This weekend is the big sheep shearing day. On Saturday, all the sheep will get shorn, and I’ll have a bunch more wool to skirt and prepare for sale. We’d hoped the shop would’ve been done so the wool could go upstairs, but it’s not. I’ll be storing the boxes of wool under the hay barn until the shop is done.
The first step every year is rebuilding the shearing sweep and setup. We set up under the hay barn, so we need to disassemble it for most of the year. Plus, most of the hay needs to be fed out for there to be room.
Each year is different, and we try little things to improve the flow every time. They go from the pens, to coat removal, to shearing, and back to the pens. It’s hard to see, but this year, we’re doing the entire system with wire jug panels. Shearing will happen on the plywood floor, and I’ll do preliminary skirting of the fleece there. I just hope I can keep up with Eifion’s shearing! I’ll probably never be as good as the wool handlers we saw competing in Wales in 2006, but I do incorporate many of the techniques they used.
We try to have extra help on shearing day. Our regular helpers can’t come this year, so we’re trying some new folks. It should be OK, but it’s going to be interesting to teach new people how to do the various jobs.
