Barncast 61 -- Shearing adventures - Geek.Farm.Life Podcast

Well due to popular demand (just look at the archived polls) we have another photo how to episode. While out shearing today Misty grabbed the camera and we walk through the pictures discussing them. If you don't remember the first time we did this it was last fall about how to butcher poultry.

The link you to the gallery with the pictures is: http://photos.geekfarmlife.com/v/farm/sheep/shearing2007/

In this weeks show:

Cold weather!
Farm Phone: 206-202-GOAT. Carry and Charles.
Round up: Bad news, good news.
Farm Section: Shearing photo walk through

That's it this week! I hope you enjoy the show, let us know! Please leave us comments or call the farm phone at 206-202-GOAT. We also hope you enjoy the new background green colour. It matches out beehives and milking stand. Show 60 discusses why we have this colour.

Time lapse movie of shearing: MP4 or XVID/AVI

Picture of the week:

After, and goose nest:

Comments

andrew on 2007-04-08 21:30:35

Hey John G!

I added the time lapse movie links in the post. I have no clue if the mp4 works in itunes or not. messed format anyways. ;)

The milking rate of ~5.5lbs/day is normal for Baby and for Patra she's doing very well for his first year at over 4lbs per day. For 2 fairly new milkers they are doing ok. If we were milking Cream I would expect she would be closer to 10-12lbs/day since that's her historic average. So Cream would give closer to 70lbs/week. It takes a few years for them to ramp up, and Cream has had many many years to reach her high production. Baby is low for a Saanen, but she's only 2.

What's this about a Misty-palooza?

John G on 2007-04-09 09:31:38

Thanks for the tips on shearing. I couldn't help but think of the comedian Harry Shearer doing commentary on sheep shearing, a la "Best in Show".

andrew on 2007-04-09 13:46:28

Hey India!

They look lumpy because that's wool that's been left behind. It would be like shaving your head but not keeping the clippers level.

Unlike your head sheep aren't smooth and curved. They have bones that stick, sides the go in, plus the wiggle so you can't keep the shears perfectly flush with their skin. If you want the wool for spinning you can't go back and level it out since that would make second cuts. (very short pieces of fiber)

So they end up with wool still left on them and they look lumpy and bumpy. In about 3-4 weeks they'll look normal again as the wool grows out. If you look at the pictures of Sam (Farm->Sheap->Sam) he was sheared about a month before we got him and you can see the shear marks on him.

-Andrew