I’ve written a couple of posts about shearing day already, but I have so many photos to share. As John worked through the main flock I brought in the sheep from other areas. The two ewes with two-week old lambs were shorn (last post) and then the three Jacob rams.
This is the yearling ram, Rotor.
A good comparison of a lilac Jacob (Nash) and black & white (Rotor).
This is Rotor’s fleece.
They aren’t all spotted. This is one of the BFL-Jacob cross ewes.
Lots of people help to make Shearing Day fun and easy for me. Kathleen weighed fleeces.
Stephany and Gynna wrangled sheep all morning.
Alison and many others helped at the skirting table.
People are welcome to skirt their fleeces before buying or ask for advice about fleeces.
It was a great day to stand in the sun with your hands in freshly shorn wool.
One more ewe to be shorn and then it was Faulkner’s turn.
His buddy, Jerry looked on. Faulkner weighed in at 235 lbs (down about 30 pounds from what he sometimes weighs in the summer).
Fresh Jacob fleece.
Faulkner’s fleece.
While the shearing and wool sorting was going on, friends were helping buyers in the shop.
Later we got everyone (almost) to the barn for a group photo. That’s a lot of enthusiastic friends!
The day before we were cleaning up the area around the barn and pushed the brush pile into the corral area where it’s safer to burn. The sheep thought that there might be something worth eating…
…or scratching on. I didn’t want them ruining a whole year of wool growth the night before being shorn so it was time to move them to the barn.
I called the dogs in and Ginny got to help with the big group.
Farm Club members are ready for action.
First sheep.
Mary is ready to grab and bag the fleece.
Wait a minute. These sheep don’t look right.
Cute, but not the right sheep.
We started the day with 10 sheep from another farm. We told John (shearer) that was his warm-up.
We got underway with the Jacobs. Farm Club members did all the work. Visitors watched. and I changed gates and moved sheep while playing with my camera.
Here John is shearing Dazzle…
…while Amy holds her lamb.
I think this is my favorite photo of the day. Peggy and Caroline babysit twins while their mom is being shorn.
Mable.
Ginseng.
Shelby.
Jazz.
Noel.
Petra.
Petra again.
I’m not sure who this is but she’s certainly round.
Speaking of big and round, this is Spring. Last year she was so big that we had a couple of wagers on lambing–when and how many?
Isabelle sporting her tech head-gear. The video will be coming soon.
This is Delight with her twins. 
This is Dazzle with her single lamb. One of the problems I have photographing Jacob sheep is the fact that they have black markings around their eyes. I find that it is hard to expose the photo properly and also be able to see the faces. I edited this lower photo to where I could see the lamb’s eyes, although they aren’t showing up here very well and the photo looks washed out compared to the top one.
Here is another pair of photos. Which is better? Top or bottom?
At least I have CUTE going for me. 
Speaking of cute, can you tell the difference in these two photos? It’s not in editing. Try the focus…Ginny’s focus, that is.
This is a poor view of the sliding door at the south end of the barn.
This is looking from the other end. This happened once before–a lamb stumbled into the opening between the door and the wall and then couldn’t get out. Fortunately it wasn’t wet or too cold that night.
Here he is with mom, Dazzle, in the barn.
Dazzle’s lamb was a surprise although I didn’t have a breeding date for her, which was an indication that she may have already been bred. I went back out last night to check the ewe I expected to lamb.
She was lambing and had nice big twins.
These are some flashy looking lambs, especially the little ram on the right. If he grows up nicely, those markings would make him a very pretty show lamb. Too bad he doesn’t have a known father so he can’t be in the show. Maybe he’ll make someone a nice fiber pet if he’s wethered.
Ginny was just a baby at last lambing season and wasn’t out on her own much. Today it didn’t take her long to discover a dog’s favorite part of lambing time. I usually make sure the afterbirth is not dog-accessible but when it falls out of the wheelbarrow it’s up for grabs.
Sonata.
The BFL-cross named Ears.
This is Kenleigh’s Isadora.
Vanessa.
Wesley is one of three wethers that are part of Ginny’s sheepdog training flock.
Wesley and Wally are BFL-crosses and the other two wethers in Ginny’s flock. They were all born at the fair in July.
This ram was also born at the fair. I’ll have to decide about shearing them since they will have only 6-month fleeces and it will be more of a stress on them.
Gorgeous fleece.
Why, it’s Jade! Who else? She’s the one in the Santa hat in the 
Sheep going out to pasture last week. I’ve closed the gate today. The grasses are dormant and need warm weather and more daylight to get growing well again…if they get water, that is. This grass is showing signs of drying out. I hope some of the rain that is predicted comes through.
Now they are back in the ram pen and best buddies. This is one of the photos I will send in for Nash’s registration.
This is Rotor. Both are only 7 months old.
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