We are very proud of our wool here, and recognise the many uses and benefits it has, whether clients use it for crafting, gardening, or simply filling muddy gateways.
Wool is - contrary to what PETA and other animal activists insist - is not a product derived from cruelty. It is a beautiful gift grown by a sheep every year to keep it warm and protect it from the elements from the back end of the year, through winter, and into spring.
Wool is natural.
Once May comes and the weather turns nice, the flies come. Now, flies are attracted to dirty fleeces, yes, especially in spring when the rich grass goes through a sheep like a laxative. However, fly strike - or maggots - can happen in a perfectly good, clean fleece.
Not shearing a sheep is far more cruel than a quick two-minute haircut.
While animal activists want people to believe that shearing is an utterly outdated practice performed by brutal, ham-handed butchers who take great delight in slicing the animal to ribbons during the process, nothing could be further from the truth.
Shearers are skilled individuals who take a lot of care and pride in their work.
Nicks and cuts do occur on occasion if a sheep moves wrong, but no one deliberately sets out to cause harm, especially to another farmer's stock.
Here at Wydra, we use a father-son team who take exceptional care when shearing the flock. They talk to them, they take their time, and our girls are released back to the field without stress, fear, or a heavy fleece to overheat them or attract flies during the hot summer months.
Due to health reasons, I can't have children, so my sheep have become my kids. They are spoiled rotten, they see the vet when I can't fix the boo-boos myself, and I have high standards for the people who help me care for them.
We are incredibly lucky with our choice in vets and shearers.
