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[VAN DELL JORDAN <vdjor AT yahoo.com>]

--- On Mon, 10/27/08, Lynn Wigglesworth <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com> wrote:

> 
> You don't just tip them up on their rump like the pros?
> I tried it, and 
> had so much trouble keeping them (and me) upright that I
> couldn't 
> maneuver to shear them. I'm no weakling, but my ewes
> are 250-300 pounds. 
> I finally developed the "knock them down and sit on
> them" technique. I 
> had a few escape in mid-shearing, dragging their fleece
> behind them. How 
> embarrassing. I say let a professional do it. I get nicer
> fleeces to 
> work with (no messy blood spots...mine or sheep...).
> 
> Lynn Wigglesworth
> 


My uncle had electric sheers from the time when they raised quite a few 
sheep.  I don't recall professional shearers, I doubt if there were ever that 
many sheep in our area.
Since my uncle was nearly blind he held the sheep while I did my first 
shearing.  I don't think it really hurt but there were quite a few blood 
spots.  My dad said it was funny when he took our one bale of wool to sell.  
Everyone else would roll the fleece inside out so that the bale of wool was 
very white.  Because our fleece had gotten scattered when we put it into the 
bale the color was a mixture of the inside white and the outside gray.