Shearing for Dummies: A shepherdess story

July 13, 2018

Partway through the second sheep- my BFL boy.

A little real life shepherdess story: I haven’t been able to get a shearer to come to my farm for my sheep. The ones I called didn’t show up, or just plain never answered their phones. Its tough to get a shearer to come out to our rural farm for just a few sheep. So, sick of watching my poor sheep panting in the heat, I hitched up my big girl pants, grabbed a pair of scissors, and sheared them! It took me about a week to wrap my head around the thought of me doing it by myself. Three of my six sheep are HUGE and hardly let me touch them, let alone catch them and wrestle them… there was also the problem that I don’t know how to shear a sheep. Like at all. I studied YouTube videos and laid awake at night thinking this is impossible! What if I cut them? What if I ruined the fleece (and next years as well)? What if I can’t hold them still enough to do it?

So, moral of the story, if there’s something you’ve been putting off, something keeping you up at night, wondering if you can possibly do it- yes, wonder, plan it, over-think it, meditate on it…but then DO IT! Because it may just turn out to be something that you can accomplish and overcome! As a newly single mom and farmher with a 36 acre farm to manage and at least 50 animals under my care, I often feel like it’s not possible for me to do things myself. But I’ve found that I’m more than capable if I just try!

My big BFL guy all sheared and looking not too shabby!

That big beautiful BFL fleece ready and waiting to be washed and spun!