Things to Know
Before You Shear
A big part of shearing is being ready for the big day. While it can seem daunting, it can be made simple by preparing ahead of time. Making sure you know the lay of the land can not only help make things go smoother, but can help your wooly friends feel less stress too!
We've put together this helpful guide so you can properly prepare for your booking!
The Sheep
The sheep must be must be caught and put in a small pen the night before. We don’t want to wait while you try to catch sheep out in the field and we will not chase your sheep or catch them for you.
If we arrive and the sheep are not penned and we have
to do this work for you there will be an additional charge of $75 per hour. If the sheep are unable to be caught we will still expect to be paid our minimum fee for showing up. If you do not already have a small pen set up, you will need to start preparing for shearing a few weeks ahead by building a small pen and training the sheep to enter it with feed in the evenings. A small pen or corral means that the sheep are closely packed together and cannot run from the shearer when they are being caught. A pen that is too large causes stress to the sheep as they will run around and over heat easily.
The Site
The pen should be near power and also near a flat shaded spot to set up the shearing equipment and work. We will need a three prong power source via generator or extension cord to power gear and a 4x8 piece of ply wood. Power and board should be set up prior to our arrival. If power cannot be made available we need to know ahead of time. We do have
our own generator but do not always travel with it.
The Feed
The sheep should be held off food and water the night before and the morning prior to shearing. For pregnant ewes, just that morning. A full belly makes it difficult for the sheep to breath while they are in the shearing positions and they will fight and struggle as they try to breathe, this is very stressful for them and slows down the shearing process for all of us.
The Wool
Wool handling is not part of our service unless requested for additional fee. Be prepared with a helper to clear wool from the shearing board after each sheep and have a rake or broom on hand to help with this process. If you plan to keep your wool, please
have large extra strength contractor bags or similar on hand for bagging your wool and please expect to help with this process, pay one of my daughters to assist, or provide a helper.
