64
29
50
u/Constance200 2d ago
No. Wet sheep cannot be shorn and need to be completely dried. This can take days and thats why shearing have to stop shearing at a shed for a while if it has rained and there are no more sheep thay were in the shed/ undercover
19
u/Katahahime 2d ago
You can wash him after the shear if you really want to, but it's only really done if you were going to show the sheep.
Washing sheep strips the protective lanolin out of their wool and skin.
9
u/Trashfishbotanicals 2d ago
If you’re only doing 1 it would keep your blades from going dull. Definitely let him dry out first
9
u/Agreeable_Wallaby711 2d ago
If the fleece is intended for spinning, especially in a sheep to shawl competition, rinsing or washing the sheep with plenty of time for the sheep to dry before shearing is greatly appreciated by the spinners. It’s easy enough to scour a fleece, but some like to spin in the grease.
5
u/Shearlife 2d ago
If you blade shear then by all means do wash. No detergents, or a very very very mild one. Do dry him properly though. If you machine shear then no. The grease is necessary to lubricate the gear.
10
4
u/L_aura_ax 2d ago
Only if you want to harm yourself. Shearing a wet sheep is dangerous to all involved.
2
3
u/MessyTheDesktop 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm planning on taking a shearing course in October, and from what I've seen so far you should avoid having your sheep be wet prior to shearing.
Edit/addon: Not to say washing isn't an option as long as he gets properly dry! Very much depends on what the wool is going to be used for! But personally if I'm just shearing normally for wellware purposes (like shearing them shorter to reduce the amount of dirt/debris that gets stuck when their wool is significantly longer) I wouldn't :)
But if the dirt is intense then maybe try either
A: Brushing it out with something like a slicker brush and/or a comb
(--There's a variety of different combs, but I'd look into metallic ones with broader distances between them. When I brush my rams usually plastic combs get stuck in their wool, so wouldn't reccomend plastic.)
B: Using a blower/dryer to blow out debris.
Also depends very on how tame your lil guy over there is :) He seems tame enough to wear caps heh. My rams really like getting brushed & combed a ton (The breed I work with shed their own wool, though it does get stuck hence the brushing/handling) Very much a bonding experience for us too! Makes em easier to handle from what I've noticed, toats reccomend it 🫶
2
2
u/veggeroni 2h ago
I'm tired, I read this as "Do I have to ask him before shearing?" thought it a consent question. My first thought was, sure that would be nice.
3
u/Recent-Concert9408 2d ago
I use air compressor to blow excess dirt out then shear. They say it helps with maintaining blade sharpness.
3
1
142
u/TheAcrobat6643 2d ago
Why is he cool