At Grace Valley Farms, most of our sheep wear coats to protect their wool from excessive vegetable matter and soil. It is necessary to change a sheep's coat three to five times a year, increasing the size each time. For the Spring 2010 lambs, not only is their wool growing, but their body size is increasing also. For a mature ewe, not only is her wool growing, but her girth is also increasing due to the developing lambs inside her. After shearing, each sheep will receive a coat three to five sizes smaller and the cycle starts over again.
After the coats are changed, we wash them and hang them out on the clothesline to dry.
When the coats are dry, Emily mends any tears in the fabric. The clean coats are then stored until they are needed again.
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