How many times do you go to the hairdresser to get a haircut in a year? How many times do you think sheep need to be sheared?
Shear the ewe once a year.
Sheep are sheared once a year, which generally coincides with the wool raising season. This occurs when the wool naturally detaches from the sheep’s skin because the sheep are trying to relieve themselves from the heat to cope with the summer months.
Shearing is particularly important in Merino sheep with fine wool. These animals have the capacity to produce wool indefinitely, however long it may be. On the other hand, in sheep with fine wool there comes a point where it no longer grows, so it is not so much a question of not reaching an unbearable volume and weight for the animal, but the shearing has the function of avoiding thermal stress during the summer and also to hinder the proliferation of ectoparasites.
The value of the wool will depend on the breed of sheep. breed of sheepvarying according to the structure of the wool, fiber length and fineness, although the feed of the livestock and the climate of the area must also be taken into account.
In the Middle Ages, wool was one of the products with the most important activity of the economy, influenced by the Muslim invasion, which introduced in the country its great experience of transhumance and use of pastures.
Today, the wool market has been reduced to a minimum, with the use of synthetic materials.
How is the sheep shearing process?
The shearer’s position is always crouched. First, the sheep must be laid on the ground. One hand is used for shearing, and the other hand and both legs are used to hold the animal and move the sheep.
To prevent the sheep from kicking and hurting the shearer, it is customary to “bolt” the sheep, which consists of tying the two hind legs and the front legs together to prevent the animal from moving. The tip of the scissors cuts the wool. The technique generally used is to start with the left side of the animal, first the shoulder, then half the neck, the side, the hind legs and the tail.
Afterwards, the sheep is turned over and shearing begins from the neck to the lower area, finishing on the right side of the sheep. Finally, the tripe is sheared.
Shearing sheep mechanically
With the introduction of mechanical shearing, the days following shearing are delicate, because shearing removes the animal’s hide and the layer of fat that protects the animal. This layer takes 20 days to appear, but the inconvenience is reduced with good cattle management, since it must be done in spring, when temperatures begin to rise. This problem does not arise when a manual shearing system is used.
Can’t you imagine a sheep shearing machine?
We could find a simile in the clippers to cut our hair. It has a comb and blades that allow trimming the animal’s wool coat without damaging it. There are those who use scissors to carry out manual shearing.
The shearing machine is an electric machine for professional use, intended especially for shearing sheep and large animals since its separate teeth blade is specially designed for shearing animals with thick hair, fur or hair.
