To have fetching sheep, groom it

Some farmers leave their sheep dirty, perhaps thinking that the animals do not need to be kept clean, especially when not kept for wool.

But sheep, just like cows, pigs and goats, need grooming to keep them attractive for easy selling. To groom them, you need a clipper, shears, hoof trimmers, soap, towel, wool cards for body and head, curry comb and blankets.

For agricultural fairs purposes, you will also need a halter to train the sheep to lead. Whatever your target, grooming is important and it involves the following steps.

Washing

This is the initial step towards grooming your sheep. It is necessary before shearing to avoid dirt clogging the clipping tool.

Wash the sheep thoroughly with soap (livestock soap preferred), and hot or warm water to soften grease in the wool.

Thereafter, rinse well and then towel the sheep dry. Washing improves the wool ‘set-up’ awaiting shearing. Once the animal is dry, cover with a blanket, not tight or excessively loose and keep her in a clean place or grooming stand for shearing.

Keep the sheep in a well-bedded pen filled with plenty of clean, dry straw to maintain her cleanliness.

Carding

This mainly targets breeding sheep for show events. You will first card the entire body then trim her to give the wool a uniform appearance.

The card (comb) is used to straighten wool fibres for even trimming/shearing. To hold the card, hook your thumb around the handle and place your fingers solidly along the back of the card.

Pat the card into the wool and lift as you move forward. Do not place too deep into the wool as this makes work hard and painful for the sheep.

Placing too shallow will also not give good carding results.

Shearing

Allow the sheep to relax for few minutes before you start shearing. Begin by using a curry comb to separate the wool fibres for smooth trimming.

While shearing/trimming, start at one end of the sheep and trim to the other end to achieve as long strokes as possible.

As for the head, you may also want to shear the cheeks to give the sheep a more youthful and neater appearance.

Trim the wool closer to the eyes to prevent wool blindness.

Ensure you shear the whole body and the finished sheep should have shoulders smoothly blended into the body and level trimmed top-line.

Take care not to make cuts or ridges that give the animal funny appearance.

Hoof trimming

Ideally, trimming your sheep’s hooves should be a regular practice. To begin, set the sheep on its rump leaving all four feet off the ground.

Tilt the animal’s back and to the side slightly. Trim each hoof carefully by first cleaning manure, pebbles or any dirt from the bottom of the foot and between the toes.

Slowly and carefully remove the perimeter wall of the hoof. Try not to remove large pieces at once, until one level of the sole or bottom of foot is achieved.

Be careful not to trim to the point of bleeding, if you see a pink colour, it means you are closer to the foot blood supply. Do not trim further lest you leave the animal limping.

More often, grooming is aimed at shaping the wool to give the sheep an appealing body shape. It should expose the animal as muscular, not fat.