Shearing Goats

Linda working to make Buster more presentable

    Linda decided we really needed to shear the goats this past week. I put them onto the shearing stand and she did most of the shearing.  We didn't get much useable fleece from Buster as he gets so badly matted during the winter. I really need to shear him in the early fall so he won't get so ratty looking during the winter. Buster has a lot of skin problems when his fleece gets longer so he should have more frequent shearing than just once a year.  We did get a lot of useable fleece from Black Jack, but it wouldn't hurt to shear him twice yearly either.  Linda was impressed with my shearing stand. It does make it a much more manageable job and probably less of a hassle for the goats as well. It also makes it much easier to trim their hooves.  My inspiration for the shearing stand was a class I took several years ago at the Country Living Expo.

Newly sheared goats

   I addition to helping Linda shear the goats and trimming their hooves, I also mucked out their little barn so they have a much cleaner place to hang out. Hopefully that will also help with Buster's skin issues.  He gets a serious case of "cradle cap" whenever his fleece gets too long. When the weather is colder or wet the goats will sleep in their little barn.  During the summer months they often sleep outside on the big rock