Short Back and Front Please!

Have you noticed that sheep have four legs and no arms?

How do they ever brush their teeth, clip their toenails, comb their wool or wipe their bottoms? It is IMPOSSIBLE to do with no arms.......

Lucky for us there are very skilled people we pay to do some of these jobs.

The young ewes on the farm need to be crutched.

 The wool is growing around their eyes and they cannot see where they are going and...

their bottom is getting a bit dirty too!

All the sheep are put into the shearing shed overnight where they are kept dry.

The sheep are dragged from the catching pens onto the shearing board.....

where they are crutched,  a short front and back!

The wool is swept away and sorted good from bad!

I like to help sweep the wool away, you have to be very quick!

The sheep are returned to the paddock.

They are very happy with their short front and back.

They can see where they are going,......

and they have really clean bottoms TOO!

Short Back and Front PLEASE!

In three weeks time the ewes will start having baby lambs.

Before that happens there are a few jobs that must be carried out. 

It is time for all the ewes to visit the sheep barber, at the shearing shed.

The shearers work hard, they must drag every ewe out onto the shearing board and trim the wool from their eyes, udder and bottom!
 

They do the trimming with a hand piece it holds a comb and a cutter and is very sharp. 

  

Dad gives all the ewes a needle. The needle helps protect both the ewe and the baby lamb growing inside from nasty diseases.

 
 The ewes are now prepared to have their baby lambs. They are put back in their paddocks. Now the waiting game begins.

My big sister KT and I have been exploring in the timber whilst Mum and Dad have been working.We cannot wait for the baby lambs to arrive.....we LOVE baby lambs!