How to Use Goat Shearing Clippers

Shearing a goat can be an uneasy task if you are not prepared.  Here is a quick and helpful guide to make your job a bit easier.

A few weeks prior to shearing you must get your animal ready.  First, you need to use an insecticide containing permethrin or pyrethrin.  This will kill any lice or ticks.   Make sure to keep your goats dry 24 hours prior to shearing.  For health reasons, after the goats have been shorn, be sure to add new bedding to a dry shelter, and keep them out of inclement weather for approximately one month.

Tools you will need to shear your goat:

·         Blow dryer

·         Shears

·         Scissors

·         Paper bag

·         Scale

Whether you have just a few goats, or a whole herd, be sure to use a high quality goat shearing clippers to get the job done right.

How to shear your goat:

1.      Begin by securing your goat, either on the floor or on a grooming stand.

2.      Use a blow dryer to remove any debris from the goat's coat.

3.      Shear the goat's belly from the bottom of the chest to the udder.

4.      Shear each side of your goat from the belly to spine, back leg to front.

5.      Working upward shear each back leg from the beginning of the coat to the spine.

6.      Shear the neck from bottom to top, and then from the goat's chest to the ears.

7.      Shearing from the crown to the tail, finish shearing the back.

8.      Using scissors, remove any hair you may have missed.

Once you're done you may release your goat.  Check the hair to make sure there are no contaminants.  Weigh the fleece, roll it, and place it in a paper bag.  Be sure to write, on the bag, the goat's name, age, and date sheared.  The fleece should be stored in a dry area.

A few other tips to keep in mind when shearing your goat, or any of your other animals; younger animals typically have the best fibre, so shear them first.  When shearing always use long smooth strokes.  This will help keep the fleece together in longer strands.  This will increase the value of the fleece and also make it easier to work with.  Be very careful not to cut your goat's skin.  Pay particular attention to the area where the legs meet the body, the scrotal region, the belly, and the teats.  If you happen to cut your goat while shearing use an antibacterial spray to treat it.

Shearing an animal isn't a difficult task, once you've learned the basics.  It can be a rewarding and profitable venture, especially if you do your own shearing. 

Why electric farm fencing is required?

Working as a barrier that either prevents livestock from escaping, or thwarts unwanted animals from getting in, the electric fencing is one of the most useful items in a farm. Mostly known as a physical barrier, interestingly enough, the electric fence is also a psychological hurdle extremely effective when it comes to keeping the predators out and the animals enclosed. All farmers know how unpleasant it is to either lose part of your livestock, or have troubles with neighbours because of the animals that have destroyed the local crops after escaping from their territory.

A proper farm fencing equipment can solve all these problems and many more. Experts say that there is nothing wrong in using a small amount of electricity to control animals. In fact, farmers are using electric fences for more or less seventy years. Once you have the entire necessary farm fencing equipment, such as the electric fencing gate handle and the proper insulators, you can either ask a professional to give you a hand, or do it yourself. 

Electric fencing has numerous benefits, but one of the most important ones is by far the enhancement of farm profitability, by modernizing the pasture management. An appropriate electric farm fencing equipment makes the rationing of crops and pasture more effective. Not only does the electric fence keep wild animals away from the livestock, but it also separates different groups of animals.

Professional farm fencing equipment, such as the one offered by Shearing and Fencing make an electric fence very easy to install. Apart from an electric fencing gate handle, a solar power electric fence energizer and a farm electric fence voltage tester, there aren’t many items that you will need. The best thing about the electric fencing equipment is that you can buy it all online!

Finally, some of the most important benefits of an electric fence are as follows: it’s economical, effective, safe, and durable. Moreover if you are using the proper fencing equipment, an electric fence can be easily moved, lightweight and low maintenance. Not to mention that it is very affordable and suitable for all kind of geographical conditions. 

Guide for using latest fencing equipment

Before purchasing any farm fencing equipment, make sure you know what kind of materials will suit your environment the most. For instance, if you are planning to install an electric fence, check if the soil is appropriate for conducting electricity. There are a few tips and tricks that only experienced farmers know so make sure you get well informed before choosing farm fencing equipment. Once you start building your fence, you have to keep in mind a few things. Firstly, lightly-built fences can be easily destroyed by either wildlife or livestock. Secondly, untreated wood posts are likely to rot in damp soils. And thirdly, there can be some cases when special construction techniques are required, so you better have a professional at hand.

The second most important thing after purchasing the fencing equipment is knowing how to use it. One of the tools that you will need the most is the electric fence farm multipurpose fencing pliers. An inexpensive, useful tool, the fencing pliers can be used to pull out staples and nails, cut wire and hammer, among others. This tool is a great asset for every farmer who usually does the work by himself.

If you are planning to build an electric fence, than you will definitely need an electric fence gate handle, available at most fencing equipment providers. Usually, the electric fence gate handle is ready to use straight out of the box. The only thing that you would have to do is connect the live wire to the end of the gate handle and secure the hook end of the gate handle to an insulated gate anchor.

Another tool that should be part of your farm fencing equipment is the ratchet wire strainer. A valuable asset for every farmer concerned about his livestock, the ratchet wire strainer is quite easy to use as well. Just connect one fence wire to the ratchet end of the strainer and connect the other wire to the other end of the strainer while tightening the ratchet. You will immediately see how your fence gets strained!

All these fencing equipment items and many more can be found at Shearing and Fencing. 

Sheep Shearing as a Career? How good is it?

Sheep shearing is hard work – you need to be fit, strong and willing to put in long hours. If you’ve got the desire and commitment to make sheep shearing your career, however, the rewards can be excellent. Here are some facts to consider before making your mind up one way or the other.

Local Job Opportunities

Chances of getting a job as a shearer are good during the peak season – during summer and autumn – but only average during the rest of the year. In recent years there has been a shortage of qualified shearers. Shearing contractors reported in January 2013, for example, that they needed to bring in shearers from overseas to help cope with the workload.

Travelling Abroad for Work

There are many job opportunities around the world as a sheep shearer, from Norway to the United Kingdom to the United States. Finding work in multiple countries gives you the chance to travel and get a taste for different cultures, meeting a wide range of people and sharing unique experiences. There aren’t many better ways to work and travel at the same time.

A Lucrative Career

A canny sheep shearer can make quite a lot of money on a good day. Shearers can earn around $145 for every 100 sheep they shear, making it possible to earn decent money for a hard day’s work. Trainee shearers normally manage a couple of hundred sheep per day, while experienced shearers can get through 400 or more.

Seasonal Job

As a sheep shearer you’ll probably work for six to eight months a year, from May to mid-August and November to January. During the off season, you can either find different forms of work or head abroad for other opportunities. This gives you the chance for adventure and a change of scenery, keeping your shearing skills intact at the same time.

Keeping Livestock Healthy

Having a healthy population of livestock is an important part of the farming process. Here are some useful tips and tricks to help you keep both you and your animals healthy and happy.

Keep Your Equipment Clean

Disease can spread easily due to the use of poorly maintained equipment. While it may not be feasible to use a separate shearing comb for each individual animal, simple alternatives such as maintaining clean and sterile equipment can go a long way toward preventing the spread of infection.

• Ensure that equipment is cleaned on a regular basis to prevent rust and harmful bacteria from accumulating on the combs and clippers.
• Refrain from allowing farm visitors from handling crucial equipment. Since harmful bacteria can spread from just about anywhere, allowing a select few to handle the shearing equipment will lower the chances of spreading disease to your precious farm animals.

It is important that extra attention is placed on cleaning the sheep shearing clippers and alpaca shearing equipment. This is especially vital when you think about how close the equipment may be brought to the skin of the animals. Any accidental nicks can result in bacteria coming into contact with the sheep’s or alpaca’s blood and potentially spreading unwanted disease.

Keep Livestock Safe

Good quality fencing is equally important in ensuring that your livestock remain healthy. By preventing your animals from wandering into unknown territory, you can be sure that wild animals or neighbouring livestock do not come into contact with them and possibly spread disease through bites and other injuries.

Keeping your animals within your property will also ensure that they do not drink from contaminated rivers and streams. Bacteria from such sources can cause bad diarrhoea which can severely weaken your animals.

For more information on how to keep your livestock in the best possible condition, contact the experts at Shearing and Fencing today.