I've never watched a sheep shearing in person prior to today. At the Maine Fiber Frolic this weekend, there was a demonstration while we were there in one of the animal barns. He was shearing a sheep (we didn't see either a llama or an alpaca being shorn) - who was sitting between the shearer's legs. 
The shearer was using some electric clippers with a long, wide guard on them.
I guess what surprised me most, perhaps because I hadn't really thought about it, was that at the same time, they trimmed the sheep's nails. Now I have big dogs (120 lbs +), and I trim their nails, and I trim my bunnies' nails, but the sheep's hooves were curling in. After some length was taken off, then they took the clippers and trimmed the portion curling inside and around the nail. Then he went and trimmed up the edges. They trim the back hooves first, because the trimming sharpens the hooves and if they start kicking the front legs, it can hurt the person doing the trimming.
With this particular demonstration, I didn't catch the skirting or the grading according to portion of the fleece..... I know that certain portions of the fleece are higher quality, and that color can vary considerably from say the shoulders to the back or the neck areas. The crimp can even vary in those areas on the same animal.
Before I buy another raw fleece, perhaps at Common Ground Fair this fall, I need to study up on that sort of stuff so I am a more knowledgeable buyer! I think they even fold it up in a certain order so that one can unfold it and know what is what on the fleece...
The pictures crack me up because you can barely see the sheep in all of the fleece! But I can only imagine that he isn't too happy!
Posted by: Kris | Monday, June 12, 2006 at 21:17
poor mister sheepy! Doesn't look too comfy does he heheh
He'll be glad to get all that off him for the summer though!
Posted by: Kelly | Monday, June 12, 2006 at 06:05