Wildlife Watch

Sheep Shearing

Cheshire Wildlife Trust has its own flock of Hebridean sheep to help keep the vegetation down on its nature reserves. The sheep’s breed is native to the Hebridean Islands off the north of Britain. Native breeds have evolved to survive on plants that grow naturally in Britain. This makes them ideal for grazing vegetation that likes poor-quality soil on ground that cows would be too heavy for, such as heathland and mossland. The sheep keep the vegetation short in a natural way, allowing the nature reserves to flourish.

As the sheep live outdoors, they grow a thick coat in winter, to keep them warm. When the weather improves during springtime, they become too hot and their wool needs to be sheared off. This is done with clippers which shave the wool short – they don’t hurt the sheep at all. The wool is curly (to allow air to circulate to the sheep’s skin) and oily (to make it waterproof) so it sticks together in one piece, called a fleece.

Shearing the sheep is a skilled job. It only takes a couple of minutes to shear each sheep!

When the sheep are shorn they are released back into the nature reserve. Their fleeces are sent to a factory for washing. The clean wool is carded (combed) and spun into long strands, then rolled into a ball ready for knitting or weaving. Wool can also be used to make felt, and to help with composting. Because it is a natural fibre, it can keep heat in while allowing air through – in other words it is great for making warm clothes that allow your skin to ‘breathe’, such as woolly jumpers!