Holy Sheepskin! These sheep shed their wool? How many sheep breeds do
that? Other than the big horn sheep? Interesting!
How often do they shed their wool? Once a year? Twice?
Most sheep no longer have this genetic trait. Hair sheep are one and
Shetlands are another - however the Shetlands of course have true wool.
Some lines of Shetlands seem to be losing this trait, however many
flocks still do it. It is a once a year occurrence. Opinions vary but I
believe it is triggered by lengthening daylight hours. We have had a
very warm winter but here my sheep are starting to rise, right on
schedule!
I watch for my sheep (I run a flock of about 30 Shetlands) to begin the
'rise' which is what it is called when this phenomenon starts - and
then quick call my shearer. That way I am working with nature, but
giving people what they expect or are used to - a nicely, cleanly
sheared fleece. Last year for fun I did not shear one of my girls, but
held her out and roo'd her (hand plucked her rising fleece). It was
simply beautiful. All of those locks and without any cut edges as this
was a hoggett fleece. Could I sell it? No! People just passed it by,
buying up all the rest of my fleeces which were sheared in the more
traditional manner. :)
Hair sheep shed once a year as well. They are called hair sheep for a
reason as they grow a hair like a dog - the length seems to vary
depending on breed. Some of them have a funny mixture of hair and some
wool. Most people that I have seen allow this to shed naturally so they
end up looking amazingly bedraggled while they are shedding out with
large clumps of hair hanging from them waiting to be caught on brush or
fences to finish getting pulled off.
The shedding trait has been bred out of most breeds of sheep to make
them more convenient for commercial purposes. They can be sheared
whenever suits the industry, rather than, as my sheep, when the sheep
is ready!
Nadine
Nadine Chounet
Painted Knoll Farm
New Hampton, NH
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http://www.paintedknollfarm.net/index.html
Registered Shetland Sheep for breeding/fiber/pets
Fleeces and rovings also available
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