ZOE COLVILLE ON SHEEP SHEARING

By Zoe Colville, The Chief Shepherdess

Even though I came to farming rather late in life, there’s something nostalgic about shearing day. Perhaps it's the smell of sweat mixing with sun cream, carried on the summer breeze, or maybe it's the comforting feeling of knowing a vital task has been completed and you can stop panicking about flystrike for a month - almost a clean slate.

We shear our fleeces once a year, around mid-July. Farms up and down the country shear at different times, suiting their stock and their calendar - that’s the beauty of farming, every operation is different. Some shear twice a year, and some sheep shed their fleeces themselves, requiring no human intervention. We don’t shear the animals to make money, or for them to look more aesthetically pleasing to promote sales - no - it’s entirely for their welfare. Shearing our sheep costs us upwards of €1200 and a full day’s work, and not only that, we then have around a tonne of wool to shift.

In former times, the annual “wool cheque” was enough to pay the farm rent and more. Sadly, now, due to a lack of demand and the supply of synthetic substitutes, by the time we’ve paid the shearers and the diesel to take the bags to the depot, we are at a loss. It’s a sad state of affairs. Unfortunately, it's just one of those things you have to absorb. Whilst the Lanolin (oil) in the fleece provides UV protection and has temperature regulating properties, it's still more comfortable in the summer, with temperatures above 25 degrees, not to be carrying an extra two kilos of weight on your body. Not only that, it's the perfect habitat for flies to lay their eggs. Contamination, such as bird droppings or dirt on the wool, will attract flies, who will lay their eggs, which within a day will hatch into maggots, who then feed on the sheep's flesh unbeknownst to them. I can’t imagine the agony. So it’s basically an unwritten law: the fleeces come off in July.

Wool is so versatile, it’s fire-resistant, has antibacterial qualities, and is also one of the best insulators. So why are we not using wool for our carpets? Our clothes? Our duvets? Even though we wax lyrical about wool, we ourselves had feather duvets for a long time. Now we’ve switched and have both pillows and duvets from our flock. British wool, one duvet for summer and winter, far less sweating (gross) and a much better sleep. A game-changer. If every household made a small change and used a little more wool, demand would build again.

As for us, we’re trying something new this year and we’re going to be selling our wool privately to crafters, gardeners and spinners. Our wool isn’t as sought after as other breeds, and a lot of it is black or brown, which also reduces its value. Going directly to the public also gives us the opportunity to see where the wool ends up and how versatile it truly can be. WE’LL KEEP YOU POSTED.

About The Little Farm Fridge
Zoe spent the majority of her childhood outdoors, building dens and playing with her imaginary animals. At 18 she moved to London to train to be a hairdresser, where she spent all her time until she met Chris, and little by little she moved back to Kent. Gradually, they have accumulated more and more animals and now they have a full flock of animals grazing throughout the county (and beyond). One thing is certain: the passion for their animals is ubiquitous. No matter how wet the winter or how dry the summer - they always strive for the best.

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