Sheep Shearing in Kenya: Hand Blades, Electric Shears and Handling the Fleece

A woolly ewe going into the hot months with a full year's fleece is carrying a heavy, warm coat she cannot take off. Under it, dirt, sweat and dung build up, and around her tail the wool stays damp and soiled, which is exactly where blowflies lay their eggs. Meanwhile the fleece itself, the thing that could have been sold, is getting dirtier and weaker by the week.

Sheep in Kenya's cooler highland areas, from Nyandarua and Laikipia to Nakuru and Narok, include wool breeds and wool crosses such as the Merino, Corriedale and Romney Marsh types. Hair sheep like the Dorper and the Red Maasai shed or carry little wool and need little or no shearing. For anyone keeping the woolly kind, shearing is not optional: it is a basic part of keeping the animal healthy, and done well it also yields a product.

This guide covers when to shear, the choice between hand blades and electric machines, how to prepare the flock and the shearing area, how to shear without cutting the animal, how to handle the fleece afterwards, and how to look after the equipment so it is ready next season.

The Equipment, and What It Costs

Shearing equipment ranges from a simple pair of hand blades to a powered machine. These are the current prices from our price list.

The hoof trimmer is on the list because shearing day is the natural time to check feet as well; every animal is caught and held anyway. Ask at the branch about the specifications of each electric model, the power supply it needs and which spare combs and cutters fit it before you buy.

Hand Blades or an Electric Machine?

Hand blades are spring-steel shears that cut with a squeezing action, much like large scissors. They need no power, are cheap, and are easy to carry to wherever the sheep are. Many smallholders with a handful of sheep shear with blades and nothing else. Blades also leave a little more wool on the animal, which some keepers prefer in cold highland weather because the sheep is less exposed after shearing.

The drawbacks are speed and effort. Hand shearing a full fleece is slow, tiring work on the hands and back, and a beginner takes a long time per sheep and is more likely to leave second cuts (short pieces of wool cut twice, which lower fleece value).

Electric shears use a reciprocating cutter running across a toothed comb, driven by a motor in the handpiece. They shear faster and more evenly once the operator has the technique, and are far less tiring for a flock of any size. They need a power supply, regular oiling, and sharp combs and cutters. A blunt or badly tensioned handpiece pulls wool, heats up and is much more likely to cut the skin.

As a rule of thumb, blades suit a flock of a few sheep shorn by the owner. Once the flock grows beyond that, or if a family member or neighbour can be trained to shear for several farms, an electric machine starts to earn its cost in time saved. Where mains power is unreliable, check whether the model you are considering can run from a generator or inverter before you buy.

When to Shear

Most wool sheep are shorn once a year. Timing is a balance between getting the fleece off before the hottest weather and the worst fly season, and not leaving freshly shorn animals exposed to cold rain.

• Avoid shearing just before cold, wet weather. A freshly shorn sheep has lost its insulation. In the highlands, cold rain and wind on a bare sheep can cause serious chilling, so shorn sheep need shelter for the first few weeks.
• Shear before the fleece gets badly soiled. Long, dirty fleeces are worth less and harder to shear.
• Plan around lambing. Many keepers shear ewes before lambing so lambs find the udder easily and the ewe seeks shelter. Avoid rough handling of heavily pregnant ewes, and ask your vet for advice on timing for your flock.
• Never shear wet sheep. Wet wool clogs the cutters, and packed damp fleece heats up and goes mouldy. With electric equipment, wet animals and wet floors are also an electrical hazard.

Crutching between shearings

Crutching means clipping the wool around the tail, the back of the hind legs and the udder area between full shearings. It removes the dung-soiled wool where flies lay eggs, makes lambing and mating easier, and keeps the area clean. It is quick, can be done with hand blades, and is worth doing especially in the wet season when dags (dung-matted wool) build up.

Preparing the Flock and the Shearing Area

• Keep the sheep dry. Pen them under a roof the evening before, so overnight rain or morning dew does not wet the fleeces.
• Hold them off feed for a few hours. A sheep with a full belly is uncomfortable when sat on its rump and handled, and is more likely to soil the floor. Water should not be withheld for long; ask your vet if you are unsure for pregnant ewes.
• Prepare a clean shearing floor. A swept concrete slab, smooth boards or a clean tarpaulin keeps the fleece free of straw, sand and dung.
• Keep contaminants away from the wool. Plastic twine, sacking fibres, burrs and paint marks all lower fleece value. Do not tie fleeces with plastic string.
• Check the equipment. Blades sharpened, or for a machine, sharp comb and cutter fitted, tension set, oil to hand, and the power cable kept dry and clear of the floor.
• Plan the order. Shear the cleanest animals first and those with soiled or damaged wool last, so poor wool does not mix with good.

Shearing Without Cutting the Sheep

Good shearing is mostly about positioning. A sheep sat on its rump, leaning back slightly against the shearer's legs, usually relaxes and stops struggling, because its feet are off the ground. From that position the shearer moves the sheep through a sequence of positions to reach each part of the body, keeping the skin stretched where the cutters are working.

• Keep the skin taut. Most cuts happen where the skin wrinkles: the flanks, the neck and around the udder or scrotum. Use your free hand to stretch the skin flat ahead of the blades or comb.
• Keep the comb flat on the skin. Tilting the comb dips the points into the skin; lifting it leaves long stubble and causes second cuts.
• Make long, smooth blows. Take the fleece off in long strokes rather than short, choppy cuts. This also keeps the fleece in one piece.
• Take extra care at teats, the pizzle and the eyes. Slow down around them, and with ewes, find and protect the teats before you shear the belly.
• Stop if the animal is distressed. Let it rest rather than wrestle it. Rough handling injures sheep and shearers.

Small nicks happen even to experienced shearers. Clean any cut, keep the animal in a clean, dry place, and watch it over the following days for swelling or fly strike. Any deep cut or one that bleeds heavily needs a vet. Learning from a skilled shearer for a day is worth more than any written guide; ask your extension office or local sheep farmers' group whether training is available near you. Our guide to livestock handling and vet equipment covers catching and holding small stock.

After Shearing: Animal Care and Fleece Handling

Shelter. Keep freshly shorn sheep under cover at night and out of cold rain for the first few weeks, and give them a little extra feed, because a bare sheep uses more energy to keep warm. Watch for chilling in cold highland nights.

Feet and health check. Every sheep is in your hands, so look at the feet, eyes, teeth and body condition. Trim overgrown hooves; our guide to hoof trimming and ear tagging applies to sheep as much as goats. Note anything unusual and ask your vet about it.

Skirting the fleece. Lay each fleece out flat, cut side down, and pull away the dirty, stained and short edge pieces: dung-soiled wool, belly wool and any bits full of grass seed. Keep these separately, since they are worth much less.

Rolling and storage. Fold the sides of the skirted fleece into the middle, roll it from the tail end towards the neck, and keep each fleece whole. Store fleeces in clean, dry, breathable bags such as cotton or jute sacks rather than sealed plastic, raised off the floor in a dry, ventilated store, away from rats. Damp wool goes mouldy and yellow.

Selling. Ask your local sheep farmers' group, cooperative or county livestock office about wool buyers before you shear, and ask what they want: how fleeces should be skirted, packed and kept apart by type. Clean, well-handled fleeces are easier to sell.

Looking After Shearing Equipment

• Clean after every session. Brush out grease and wool from blades or the handpiece, and wipe them clean before they are put away.
• Oil a machine handpiece regularly, as the manufacturer recommends, during shearing and before storage. Dry running overheats and wears the parts.
• Keep combs and cutters sharp. Have them sharpened by someone with the right grinder, or keep spare sets so work is not stopped by one blunt pair.
• Protect hand blades. Keep the points covered, the blades oiled against rust, and the spring free of damage.
• Store dry. Wrap equipment in an oiled cloth and keep it in a dry box. Check the power cable of a machine for cuts before each use.

Sharing a Machine, or Shearing for Others

An electric shear is a large purchase for one small flock, but in many highland villages several neighbours keep a few wool sheep each. Sharing one machine between them, or having one trained person shear for the group, spreads the cost across far more animals and means the operator gets enough practice to become good at it.

• Agree who looks after the machine. One person should be responsible for cleaning, oiling and storing it, and for keeping spare combs and cutters.
• Clean between farms. Brush out wool and grease and wipe down the handpiece and blades before moving to the next flock, since skin conditions and parasites can travel on equipment. Our guide to farm biosecurity explains why this matters.
• Agree a fair charge. A charge per sheep shorn, set by the group, pays for sharpening and spares and rewards the shearer's time.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Shearing in the rain or on a wet floor. The fleece spoils and electric equipment becomes a hazard.
• Leaving freshly shorn sheep out on a cold night. Chilling is a real risk in the highlands.
• Working with blunt cutters. More cuts, more pulled wool, slower work and an overheated handpiece.
• Tying fleeces with plastic twine. The fibres get into the wool and cannot be removed.
• Mixing good and dirty wool in one bag. The whole bag is then judged by its worst wool.

A Simple Annual Plan for a Small Flock

1. Before the season, sharpen or service equipment, and line up a trained shearer or a training day if you need one.
2. A few weeks before, crutch any dirty animals and check that the shearing area and storage are ready.
3. On the day, keep sheep dry, shear in order from cleanest to dirtiest, check every foot and body, and skirt and roll each fleece.
4. After shearing, house the flock at night, watch for chilling, cuts and flies, and store fleeces dry.
5. Between shearings, crutch as needed, especially in the rains.

For wool shears, electric shears, hoof trimmers and other small stock equipment, visit any Fuga branch, browse our dairy and livestock equipment, or ask on WhatsApp 0716 961 018.

Frequently Asked Questions