Shearing the Rams

The sheep at Wattle Creek have been shorn, and today was time to shear the rams at home. We had managed to keep the rams dry in the shed during the storm yesterday and last night. (We had over an inch of rain, which is most annoying at this time of the year.)

First up the young merino rams were shorn. These are from our breeding nucleus, and their fleeces were weighed so that we can add the data to their body weight and wool micron measurement to calculate an index which we use for selecting the breeding rams.

Next the older merino rams were shorn. I really love the look of the horns on merino rams!

Then the Poll Dorset rams had to be shorn. The nature of these rams with their temperament and size makes them difficult and dangerous to shear, so they are given some drugs to calm them down beforehand. Roger injected them about an hour before they were shorn so that they were not too difficult for the shearers to handle.

 

Hugh loves to help in the shed, and he spent some time helping to sweep up wool off the floor.

Shearing and a change of schedule

Our shearing contractor had promised us that our shearing would be done in December, leaving January free to get things tidied up and to head off on our annual holiday. I say our annual holiday, and every year we have two weeks on our calendar designated to a holiday by the beach in January. But in reality, we have never had two weeks away for a holiday. Last year shearing finished so late (and we had to come back for my parent's golden wedding anniversary party), which left only five days for our holiday.
So even the best laid plans can be thwarted, and when you are a farmer it is often the weather that does the thwarting!
With so many days of rain and other delays at the end of 2011 our shearing contractors got way behind in their schedule. So instead of being finished in December, shearing at our home farm started on the 3rd of January.
And it is not only shearing which is late. We are still waiting for our harvesting contractor to come to harvest our grain.
This year I will be having a holiday by the sea with the children, while The Farmer keeps working. I hope he can make it to the beach for at least a few days...