Ernie Gets Sheared from Linda Campbell on Vimeo.
Ernie Gets Sheared- a short film by Linda Campbell
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Next post: Shearing Day? WIN!
Ernie Gets Sheared from Linda Campbell on Vimeo.
Previous post: Happy Shearing Day!
Next post: Shearing Day? WIN!
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Haha, I read that title quickly and thought it said “Erin Gets Sheared”
Wow! Impressive. That sheep is a hearty animal!
hehe, someone lost his berries….
Why don’t the video’s work on my computer?
Susie – does your shearer travel? Next year, I’ll have at least 7 to shear, and I’m not getting any younger. I love how the pros make it look so easy! Glad your shearing day went so well!
You have one FINE shearer! Dang, he’s good.
This is wonderful! Thank so you much!
OOPS! Got a little excited!
Thank YOU so much, Linda!
Susan, looks like your day to have the shearing on turned out to be a nice day after all! That was really impressive. I go to Dixon here in California most years to an event called Lamb Town. They have sheep shearing and spinning to mention only a few of the exhibits and classes that they have! I sure wish I lived on the east coast, if I did, I would have been there…
Someone seemed to be explaining at the end that this particular sheep’s fleece was not going to be used for fiber, but I didn’t understand why.
I love watching this video! Patrick and the shearer were so funny together. It was a truly wonderful day!
Thanks for capturing that, Linda! Is that ever impressive. Ernie actually looked like he was enjoying that. It probably feels good after all those months of being under the fleece. Good job, Jeff!
Thank you so so much Linda! Wow, now THAT is a fleece! (I agree – at first blush – before coffee hit in my defense – I too saw “Erin gets sheared” – OL)
Thank you so so much Linda! Wow, now THAT is a fleece! (I agree – at first blush – before coffee hit in my defense – I too saw “Erin gets sheared” – OL)
Loved it just loved it reminded me of the sheep shearing contest back in Ireland
i was appalled by this, and saddened by the fact that no one else seems to agree.
did you miss the part where ernie resisted and was unwillingly TACKLED to the ground, then pulled around by his legs? and also the part where the shearer treated ernie like an inanimate object instead of a living being deserving of kindness and respect?
a sheep’s wool is not ours to use, and if left in the wild, sheep do not need to be sheared at all. this is a great example of selfish human speciesism.
i would like to see your responses to a video of a human child who openly resists having their head shaved, but is tackled, restrained, and forced to let a “professional” mistreat them and shave it anyway.
the worst part is that this is probably a “nicer” example than most sheep farms.
horrible.
Hi,
I am sorry that ts has this reaction to the video, which is sadly based on a lot of ignorance and mistaken beliefs. Earnie was not the least bit mistreated and I saw a shearer with excellent technique who was treating this animal with a great deal of respect. The method of holding the sheep off his feet in the way that this shearer did is used to calm the sheep and keep it from struggling while the wool is removed. It is not true that this sheep, if left unsheared, would shed his wool. That was true of wild sheep 10,000 years ago and is still true of a few primative breeds like the Icelandic. However this sheep lost the genetic potential to shed his wool many thousand years ago and if left unsheared, would die of heat exhaustion. Human and sheep have been in a Partnership for that 10,000 years and our use of their wool is partnered by their use of our ability to keep them fed and safe from predators. To me, it is a sacred bond we have with our animals. I am sorry if you find that to be selfish human speciesism, but what I find to be specieist is to fail to treat a sheep like a sheep and treat it instead like a human–that I find to be the most disrespectful. Because this is not a moderated blog, I will stop here and only say that I feel that your comments are unfair to Susan and other shepherds and disrespectful to sheep.
I am thoroughly impressed with Mr. Ernie’s shearing… not only is he a clearly patient boy, with some prior shearing experience (I’m sure it’s a relief to have all of that hair off.. ), but your shearer is amazing!
Domesticated animals are just that: domesticated. We commit to caring for them, meeting their needs, and enjoying a symbiotic relationship with them.
As someone who has animals (even though not sheep or goats), it was great to see Ernie so relaxed and clearly not distressed during this shearing. Even with the buzzing clippers around his face and ears, he was still and calm… way to go FiberFarm, and thanks to Linda for sharing the process.
Erin, for your next hair cut we’re expecting “Erin gets sheared” and some photos
.
I am glad that many enjoyed the video, and sorry that it was distressing to some. I was apprehensive before the shearing began–I had never seen this before and thought it might be unpleasant for the animals, but they all seemed remarkably relaxed. For several minutes before the video starts, the shearer just stood with Ernie, and I had the impression he was getting to know him and putting him at ease.
At the end, Patrick explains that Ernie is a Cotswold (most of the flock is Cormo, a fine wool sheep). Cotswold produce a rougher wool, so they will use this wool for things like dog beds rather than spinning it up into yarn.
This video was great. I’ve never seen a sheep sheared before and it was fascinating to watch the shearer work with Ernie. It amazed me how fast it was and I like how the shearer left the wool on top since “its cute” that made me giggle. I too thought the title said “Erin Gets Sheared” so I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that read the title quickly. Thank you Linda for sharing this video with us.
i saw ernie and the other sheep being sheared in person and jeff, the shearer, decidedly did not treat the sheep as inanimate objects. he explained his process to us and it was clear from his explanation and watching him work that he has a great deal of respect and concern for the animals.
ernie didn’t ‘resist’, but it’s not like you can explain to a sheep – ‘here, dear, lie down on this tarp and we’ll take all that heavy wool off you so you’re more comfortable.’ once on their backsides, the sheep were fairly calm and jeff used his feet and legs to keep the sheep from getting up rather than to keep the sheep pinned down. i’m sure that having those clippers buzzing around one’s sensitive bits isn’t the most comfortable feeling but it doesn’t take long and none of the sheep were harmed in any way.
the shearing day was great fun – thanks to susan, patrick, and everyone else for a fantastic day.
Reminds me of wrestling my cat boys over to clip their claws. (I live high up in a condo looking over the city….)
I love this website. A marvelous respite from current
miseries.
I just read ts’s comment. Sad. Clearly, this person has little or no experience with animals. The shearer wasn’t hurting Ernie in any way. Didn’t hear Ernie utter a sound or struggle. Does ts also object to milking cows?
I am sorry that ts was so very distressed by this demonstration. Clearly this is someone who has a great deal of concern and sympathy for animals. In all fairness, we as humans are not guiltless in the arena of animal cruelty. Speaking as a veterinarian, I would just like to comment that in this case I believe the concern is misplaced. I was very impressed by the skill and gentleness of the shearer and the calm, relaxed demeanor of the animal. I kept thinking he seemed to be enjoying the process rather than simply tolerating it. As I have been following this blog and watching Lambcam I have never experenced any doubt that these critters are anything other than well loved and well treated. Thanks to all of your for your efforts.
TS, I too am sorry that the video distressed you, but I have the utmost respect for Jeff as a shearer. He takes his time and has as much respect for these animals as I do. Jeff Traver is a good man who loves animals. I want that to be very clear.
Incidentally, Ernie was a bottle baby lamb at a farm I did an internship at. He’s a Cotswold- a breed only raised for meat in this country. After feeding Ernie every day for a month, there was no way I was going to quietly allow him to be slaughtered and eaten. I begged, whined, pleaded and finally reasoned with the livestock manager to allow me to take Ernie home to my farm.
Ernie’s fiber is not of a high enough quality for us to sell. He also eats a tremendous amount of hay- more than any other animal on our farm. In short, he is a very large, very expensive pet and he will have a home on my farm as long as there is breath in my body.
We don’t shear him for his fleece- it’s worthless. We shear him because he would probably die in the summer heat if we didn’t. I’m sorry you have received some bad information.
I had a ball at the shearing. At one point one of the sheep being sheer was smiling. Seriously! I even asked the people beside me if they notice her smiling and they agreed. I was very impressed and hope to make it back for another shearing event sometime. I even have a picture. Great time, great people, great sheep!!
I am amazed that any animal could be so calm during shearing especially with the noise and the proximity to his face. I have owned fully domesticated indoor cats that scream bloody murder just being brushed, even though I know they felt better afterwards and I believe this video is a testament to the skill of the shearer that the only time Ernie even moved was what appeared to be playful pawing while on his back. I have seen hoofed animals kick and am firmly convinced if he were at all distressed, he could very well have done plenty of damage. I agree that to someone very sensitive to animal well-being, albeit a trifle inattentive to animal cues, it could seem ‘rough’, but this animal’s cues were not those of a distressed animal, and he sure looked downright happy and in no hurry to run off after he was finished! Kudos to Jeff!
linda,
thank you for the video.
very impressive job jeff did
both handling and shearing ernie.
even at the end, he was coddling him and ernie looked quite happy
i handle my dog sometimes in a similar way to maneuver her around my bed
a lot of love was visible
i didn’t see any mishandling or disregard for ernie
i saw a lot of gentleness and finesse and love
thanks for posting
thanks for caring for and loving your animals and treating them like your kids
i know u do.
love
rona
Great video! Great shearer! Always amazes me the transformation when a sheep gets tipped over to get sheared. They just calmly lay there until it’s over – even the biggest, “baddest” rams.
My son is learning to shear sheep–he figures it is a good part-time job to help with college expenses because there will always be a need as long as there are sheep. The hardest sheep to shear are often yearlings who are getting their first haircut–they wiggle and squirm. I think that the shears must tickle a bit. The best part is watching the sheep after they have been sheared–sometimes they will leap and play just like lambs in the spring. I guess that if you had a haircut that relieved you of 10-14 lbs of hair, you would be leaping in joy too!