Sheep shearing with Jess

Our Wiltshire Horn sheep are back from a nearby farm where the farmer lets me have some extra grazing for a couple of months each year. This is very helpful as it allows me to rest our own fields and gives time for fresh grass to grow.

Wiltshire Horns are a self-shedding, primitive breed of sheep so shearing them is not usually necessary. However, we have a few sheep in the flock that don't fully shed or are very slow to shed. The best ones in this respect will fully lose their fleece within two or three weeks. However, with our increasingly hot Summers and the ever-present risk of fly strike, I decided to have them sheared this year, or at least those that hadn't already shed.

I called on Jess who comes from a livestock farming family not far off. She is the youngest of three sisters who offer sheeping shearing services at this time of the year. Jess has only just finished agricultural college but is demonstrably experienced at handling livestock. She did an excellent job with our small flock.