[Susannah]

I am embarrassed to ask what I feel is an obvious question but...
I have a group of Jacob weathers, they will be one in April, they are well grown and have beautiful fleece.
I would like to put them away pretty much ASAP but want the fleece from them. I know it's the wrong time of year for shearing but if they went straight after is that an acceptable thing to do. There may be a really obvious no no that I am over looking so just thought I would ask! what do other people do?

[Fleecewife]

Hi Fu 
I think you have to house them once shorn until they have grown a wee bit of fleece back.  It's possible you could shear them the day before slaughter, keep them in overnight, then take them in the morning.  Probably best to phone the abattoir for direct advice.  We used to send off our Jacob skins for tanning, but by about November they start to slip so can't be done later than that.  Jacob skins are gorgeous and sell for a premium, being so nicely marked and large, so maybe worth sending them off in early Nov next year, from an April lambing. 
They are much more difficult to shear at this time of year, as there's no rise.
JJ

[shep53]

Best to speak to your abattoir  , so they are happy  . Clipping at this time of year not a problem , so long as you can house them .    Bear in mind that clipping will cause stress and maybe bruising

[Susannah]

Thank you, your replies have confirmed that it is not a normal thing to do and it doesn't seem fair to the sheep to shear at this time of year.
Hi Juliet, can skins be sent away now or do they have to be shorn and then sent with the re growth before November? Who do you use to tan them for you? What is 'slipping' that happens after November? Do you send skins away from your lambs or hoggs? A few years ago I used Torrisdale Castle tannery in Argyle for some skins which were lovely but horrendously expensive, and two were small Hebridean ones! Rookey mistake by me!
I felted a fleece last year and it turned out really well but I'm too afraid to wash it incase the rest felts, any tips for that? I have some Shropshire sheep too now that were for grazing in the orchard, hmmm well, no they didn't eat the trees or strip the bark but they did eat every bud and shoot they could reach! They really are adorable sheep though and I'm looking forward to seeing what their fleece will be like this year. I hope you are well and the winter is being kind. I, along with everyone else on TAS I think, look forward to reading your posts so thank you very much for the time you take sharing your knowledge. Best wishes, fu
 

[Backinwellies]

Have you considered getting skins back then removing fleece ?

[Fleecewife]

Hi again Fu
Thank you for those lovely comments


I haven't had skins done for a while, because we send our Hebs off to Shotts abattoir at 16 months, so way too late for tanning.  I have wondered about having them done with the regrowth if it was 2-3" long - that could be good for clothing or bed covers, but I would need to discuss it with a tannery.  We always had our Jacobs done by Fenland down south, but they closed a few years ago and it's hard to find a suitable replacement.

https://www.organicsheepskins.com/  This is Nicki Port in Hereford who is the only organic tannery in Britain.  Her website has loads of info, and she is always happy to speak personally and advise what works and what doesn't.

https://www.skyeskyns.co.uk/  This is Clive Hartwell on Skye.  I think he prefers to tan only skins from the north but you would need to phone to discuss.

http://www.devoniaproducts.co.uk/  Devonia took over from Fenland and struggled with backlogs initially, being a much smaller business at first.  I don't know anything more about them, but if I do get more skins done then I would approach them first.

Perhaps others who have had skins commercially tanned can comment.

I have looked and not been able to find prices on websites, so I suppose you need to contact each company separately.  Postage charges are a big factor, so make sure your skins are very well salted to be as light as possible - this is by far best done when the weather is dry and frozen.

Backinwellies idea is worth considering.  I think wool taken from dead sheep is called fell wool or similar.  But you would then have to do something with the shaved skins.

For the sheep you are about to send off, it's totally the wrong time to get the skins tanned, and if you keep Jacobs until next summer before slaughter then the meat will be very fat.  I would consult the abattoir about shearing them before they go, and if they would be happy with that.  The fleece is certainly lovely at this age.

Otherwise I would wait until your next crop for skins, and get your spinnable first shear fleece from any retained ewes.

Wool slip, in tanning terms, is when the fleece has started to 'rise', so the new wool is pushing the old fleece up and off.  Once you try to tan this, the old wool comes off and blocks up the tanning vats and machinery, and all you get back is a raggy skin, but they would refuse to try tanning the skins at the wrong time of year.  That's why it's worth discussing exactly what you want to do with the tannery before you send the skins off.  You need to book them in anyway.
I don't know if you still have Hebs, but if you have any which are big enough to send off in Nov, it can be best to get some back with a 'natural finish'.  This means the skin is dipped back in water after all the combing, so it comes back curly.  Some people like them brushed and fluffy, others like them curly.

Interesting about you Shropshires.  Even our blind Shetland lamb used to pick every bud off trees, and she was the only way to kill willow     What is their fleece like?


I'm not sure about your felted fleece - any chance of a pic?
JJ


PS somewhere on TAS there is a thread about home tanning and where to buy kits.  Sorry but finding it is beyond my meagre computer skills 

[Susannah]

So sorry for delay in reply. Trying to send picture of the work in progress.

[Susannah]

It worked! The rovings on the back are my first Hebridean ones!
Thank you for all the info about tanning which helped me a lot. I'm putting it all on hold just now as still loads of pruning to do(800 apple trees, 240 pears and 180 plums!) and lambing is looming. I put the tup in with the Jacobs a couple of weeks early for the reason of them hopefully being big enough by November to put away and get skins back so I will see what happens.

[SallyintNorth]

We use Devonia, as it’s nearby. They tell us to send them skins from sheep ‘born or shorn in the year’.  So lambs’ skins before their first Christmas, otherwise older sheep at least one month after shearing and before Christmas.  At one month after shearing, they’re still quite short but the ‘tram lines’ have gone; these are suitable for baby mats. At three months after shearing they’re lovely .