The sheep get a hair cut
I’m not all that big on bucket lists but I did get the chance to check something off this week at Caerlaverock: I got to shear a sheep.
In all fairness, certainly not the most exciting thing on my list and I didn’t even do the whole sheep but I have to say, it was a good day all round.
We headed down to the fields by the Saltcot Merse Observatory where our flock of 11 Hebridean and one Shetland sheep live. They graze there keeping it at an optimal height for our population of natterjack toads. Tim, the experienced shearer who would be heading up the day, had set up his kit and chatted us through the stages we would go through before we got stuck in.
Stage 1? We needed to wrangle a sheep. Apparently this was supposed to be the easiest part but the sheep would beg to differ. Grabbing them by the horn to get a good grip, you then took a handful of wool by their back hips and as you walk backwards they fall over into you. Supposedly. This took me about fifty tries before I secured a sheep between my legs, me squatting slightly and her on her rump leaning on me. This meant we had easy access to her feet so we could clip her hooves. Despite reminding me of my granddad’s toenails, I got right in there with the hoof trimmers. Careful to avoid the fleshy pad, we had to cut away any overgrown areas. Pedicures completed, we scooted the girls backwards on their behinds so they could take their turn at the hairdressers.
Dave Pickett, site manager, with a sheep resting on his legs, next in line for a haircut. Picture by Marianne Nicholson
We had watched Tim do a few of the sheep before any of us had a go and he was so quick and efficient but it was definitely too fiddly for me. I decided to take him up on his offer of him doing all the complicated bits, leaving me to just do the long strokes up the back and along the neck.
I got down beside him and positioned my feet where he instructed, took the weight of the sheep against me and picked up the shears. Her fleece was thick and warm and musty smelling. She relaxed into me happily and I set myself to work.
So we could get the fleece off as neatly as possible, I needed to angle the blade so it was flush against the sheep’s side but it was tricky. She was lying in such a way and my wrist only rotates so much! We muddled through together and then Tim finished it off and the fleece came off nicely in the end.
The weird sisters AKA three shorn Hebridean sheep looking directly at the camera. Picture by Marianne Nicholson
He showed me how to roll it up, tucking in any loose bits and holding the bundle together by pushing the tail end back in a small hole you make.
Once all the girls were done, we opened the gate to the field and they promptly ran in. Once far away from us on the other side of the field, they started bleating loudly at each other. I like to think they were laughing at each other’s new hair dos.
I had a great day checking this off my bucket list (despite the hard work!) but even if I hadn't, stroking the very soft little nose of a Hebridean ewe would have been worth it.
Words by Marianne Nicholson
Feature image of Jacob Campbell, placement student, with Tim, sheep shearer by Marianne Nicholson
