Why Shear Sheep?

There are several reasons why sheep are sheared. Years ago, one of the main reasons was because the wool was a commodity that could be sold for a good price. Unfortunately, wool only generates a token payment nowadays, and it costs more to shear a sheep than the price received for selling it. It is a shame, but synthetic materials can be produced much cheaper than wool, which needs to be washed and manufactured, and many fleeces are now burned or donated to crafters. Such is the poor price they generate.

While shearing is not about making money anymore, it is still essential to the animal's care. Sheep are sheared for several reasons, including:

Sheep must be shorn to ensure they stay cool in the warmer months. Without being shorn, sheep can overheat and die in the summer.
To ensure the prevention of parasites such as ticks, lice and flystrike, the latter of which is a particularly awful condition that can cause death.
To ensure the animal is kept comfortable. Unshorn wool can impede movement, become knotted and filthy, and encourage disease.

Sheep are usually sheared annually; however, the breed I keep, Valais Blacknose, requires shearing twice yearly due to their long and fast-growing wool. I tend to get my sheep sheared around February/March and then again in August/September. This ensures the sheep are shorn in time for the summer months and the wool has grown back in time for the cold winter months.

While sheep probably don’t enjoy the shearing process, it does not hurt them. It is important to keep the animal dry before shearing, and this may mean keeping the sheep in a barn or shed overnight if rain is forecast, and shearing them indoors.

Although farmers often work together to shear their own sheep, experienced shearers will travel to the smallholding and shear smaller flocks. I use the services of a qualified shearer to shear my sheep. She specialises in the Valais Blacknose breed and, unlike many shearers, she removes as much of the wool as possible whilst the sheep remain standing, flipping them over only for the final belly area. Allowing the sheep to remain standing means they are less likely to become stressed, making the experience much nicer for them. A calm sheep is also easier to shear, and it is less likely that they will wriggle, risking being nicked by the blade.


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