In the last few years that we have raised sheep , we have always been careful to shear them in the later wintertime or early leap , just before lambing .
We have always been severalize that this is not only a serious idea if you want them to turn attractive , sizeable wool but also because it ’s necessary to forbid them from overheating and suffering from flystrike .
What we did n’t know then ( but fortunately do now ! ) is thatshearingis not of necessity for all breed of sheep . sure as shooting , there are tomentum sheep that throw off their hair at the end of winter to stay nerveless throughout the summertime .
However , there ’s also a breed of sheep that does n’t spill in the way that hair sheep do – but also does n’t require even shearing .
The name of that strain is theIcelandic .
Rather than shed or needing to be sheared , Icelandic sheep undergo something anticipate a wool breaking . During a woolen fracture , Icelandic sheep can be rooed ( or left to their own twist ) , meaning there ’s very little intervention necessary on the part of the shepherd .
Here ’s what you need to know about rooing as it concern to Icelandic sheep .
What Does it Mean to Roo a Sheep?
Although the news “ roo ” brings to mind image of adorable babe kangaroo in the Australian Outback , it actually has nothing to do with Australia at all .
Rooing is something that Icelandic sheep do when they are quick to drop a backbreaking pelage of woolen in the spring . Also live as fleece break , rooing is a process in which an Icelandic sheds his heavy coat of woollen so that he can convey a lighter incumbrance of just the fluffier .
You see , Icelandic sheep woolen is unique from other types of fleece in that it contains two dissimilar type of hair . The knocked out layer is the compact , coarse , and long hair , known in Icelandic as “ tog . ” It tends to be body of water - resistant .
Beneath the tog is a layer get it on as thel . This level is much soft and offers more warmth .
During rooing , it is primarily the tog that is shed , although the thel can be shed , too .
When Should I Roo My Sheep?
Rooing is a process that must be naturally initiated by the sheep first . The fleece will typically start coming off on its own , by and large in the spring , and often in patch .
Rams tend to shake off first and you ’ll have intercourse that spring is in sight because you ’ll see your rams rub their bodies against anything they can detect . They ’ll scour themselves against trees , fences , or even each other to relieve the itch and shed the spare woolen .
Often , this is all that is needed to drag off large mend of felted wool . However , you may also give pluck an intact coating if you ’re so inclined .
If you choose to roo your sheep , you should do this in the tardy natural spring . look untillambinghas ended as most ewes will not start to moult until after they ’ve dropped Lamb ( though some will start right before ) .
Rooing is a round-eyed unconscious process – just walk up to your sheep and take your finger through the wool . As long as the timing is right , it should come off in your hands . You should n’t have to do any yanking or tugging – just a gentle wrench is all that ’s needed . Most multitude discard the woollen they “ harvest ” via rooing as it can be hard to get a piece of wool large enough towork for spinning .
It can also be meter consuming , so if you ’re okay with allowing your sheep to look a bit patchy for a while – and do n’t mind wads of woolen float around your pastures – then you might have to allow them to exuviate freely on their own terminal figure .
Which Sheep Breeds Can Be “Roo-ed”?
Icelandic sheep are among the most renowned of the sheep stock that can be “ rooed . ” Some sheep producer report that similar breeds , like Dorpers , St. Croix , and Katahdin may also be able to be rooed .
However , this trait is n’t to a fault common and is something that is often bred into a flock over many generations .
Do You Have to Roo?
As I mentioned earlier , rooing is not utterly necessary .
The sheep will pull the woollen off themselves . The only grounds why many people roo is to avoid having woolen floating all around the farm . It can also better the esthetics of your individual sheep , making them more attractive to await at .
Furthermore , rooing can be helpful when the weather turns hot before your sheep have fully shed their outer layers of wool . Too much excess wool can be itchy and uncomfortable for your sheep and rooing them can often assist .
Other Tips for Rooing
Here are some other pointers to keep in mind if you are conceive rooing your sheep yourself ( or need to allow them to do it naturally ) .
1. Some Individual Sheep Roo Better Than Others
Although our flock of sheep is composed solely of Icelandic ’s , each one is an individual when it comes to how quickly it sheds its wool ( and in what form of pattern ) .
For example , our 1 - class - old breeding Aries , York , has already drop off most of his woollen . However , he look like the victim of a defective haircut . The woolen has break off in large darn with certain annulus hanging on here and there .
Other sheep still have a full coating of wool , while one young ewe has pour forth all of her wool , ostensibly in one brutal slide , and now just has a gracious , attractive bed of the rest .
2. Stress Can Cause “Enhanced” Rooing
Alopecia or wool sideslip is a logical concern among sheep producers – and it ’s something that can be triggered by add stress . However , it ’s important to note that stressful conditions can influence a wool break much quicker than normal . It ’s nothing to worry about .
Situations likestressful lambingand pneumonia can make a sheep to fall back her wool much quicker .
While it ’s crucial to do your best to mitigate emphasis in your deal and to keep your sheep healthy , know that in most cases , a ewe that roos quickly will belike still be fine .
3. Wool Will Come Back In
Although your sheep will probably shed all of their wool by the eye of the summer , at the late , do n’t interest . It will grow back . If you require to fleece just once in the declension , this pattern will enable you to do so . Generally , the woollen spring up back as the weather condition starts to cool down down .
4. Limited Shearing May Still Be Necessary
A final note regarding rooing – it might not be the answer to all of your flock direction needs . In many cases , limited shearing might still be necessary ( so you ’re not off the hook just yet ! ) . For representative , we still shear sheep in the other spring but just practice something called crutching .
In crutching , we just cut the wool around the back remainder and bag of our ewes . This is done to aid in the lamb process and to helpprevent flystrike .
You may find oneself that someone in your great deal need a bit more shearing than others , depending on how well they misplace their wool on their own .
Ha-Roo for Self-Shearing Sheep!
I used to hate raising sheep . This was primarily because of all the work involve in shearing a deal of 50 skittish sheep in previous springtime .
Rooing has helped me rediscover the joyfulness in owning sheep since it almost completely eliminates the need to fleece .
Each fold will take issue in terms of its ability to shake off its fleece . However , you may have to take raising a breed like the Icelandic if you ’re interested in raising dual - function animals with no need for shearing .
Trust me on this one – it ’s something that is genuinely amazing to witness ( albeit a bite mussy in the spring ! ) .
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