Sheep Shearing Guide

Sheep shearing is the centuries-old practice of harvesting the fleece, or wool, that grows on sheep. The process is not painful to the animal and feels much like getting a haircut or manicure does to a human. After the harvest, wool undergoes a number of washes before machines spin it into thread. Weaving looms then make the thread into fabric.

  1. Types

    • Shearing sheep takes one of two forms. Some sheep shearers use special electric clippers, or shears, to snip the wool close to the animal’s body. (See References 1) This method is relatively fast. An experienced sheep shearer may be able to shear a sheep in two minutes or less with electric shears. The more traditional way of shearing sheep is to use scissors to remove the wool. Experience shearers typically remove the entire fleece in one piece.

    Benefits

    • Not only does sheep shearing benefit the sheep farmer from the sale of the wool, but sheep shearing provides relief to the sheep from their heavy coat. The wool provides warmth to the animal during the cool winter months. But if the animal lives in an area with a hot, humid summer season, the weight of the wool may cause the animal to overheat and suffer heat stroke. (See References 2) Uncut wool can tangle and cause problems for the sheep. For example, manure can lodge in the wool, which in turn attracts flies. These flies lay eggs, and their larvae may eventually cause infection in the sheep’s skin.

    Time Frame

    • Typically, sheep shearing takes place in the spring, often before the mother sheep, or ewes, have their babies. This makes the birthing process more comfortable for the mother. Because a small amount of wool provides insulation from the heat, spring shearing allows the wool to grow back enough to protect the sheep from the summer’s sun. The wool is long enough by fall and winter to protect the animal from cold wind and snow.

    Considerations

    • While the position the sheep shearer holds the sheep in may look uncomfortable, it’s not. No herdsman wants to hurt his valuable animals, so he makes every effort to ensure sheep shearing is a painless process for his flock.

    Misconceptions

    • Some terms associated with sheep shearing are misleading. Boiled wool does not require boiling the sheep to get the wool. It refers to the process of boiling the sheared fleece to process it. Lamb’s wool comes from lambs, but it comes from the shearing process, not from killing the lamb. The same is true of virgin wool. It doesn’t come from an ewe that hasn’t had her first baby; instead it simply means the fleece has not had any processing.