1. WHY SHOULD WE SHEAR SHEEP?
Shearing must be practiced for the health and hygiene of
each individual animal. Unlike other animals, most sheep are
unable to shed. If a sheep goes too long without being
shorn, a number of problems occur.
* The excess wool impedes the ability of
sheep to regulate their body temperatures. This can cause
sheep to become overheated and die.
* Urine, faces and other materials become
trapped in the wool, attracting flies, maggots and other
pests. This causes irritation, infections and endangers the
health of the animal.
* Sheep with large amounts of wool can
become immobilised by physical obstacles in their path and
are more susceptible to predator attacks. Preparation for
Shearing.
o Don't use any non-approved non-scourable marking crayons or
colour sprays in the weeks leading to shearing.
o Don't use any insecticide chemical on the fleece for 6
weeks before shearing.
o Remove all collars from pet sheep.
o Remove any foreign material from the fleece (leaves, pieces
of wire, hayseeds, etc.)
o Warn shearers of any ear tags.
The Act of Shearing, and there after
o Shearing can be stressful for sheep.
o Shearing requires skill to shorn efficiently and quickly,
without causing harm to sheep or shearer.
o Try not to feed sheep the night before shearing so their
stomachs are empty making it more comfortable for them while
being shorn.
o Because newly shorn sheep become colder faster, place them
in paddocks with windbreaks and plenty of pasture.
o The best time to apply louse and fly strike prevention
treatments is right after shearing.
o Providing sheep with coats or covers are a good option on
small farms when the weather is cold or wet.
"To be a good shepherd is to shear the flock, not skin it"
2. SHEARING OF SHEEP
Sheep make a
valuable contribution to the livelihood of the economically
weaker sections of the society especially in the mountainous
areas by its multifaceted utility of producing wool, meat,
hides and manure etc. Wool is an important product of sheep
which continuously grows on it and its utility and value
depends upon its quality. The fibre fineness and the staple
length are two very important characteristics of the wool
determining its value and utilisation. The finest wool with
good staple length is used in the worsted system of yarn
production and for manufacture of best quality suiting.
Kashmir Merino developed in Kashmir is a fine wool breed of
sheep comparable to the best wool breeds of the world. Its
wool has a fibre diameter of 21 to 22 microns which is
considered as the best by all standards.
The act of
cutting or removal of wool from the body of sheep is termed
as shearing. Sheep are washed at least two days before
shearing in order to remove dirt, suint and grease which
hinder shearing. Shearing is generally done twice a year in
Kashmir during spring and autumn months. Some producers
prefer to shear pregnant ewes before lambing. If ewes cannot
be completely shorn before lambing, they should be "crotched
out" by shearing the wool from the udder and dock area and
from the head and eyes of those breeds with wool on the
face. This will make lambing and nursing easier. Shearing
before breeding in summer season tends to increase the heat
loss from the body and cools the ewe and ram, thus inducing
oestrus in the ewe and stimulating spermatogenesis in the
ram. The traditional way of clipping wool is the hand
shearing by using shearing scissors. It is now an out dated
practice and is getting replaced by machine shearing.
Shearing
doesn't usually hurt a sheep. However, shearing requires
skill so that the sheep is shorn efficiently and quickly
without causing cuts or injury to the sheep or shearer. Most
sheep are sheared with shears or shearing machines. The
fleece is removed in one piece. Some sheep are sheared
manually with scissors or hand blades. While some farmers
shear their own sheep, many hire professional sheep
shearers. In many countries, including the United States,
there is a growing shortage of qualified sheep shearers.
Many states hold annual sheep shearing schools. A
professional shearer can shear a sheep in less than 2
minutes. The world record is 37.9 seconds. It was set in
2016 by Ivan Scott from Ireland.
"It is the duty of a good shepherd to shear his sheep, not
to skin them". (Tiberius)
3. METHODS OF SHEARING:-
1 Hand shearing
2 Machine shearing
Hand shearing:
Blade shears consist of two blades arranged similarly to
scissors except that the hinge is at the end farthest from
the point (not in the middle). The cutting edges pass each
other as the shearer squeezes them together and shear the
wool close to the animal's skin. Blade shears are still used
today but in a more limited way. Blade shears leave some
wool on a sheep and this is more suitable for cold climates
such as the Canterbury high country in the South Island of
New Zealand where approximately half a million sheep are
still shorn with blade shears each year. For those areas
where no powered-machinery is available blade shears are the
only option. Blades are more commonly used to shear stud
rams.
Machine shearing:
Machine shears, known as handpieces, operate in a similar
manner to human hair clippers in that a power-driven toothed
blade, known as a cutter, is driven back and forth over the
surface of a comb and the wool is cut from the animal. The
original machine shears were powered by a fixed hand-crank
linked to the handpiece by a shaft with only two universal
joints, which afforded a very limited range of motion. Later
models have more joints to allow easier positioning of the
handpiece on the animal. Electric motors on each stand have
generally replaced overhead gear for driving the handpieces.
The jointed arm is replaced in many instances with a
flexible shaft. Smaller motors allowed the production of
shears in which the motor is in the handpiece; these are
generally not used by professional shearers as the weight of
the motor and the heat generated by it becomes bothersome
with long use.
Advantages of Machine Shearing over hand
shearing:
* It is less time consuming as it requires
just 4 to 5 minutes for shearing of each animal against 20
to 30 minutes by hand shearing.
* It causes a
smooth or uniform shave over the animal body as against hand
shearing where the wool cut is irregular.
* Staple length is
more in mechanical shearing than in hand shearing.
* Chances of
injuries and wounds in mechanical shearing are less than in
hand shearing.
* It does not exert
stress on and is convenient for the animal as compared to
hand shearing.
* Machine shearing
is a value addition to the wool and it fetches more prices.
* Prevent buildup
of manure and urine that can lead to parasitic infection.
4. PROCEDURE OF MACHINE SHEARING IN SHEEP
1) The sheep must be held properly in a comfortable position
to prevent its struggling during shearing. Most shearers use
the method in which the sheep is set upon its rump and
supported firmly between the shearer's knees.
2) The skin should be stretched so that it is smooth in the
area being shorn.
3) Wool fibres should be cut only once next to the skin to
avoid "second cuts" or short fibres of reduced value.
4) Belly wool, leg wool and tags have a lower value and
should be kept separate from the higher-quality wool from
the back, neck and sides.
5) The fleece should be removed in one piece so that it will
remain together when tied.
6) The fleece should be tied only with paper wool twine to
prevent contamination.
Step by Step Procedure of Shearing |
|
Catching and Holding |
Start at the top of the brisket |
![]() Move to the first back leg |
![]() Don't forget the tails |
![]() The undermine |
![]() The neck |
![]() The Shoulders |
![]() The long blows |
![]() Cheek and right front leg |
![]() The Final Sweeps |
5.
PRECAUTIONS DURING MACHINE SHEARING OF SHEEP
1) Cutters and combs should be sharp; and they should be
cleaned, resharpened and lubricated after each job of
shearing.
2) The shearing floor should be clean and free of straw or
chaff. It should be swept clean of second cuts and manure
tags after each shearing.
3) Sheep must be dry before shearing. Wet wool tends to heat
up and become discoloured.
4) Be extremely careful when shearing around the udder,
scrotum, sheath, loose skin of the flank and hamstring.
5) Never lift the unshorn fleece with the left hand and
attempt to shear it off. This lifts the skin as well, which
will be cut in shearing. Instead, use your left hand to
stretch the skin away from the shearer.
6) Use a shearing glove on the non-shearing hand to protect
yourself against injury from the handpiece.
7) Keep the electric cord of the shearer behind you so that
it cannot be cut, thus preventing electric shock.
8) Do not rush through the shearing procedure in an attempt
to increase speed. The appearance of the shorn sheep (which
should have a minimum of cuts) and the condition of the
fleece are as important as speed. An experienced shearer can
shear a sheep in 5 minutes or less, which works out to about
100 sheep per day.
9) Newly shorn sheep should be protected from the cold and
rain until they have had time to regrow some wool cover.
6. PREVENTION OF WOUND BREAKDOWN IN SHEEP SHEARING WOUNDS
Shearers should take care to avoid
causing shearing wounds. When stitching a large shearing
wound, shearers can minimize the risk of contamination and
assist the healing process by taking the following steps:
- Keeping needles and cotton in antiseptic solution
- Washing the wound site and your hands with a suitable
antiseptic solution
- Keeping stitches less than 3cm apart
- Spraying the stitched wound with a suitable antiseptic
spray
- Marking the sheep so it can be easily identified and the
healing wound can be assessed. Usually, a wound is
completely healed between two and four weeks, depending on
its size and location. Severe wounds that involve more than
the skin layer (deep hamstring wounds or open belly wounds)
and wounds to sensitive areas (the pizzle and teats) are
painful and stitching must not be attempted. Seek immediate
veterinary advice or humanely euthanase the animal.
Sheep
suffering pain or distress from any severe wounds or wound
infections must not be transported. If you are unsure
whether or not the animal is fit to load, seek veterinary
advice.
DIPPING
Dipping means putting or washing animal in medicated water in order to cure or prevent from ectoparasites, sheep scab, mange, get clean wool, remove waste materials and dung from fleece and keep away sheep blow flies. It is usually done once in a year before post winter shearing or before post autumn shearing. It is also done when the incidence of ectoparasites is high. After about 10 days shearing is followed by dipping.
Methods of Dipping:
A. Hand bath: it is used for small flock. Sheep are lifted one by one into a tank of galvanized iron (1.2 x1.0x0.5 m) and kept for 2 minutes. Sheep are then placed on drain board to drain off surplus dip back into tank.
B. Swim bath: it is used for large sized flock. Two to three sheep are dipped at a time. Examples:
1. Injectables: Ivermectin, Doramectin and Moxidectin (@200 μg/kg b.w s/c ) in Late spring (1 to 31 May) and late autumn (1st to 30th November ).May be repeated after 7-15 days, if needed, in case of severely affected animals.
2. Insecticides: like Diazinon (0.01%), Flumethtrin (0.5%), Coumaphos (0.1%). Spraying or dipping with insecticides may be repeated in case of heavy infestations as per circumstantial evidences
Precautions:
1. Avoid dipping in advanced stage of pregnancy.
2. Always water the sheep before dipping to avoid drinking
of dip solution.
3. Avoid dipping on rainy days so that dip may not be washed
off.
4. Avoid dipping of sick animals, animals with wounds and
young lambs.
5. Avoid dipping in rams in breeding season to guard from
injury to pen