Sheep Shearing

Yesterday was sheep shearing day at Liz's farm. It's always a fun day that I look forward to and this year was full of surprises too! Here's Doug starting to shear Lumi. She was the first sheep to get sheared in the big barn.

It's amazing to see how the fleece comes off the sheep in one big piece. It sort of looks like Doug is peeling Lumi right out of her wool!
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Meanwhile, there were several sheep lined up, waiting on a ramp in a narrow chute so they could get sheared. Emma was in the queue with the other sheep. Doug placed a board at the end of the ramp to keep the sheep in place and it was about knee-high to the sheep. He said that even if the sheep managed to step backward down the ramp, they would never be able to step over the board. Well! Not only did Emma back down the ramp, she stepped backward over the board, and then took a leap over the little fence that was containing the rest of the loose sheep! Luckily the barn was enclosed so she couldn't get outside. But here is a photo of my darling escapee, visiting with some of her new friends! Yes, she jumped over that wooden fence with the metal hinges (in the foreground).

Doesn't it figure that Emma would be the renegade of the whole bunch? That's my girl!

I guess Emma didn't figure that we were smart enough to catch her and she'd have to face the clippers eventually! Here's Doug starting on her.

As always, I am amazed at the lovely pile of curls that come off of her!

Doug certainly has a way of flipping the sheep around and getting the job done quickly. I can't believe that he can stand up straight at the end of the day!

Emma's all done ... and Doug still has a smile on his face! She was so shiny after she was sheared. It gave her a beautiful glow!

No spa treatment would be complete without a girl having her nails done. This contraption may look wicked but it works like magic and the sheep are perfectly fine. The sheep walk into a chute and they are "locked" in place. Then a handle flips them sideways so the guys can trim the hooves. Trust me, this is a really efficient way to do it. Much better than trying to hold a squirming sheep on the ground!

Go ahead...say it....AWWWW!!! Isn't Emma adorable?
Thanks to Doug for his shearing abilities! You can tell he is so proud of his work!