Harrison has been shearing

 

 

“Oomf you sheep! You mongrel sheep. 

The night before shearing me, dad, mum and Annabelle were getting sheep down to start filling the woolshed up, we filled the shed up to the brim otherwise the sheep would have gotten wet! Then we wouldn't have been able to shear!

The next morning the shearers arrived, Nick, Floyd, Dean and Dylan are their names. We have a cup of tea before we start.

Away we go! First sheep out of the pen. The shearers get sweaty very quickly.

My job is making sure the shearers catching pens are full. I stand on the rails waiting for one of the shearers to finish their pens. I think Floyd’s pen is nearly empty. I walk on the rails over to the pen trying not to fall off them, it is good practice for my balance!   

I jump in the pen and open the gate for the sheep to go in, but they don't, you naughty sheep!

(they always do this) 

“Hup! Hup! Way you go into the pen, come on!”

After 10 mins of chasing them around they get their butts moving. 

I worked up a lot of sweat! 

 

‘’Off you go sheep up the race you go!’’

When one sheep goes up the race the rest play follow the leader. Dad clamps the first sheep and dips it with a drench gun, then he drenches them with drench. The sheep hates it, “Baaaa”. (sheep words for yuck!). Once the sheep is let go they jump out of the clamp. It's funny to watch because they look like rabbits and deer hopping around.  This is not a quick job! 

It takes about a day to do 600-1000 sheep. The drench protects the sheep from lice, worms and foot rot.

At the end of the day, we have a beer and some food and head off to bed.