Our alpaca shearer is scheduled for June 4th and our sheep shearer will be arriving in the UP sometime after the fifth. Meanwhile some of the sheep are in the rise and wool is starting to poke up and out of their fleeces. Some have totally naked necks. Muckle Mull's sire B.O.B rooed his fleece last spring and when I took a close look at Mull's fleece it was clear that there was a clean break between this years fleece and last years fleece. Will and I got out the stand, took off his coat, and started rooing his fleece.
A very fuzzy photo of the beginning (I had lanolin all over my hands and couldn't see the screen!). You can see a clean white line and below it a grey line...that is the break. All you have to do is get your fingers between those two spots and start peeling it back and away,
Spring has finally arrived here in the U.P. and we had a sunny 70 degree day today. Mull was happy to have some time on the cool shade of the barn and get some oats for his trouble.
The whole fleece peeled off nicely, but was a little sticky at the front shoulder and Mull was getting impatient so I scissored a couple of spots. Otherwise, he has a beautiful even coat!
He is in pretty good shape after that long cold winter and working hard to sire five (and maybe more- we shall see in early July!) lambs.
He had a well deserved rest in the shade, but not until after the rest of the flock mobbed him to figure out who he was and where his fleece had gone....a funny thing sheep do after being shorn...like everyone is now a stranger. One less for the shearer to do!
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I had no idea it could come off like that. All sheep shearing I've seen involved electric clippers!
ReplyDeleteWow, I thought rooing would be about Barbara Elizabeth. I learn so much through your blog. What an interesting process. Did your camera survive?? Love from Maine, Mare
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