These are some of the common questions folks have about sheep and shearing.  Have another?  Send it to us and we'll be happy to answer!

How often do you shear a sheep?
We shear sheep once a year, usually in the spring.  This allows the sheep to be cool and cleaned up for the spring and summer.  It's important that the sheep are sheared BEFORE it gets hot for the summer.  95 degrees is no picnic for anyone, sheep or shearer.

Some farms like to shear the sheep in the fall as well.  In New England, especially, you can fit a lot more sheep in the barn without all that wool!  And wool is well-known for its water-absorbent qualities.  Getting rid of the fleeces before winter can help keep the barn much drier.
 

Aren't they cold after they're shorn?
Nope!  That's the difference between shearing and shaving.  When you shave your hair or shave your face, you take all of the hair off down to the skin.  When you shear a sheep, you leave an eighth of an inch of wool on the animal.  This might not sound like much, but it's the thickness of the average wool blanket.  And sheep have a much warmer body temperature than you or I do-on average, it's 101.5-102.5 degrees Farenheit.  They're naturally better prepared to handle being outdoors. 


What's the difference between wool and fur or hair? 
If you look at a wool fiber under a microscope, you'll see that the fiber has scales on it, much like the sides of a fish.  Hair fibers, by contrast, are completely smooth.  This property of wool is also what keeps the fleece together in one piece after shearing.  You've probably noticed your hair after a haircut-whatever's trimmed certainly doesn't stay in the same place.  This property is also what allows wool to be spun into yarn so easily.  Those scales grip each other when twist is applied to the fiber and lock together.


Why do you use electric clippers?
Because it's a lot faster than blade shears - about ten times faster!  This is one of the hardest jobs in the world.  We can say that because over the years, despite plenty of trying, there's no "magic box" to put a sheep in, push a button, and have them come out shorn.  So we'll use technology such as the electric shears to make the job go a lot faster.


It's too bad, but I'm allergic to wool.
This is a tricky one!  Wool is made of keratin, which is a protein, and it's the same material your hair is made of.  So, a wool 'allergy' isn't truly an allergy.   It is true that some wool is incredibly itchy - and not pleasant to wear next to the skin.  Those scales we mentioned (in the difference between wool and hair) are literally scratching your skin.  It IS uncomfortable!  That's why fine wools (like superfine Merino) are heavenly.  If you ever get to try it, you'll know what I mean.

There are some things to consider that do cause an allergic reaction.  The first is lanolin, the natural oil produced by sheep.  The second is detergents - different soaps are used to clean the wool in different scouring plants, and if it's not rinsed completely, detergent residue could be left behind and cause an allergic reaction.  Dyes could do the same thing, as could the acid that is needed to clean fleeces that have a lot of hay or chaf in them.

Granby, CT                                                 Pirro Farm, LLC                                                    Sandy Hook, CT
860.377.0053                                                                                                                       erin@pirrofarm.com