We have 5 grown full blooded Churio Navaho sheep. They do not shed their coats like the Katahdins do.
The lady we got them from had been shearing them by hand (the old timey way before clippers) with a pair of hand held sheep sheers.
My good friend Diane that does dog grooming has a large set of clippers and agreed to come and sheer our 5 sheep. I assured her they would not be difficult and that Les and I would do the catching, holding and helping.
So last Thursday Diane came over about 1:30 PM and Drover and I went to the field and gathered the sheep and brought them all to the barn and put them in the stalls. Easy! Then…Drover laid down to watch the work that was about to begin. He was in a cool spot but with one eye on the sheering the other on any possible mouse that might happen by he spent the afternoon comfortable and ready to help as needed.
It was very hot in the barn and we had a fan on. The Gator was our bench and we had a couple of buckets for stools .
The work began and we soon discovered that this job was going to be difficult at best. The hair/wool was wet! There was so much lanolin in it that it gummed the clippers up! The sheep had not been shorn close in a while plus there were sticks, barbed wire and BRIARS in the sheep coats! Add scared sheep and we had a time.
The Churrios are the dark brown heavy coated sheep
When a sheep was finished we turned it loose and let a few of the other ewes out of the stall and Drover and I would take the sheep back to the pasture. Then Drover would go back in the barn to his cool spot and watch the progress .
Drover did not ever comment on our efforts but the look in his eyes said it all…When we finished I think I over heard him telling the girls “he thought we should seek professional help!” Dianne did a great job but it whooped her, Les and myself! Thank the Lord for Tylenol!
We took two showers each. You know you are dirty when two people use a bar of Ivory soap up in four showers!
We went out for supper and took Diane with us! Then fell into bed early! We slept well!
The sheep are all so happy! And LITTLE!
Tomorrow I have to check the flock for parasites…And in a few days start trimming hooves. I believe I have several ewes bred. So we will be lambing next month! The rest of the flock should lamb in September.
