Shearing
Cutting or shaving the wool off of a sheep is called shearing. Shearing doesn‘t usually hurt a sheep. It‘s just like getting a haircut. However, shearing requires skill so that the sheep is shorn efficiently and quickly without causing cuts or injury to the sheep or shearer. Most sheep are sheared with electric shears or shearing machines. The fleece is removed in one piece.
Some sheep are sheared manually with scissors or hand blades. While some farmers shear their own sheep, many hire professional sheep shearers.
Shearing is usually carried out once a year, allowing the wool to grow back between each shearing (much like our hair grows between haircuts). It can also be done twice a year if future production allows for shorter wool fibers. Shearing is usually done in the autumn or spring.
The Shearing Shed
The annual shearing most often occurs in a shearing shed, a facility especially designed to process often hundreds and sometimes more than 3,000 sheep per day. In countries where large numbers of sheep are kept for wool, sometimes many thousands in a flock, shearing sheds are vital to house the necessary shearing equipment, and to ensure that the shearers and /or crutchers have a ready supply of dry, empty sheep. The shed also provides space where the wool is classed and pressed into approved wool packs and stored to await transport to market. Location of the shed is important as the site needs to be well drained and in an area reasonably close to most of the flock.
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A shearing shed is divided into specific areas, one of them is the sheep penning area. It is necessary to be able to shed, and keep dry, sheep for two days of shearing. Wet or damp sheep may cause health problems for the shearers and damp wool can‘t be pressed. In the shearing shed the woolly sheep will be penned on a slatted wooden or woven mesh floor above ground level. The sheep entry to the shed is via a wide ramp, with good footholds and preferably enclosed sides. After shearing the shearing shed may also provide warm shelter for newly shorn sheep if the weather is likely to be cold and/or wet.
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Next comes the shearing area where nowadays the shearing board may be of a curved and/or raised style to save the shearers extra walking and bending. Sheep may be released through the wall or through a chute in the floor, depending on the plan used.
The wool room is where the shorn fleece is picked up by the roustabout and cast onto a wool table for skirting, rolling and classing, before being placed in the appropriate wool bin.
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Adequate lighting and ventilation is provided for all shearers and shedhands who work in the shed. Good light is essential for quality shearing, wool classing and grinding etc., and is a very significant factor affecting sheep flow in the penning area. Good ventilation is also essential in the shearing shed. It is important to provide fresh air and improve working conditions during hot weather. Shearing sheds can become extremely hot, even in cooler climates, during the summer. The body heat of the sheep and the insulating qualities of wool contribute to the problem. Ceiling fans are reasonably priced and helpful in this regard.
The annual shearing most often occurs in a shearing shed, a facility especially designed to process often hundreds and sometimes more than 3,000 sheep per day. In countries where large numbers of sheep are kept for wool, sometimes many thousands in a flock, shearing sheds are vital to house the necessary shearing equipment, and to ensure that the shearers and /or crutchers have a ready supply of dry, empty sheep. The shed also provides space where the wool is classed and pressed into approved wool packs and stored to await transport to market. Location of the shed is important as the site needs to be well drained and in an area reasonably close to most of the flock.
​
A shearing shed is divided into specific areas, one of them is the sheep penning area. It is necessary to be able to shed, and keep dry, sheep for two days of shearing. Wet or damp sheep may cause health problems for the shearers and damp wool can‘t be pressed. In the shearing shed the woolly sheep will be penned on a slatted wooden or woven mesh floor above ground level. The sheep entry to the shed is via a wide ramp, with good footholds and preferably enclosed sides. After shearing the shearing shed may also provide warm shelter for newly shorn sheep if the weather is likely to be cold and/or wet.
​
Next comes the shearing area where nowadays the shearing board may be of a curved and/or raised style to save the shearers extra walking and bending. Sheep may be released through the wall or through a chute in the floor, depending on the plan used.
The wool room is where the shorn fleece is picked up by the roustabout and cast onto a wool table for skirting, rolling and classing, before being placed in the appropriate wool bin.
​
Adequate lighting and ventilation is provided for all shearers and shedhands who work in the shed. Good light is essential for quality shearing, wool classing and grinding etc., and is a very significant factor affecting sheep flow in the penning area. Good ventilation is also essential in the shearing shed. It is important to provide fresh air and improve working conditions during hot weather. Shearing sheds can become extremely hot, even in cooler climates, during the summer. The body heat of the sheep and the insulating qualities of wool contribute to the problem. Ceiling fans are reasonably priced and helpful in this regard.
Crutching and Wigging
The soiled wool and the wool that cannot be used for future textile production are sometimes removed even before the shearing and skirting. The process is called crutching. It is a process in which shearers use the electric handpiece to remove wool from around the sheep’s rear end. Crutching usually takes place well before shearing and is carried out to reduce the amount of wet manure and urine that sticks to the wool around the sheep’s rear end. This wetness can attract blow flies, which lay their eggs, leading to flystrike.
Removing wool from the sheep’s face is called wigging. Wigging is done at the same time as crutching and removes any wool around the face that could stop the sheep from being able to see.
