Sheep Shearing 2017

Have you ever smelt a sheep?

I suppose unless you keep them, going round sniffing sheep probably isn’t at the top of your to-do list.

Their breath smells grassy-obviously I suppose, it’s what they eat. As a whole, I think they have a distinctive smell. Yes, a bit mucky but with a sweet smell about them too.

It’s not altogether unpleasant.

Well, after a day she shearing, we all smell a bit sheepy.

 

I didn’t get too close this year-I had baby duties but we were there, we were in that environment and there was definitely an eau-de-sheep about us all at the end.

It was Baby J’s first sheep sharing and he spent much of it sleeping which is just as well because it gave me chance to watch the proceedings, make lunch and watch the older two who really enjoyed themselves.

There was one hairy moment when a sheep decided she would jump over one of the fences and try to escape up the farm drive.

The can jump quite high when frightened or threatened so I carefully stowed the sleeping baby in his pram in a tack room, away from any harm.

Away from harm is quite quiet though so, more used to the noise of our home zoo, he woke up for a feed so I duly wheeled him back out into the thick of it for the remainder of the shearing.

This year was the first year without Minty. I used to love watching him getting sheared and the sheep shearer always joked that he was the best conditioned sheep of the flock. I did spare a thought for poor old mint ball on more than one occasion.

Sheep shearing is still my favourite day of the farming year. It is never much different in terms of what happens (you can read about previous years here: 2014, 2015, 2016) but it nevertheless makes us all feel happy and grateful for the life we lead on the farm.

Happy sheep shearing day.