After one of the Romney sheep has been shorn, it is immediately re-coated to protect the new wool growth. The new coat is two to four sizes smaller than the coat worn just prior to shearing. In this photo, one of our ewes is shown getting her coat. After this, she was directed to the other side of the barn where a tasty meal of nice, green hay awaited her.
While the sheep is being re-coated, the resulting fleece is carefully picked up off the shearing floor. The floor is then swept clean in preparation for the next sheep.
The fleece is carried from the shearing barn to the Skirting Team awaiting in the garage.
Here's our Skirting Team, a group of friends and family, working on Belle's fleece. The heated garage makes it more comfortable for them to work without gloves.
These skilled ladies perform the first skirting on each fleece. In this first skirting, any remaining head, neck, and tail wool is removed and discarded as it contains considerable vegetable matter. The skirted fleece is then carefully rolled up and placed in its own marked bag. The bags are set aside in a clean, dry place.
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