What happens if you dont shear sheep

Sheep grow wool continuously to protect them from the weather. Shearing keeps sheep cool in the warmer months and reduces the risk of parasitic infestation and disease. Shearing requires sheep to be handled multiple times — mustering, yarding, and penning — which is stressful to sheep.

In addition, shearing itself is an acute stressor. The potential for pain is present where sheep are wounded or injured during shearing. Most domesticated animals could survive without humans, at least some subset of the species.

Those animals that would do best are sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens. Sheep that are accustomed to people enjoy being petted by their humans. However, sheep that are unaccustomed to people do not like to be petted and their fight or flight response is activated. Sheep approached by strangers may react favorably or not, depending on their level of socialization to multiple people. Sheep are gentle, sensitive animals who are emotionally complex and highly intelligent.

The following recent studies have found that sheep and humans have many things in common. He also discovered that sheep recognize the faces of at least 50 other sheep and can remember 50 different images for up to two years. We will come onto the cruelty aspect of wool later, but there can be little argument against the fact that the production of wool certainly exploits animals for clothing. The actual shearing process is not painful for the sheep; it is the equivalent of shaving and grooming a dog.

It is humane and safe for the sheep if it is done properly by an experienced shearer. Sheep are typically sheared during each season.

Different considerations are taken for pregnant sheep. Their shearing may take place at different times depending on when they are due to lamb. While the majority of domesticated sheep do need to be sheared, there are a few breeds of domesticated sheep that do not need to be sheared.

Wild breeds also do not need to be sheared. Wild sheep and some domesticated breeds have coats that do not grow continuously. Instead, these sheep have coats of hair or wool that sheds during certain seasons. Croix, and the Maasai sheep do not have to be sheared.

When sheep were all wild, they naturally shed their coats so they did not become overgrown. Over many centuries, most domesticated sheep became dependent on their human owners to keep their coats trimmed and maintained properly. As strange as it may seems, there really are sheep shearing contests and they are very popular in sheep farming communities. A post shared by Alex Butler alex. In New Zealand, there is a huge shearing contest called the Golden Shears.

Yet for people who want their wardrobe to reflect their dietary choices, Kinship Wool offers an option that continues to support the evolutionary growth of the relationship between people and animals.

Choosing wool grown in your local fibershed offers a healthy way to live in harmony with the land that feeds, clothes, and houses us. In the articles that follow, we will look more at the process of shearing, from the interests of both the shearer and the sheep.

This is fascinating! Thanks for taking the time to look into this and for sharing. Finding info on this topic can be difficult, especially ones that are so nicely reworked. Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Skip to content Written by Marie Hoff Shearing is that unique seasonal dance between human and fiber animal. Photographed by Paige Green.

A sheep shearer stays cool throughout the physically demanding process of shearing by working inside a barn in Solano County, California, then passing the wool outside to be graded and later shipped off to a mill or buyer. Shearing is part of the seasonal lifecycle of raising sheep, just like lambing. Even with technological advances, shearing remains a hands-on practice that requires skill, care, and the right tools, like the comb shown here.

Ouessant sheep are a heritage breed, photographed by Alycia Lang. The author with one of the Ouessant sheep she raises and cares for, photographed by Paige Green.

It goes without saying that it should be done as kindly and gently as possible, and we have to work towards that end rather than cause infinitely greater harm by not shearing. Tricia Holman Colchester, Essex. Join the debate — email guardian. Read more Guardian letters — click here to visit gu.