How to Shear - Shearing Merino sheep (Fine Wool)

Watch this easy to follow and comprehensive video on shearing fine woolen (woollen) merino sheep.
This video is taken from the Australian Wool Innovation's 'Improver/ Professional Shearing' Instructional DVD)
Section One: Belly Wool and Crutch
Section Two: Flank, 1st Hind-leg, and Undermine
Section Three: Top Knot, Neck and First Shoulder
Section Four: Long Blow
Section Five: Neck, Shoulder and Last Side

[@skepticusmaximus184]

My shearing days are over, though I never was a gun, I could always count my twenty, at the end of every run. I used the old Trade Union shears, and the blades were always full, As I drove ’em to the knockers, and I clipped away the wool. I shore at Goorianawa and didn’t get the sack, From Breeza out to Compadore, I always could go back. And though I am a truthful man, I find when in a bar My tallies seem to double, but I never call for tar. Shearing on the western plains, where the fleece is full of sand, And the clover burr and corkscrew grass, is the place to try your hand. For the sheep are tall and wiry, where they feed on the Mitchell grass. And every second one of them, is close to the cobbler class. And a pen chock full of cobblers, is a shearers dream of hell. So loud and lurid are their words, when they catch one on the bell. But when we’re pouring down the grog, you’ll have no call for tar. For a shearer never cuts ’em, when shearing in a bar. At Louth I caught the bell sheep, a wrinkled, tough wooled brute, Who never stopped his kicking, till I tossed him down the chute. My wrist was aching badly, but I fought him all the way. Couldn’t afford to miss a blow, I must earn my pound a day. So when I’d take a strip of skin, I’d hide it with my knee, Turn the sheep around a bit, where the right bower couldn’t see. Then try and catch the rousie’s eye, and softly whisper “tar”. But it never seems to happen, when I’m shearing in the bar. I shore away the belly wool, and trimmed the crutch and hocks, Opened up along the neck, while the rousie swept the locks. Then smartly swung the sheep around, and dumped him on his rear, Two blows to clip away the wig, I almost took an ear. Then down around the shoulder, and the blades were open wide, As I drove ’em on the long blow, and down the whipping side. And when the fleece fell on the board, he was nearly black with tar, But this is never mentioned, when I’m shearing in a bar. Now when the seasons ended, and my grandsons all come back. In their buggies and their sulkies, I was always on the track. They come and take me into town, to fill me up with beer. And I sit on a corner stool, and listen to them shear. There’s not a bit of difference, it must make the angels weep, To hear a mob of shearers, in a barroom shearing sheep. For the sheep go rattling down the race, with never a call for tar, For a shearer never cuts ’em, when he’s shearing in a bar. Then memories come a crowding, and they wipe away the years, And my hand begins to tighten, and I seem to feel the shears. I want to tell them of the many sheds, where I have shorn, Full fifty years and sometimes more, before these boys were born. I want to speak of yarragin, Dunlop or Wingadee, But the beer has started working, and I’m wobbling at the knee, So I’d better not start shearing, I’d be bound to call for tar, Then be treated as a blackleg, when I’m shearing in a bar.

[@lumberjaxe8910]

Very good Mate.

[@reneeh5993]

Haha poor sheep.. but I imagine afterwards they would be like a dog after a bath!! Running and kicking and prancing and happy as anything!!

[@bchearne]

Yeah, once they’ve managed to work out who their friends are with their new haircuts. They always spend a few minutes bellowing at each other because they don’t know who’s who

[@mindtheyoutubegap]

Dear Merino sheep, I would like to thank you for my merino t-shirts and other garments you have given me!

[@gardnep]

If they aren't shorn the non shedding sheep accumulates so much wool they can become cast on their sides or up side down and can no longer get up from the ground and they die of exposure, starvation or attack from other animals. I have not heard of any cases of raping sheep for a long time.

[@gracielaardon5900]

Philip Gardner Me either; I agree with you. I believe they should be shed; there just has to be a better way you know? I have seen videos and read things that these sheep aren't really being taken care off and there is no respect for them, You know....

[@atomiclemon8930]

@@gracielaardon5900 I know you posted this comment 6 years ago. But as a farmer myself I take great care of them, I must say I quite enjoy the sheep. There are shearer’s and farmers who get frustrated at the sheep (for good reason they are very stupid) but you have to realise a ewe is worth around $250 and lambs are around $150 roughly, so farmers take very good care of them. I believe the media milks everything so to speak, all they want is a good story. Just one last thing I don’t condone hitting sheep or anything like that, but you need to work with sheep for a while before you judge shearer’s or farmers. (Even I know you weren’t saying that just a side note)

[@skepticusmaximus184]

So yer not from Tasmania then.

[@railroadskater2896]

Section six: give the sheep a "doggy treat" for a reward!!!

[@Antaur666]

Best instructional vid I've found. THX

[@PhilipBowden-oz7mm]

The animal shows no signs of distress. An ice cold xxxx to the shearer.

[@palmontecomocabra]

Muy interesante, saludos de un esquilador de España.

[@luiscarrascolopez4206]

Saludos desde españa soy eskilador también pero no entiendo el inglés es lo malo

[@eddiebaby2709]

thanks for the vid it helped out in class alot

[@oldfashionedwrx3574]

That back bending can't be good for the lower back.

[@stephencoleman3578]

I sheared professionally for decades. never had a back problem. But that first week every year was a killer while the back muscles built up again.

[@bchearne]

The alternate footwork option on the long blow is great for avoiding the kicks of a sheep that plays up on that section

[@rehanahamad295]

what is this

[@MrHyperbad]

top class shear

[@funnyfarmcorgis]

Fantastic tutorial, many thanks for posting - VERY helpful! Cheers :)

[@Kamitzz]

Shears*

[@joanmariecartier9841]

You knock your sheep out? What do you use?

[@shepherdewan]

Merry xmas

[@rehanahamad295]

esa log kuy karte h

[@shepherdewan]

you can comment on ewan cuddling welsh annemarie she is a good girl that sheep

[@pedrojuanperazasimon8987]

Muy interesante este video, existen muchas tecnologías que a veces uno no se imagina. Gracias por darnos esa posibilidad de conocer.

[@Harrowder22]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWqZqJqfdqtqoZY ; Esquilado de a ovejas en Feria Ganando, exhibición a tijera y Maquinilla

[@q-miiproductions878]

You can really tell this is 2012 editing: 1. 3:05 3:16 3:25 Did anyone else think that the shearing was going on in the background while these moments were paused? By the hit of the wood in the clip it sounds like the source of the buzzing is from the video file... if so, why edit in the buzzing in during the paused moments? Basically here's a disconnect between the video and audio and it's bugging me. 2. You didn't need to keep the line about repositioning in 5:30 if you had a subtitle for it at 5:58. Why did you keep it?

[@sprtntempo5440]

Mate this is to learn how to shear not for you to telling them how to make a video I bet you've never touched or even seen a sheep in real life

[@shepherdewan]

Happy new yr

[@shepherdewan]

Merry xmas

[@alexisc.]

Does Merino Roving Wool come from this sheep? ( I have no idea, I know it's a Merino sheep , but I have no idea if Roving Wool comes from this sheep or not)

[@AWIWoolProduction]

Hi there, Merino wool is the product of the Merino sheep and so Merino roving wool is the long and narrow bundle of Merino wool fibre that is created in the process of making spun yarn.

[@ALANLEEY]

Is it druged

[@gussyt1761]

No

[@sprtntempo5440]

Only rams get sadated

[@violetgir1]

does it hurt them?

[@nappybunny8221]

Emma Mohring I imagine not. It's almost like shaving a man's head with shears. Maybe it scares them a little, but if they're not shorn, all that heavy wool will make it very hard for them to move.

[@helloworld-ow9tf]

Does it hurt when you have your hair cut?

[@atomiclemon8930]

Yes it can hurt them a bit when they are cut, mind you most cuts are pretty small and no worries. There are shearer’s that rarely cut them. But mind you they would die if they weren’t shorn. Sheep can get fly blown which is pretty well maggots eating the sheep alive and eventually they will die a slow death if not taken care of. So they must be shorn.

[@sprtntempo5440]

Not really even small cuts don't hurt due to the fact that sheep don't feel pain like us

[@janirose]

what makes you think they don’t feel pain like us?

[@migolim5176]

poor sheep:(

[@xeperhurf]

Why? Have you ever seen what happens when you don't shear them? This is no less humane than a boot-camp buzz-cut.

[@Neravine]

Wrong. www.sheepshearermike.co.uk/whyweshearsheep.htm

[@xeperhurf]

Neravine My, what a trustworthy and surely peer-reviewed piece.

[@gracielaardon5900]

xeper caz yes, but have you seen how they do it? check out the other videos. PETA has an undercover video... Now I don't advocate for PETA, but the video is legit and you should see how they treat them. I do believe shedding the sheep is necessary, but the way they are doing it is not correct. Its not that it's Inhumane! It just goes to show how greedy and needy these industries are. they want the fastest most inexpensive way..... there are better ways to do this..... i'm sure there are.

[@tarnsand]

Graciela Ardon What is a more humane way of shearing these sheep? They would/could eventually die if not sheared. Sheep ranchers can only have as many sheep as they have grazing land for them. And sheep eat off grass right to the ground unlike cattle. Doesn't PETA always have a undercover video? PETA celebrity Pamela Anderson in her UGGS and leather handbag leather belts leather high heels and merino wool sweaters....list goes on. Hypocrite much.

[@email16v]

Dear author of video- You may want to consider re-writing your objectives to start with an action verb or a performance-based objective. If you don't know what I'm talking about, there are lots of resources on the Internet that gives good examples and tips to writing performance based objectives.