Shearing provided some surprises in exterior versus interior coloration of the fleeces.

Shearing day was quite a success! It was warm and sunny and everyone was excited to be outside.  We had over 25 people show up to watch the sheep be parted from their fleeces and consume some tasty Amish cooking.  Brent, our shearer, did a phenomenal job quickly and carefully sheering all 41 animals, ranging from some ~150 pound Icelandic-Gotland crosses to perhaps 40 pound Shetland yearlings.  I was very pleased with the wool harvest from my Babydolls, with the adults averaging over 5 pounds per fleece even after having left the (dirty) belly wool in the scrap heap.

The wool will be shaded and as soon as possible the dirty and short bits will be removed (=”skirting”) and transferred to more breathable bags.

We found some new spotting under all that wool – a natural heather effect!