Shearing Day Scheduled

Jem and Tallulah - One last look at the girls before their haircut

I just scheduled the sheep's first shearing for this Saturday at 1pm.  I have to admit I feel a little nervous, and I'm not even the one doing the shearing or being sheared!  But the protective, mother instincts kick in and I immediately jump to images of traumatized sheep with their naked bellies nicked by electric shears.  Then I think of how cold they will feel in the 30-40 degree evenings without that 5 inch thick wool coat.  

But I trust Sandy, my shearer, fully.  This woman has been raising and shearing sheep for over 40 years, and has traveled all over the world to talk to other sheep farmers.  She did admit that this is her first time shearing a Southdown (aka Babydoll).  According to Sandy, the description of the Southdown shearing experience from her "shearing bible" written by Godfrey Bowen of New Zealand states "that Southdown sheep are the most difficult of all the mutton breeds to shear.  It has a great deal of wool that is very hard to poke off.  The Southdown is very difficult to bend into shearing position because of its thickly set and strong body.  Further it has a fighting disposition and this does not help."  And here I selected Babydolls, not only for their cute teddy bear faces, but for their allegedly gentle, non-aggressive dispositions!

Hanging out in the orchard