Ah, Spring! That time of year, at least in my part of the world, when the lambs are on the ground and it’s time to harvest the wool crop…. yes, shearing day is here at long last.

While shearing day is something that every shepherd who spins looks forward to with eager anticipation, it is not something that just happens without a planning and without some help from your friends or family. Having a smooth shearing day requires finding a reliable shearer, finding enough hands to do the work, having the needed supplies on hand, and some co-operation from the weather.

It is debatable if checking weather forecasts or finding and booking a shearer is the most important first step to a successful shearing day. The weather is important because sheep must be dry to be sheared and the shearing will go more smoothly if the weather is warm enough so grease in the wool is soft. Booking a shearer can be difficult because small flock shearers can be hard to find. Shearing is hard work and not many people are willing or able to do it for more than a few years.

So, the shearer is booked. You have an eye on the weather. If it rains, you may have to hold the sheep in the barn for a few days so they will be dry for shearing. If it doesn’t rain, the sheep should still be held in the barn the night before the shearer is scheduled to arrive. It is not a part of the shearer’s job to help round up the sheep, catch the sheep, or keep the shearing area clean. It’s the shepherd’s job to see that people are in place to do these things.

Two people, at the very least, are needed to assist the shearer. One is the catcher and this person’s job is to catch a sheep in the holding pen and have it ready to pass to the shearer whenever the shearer is ready for the next sheep. The second assistant is responsible for getting the freshly shorn sheep out of the shearing are, picking up the shorn fleece and moving it out of the way, and sweeping the shearing floor before the next sheep comes in.
If fleeces are to be skirted at shearing, then the skirter would remove the fresh fleece to the skirting table for skirting and bagging.

The action moves along at a fast but measured pace and keeps moving until either the sheep are all shorn or the shearer calls for a break. The shearer is the boss in the shearing shed because s/he’s the one doing the hardest part of the job.

If you’ve found a good shearer for your small flock, you want to keep them happy so they will come back and shear for you again next year. Have refreshments handy for breaks; if your shearing runs into the lunch hour, offer lunch; and don’t forget to add a nice tip when the time comes to settle up on the bill.