This poor chap has flystrike. When the weather goes wet then warm, flies lay their eggs in the humid fleeces, and maggots burrow into the sheep. It's both disgusting and, if left untreated, life-threatening for a sheep.
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There is a special dip that I can pour over their backs to prevent flystrike, but I can't treat the flock until the fleeces come off or the fleeces won't be saleable. I can't treat the ram lambs at all as they're going to Ice Camp this week, and the spray has 40 day withdrawal period. This means that you can't put an animal in the food chain until 41 days after application. I never use the dip on any of my lambs or hoggets going for meat.
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This ram lamb just needs to be safe and comfortable until ice camp on Wednesday. It won't matter that he looks like this, shorn by me with the cheap, plug-in clippers I bought for trimming bottoms, not whole sheep -
Basically, I just gave him the $5 student hair cut ours moms made us have at the strip mall hair salons when we were kids.
After seeing their mate, the rest of the flock is really hoping the professionals turn up tonight. And I'm going to tell the guys at the abattoir that my husband sheared this lamb, and roll my eyes knowingly. Pffftt. Amateurs I'll say, without a trace of guilt.
If anyone near Hereford would like to purchase half a hogget, butchered and bagged, we have a few halves ready next week. They are for sale at £65 and can be collected at your convenience. Please email me.
6 comments:
This is a great sheep hair cut!
No blood anywhere and you are both still standing.
For a happier life...........lower your standards!
Anon - I think you're right about lowering my standards, having just paid an extortionate amount of money to a shearer who didn't do a much better job than mine. A happier life is surely a better goal than a perfect haircut.
I'm in New York wishing I was closer to Hereford, I would love 1/2 a hogget but I think the shipping would be exorbitant. . . .
How about you get a slightly better pair of shears and hire yourself out? You can bill the results as New England Punk Cuts ... and charge extra!
I'm with Elizabeth in Philly: pop a plaid miniskirt on those lambs and shove a safety pin through their ear-tag holes. For added effect, you can brush a little Manic Panic on those leftover tufts of wool.
My other suggestion: teach your work-study lads how to sheer sheep and make them "practice" on your flock.
E in P / Seester - I just made three more punks this morning. Ice camp was postponed due to freezer space (not enough of). It looks like the Young Ones out there in the orchard. Neil has long hair tufts, Vivian has forehead tufts, and Rik (RIP) just looks like a poet. Mike is the last one I did, tidy and fairly conservative. Now, how to strap aviator glasses on him....
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