Shearing 2011

Ewes waiting in pen

Shearing came on June 2nd this year. First we had to group the ewes in the pen in the pole barn and then we had to pluck the lambs out and return them to the barn to avoid them being injured in such tight quarters.  My friend, Paula, owner of the Knit-N-Purl yarn shop in Marquette helped shuttle lambs!  (The final count on lambs is eighteen!)

Plucking lambs from the holding pen to return to the barn

 Unlike last year, we haven't really had that many really hot days up to now, but the sheep were obviously relieved to rid themselves of the pounds of wool they accumulate all year.  Our shearer comes from Wisconsin and shears most of the local flocks in our area.  Very skilled and very talented, he is painfully aware of the necessity of taking the fleeces carefully for my hand spinning customers so as to avoid second cuts which are not favored.  Still, it takes less than five minutes from beginning to end for each sheep:

First blows

Each sheep is sheared using the same pattern

Almost done

Finished....naked sheep! :)

 This year we had several folks show up to watch, and as a surprise to some, help with various tasks along the way.  Our neighbors, Isaac and Nancy, are fans of our sheep and drive by several times a week to laugh at the lambs as they gallop in the fields and jump on the knoll in the pasture.  Today they were here to see shearing for the first time...and we put them to work.

Nancy reassuring the sheep in the raceway

Isaac helping load the raceway by manning the gate

 Once the fleeces are off, it is critical to get them gathered and labeled so that there is no confusion about which fleece came from which sheep.  Our friend Karan volunteered for this important task.

Karan waiting for the next fleece

All in all, the job was done in about two hours from setup to finish.  The weather was beautiful, we had great help and the fleeces are now ready for skirting and preparation for processing or sale.  The fleeces were really impressive this year and I will post pictures of them on the farm website as soon as they are ready!  Shearing is a great time of year and is the culmination of a year's worth of careful feeding and lots of management to assure that they are as clean and as luxurious as they can possibly be.  Next year will see an even larger number of CVM/Romeldale and Romney fleeces; I'm looking forward to it already!:)