Video

Yeah, I watch some CZcams while skirting. Cats love it!

Currently $2,295.00

It's homemade, but you can buy similar with Sydell or Premier1 Supplies. If I ever upgrade, I will buy Sydell's with the lift.

It will only come out slightly where the hand ties are located.

Thank you. Tomatoes are addicting. Stick around for more tomato content.

Maybe it's too slippery for them? Or they got too hot out of their tent?

Hello, I can totally relate to you. It is challenging and, like most things, is harder in real life. I also have a hard time physically restraining them, which is why I prefer my stand and deck chairs. We do shearing as a two person job. I suggest a stand and deck chairs for shearing. For nicks, try a 20 tooth comb, keep the skin taught and not loose or wrinkly, and keep on hand some vet glue. As for uneven, don't be too hard on yourself! Unless they are in a show ring at a fair, they don't need to be perfect. Some of the unruly sheep, we are just happy to get the job accomplished, period. Make sure the cutter is sharp of course, don't shear when it's damp.

@@ShearGoodness Thank you so much!

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Thank you, Alison. Good luck with your first fleece. It's kind of addicting, lol.

Yes, they are all open-pollinated. Some of my favorite sources are Seed Savers Exchange and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

I weighed one piece of roving at 2.5 oz

I actually lay the smaller batts along each other with no felting. The hand ties will keep it from shifting around, similar to machine quilting. It will not be as tight as machine quilting, but you can increase the number of hand ties if you are concerned. It is so lofty that it will not fit for machine quilting. I like it that way though!

​@@ShearGoodness ok. Thank you for responding. I think I can give it a try. Looking forward to a video on how you wash it.

Thank you, Jacob. It's my favorite topic!

Yes, mostly so. There are a few sheep that simply don't like being sheared and are less cooperative, but it is a minority. Most are good with this style!

Awesome. I am glad this helped. They are an investment.

Thank you for the kind words. You will certainly improve with practice. I am just a sheep owner that taught myself the wool gig. I thought there must be other sheep owners that would like to try using the wool too. My goodness, the mills are so expensive to process, so it was a must. I am glad this helped another shepherd! It really is quite satisfying to use your own sheep's wool. I don't have alpacas (they are too tall for my orchard), but I would like to try a fleece someday.

You just answered my question..

I would say the same amount as a manual drum carder, which is a pile of chaff under the machine. It can be a big pile, but the size of chaff is small. Generally speaking, what goes in is what comes out. It will not remove a lot of vegetable matter.

I would first make sure that the cutter is properly positioned in relation to the comb. Is your cutter too far back from the tip of the comb? This could cause the skin to pull up. I have a video that show how to place the comb and cutter. If that doesn't help, I would also try using a comb with many teeth, such as a 20 tooth. Also make sure the skin is taught and not loose or wrinkled. czcams.com/video/cBNn_VI6dAM/video.html

It's a homemade stand that I purchased used. When I decide to upgrade someday, I will likely purchase the stand from Sydell that has a hydraulic lift.

@@ShearGoodness I found one on Premier One.

I have Oster sheers for Lamb shears 15 year's ago, I paid 300 dollars used it once and haven't.used it since.what can I sell them for now?

Thank you. We pick them up and put them on the stand. We don't have ramps or a hydraulic lift. We lift their front legs on first, then the back legs next. The Shetlands get a halter with lead, the other breeds do not. They are mostly pretty calm. The elders are the most calm and the yearlings are scared the first time. I can understand the yearlings, as they've never been sheared before and they don't know what's going on! The elderly sheep have learned to trust us and they are very calm as they've done this many times before. For the yearlings, you can talk to them and feed them a little grain while they are in the stand for the first time. I much prefer a stand versus getting kicked or throwing out my back!

Sounds good. I am planning on a part two video.

I am happy to hear this!

I am going to do a video on how I wash it this summer. It is a common question and great idea for a video. Thanks for watching.

Great!

Engine degreaser.

No, it is to help them.

Yes, and after shearing too!

Yes, this breed is very docile.

It's ironic that you mention apple breeding because I have tried my hand at that. While apples may take 10-15 years, tomatoes take about 8 years. It's nice to get results a little faster, as it is definitely a labor of love! Any rare apple varieties you work with? I was hoping to combine the disease resistance of Spartan, Enterprise, and Liberty with something tasty like Viking. Most of my apple whips died in the winter.

@ShearGoodness I like the older apples - Swiss Limbertwig, Melrose, Akane-- I have many crosses and graft them on b9 rootstocks. I plant them 3 feet apart and train them as an espalier fruiting wall. This year will be the 4 th leaf year and suspect I might see my first fruit next year. Your teaching sure parallels my experience with apples and since watching it I remember having an interest in breeding tomatoes years ago. Thank you again!

A range of 30-40. If you take good care of the equipment, you can get multiple uses. We also have more than one shearing machine, so two people are shearing together. I've also heard that the ceramic cutters last longer, but I have not personally tried it yet.

There is no infection, just ear wax and wool. I will answer some common questions on the part 2 video.