When sheep are sheared: what time of the year to carry out and step by step instructions

It is important for farmers and owners of small herds to know when sheep and sheep are sheared. These animals are usually raised for juicy and tasty meat. Any meat breed has wool. For hygienic purposes, it must be cut in early spring and late summer. This is done to increase the productivity of animals and protect them from parasites and infection. Fine-fleeced rams with high quality fine wool are trimmed only once a year (in spring).

When are sheep sheared?

As a rule, small farmers raise sheep for their meat, less often for their wool. Regardless of breed, these animals need to be sheared at least once a year.Shearing is a mandatory hygiene procedure for meat sheep. If the animals are not trimmed, they will suffer from heat, poorly recover, and their coat will turn into a breeding ground for parasites and infection.

The trimmed fleece is sold through markets, private purveyors and points, or via the Internet. Procurers often buy unwashed sheep wool during the shearing season, that is, from spring to early autumn. The price of a fleece depends on the breed of sheep. The fine wool of merino animals is most valued. It is used in the knitwear and costume industries.

Semi-fine wool is used for the production of blankets, yarn, coat fabrics. It is also a valuable product. The cheapest is the wool of coarse-haired, that is, meat, breeds.

Sheep are usually sheared in the spring. For the winter, wool is left for animals so that they do not freeze from the cold. The timing of the haircut depends not only on the season and climate of a particular region, but also on the breed, age and length of the coat.Each owner independently chooses the month and day when he needs to mow his flock.

Terms of haircuts for different breeds:

• fine-wool or semi-fine-fleece cut once a year (in spring), if the hair length is not less than 4-5 cm, and the age of the animals is not less than one year;
• fine-fleeced and semi-fine-fleece breeds do not have seasonal molting, they are allowed to be sheared at any time, but it is better closer to summer, when grease accumulates in the fleece, and the wool is pulled soft;
• coarse-haired and semi-coarse-haired rams are sheared in the spring, at the moment of molting, when the wool is “twisted” (starts to come off);
• lambs with coarse and semi-coarse hair are allowed to be sheared at 4-5 months of age;
• before the summer months, all representatives of meat coarse-haired breeds must be cut, otherwise they will suffer from heat, poorly recover and grow;
• because coarse-haired meat breeds grow hair quickly, they can be sheared at the end of summer so that the wool cover has time to grow again before the onset of frost.

When choosing a date, haircuts take into account the climatic features of their region. In the southern latitudes, animals can be sheared as early as March. In the middle lane, in the Urals, it is better to move the haircut schedule to April-May. In the northern latitudes, rams and sheep are sheared no earlier than June, just before going out to pasture. True, this applies only to fine-wool or semi-fine-wool breeds. Rough-haired meat sheep should be sheared just before shedding.

Before starting the procedure, pay attention to the condition of the coat and the amount of grease. After winter, sheep's fleece is usually dry and hard.Such wool is difficult to cut, it does not move well and breaks. It is better to wait until a certain amount of fat has accumulated in the rune, it will become soft and elastic, and will not tear when sheared.

Required tools

For haircuts, it is recommended to buy special tools. Animals are sheared with special scissors or with an electric clipper. Tools can be purchased online (special equipment stores). Sheep shearing shears (double in shape) must be at least 27 cm long. The blades are made of durable steel. Such a tool costs about 5-20 dollars. Shearing one sheep with scissors takes about 30-60 minutes.

You can buy a manual electric machine. It is similar to the tool commonly used by hairdressers. With its help, the animal can be trimmed in 10-30 minutes. The machine costs from 100 to 300 dollars. The price depends on the power of the device. The smaller the herd, the easier it is to choose a machine.This tool allows you to quickly and accurately cut the wool cover. True, you need to use the machine carefully so as not to hook on the protruding parts of the animal's body.

Cutting methods

Sheep are sheared by machine and by hand. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. The easiest way to shear sheep is by hand using scissors or a clipper.

True, this method is unacceptable for owners of a large herd.

Manual

The owners of a small herd can shear their rams with special scissors. The main thing is that the tool is well ground. They also shave the woolen cover with the help of electric hand-held machines. With the manual method, you will have to sweat a little. Shearing animals requires physical strength and skill. A beginner out of habit alone will not be able to shear a ram. The animal will break out and behave restlessly.It is recommended to call someone for help.

Machine

Shearing with an electric clipper makes the shearer's work easier and improves the quality of wool. This method allows you to cut the fleece closer to the skin and make it smoother. On sale there are special machines for individual use. These tools are easy to operate. The main thing is to remember that when cutting, you can’t go through the same place 2 times.

In the industrial cultivation of sheep, rotary and conveyor installations are used. Grooming animals with electrical equipment usually takes place in special rooms with the help of well-trained shearers, who are able to shear several dozen sheep in an hour.

Accounting for animal vulnerability

Sheep and rams of any breed tolerate machine shearing by a professional shearer. A quality procedure is the minimum number of long passes by the machine. Well-fed sheep of meat breeds with dense, even, rough skin tolerate the procedure more easily, and are less likely to get hurt. They are much easier to cut. Thin animals with folded skin are problematic to cut their hair. The hardest thing is to trim fine-fleeced rams. They have many folds in their skin, and they also have horns.

Such animals are sheared slowly, the machine is operated carefully, and the lanes are short.

Rules and haircut technique

Sheep are allowed to be sheared at home, such as outdoors or indoors, on the ground, floor or table. Before shearing, the animals do not feed for a day and do not drink for 12 hours. Shear only dry wool. Animals grazing in the meadow should preferably be dried indoors before shearing.

Step-by-step instructions for shearing sheep (rams) with a machine:

1. The animal is placed on its left side with its back to itself.
2. It is forbidden to put your foot on the belly of a sheep, turn it over its back.
3. Tangles are carefully cut with scissors.
4. Grooming starts from the area near the udder, tail, on the legs.
5. The first long strip is cut on the belly (up from the groin to the chest).
6. You need to cut along the body, carefully, avoiding skin cuts.
7. The stomach and chest are completely free from wool.
8. The fleece should come off the skin in a whole (solid) piece.
9. Turn the sheep on its right side.
10. The wool cover is sheared on the left side of the body with long longitudinal strokes.
11. The sheep is turned over on its left side again.
12. Remove the fleece (longitudinal moves) from the right side of the body.
13. Cut hair from the back, neck and head.

It is recommended to cover the place where the procedure will take place with a tarpaulin or film, oilcloth so that the wool does not get dirty. The quality of the fleece depends on the skill of the shearer. The main thing is not to reduce the length of the wool when cutting. This is especially important for fine-fleece breeds, whose rune value depends on the length of the hair.

How to store wool?

It is recommended to dry the sheared fleece in a dry closed room, clean it from dirt and plant residues, and then roll it into a roller. It is advisable not to wash the wool, not to wet it and not to comb it. Procurers buy exactly unwashed and unprocessed fleece. You can store it in plastic bags.

Care and treatment of instruments

After cutting, scissors and electric clippers are recommended to be cleaned of hair residues with a soft brush.Do not wash instruments in water. Scissors cleaned with a rag can be sharpened for the next time. It is recommended to wipe the machine with a dry cloth and lubricate the mechanisms with machine oil. If necessary, the cutting blades can be replaced. Store tools in their cases or original boxes.

DIY cutting table

If you wish, you can make your own table for cutting animals. It is made from wood materials. Height - 0.5-1 meter. Tabletop width - 100-150 cm, length - 150-170 cm. To make a table, in addition to boards and timber, you need nails, self-tapping screws, a hammer, a screwdriver, corners, glue.

What do experts advise?

Cut animals preferably in spring or summer. The quality of the shearing is affected by the fatness of rams and sheep.Well-fed animals have an almost even surface of the body and very dense skin, and the grease makes the fleece also elastic. During shearing of well-fed individuals, the wool does not tear or break. The machine glides easily over the surface and cuts the fleece well.

Shearing thin sheep is harder. Their body surface is uneven, the coat is loose. On the rune, such animals have little fat. Their coat is dry and hard, hard to shear. Frequent skin cuts are possible. The fleece is of poor quality and crumbly. It is recommended to feed the animals a month before shearing. Sheep quickly get better on grain (oats, corn, barley), sunflower meal and cake, boiled potatoes, vegetables.

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