SHEARING OF SHEEP

Pashu Sandesh, 10 May 2017

Dr. N M Gupta,Dr. P Baghel

Sheep make a valuable contribution to the livelihood of the economically weaker sections of the society especially in the mountainous areas by its multifaceted utility of producing wool, meat, hides and manure etc. Wool is an important product of sheep which continuously grows on it and its utility and value depend upon its quality. The fiber fineness and the staple length are two very important characteristics of the wool determining its value and utilization. The finest wool with good staple length is used in the worsted system of yarn production and for the manufacture of best quality suiting. Kashmir Merino developed in Kashmir is a fine wool breed of sheep comparable to the best wool breeds of the world. It’s wool has a fiber diameter of 21 to 22 microns which is considered as the best by all standards.

Cutting or shaving the wool off of a sheep is called shearing. It is generally done twice a year during spring and autumn months. Shearing doesn’t usually hurt a sheep. However, shearing requires skill so that the sheep is shorn efficiently and quickly without causing cuts or injury to the sheep or shearer. Most sheep are sheared with shears or shearing machines. The fleece is removed in one piece. Some sheep are sheared manually with scissors or hand blades. While some farmers shear their own sheep, many hire professional sheep shearers. In many countries, including the United States, there is a growing shortage of qualified sheep shearers. Many states hold annual sheep shearing schools. A professional shearer can shear a sheep in less than 2 minutes. The world record is 37.9 seconds. It was set in 2016 by Ivan Scott from Ireland.

Types of shearing:-

1        Hand shearing

2        Machine shearing

Hand shearing:

Blade shears consist of two blades arranged similarly to scissors except that the hinge is at the end farthest from the point (not in the middle). The cutting edges pass each other as the shearer squeezes them together and shear the wool close to the animal's skin. Blade shears are still used today but in a more limited way. Blade shears leave some wool on a sheep and this is more suitable for cold climates such as the Canterbury high country in the South Island of New Zealand where approximately half a million sheep are still shorn with blade shears each year. For those areas where no powered-machinery is available blade shears are the only option. Blades are more commonly used to shear stud rams.

Machine shearing:

Machine shears, known as handpieces, operate in a similar manner to human hair clippers in that a power-driven toothed blade, known as a cutter, is driven back and forth over the surface of a comb and the wool is cut from the animal. The original machine shears were powered by a fixed hand-crank linked to the handpiece by a shaft with only two universal joints, which afforded a very limited range of motion. Later models have more joints to allow easier positioning of the handpiece on the animal. Electric motors on each stand have generally replaced overhead gear for driving the handpieces. The jointed arm is replaced in many instances with a flexible shaft.  Smaller motors allowed the production of shears in which the motor is in the handpiece; these are generally not used by professional shearers as the weight of the motor and the heat generated by it becomes bothersome with long use.

Procedure:-

1)    The sheep must be held properly in a comfortable position to prevent its struggling during shearing. Most shearers use the Australian method in which the sheep is set upon its rump and supported firmly between the shearer’s knees.

2)    The skin should be stretched so that it is smooth in the area being shorn.

3)    Wool fibers should be cut only once next to the skin to avoid “second cuts” or short fibers of reduced value.

4)    Belly wool, leg wool and tags have a lower value and should be kept separate from the higher-quality wool from the back, neck and sides.

5)    The fleece should be removed in one piece so that it will remain together when tied.

6)    The fleece should be tied only with paper wool twine to prevent contamination.

Advantage of machine shearing over hand shearing:-

Hand shearing is getting outdated and replaced by machine shearing which has got multiple overriding advantages over the former like:

1. It is less time consuming as it requires just 4 to 5 minutes for shearing of each animal against 20 to 30 minutes by hand shearing.

2. It causes a smooth or uniform shave over the animal body as against hand shearing where the wool cut is irregular.

 3. Staple length is more in mechanical shearing than in hand shearing.

4. Chances of injuries and wounds in mechanical shearing are less than in hand shearing.

5. It does not exert stress on and is convenient for the animal as compared to hand shearing.

6. Machine shearing is a value addition to the wool and it fetches more prices. 

Precautions:-

1)    Cutters and combs should be sharp; and they should be cleaned, resharpened and lubricated after each job of shearing.

2)    The shearing floor should be clean and free of straw or chaff. It should be swept clean of second cuts and manure tags after each shearing.

3)    Sheep must be dry before shearing. Wet wool tends to heat up and become discolored.

4)    Be extremely careful when shearing around the udder, scrotum, sheath, loose skin of the flank and hamstring.

5)    Never lift the unshorn fleece with the left hand and attempt to shear it off. This lifts the skin as well, which will be cut in shearing. Instead, use your left hand to stretch the skin away from the shearer.

6)    Use a shearing glove on the non-shearing hand to protect yourself against injury from the handpiece.

7)    Keep the electric cord of the shearer behind you so that it cannot be cut, thus preventing electric shock.

8)    Do not rush through the shearing procedure in an attempt to increase speed. The appearance of the shorn sheep (which should have a minimum of cuts) and the condition of the fleece are as important as speed. An experienced shearer can shear a sheep in 5 minutes or less, which works out to about 100 sheep per day.

9)    Newly shorn sheep should be protected from the cold and rain until they have had time to regrow some wool cover. 

Dr. N M Gupta^1* and Dr. P Baghel²

1-Veterinary Assistant Surgeon

 2- Deputy Director

Govt. Sheep Breeding Farm, Padora, Shivpuri -473551

*corresponding author- vetnitin@gmail.com