# Help getting mats off hair sheep



## Old Mission (Dec 26, 2009)

We bought some hair sheep, and some did not fully shed out and we want to remove their hair mats so next spring trimming those ones will be easier. We dont have electricity or a clipper where they are located. I tried to use hand shears and its really slow going since the wool is matted I have a hard time getting into the mat to cut. I was wondering if a razorblade might be easier (if I am careful of course! do a little at a time as I am pulling the mat over?) Or any other ideas?!


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

I assume these are young sheep? Some don't shed out their first summer, but should next summer, taking that leftover coat with them. You should never need to trim a hair sheep. I wouldn't try to get that hair off them now. The new coat for winter is already growing in and if you take that off, they will freeze this winter. If they do not shed off their wool on their second summer, they should be culled because it is a bad trait they will pass on to their lambs.


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## Old Mission (Dec 26, 2009)

No they are adults, the ones that did not fully shed are dorper x Kat crosses,(but I suspect have wool somewhere behind them, they came as a package deal for a flock we bought that had purebred Katahdins in it and a few of the crosses.)
we dont keep any lambs from them just sell their lambs for meat only and we use the money we make from that to buy better stock/improve the farm for now since we are just starting out. These mixed ewes are huge and have really nice meat lambs. Our Maremma decided to kill all our Katahdin lambs this spring, so we are trying to not take too big a hit financially and the meat lambs have helped hold us over but these ewes will be culled once we get the flock built back up. We have a steady supply of meat customers and have way more customers then lambs so right now with the hit we took on losing all our lambs to the dog (and the potential for those lambs reproducing next spring, ect) its really hard to cull the mixes at the moment since our numbers are way down. It was a huge setback to our plan.

Anyway, I was told they all shed but they did not, so obviously they were trimmed in the past because they got a big patch of matted hair on their backs that wont come off. When I did the hand shears I could cut about 2 inches away from the skin to leave enough wool to keep them warm, but it was just taking forever and my wrist could not handle it so need a easier way. I am afraid if I leave it all winter it will be too matted to remove in spring?!? or will the new winter growth make it easier to trim?


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

New growth would make it easier for you to trim them up in spring. 
So I wouldn't worry about shearing them right now.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

If they have the horrible looking big globs of wool on their back you need to get under the matting for a good trim. It is time consuming with hand shears but can be done. Look for the straight wool under the mat and just trim off what you need to in order to get it off. This time of year I would leave them with as much as possible to keep warm. Some sheep will keep those globs of wool for years if you don't trim them off.


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## LibertyWool (Oct 23, 2008)

So here is a question for all of you with hair sheep, how cold tolerant are they? You can shear wool sheep any time of the year, even up here in Maine. I don't shear in January, but I have a friend that did (until she passed away after having show sheep for many decades). She had several reasons to do it (cleaner for lambing, ewes will want to stay in the barn, took up less space, kept the barn warmer, etc). So what I'm hearing here is that hair sheep or crosses would not be able to handle the cold if shorn now? Is that right?


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## kit (Apr 15, 2004)

Well, we raise purebred Katahdins and have a ewe flock of 125 head. Most of those ewes will lamb out in February and we live in Canada where it can easily be -30C during lambing. The ewes do absolutely fine as do the lambs and they are not housed in doors. Once the ewe lambs outside she and her babies are moved into a pen inside for about 3 days and then they are back outside. However, my sheep shed so they don't get sheared so they are growing their winter coat now. I do know that wooly producer do NOT shear their animals when winter is approaching here either as they can not tolerate the cold without a coat. If they do shear them for some reason they must be housed inside or they would freeze up.

There really should be no reason to shear a true Katahdin. However having said that if they have a layer like mentioned it won't hurt them at all to remove it. But I would cut between the old growth and the new growth. If you can't and you get a bit lower is should grow back in time for winter.


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## LibertyWool (Oct 23, 2008)

Thanks Kit. We don't get quite that cold, about -11F (vs -22F/-30C) tends to be our winter lows. You must have some sort of shelter/wind break outside for your ewe/lambs.


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## kit (Apr 15, 2004)

Yes they are kept in a corral set up for the winter to break the wind and we keep a nice layer of straw bedding for them. When get an awful winter wind blowing hard with a bad snow storm together, the wind chill can get unbearable so they can all fit under if need be. But for the most part the wind break is enough to keep them happy!


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