How to Shear Sheep

Shearing a sheep is like getting a hair cut. Some sheep farmers shear their own sheep, while others hire professional shearers to do it for them. Sheep are sheared once a year, and experienced sheep shearers are quick and efficient. A good sheep shearer gets the job done without injury to the sheep or himself.

Instructions
Hold sheep in a clean area or pen while waiting to be sheared to keep the wool clean.

Find a clean rug for the sheep to stand on while being sheared. Shear sheep away from their pen or sleeping area.

Get rid of any feces or other debris that might be present in the coat before shearing.

Electric sheep shears in warm weather to bring out the oils in the coat. This will help keep the blades lubricated to produce a more even coat.

Cut close to the body of the sheep.

Keep the coat all in one piece as you shear and do not go back and shear a second time.

Consider purchasing a shearing platform which allows the sheep to stand with its head secure while being sheared. This also gets the sheep up off the ground which makes it easier on the shearer.

Tips & Warnings
Don’t shear sheep too late in the season as some natural shedding will occur and reduce the overall weight of the wool. This decreases the value of the wool at market.

Store wool in a clean dry place before taking to market. Tie the fleece with paper twine so that the most valuable part of the wool is toward the outside.

What are the animal welfare issues with shearing of sheep?

Shearing is the process whereby the sheep’s fleece (wool) is removed using mechanical shears called ‘handpieces’. For sheep breeds that are specifically grown for wool production, the fleece needs to be removed regularly because it grows continuously. Sheep are typically shorn at least once a year, usually in spring. Most sheep are shorn by professional shearers who are paid by the number of sheep they shear – this can be up to 200 sheep a day (2-3 minutes per sheep).

Sheep are usually brought to the shearing shed yards well before shearing to ensure their fleece is dry and they are off feed and able to empty out to prevent soiling in the shed. On the day of shearing, sheep are penned in the shearing shed within easy access of the shearer who removes them individually from the pen to be shorn. In order to shear the sheep effectively, the shearer is trained to move the sheep through a series of set movements that make shearing more comfortable for the sheep as well as the shearer. If positioned correctly, the sheep will not resist or try to escape. Inevitably, nicks and cuts may occur if the sheep does struggle, or has excessively wrinkled skin or the shearer is distracted or under time pressure. Where deep cuts occur, these are usually sewn up by the shearer. Once sheep are shorn, they are dropped through a slide chute into pens beneath the shed and/or yards adjacent to the shed. From here, sheep may receive preventative treatment (e.g. for parasites) and then be returned to the paddock.

Shearing requires sheep to be handled multiple times – mustering, yarding, and penning – which is stressful to sheep. In addition, shearing itself is an acute stressor. The potential for pain is present where sheep are wounded or injured during shearing. Treatment of injuries should be immediate and where shearing wounds are deep and require stitching, the application of a topical pain relief should be considered.

In 1998, CSIRO introduced a technology to remove wool that does not require shearing. Instead, a protein (epidermal growth factor) is injected into the skin and, within a week, the whole fleece is shed inside a net that has been fitted to the sheep. This technology has a significant animal welfare advantage compared to mechanical shearing in that it removes the risk of cuts and injuries to the sheep. Unfortunately, the technology was not taken up widely by the wool industry and has been withdrawn from the market. It is the RSPCA's view that its commercialisation and uptake by industry should be revisited.

The RSPCA believes the stress experienced by sheep during shearing can be reduced by

• handling sheep in a low-stress manner
• ensuring shearers are trained and competent in best practice technique to reduce the risk of cutting the sheep
• requiring shearers to be accredited
• ensuring recognised training programs incorporate principles of animal welfare, animal handling and the importance of good stockmanship
• ensuring the appropriate treatment of wounds and injuries using pain relief where required
• creating an environment in the shearing shed where mistreatment of sheep is not tolerated.

The History of Sheep Shearing

The process of removing the wool from a sheep is known as sheep shearing. The wool is clipped by skilled shearers once a year from the sheep. Raising and shearing sheep is one of the world's oldest industries, thriving for thousands of years. The many uses of wool are the reason for the huge success of the sheep shearing business. The fleece removed from sheep is spun and woven for carpets, clothing, yarns, insulation, blankets, felt and crafting.

Domestication

    Sheep were first domesticated over 10,000 years ago and raised as a food source in Central Asia. Shearing sheep did not begin until 3500 B.C. when man learned to spin the sheep's wool. The production of wool is the oldest trade commodity known to man. The wool industry is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible and was the first widespread international trade throughout ancient civilizations.

New World

    Most of the explorations organized by Queen Isabella of Spain were financed through her wool trading business. In the 1400's, she paid for the voyages of Columbus and the conquistadors with profits from sheep shearing. The sheep were also used as a food source for Columbus and he left sheep in the New World when he sailed to Santo Domingo and Cuba. These sheep, known as Churras, became the ancestors of American sheep and were bred by the Navajo tribe for food and wool.

American Colonies

    England attempted to prevent breeding and shearing sheep in the American colonies of the 16th and 17th centuries. The colonists, however, continued to smuggle sheep into America and established a lucrative wool business in the colonies. By the mid 1600's, the Massachusetts General Court required all children to learn how to shear sheep, spin the wool and weave the wool.

    Colonial Americans exported the wool from over 10,000 sheep and England forbade the wool industry in America to continue. The consequence of being found guilty of participating in the wool industry was severing the right hand of the guilty party. One of the causes of the Revolutionary War was England's outlawing of sheep shearing and wool exportation.Australia

    In 1788, 29 sheep were successfully transported from Cape Town, South Africa to Sydney, Australia. Ten years later, 13 more sheep, known as Spanish merinos, were added to the Sydney's flock of over 2,000 to help produce a finer grade of wool. The sheep shearing industry of Australia went on to become one of the largest in the world.

Australia

    In 1788, 29 sheep were successfully transported from Cape Town, South Africa to Sydney, Australia. Ten years later, 13 more sheep, known as Spanish merinos, were added to the Sydney's flock of over 2,000 to help produce a finer grade of wool. The sheep shearing industry of Australia went on to become one of the largest in the world.

Today

    Most of the wool today is provided to manufacturers from sheep farms in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The wool of Australian sheep, which is finer in quality than American wool, is used to manufacture clothing. New Zealand wool is coarse and is used in producing carpeting, draperies and industrial products. American wool is also coarse wool for manufacturing carpet pads, insulation, tennis balls and baseballs.

Demo - How to shear a sheep using an electric shears

How to Use Electric Sheep Shears

Electric sheep shears are a valuable tool for both wool production and sheep care for those who know how to use them. However, electric sheep shears, also known as clippers, are difficult to learn how to use, and the risk of injury to sheep and shearer can be significant. Sometimes, though, owners have few alternatives because there are so few professional sheep shearers still working today.

Instructions
Verify that the electric shears you are planning to use are approved by the manufacturer for use on sheep and will not overheat in the face of such heavy use. Purchase at least three replacement blades for substitution when the one in use becomes dull. Obtain the specific brand of blade oil recommended by the manufacturer. Be sure to use the right oil for the job as other oils may stain the sheep's fleece or not provide proper lubrication for the intense heat and speed of your electric shears.

Set up your shearing area in a location that provides safe and effective access to a power source. Make sure that all temporary power cords are safely secured in places where they will not be a tripping hazard or be damaged by sheep stepping or chewing on them. Consider temporarily securing the cord for your electric shears through a series of large eye bolts along a post, wall or ceiling to bring the power source in from overhead like the commercial shearers do for maximum safety and ease of shearing.

Study the owner's manual to verify that you have correctly attached your shearing blades and guards to the body of the electric shears. Make a few practice cuts on an old pelt if you are unfamiliar with the electric shears you will be using to get the feel of how they handle and the depth and width of the cut. Pay careful attention to the way you hold the electric shears to minimize fatigue in your wrist and hand while still keeping the cutting blade at a correct and safe angle.

Remember to oil the blades periodically during use, usually after every couple of sheep sheared for beginners or at whatever time interval is recommended by the manufacturer. Apply the oil directly to the cutting surfaces to help the blades slide accurately and provide a smooth cut. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and clean the shears if they become clogged with dirt or dust to keep them functioning optimally. Always clean them thoroughly after a shearing session and before being stored for long periods.

Cut the wool with the electric shears approximately 1/2 inch above the skin, being careful not to press down onto the skin and nick or cut the sheep. Remove the wool in long, continuous strokes and do not cover the same area multiple times, producing second cuts (short bits of wool that were missed on the first stroke), which decrease the value and usefulness of the wool for spinners and weavers. Map out a mental picture of the series of parallel strokes you plan to make before actually beginning shearing to quickly and efficiently remove the wool from the sheep. Use smaller electric trimmers to even up your cuts if the appearance of your shorn sheep is a priority, such as when showing competitively, but do not add these short bits to your main fleece.