How WE Shear A Sheep...                 The Unconventional Way

Although we do, from time to time, hire a professional shearer to shear our sheep, we are most happy with the fleeces when we do it ourselves..and in our own VERY unconventional way!  We use Fiscars scissors that we bought in the fabric store.  They have a spring action handle so your hands don't tire out and they go through fleeces like a knife through hot butter. Since my back is usually ready to 'attack me' at any given moment, I could NEVER handle sheep the way professionals do.  Our way is, for us, easy, peaceful, and doesn't destroy my back.  There is no noise from the scissors, we don't have to have strangers handling the sheep, and it is very, very inexpensive.  If you have time and patience, it's really quite simple.  Here's what we do!

The first step to shearing 'our way' is to tie the sheep up...preferably by the horns, although you can use a halter and go the more conventional way if you prefer, or if your sheep are polled.  They may not be thrilled at this point and may refuse to stand still, but after a few minutes they will generally calm down and be still.  You might want to practice on some of your more calm sheep before tackling any of the more 'challenging' ones.  It helps if you talk in a calm voice, or even sing to the sheep as you do this.  Okay, it sounds sort of corny, but it does tend to calm down some sheep!   Shearing in private might make sense at this point.  Try to keep your cool and not get frustrated at them...they can read your mind! That's how they know in advance that you are about to handle them and they head to the farthest corner of the pasture for no apparent reason as soon as they see you coming.  Mine will be friendly, and enjoy visiting until I get out of the van with the intention of, let's say, worming them.  That's when even my most social sheep will head for the hills and refuse to come around.  I tell you, they can read minds!  It always amazes me to hear someone say sheep are stupid!

That's about all there is to it.  There are several spots that are more difficult to shear with scissors, such as on their chest between their front legs and on the belly.  Many times the wool in this area can be pulled off if it's matted.  Be gentle though. If it doesn't come off fairly easily, don't hurt them.  It's usually not the end of the world if there's a bit left where it doesn't show in my opinion.  Don't expect to shear a flock of 60 in an afternoon using this method. It's not a very speedy way, but if you are careful, your fleeces will have little to no second cuts, the sheep will not have any notable nicks, and the sheep will most likely be pretty calm about it all.  AND a pair of Fiscars scissors is a whole lot less expensive than electric shears or hiring a professional.  To finish up, we like to label the bag with the sheep's name, what type of fleece it is (adult or lamb) and the date of shearing.  This makes it easier for us to identify when we get them ready to sell.  By the way, our model sheep is 'Mrs. Beasley'.

Next, starting just above the tail, with your hand, open up the fleece and wiggle your scissors to the base of the fleece.  Cut a path up the back as close to the skin as possible without cutting or pinching the sheep.  Go slowly and carry fly spray just in case you do nick them. If you are careful you won't cut them much, and if you do snip them, it will just be a small little cut that will heal up quickly.   Always us fly spray on cuts! Without pushing down hard with your free hand use light pressure to hold the fleece so you can see where the wool and skin meet.  Don't pull the wool as this will lift the skin up too and make it really hard to avoid cutting the sheep.  This is all best done in natural light or under a really good light because it's hard to see where the scissors are cutting in the dark.  As we cut it off, we pull the fleece off by the handful and bag it as we go.  This keeps the fleece off the ground where it can pick up excess dirt.  If there are nasty spots on the fleece (manure tags, etc...) we remove them as we go.  This makes skirting the fleece much more pleasant later on.