Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The Rest of the Story...


As told by Dazzle...


"You wouldn't believe what Mom did to me!"


"First, she put one of those rope things around my head and drug me out of the pasture..."

"Then, she ties me to the gate and the stupid CHICKENS  were laughing at me!"


"And then she starts ripping my long, soft, gorgeous fleece right off of my body!!!"


"OK.  So it didn't actually hurt, or anything.  But it was still embarrassing!"


"Of course, being the perfect little angel that I am, I stood there calmly and quietly and endured the humiliation of it all"


"Except when Mom tried to pull the wool that was up by my ribs or down by my tummy!  That wool didn't slide right off and I didn't like it when Mom tried to pull it so she left that alone."

"Mom, said we can always get the rest of the wool another day..."


"I'm thinking  NOT !!!"


"I don't see her pulling the wool off of any of the other sheep!  What about Dreamer???  How come Mom doesn't tie HER up and pull HER wool off?"

DREAM says:


"Cuz I'm SPECIAL!"

That you are, Dreamer.  That you are.   But the truth is, I didn't roo your fleece because it isn't ready to be rooed.   It's quite common for a Shetland's fleece to 'release' when the new fleece is starting to grow in.  At that time, the old fleece starts falling out and the shepherd will see chunks of wool hanging from the sheep.  Dazzle had huge chunks of wool just falling off her rear end.  For those who asked, it's not an indication of anything wrong.  In fact, it makes removing the fleece quite easy and it makes for a much cleaner fleece.  I love a fleece that roos easily!

Although Dream's fleece doesn't appear to be ready to roo, I did notice that Alice has quite a few chunks hanging.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the earlier lambing date for some of the girls...

10 comments:

  1. Ha! Great shot of Dreamer. I noticed my Sophia's wool wouldn't come of easily around the neck area either. I also noticed that all of the girls start sheding around their private parts and ears first, as if Mother Nature knows those are the areas that get the most dirty. Interesting, eh?

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  2. Anonymous8:36 AM

    Oh! My poor, poor Dazzle Baby! Don't you worry, your nice Aunty Katie will come down and give you hugs and loves and animal cookies and she will keep that nasty awful hair puller away from you! :) LOLOLOLOL!

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  3. I wish all sheep fleece came off like that....we wouldn't have to hire a shearer and have all the second cuts!

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  4. Christine ~ Dazzle is the first Shetland that I've had that has loosened up on the rear first. Most of my girls (and rams) shed from the neck first. Either way, I too LOVE it when the fleece just falls off like this!

    Yes Katie (W), I did assure Dazzle that you would be coming to comfort her... ;-)

    You and me BOTH, Jody! Not only is it cheaper ~ but the resulting fleece is much cleaner when you roo it. By pulling it off, a lock at a time, any vegetable matter just falls right out! And there are no cut ends, which feel much harsher than a naturally rooed fleece.

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  5. I must say you look very ....er...interesting! Like a sheep lion! hee hee. I'm glad that we beautiful goats don't do this with our coats! You have very pretty spots underneath that long fleece!!!

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  6. Well, now I know the story of sheep rooing and sheering. Interesting. :-D

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  7. That picture of Dream sticking her tongue out at the end is perfect! It's like she knows what you need for your blog. Unfortunately the usually pretty dazzle looks ridiculous. You should encourage her to start growing new fleece on her front half!

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  8. Anonymous7:21 AM

    Nancy,

    Is anybody else ready to roo?

    Terry

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  9. That is incredibly cool! I didn't know any modern Shetlands still roo'd their fleece! Wow!

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  10. Anonymous5:49 PM

    NANCY -

    UPDATE US ON DAZZLE'S LAMB!!!!!!! (LAMBS????)

    I AM DYING!!!!!!!!! HOW DARE SHE LAMB WITHOUT ME????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STRESS OUT MY BEAUTIFUL BABY?!?! YOU SCARED THE LAMB RIGHT OUT OF HER!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!

    HUGS!

    Katie

    p.s. I'm not yelling in this post, I am THAT EXCITED!!!!!!!!!

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