Judging a Flock By Its Cover

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straight off the sheep, without processing
LUSTER: sheen caused by lanolin in wool
SHRINK : weight and volume lost through washing/ processing wool
STAPLE: length of wool fiber TIPPY: term used to describe fleece on which fiber tips are twisted together or slightly matted

Jackets, or sheepcovers, help to keep wool clean, a must if fleeces are to be marketed to handspinners.

Protection from Predators

Dogs: They can be a sheep's best friend... or worst enemy. That sweet fur ball sitting at your feet can transformgiven access and opportunity - into a stealthy sheep slayer.

"Not my doggie," you say? That's what I thought when a warden informed me that my dog had tried to kill a neighbor's sheep. "That's several miles away," I insisted, "and besides, Laddie has never bothered my herd." True as that was, it turned out that Laddie was guilty as charged. To protect neighboring flocks, I've taken to confining him at night and whenever we're gone from home.

Unlike bears and coyotes seeking easy meals, dogs kill sheep for fun. Until you've witnessed it firsthand, it's hard to fathom the carnage they can cause. I won't soon forget the evening that thundering sheep hooves and loud bleating prompted my husband to fire a shotgun into the air. The dogs-all pets-never barked but moved to the next farm, where, the following morning, I saw the aftermath: 42 dead or dying ewes. Only two members of the flock had escaped unscathed.

Next to you, the best protector for your sheep is, ironically, a dog. Not a pet, but a working guard dog such as a Maremma or Great Pyrenees (for more on selecting a working breed dog, see " The Homestead Hound "). Raised with your sheep from puppyhood, a guard dog will bond with and defend the flock against straying pet dogs. Guard dogs (and/or llamas and donkeys) can also be used to protect flocks from coyotes and bears where these wild predators are a problem.

Hootie-Crow, Child's working Border collie, fetches the ewes from the barn on shearing day.

To Shear a Sheep

It's an early spring morning and Sarah Beamer, a professional shearer, has arrived at Child's homestead ready for work. Child commands Hootie-Crow, her working Border collie, to fetch the ewes in one barn and bring them to another, where there's electricity to power Beamer's shearing machine - a high-volume tool with a clipper head at the end of a long, flexible arm connected to a freestanding motor. Like most professionals, Bearner prefers this type of shearer to the self-contained units that resemble electric barber clippers. "The handheld units are okay for your own small flock, but with the motor in the unit, they get hot and are heavy," explains Beamer.

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