One hundred eighty-five sheep were sheared today. The shearers showed up at 7:00 this morning and I was grateful that we had all of the sheep in the Big Shed so all we had to do was to run them down the alley and into the shearing rig. There was just The Youngest Child and me and our dog Sue to get the sheep moving since everyone else was doing the feeding chores or helping with calving heifers. But soon enough, Hubs, A, and S, came up to join us. I helped push up the sheep awhile and then returned home to my kitchen to finish the beef stew that we'd all have for dinner and I whipped up some brownies and coffee for the coffee break.
I wish I had gotten some photos of the shearers doing their work, but I didn't remember my camera until after the fact. So here is the end result of a good shearing crew. Clean, white sheep stripped of their fluffy wool and able to see once again. These girls were becoming "wool blind" from the thick coat of wool they had growing around their faces. Now we'll have to put them in the shed each night since this is a bit of a shock for them. Soon we'll be getting baby lambs.
We've had about 10 calves born since I reported the first-born. It's so wonderful to have warm, mild weather right now for calving season. We reached 55* today!
Last night was Grandpa's and my first night of grandbaby-sitting without Mommy and Daddy. They had a date night! And we had fun! Hazel just had her bath and was all bundled up in the towel. Oh, I love this!!
Thanks again! I'm glad you all had fun with her and that she was happy for the night.
ReplyDeleteOh the sheep look so interesting sheared! Wow 185! Love the photo of your little sweet grandbaby all wrapped up in the towel. Sweetness!
ReplyDeleteJaimi,
ReplyDeleteThank you for letting us keep her. We loved it.
Ellen,
Our 185 sheep is a small number in comparison to what we used to have. Our ranch was originally a sheep ranch. Back when I came here, we had around 1000 head.
Clarice,
The wool will be taken to the local wool warehouse where it will be sold to woolen mills.
Thanks for your comments!
Jody
Well, for one thing, you certainly have a YOUNG looking hand -- and so cute with the baby on top of it! I love your animal pictures. What do sheep in the wild (is there such a thing?) do to be able to see??? Inquiring minds want to know LOL!
ReplyDeleteDear Miss Thimble,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, thank you for the compliment on the young-looking hand. Its age is 46. There are no sheep-in-the-wild except for mountain sheep which do not grow wool like domestic sheep. Now, just a minute. Let me back-track.....we one time had some "renegade sheep" that were lost and wool blind and who came to our pastures and lived with our sheep for a short while. But they were naughty -- always going through fences and running wild. And tho they were domestic, they were quite in-the-wild. But....they were meant to be sheared and domesticated.
Does that help?
Jody
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