Sheep shearing

we kept shetlands and they could shed without clipping but we had them done to keep the fleece intact, I spun and knitted a few which was fun, the jacob fleeces are amazing

this is brilliant, thanks jane, i find it fascinating and between you and pam i think you have just answered my question ~ quite a few of the sheep on Harris seem to be partly sheared so I take it they didnt run off from the shearer ~ this has happened naturally??? possibly hebridean sheep ~ similar to shetlands???

i put this in my favourites, i cant believe that disgraceful price you were given for the fleeces, i often wondered why Harris and the hebridean isles didnt sell more???

Heavy work, that! These different breeds are interesting and I've learned a new word ’rise'.

What a great blog Jane! Looks hard graft though. Reckon your Mick could turn his hand to a bit of Topiary without too much trouble. And I agree about the price of wool by the way, it is dreadful for the farmer.

Sticki we chose shetlands partly because we had shetland ponies and partly because they are quite small at the time Stoneleigh in Warwickshire hosted the rasre breed survival trust annual show......absolutly fascinating, some breeds being extremly rare almost to the point of extinction....
You have never seen such diversity in one animal from the tiny halfwild Soay that look like goats almost to thehuge Leicestershire longwools with the rastafarian dreadlock, to sheep who eat seaweed and live on beaches then the Jacobs with patched coat and sometimes four horns....
Ours were pets who loved digestive biscuits and would put their hooves on your chest whilst you scratched their ears ( unless you needed to catch them when they just knew and scattered to the four winds.....
The ram ..... called Sam.......was lovely a deep chocolate colour with really impressive earphone horns, not taii but just the right height to get you behind the knees if you turned your back......mind he loved apples so holding one forhim to eat distracted him long enough if you needed to go in his field.....Such characters all of them.....

you cant help loving them can you, they make me laugh too!! when they walk down the middle of the road as if to say, clear off i was here first!!

Thanks guys. It is hard work, at one point we had nearly 200 sheep and Mick works 50 hours in a mill in Keighley as a weaving overlooker. We just had to cut back, before it all killed him - what with the garden as well - oh and he restores classic bikes and cars and sells pickups. Never a dull moment lol .

Pim, he wants to do a clipped sheep hedge at the entrance to the farm. At least that one wouldn't eat my plants. Not got round to it yet, it's on the 'to do' list :o)

would love to see that jane if he does have time, doesnt sound like you have any spare time!!!

Did you see the Quick ish topiary in member Noahsgarden ? Done with rosemary, lamb and rosemary seem apt.

Fascinating, thanks for that. I hear that their skin trebles in thickness in the next 24 hours to keep them warm!

Lets hope so Lulu, was a bit nippy this year. lol Pim, I will go and have a look in Noahsgarden this evening, when I'm not rushing. Just seen the time............oh heck. jx

Just put some horsey pics up for you!!

That was very interesting, but what a disgustingly low price for a fleece :o(
It's an art sheering sheep ...

This brought back some happy memories (bit of a theme for me today ) used to rush home from school to 'help' with the shearing ie rolling the fleeces. All manual clippers then as well very skilled ....clever hubby. Love the ewe with the dreadlocks lol ........sheep dip jaccuzzi!! ......could be on to something there girl, hen parties, spa days .....that and the topiary....bound to be some sort of business opportunity there somewhere......... diversification and all that ;0)))

Ohh thanks Lulu, will have a look this evening - will pour my self a nice glass of wine and take a few minutes to enjoy them.
Oh yes Niverdeen, definately business oportunities abounding. I think there is an events managers post going - think that could be you! Good idea re hen parties, so obviously, you're a natural. lol Jx

Hywel, it is appalling isn't it. Not going to have a government gripe, but they just don't value the skills we have in this country. Farmers, fishermen, miners, steelworkers.etc.etc. It's a shame, because we have so many skills and resources here. :o(

Hens as well as sheep and bunnies.....Do they have rspca in france......

Ummm, not sure about that Pam, but they definately do in Yorkshire, so sush, don't tell them :o)

I really enjoyed seeing this Jane..and appreciate all the hard work that goes into it..but so awful about the prices..I didn't know they were so low! Yuo are so right..our skilled people get a raw deal..what's left of them...I empathise with Mick too,working in textiles,like I did,for years..an almost extinct industry now..:o(

they dont seem to reward people as they should ie hard work or skill is often less than responsibility???

Oooh I wish Sticki, we would be loaded. sadly, we most definately aren't.
Thanks Bloomer, what did you do in textiles? You are right, it is a dying industry and an unsung one. The mill where Mick works, make some of the finest worsteds in the world - like £1200 per metre. Some woven with very rare wools, some with gold. Mostly going to arab countries (not that I mind where they go). But the people who actually make the cloth, get no credit at all.

this country never seems to be proud of the things it does well.

I was a Warping training instructor,Jane,for a big local Huddersfield mill,but not here...they had a new factory built in Cumbria,on the west coast...mainly high quality worsteds too..my dad was given the opportunity of working there..there was no problem getting employees,as there wasn't much industry round there...mainly the steel works,and mining..and most of the latter were starting to close......sadly,the factory closed too,just a few months after my dad died..that is how I came back to live in Yorkshire,with my mum...but I loved my job...in the blood,I think :o)
Have you ever been to the Industrial museum in Bradford? I loved it there..and the smell...mill memories of the wool :o)

My little bro trained as a weaver Bloomer ..Not doing big stuff. He made webbing and seatbelts.

Oh Mick worked for Antichs (spelling) in Huddersfield for a while. But don't think they ever had an outlet in Cumbria.
Yes I've been to the Industrial Museum loads. Was a teacher in Bradford for 20 years on and off (around having a family) and have taken quite a few trips there.

I'll get my cv made up lol

We used to have just two or three sheep over a period of just a few years. I never became experienced at shearing, unlike Mick, and I found it very hard work. I think that we gave the fleeces away to a friend who did weaving but I can't remember. I, also, was shocked at the price you get for the fleece; I suppose that it is just slightly better than to have to pay to have them taken away as waste - which they certainly aren't!

Niverdeen, I think we'll just take you on trust lol.

Bulbaholic, it is actually worse than that. If you get a clipping contractor in, it's about £2.50 a fleece. The wool marketing board then charge you for collection, and pay pence for the fleece, so you actually end up in the situation where it costs you to have the sheep clipped and you are running at a huge loss. Sheep other than Dalesbreds do get more money for their fleeces, so it may be profitable for other farmers. Wensleydales and Bluefaced Leicesters command quite a premium. We breed dalesbreds as breeding sheep (rather than meat sheep). They have to be clipped, so Mick does it himself.

Uurgh...sorry J, just got here...
There must be a conspiracy, somewhere...

I have heard of Antichs,Jane..ours was a company called,John Crowthers of Milnsbridge,near Huddersfield..in fact it's just down the road from me now..strange how we came back to be in walking distance from it..It is now all flats,and apartments..:o(..As Mick will know,our area was a main area in Textiles....the place where Prince Charles gets his suits is still keeping going..:o)

It's still a great skill,whatever the end product,Pimms..I think quite a few people think it was a job that you took,because you weren't clever enough to do anything else...definitely not so...one slip and you could lose thousands of pounds worth of work,for your company...

Huddersfield was the world centre of fine worsteds wasn't it? Pennine Weavers in Keighley, now make some of the most expensive cloth in the world. As an overlooker, Mick has made really good money out of textiles, you will know what it was like Bloomer. Sadly those days are gone and even though expensive cloth is being made, the wages are pretty dire now. Still, we can eat our sheep, grow our veg and of course, there is always the new and upcoming exclusive spa to line all our pockets. lol Jx
Eeeh, better late than never karen Jx

Jane this is a serious question for once,Magna has posted question and blog re her friend dog and slug pellets,
I found an alternative made from sheep fleece....something about not liking the lanolin, Its expensive, it made me wonder about your fleeces.....especially the daggings.....

I love the blog Jane, saving it to my favs. Specsavers did come to mind Lol xx

Thanks Ann, I giggle each time he is shearing.
Pam I will read Magna's question and blog. I use slug pellets and nothing here seems to bother with them - including the slugs lol. I haven't time to do anything with the fleeces, there just aren't enough hours in the day. The flies like the daggings, so you may just be replacing one problem with another. Will read blog. jx

Lol, Annie!!

Jane, if he's got his specs on, can he come and do my miniscule shepherd, please??

KF what would you like him to 'do' to your miniscule shepherd? Just vaguely interested. Jx

I want to know what a 'miniscule shepherd' is!!!!! let alone what Mick's manoeuvres will be.....lets just hope he is dressed for them xx

.................or just dressed. Giggle :o)

Another very interesting and informative blog Jane, you'll have to stop doing them or I'll get no work done. I too think it didgraceful the way British farmers ...well also workers in general, have been treated. This Country has lived on gambling and shut down most of its production prefering to buy cheap goods from countries where people could be exploited and animal produce from countries with hardly any animal welfare standards. Now they''re talking about creating a skilled work force! grrrr. Rant over. I only buy british meat and poultry, pref free range and not from factory farming and fruit and veg grown here too.. Ok I do buy bananas from abroad. One day we'll realise just how important food production is. It's amazing how farmers have managed to adapt and diversify in order to keep their farms...such ingenuity. By the way, I'm intrigued, did you ever find out what Karen wanted Mick to do to her miniscule shepherd?:-)

Thanks BA no prob with rant, I totally agree.
Ummm, no come to think of it, I don't think I did. Not quite sure how good Mick is with miniscule shepherds or ess'. Bet get him in training. lol Jx

I'm sure he could turn his hand to anything:-)

As long as it isn't cooking. Definately NOT one of his talents. Jx