Beau Jackson

Yesterday was shearing day here at the ranch.  We’ve got five sheep.  They were five wooly sheep…now they are five naked sheep :)

Catching sheep is an adventure in itself.  There is equipment available to make this job easier - squeeze shoots, loading ramps, trailers, etc.  We have none of this stuff.  Our sheep transport is my pickup with a camper shell.  To get the sheep in the truck, we made a small catch-pen, and lured them in with food.  I then proceeded to corner them and essentially tackle them, pick them up, and stuff them in the back of the trailer.  BTW - sheep do not seem to enjoy having their tummies rubbed vigorously while being held in the air.

What’s really amazing to me is that sheep seem to be passive-aggressive.  When you’re trying to catch them, they will run and do anything they can to avoid it.  When you grab them, they will squirm and wiggle and try to get away.  Once you have them picked up, they go totally limp and quit any attempts at resistance.

Shearing was fun.  I learned how to give sheep immunization and wormer shots.  I also learned how to trim sheep hooves - a very different (and easier!) process than trimming horse hooves.  We ended up with five bags of very high-quality wool.  It may sound silly (especially for a guy) but I’m suddenly interested in learning how to spin yarn, and knit.  Ah well, I’m secure in my masculinity, and I’ll sic my wife on any one who questions it (so just keep your witty remarks to yourself Mike, or it’s red-headed death for you!).

All in all, it was a very satisfying experience.  Maybe it’s dorky, but I really like the whole farmer/rancher thing.  I’ll have to add some more pictures - before and after shots.  Sheared sheep are really very amusing to look at.