Come to Sutton Fair and learn what’s involved in shearing a sheep. How is wool treated? How long does it take? How much wool does a sheep give?
Shearing is a job that must be done each year. Preparing your facilities and flock properly will make the job much easier on everyone involved.
Sheep must be dry to be sheared! Sheep with wet wool should not be sheared! This includes dew, or in some cases frost.
Sheep should be held off feed and water at least eight hours before shearing. The flock should never come straight off pasture to be sheared. Grass, and some hay, will build up gas and back up onto the lung area during shearing and cause what is called a gasper. If the animal is not put on its’ feet right away it will die of suffocation.
Stained wet wool and manure tags should be removed before sheep are penned.
Avoid penning sheep in dirty pens or on bare concrete floors.
White faced, white wooled sheep should be sheared first; dark faced or coloured wool sheep last.
White wool and coloured wool should not be packed in the same bag.
