managed a couple ,i did'nt find it too hard work but i could'nt work out the contours of the body ,i intend too keep having a bash as I think it will come with time

[pikilily]

I gave up! by the time my cup of tea was drunk i had lost the will to do the other...she is the thinnest and will be fine with the warmth of her fleece for another day or two. Also her fleece lies down so the rain runs off and doesnt just sit there like on the others  whose fleeces stood up on end...i think that encourages the flies. anyone recognise the story i am sticking to?  God i hope i feel better tomorrow, I have a horse that needs to be ridden too!

Anyway, I managed to do the three sheep with only one small nick. So really quite chuffed. I tried to do the Bowen method as I was shown last year but found it damned awkward...especially with the big ewe. I then asked OH to help with her...thinking that he could maybe hold her head whilst i did her standing up . She had other thoughts, and carried him around the field shelter with her head between his legs and him sitting, backwards, almost on her shoulders squealing 'ooooh oooh ooooh!!'. It was soooooo funny....... Quick exit from OH and i was by myself again. To be fair to the sheep they really dont know him at all, so would be suspicious of him. I managed to do that ewe and the next just standing. I felt it was less stressful for them than sitting or lying on their backs for ages....me being so slow and also having to stop to clean the blades. Funny thing was they seemed to be almost enjoying the massage from the clippers cos they stood with minimum restriction from me!!

....so it was a mixture of 'Bowen' and 'Bowing down' that worked for me!
Emma T

[pikilily]

YAY, yay, yay!!! Did the last ewe this morning - and it didn't take long at all.... maybe ten minutes!  She is the wildest, hardest to catch, but even she stood like the proverbial lamb! Again, did her belly and hind legs with her one her back, then stood her for the rest. Just used my knee to wedge her against the wall.

Job done....but in my delight forgot to spray her with Click - another round up due this evening. Hey Ho!
Emma T

[Freddiesfarm]

Well done with the shearing!

I bought some ewes off a friend last year and he made me shear them before I took them home - it nearly killed me doing 25!

Don't worry about doing the clik - you shouldn't do it too soon after shearing anyway as it can react with their skin.  Leave it a week or two before applying it.

[pikilily]

oooops too late! done it already. Mind you because of my amateurish shearing there is not a great deal of nakedness going on in the sheep's field....a reasonable amount of fleece left really! I was so scared of cutting them that I wasnt cutting close ....so they probably have a few weeks of growth already

thanks for the advice- will remember that next time!
Emma T