How To Wash Wool

Lock the sheep outside in the rain.  Bwaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

The last good rain we had when they were on pasture was in early September and before that it was in June! Crazy - they've only been rained on a few times this year.

Even though our barn is kept clean and bedded down well it's impossible to keep their wool as clean as it is when they are rained on, shake off, rained on more, shake off.......  And it's all about the fleece!

 "Fleece....but we also have personality!" sez Ophelia, with her dark hip spot.  

Macaroon gave me the stink eye for making them get soaked.

"We are very not amused!"

Andy brought some bedding down from the upper barns and we put down a generous layer in the feedbunk. Now that they're clean(er) we'd like to keep them that way as much as possible.  It will hopefully be another month before we have to feed hay and put coats on everyone.

The coats will keep the fleeces totally free of chaff but I see George's brother, Goober, managed to find a burdock somewhere, probably poking through the fence from the outside, and stuck it to his head.  Boys.

 "What?  It keeps the wool out of my eyes.  Sort of."

The sheep thought we were an interesting sideshow, talking and shaking up bedding, so they hung around the gates hoping we'd let them in sooner rather than later.

"Pleeeeeze, won't you let us in?" sez Fuzz.

Nibbles was in with the oldest girls (she's 10 this year) but had gained well enough that we turned her back in with the main flock when they returned to the south pasture and wouldn't be walking far up and down hills.

 "C'mon, let us in.  I'm wet and having a bad hair day."

"I'm so old and wet I'm growing Spanish moss on my ears."

Happily, it stopped raining while we were working and they had time to shake off pretty much before we let them in.

The rain really helps the Cotswold curls bloom.  They're wet and stretched out but showing lots of promise!

"I'm glad somebody's happy about it.....   Me?  Not so much."

Now if we can just get a sunny day.......