Eventually, I decided that it had to be done.
I figured that around here it would be a worthwhile investment. After shearing a few sheep with a small rechargeable set of clippers and trying some with scissors, I decided that it was time to invest in a "real" tool for the job. I wanted to experiment cheaply at first to make sure that I was up for the job and that it was something that I actually wouldn't mind doing. Since you can always hire out the less pleasant jobs, it's good to remember that option. In this case, though, I've got it!
THE REAL DEAL!
Okay, so half shaven sheep are not exactly "in" this year. Sometimes, you just do what you can until you run out of daylight and pick up another day. Or, you realize that you need a better tool for the job and quit wasting your time with whatever you are trying to make work.
While it is true that you can just shear a whole sheep at once and have the wool stay pretty much intact, that's not exactly how I was doing it at first. To spin the wool into yarn you've got to separate it anyway, so I wasn't so concerned about that. Tracking down a pair or real sheep shearers was a little more difficult than I thought it was going to be.
The store I went to happened to be a specific location that did not stock the item I was looking for, so I had to head to another location the next day. These do work a lot better, but I've still got room for improvement. Do you see my glasses in the photo above. One side happens to be missing in that photo. That is because our ram "@jonny-clearwater" happened to kick me in the face when I flipped him over and broke my glasses in the process. Thankfully, it was just the glasses that got it, and not my beautiful face!
Anyway, we've got over half the flock of Jacob's Sheep sheared now and then I've still the three Shetland/Finn Sheep. I try to get one here and there between everything else I've got going on. By switching back and forth between tasks it break up the monotony and keeps things more varied. Soon we hope to learn how to spin wool and make our own yarn, so that will be exciting! We will keep you posted, but these clippers were a great investment in my opinion.
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
Until next time…
Don’t waste your time online, invest it with steemit.com
Holy smokes I can't believe I'm finally going to get to say this comment that I've been holding onto for years.
I thought Electric Sheep only existed in Android's dreams.
But do androids dream of shearing those electric sheep with electric sheep shears?
Wow! I'm glad that I've given you that opportunity!
Love that book. Never seen that cover art before. It's a nice variant!
steady, a pleasant work, shearing sheep
Success always for you friend @papa-pepper
It is pleasant. Thanks!
cool, it's a very good job @papa-pepper.
but I see that one lamb is a bit funny fur, why not shaving out.
nice post
O yeah that will save you so much time and headaches. About time you buy a shaver nice i wouldn't do it any other way.
Yeah, this is totally the way to go. Once they are all shaved, these things will be faster than Michael Phelps.
I've never sheared sheep before, I have shaved our cat... nasty hairballs, I was happy with the results, the cat...not so much!
I can't imagine shaving a cat, but @negativer says he's done the same.
We had to partially shave a cat. He was walking around with a naked backside for weeks.
Spoiler: Shaved cats are not pretty things.
The half shaven sheep looks stylish and funny though😀. It will be exciting to spin wool, i'm very sure the kids would love it.
We will see. It'll be interesting if we can spin our own wool and then knit our own hats!
Sorry about your broken glass, the electric sheep shearer will make work much easier and faster.
amazing @papa-pepper, it looks very nice to shave your own sheepskin, this will be a unique job for you, and do not forget to do it carefully, so the results are good.
I will be careful, even more careful! Thanks @ahmadiaja!
You're really a hard worker, I wonder how you get does rams, and sheep down when shearing off their wool..... Must be really stressful huh.
It's good that you are trying to use the cheap alternative, as you put it @papa-pepper. You are in better position to advice people on both, since you have tried both. It's a win-win situation. Wow! That must be one massive kick to knock out your glasses holder. Those sheep wouldn't go down without a fight huh? Haha. Sorry Papa. Well done. Going pretty well i can see. I look forward to the spinning too. You deserve a rest now Papa.
Yeah, I got kicked really hard! I wasn't sure if I was bleeding or wounded or not. The @little-peppers said I was fine, so I just put what was left of my glasses back on and got back to work.
Wow! Really sorry about that sir. Try to check it again please. You are really a strong man.
Good idea to get a new shearer. next is to spin you own wool to make clothing. More self sufficiency is good for your future.
We will see! I think I'll start with a nice wool hat!
@Papa-pepper I got to say this to you, whenever I read your post, you manage to bring me to an adventure and I enjoyed these experiences. Thanks for sharing these posts and keep on Steeming! You are awesome @Papa-pepper!
Cool! I'm glad that you like the experiences that I share! Thanks for letting me know!
great experiments, which attracts creativity and effort, about the results of those experiments is a plus if success.
It must be very exciting to spin our own thread, congratulations for shaving the sheep and taking care of the kicks
Great… Bless.
Bro 🌶 I can you are so passionate about livestock farming. Well done PA 🌶
Thanks man! It is an adventure, but I really like it!
I see, well done and my regards to your family
Good Very
hahaha.that's pretty cool @papa-pepper.learning one each day on your homesteading.
Weldone @papa-pepper
Is that you baby?
She is so cute, i love her smile😘
And sorry about your broken glass
be careful where you leave those shears, Mama-Pepper might want to see the handsome young fellow she married and you could wake up beardless.
Also, they will be great for the Kiwis later on in the year, could give you good practice in cotroling the blades
Those Jacob's (^.~) sheep are such an neat breed with their markings and double horns. Aside from getting a hoof to the face, how is their disposition?! Different from other sheep?
These sheeps look like they got the haircut of their lives. I love it. You give such a good example of living life the way YOU want in every way. You are one of my heroes these days. I mean it! I started this account recently. You might have seen my poems before as @sumsum.
I started a new project the diversityformular. The project is about bringing visibility to the fact that we all benefit from the diversity around us. You might know that I have cerebral palsy from birth and I am finally at a point in my life where I get: I am valuable, just ike you. We all have so much in common in our differences and I want to help all of us to learn from each other.
I would love to interview you for my project. Are you in ?
You, we can each dream our OWN dream and try to make it come true. I'll check out the project later on, but I think I would be down for an interview.
In the words of Larry the Cable guy now you can "get her done" with those sheers. I have been reading your post for a little while now and its really inspiring how you are with your family. You seem to find quality and beauty in everything you do. I appreciate your realness. Not that you need my approval in anyway , shape, or form, I just wanted to give you a shout out and say that I admire your work here on this platform. Nice to meet you my name is Gail.
We got a few extra blades and a heap of oil for our shears. It helps for me if I keep the shears really well oiled and make sure the shears are well sharpened. We have to send the blades out for sharpening, but it is worth it when they come back. We have to Oster version but they are very similar to yours.
Cool! I keep these WELL oiled. Also, I'm thinking that perhaps none of those elderberries made it. I'll get with you once it warms up over there and see if I could try again. Thanks!
Mine did not make either so we will for sure have to trade again. In the next couple weeks they should be starting up again so I should be able to get some nice cuttings.
I admire your half-shaven sheep. Funny to consider that the daylight runs out in the middle of a haircut. :) Guess that means it takes some time. Like an hour per sheep, maybe? I bet you can get kinda wild with the hairdos, if you want to shepherd a lion tribe, or a mustang tribe.
Careful with the rams, @papa-pepper! I had one named Rambo. He could be a handful especially as he got older. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was spiteful. Nice clippers BTW.
That is an excellent name! I think that we may have to use.
@papa-pepper take it from a kiwi - there's a better way to handle sheep for shearing ;-)
You need to spine-lock them so they sit relaxed when you are shearing them, and you can do it all standing up.
Check out some videos of the Golden Shears competition in NZ. You will get to see how kiwi shearers do it - and these guys are the best in the world at what they do.
I hope that helps. Looking forward to seeing your sheep in their new summer clothing ;-)