DreamCatcher Sheep & Fiber Farm: Naked sheep...

Oh how I do love me some naked sheep...no I'm not perverted lol.

Shearing certainly was a challenge this year! We got 'er done though! All 42 sheep, 2 goats and 1 big ole lazy LGD that strangely enjoys being sheared! He's just not so crazy about the after effects :).

Say it ain't so....

The weather watching saga started pretty early in the week and it was an up and down affair. Yes its going to rain, no its not going to rain back to oh yes...its going to RAIN. Thankfully I was able to keep them all dry even after a breakout thanks to my darling Evie.

Poor Danny hadn't gotten home until 2:30 in the morning from a job in Texas and then had to turn the clocks forward for DST. He was wiped out. Typical of him though, once shearing began, you'dve never have known he was tired. I'm still in awe of his ability to do what he does and still be able to stand upright when he's done.


Danny Smith setting up.

So we all manned our stations. Marilyn, Danny's wife was heading up the skirting table assisted by Donna, Sue, KathyP, and KathyF. Bridget was wing man (wing woman?) taking the names of incoming fleeces and running to the house for supplies and getting lunch ready.

Deb, Bridget's sister handled the vaccines and board clean off after each sheep, Terry (Deb's husband) ran the fleeces to the skirting table and son Matthew manned the gate to let the sheared sheep out.

My brother Chris and I were the designated sheep wranglers.

Bob Putnam was the days official photographer and he took his job seriously even going up into the hay loft to get some interesting shots from above.

We started with the boys since they were in the barn we were shearing in. I was watching carefully for that break in the rain so we could move the girls over from the other barn and about halfway through the boys, the rain stopped. So we decided we'd better take advantage of it. Everyone came out and created a human fence so we could quickly send them through the barnyard. Nora raced around, tucking the strays back in and they all filed into the barn quite nicely.

Shearing recommenced and I was thrilled we were now going to get to see who was pregnant and who wasn't. Thankfully all but 2 ewes appear to be bred....unfortunately one of those unbred ewes is Evie. She is 3 now and has yet to be a mother. I'll keep my fingers crossed that she was just last to be bred but I'm not holding my breath. She's lucky she has good fleece and is the first lamb I raised on a bottle so she'll be here for life regardless.

Roark..."Hey, don't blame me!"

We got through all the girls and finished up the last few boys. Then Danny sheared Thomas and Megan, the 2 pygoras, and Willie, the only LGD (livestock guardian dog) that will stand for being sheared. As Marilyn says "its $35 to shear an LGD....if we don't get bit". Lets just say Ollie and Bella would be much more expensive dogs to shear lol. Its nice to get them sheared because when they shed it can get matted pretty quickly and if its not removed, they're at high risk for fly strike not to mention its just down right uncomfortable.