Covering All the Bases on Covering Your Sheep

By Nadine Chounet

Blanketing is a highly controversial subject among sheep breeders.It can produce exquisitely clean fleeces – and it can produce absolute train-wrecks for fleeces.

A lot of the outcome depends solely on your particular breed and how much work you want to put into this method.A lot of people only blanket during the winter,hay-feeding months.Some people only blanket immediately after shearing.Some people always,and some never. Blanketing your sheep can be whatever you would like it to be.Let ʼs explore blanketing a bit.

Will your sheep be too hot?

No.As we all know,wool is a natural insulator against both cold and heat.As long as our flocks have shade and water in the summer they make it through just fine.

Now consider that old black ewe you have out in the lower 40 – she also makes it through just fine though you may no- tice that she will often seek out shade sooner than the rest of the flock,or maybe she is the first one back out grazing once the sun goes down.

I have found from experimentation that the black sheep seem to stay cooler with the blanket on!Of course black absorbs heat.Think of the inside of a black car;it always seems warmer than a car with a light interior.

A black sheep will absorb more light and hence more heat – when covered with a light colored blanket that sheep is actually cooler because the light color is helping to re flect heat away from her.The blanket is lightweight so it is not like she is wearing a winter coat on top of that fleece!

I have never had a sheep act uncomfortable with their blankets once they are used to wearing them.

Will your sheep get used to wearing a blanket?

Yes.They may buck and jump around for the first couple of minutes but that will be that,and then it is over.I have found the biggest deal is that the sheep don ʼt recognize each other when first blanketed!Makes for some shoving and butting for a few minutes until they again sort out their pecking order.

There is a definite learning curve to blanketing a sheep.I can do it in a couple of seconds;but the first time you do it will require minutes.Remember that you will get better at it,and your sheep will get used to it.

What about the wool tips?

If you blanket consistently,your tips will be worn flat. No two ways about it – flat tips.A judge will see this and know that the animal was blanketed,and may or may not dock you a few points.

However,when the judge sees how clean your fleeces are you will clean up with extra points for cleanliness! It becomes a personal decision.Flat tips make your fleece look a bit odd,but they spin up just fine.Once spun no one will ever know the tips were worn off – and the spin- ner will bless you and your super-clean fleeces.

Exactly how much work is it to blanket a sheep?

A lot.Each sheep needs at least two blankets and some of them need three depending on the staple length of their wool.

The blanket needs to fit and be comfortable and safe on the animal.Too loose and they might catch it on some- thing and get injured.Too tight and you will felt your fleece.So the smallest blanket for immediately after shearing and then you just keep a watch and change up in size as needed.

How do I measure for a blanket?

There are a lot of brands of sheep blankets.You are looking for a fleece cover/blanket,NOT a showing and fitting skin tight cover.

Measure your animals from the withers to the top of the tail dock.That length is how most sheep blankets are measured.

If you,like me,have very short sheep you will find it more dif- ficult to find blankets.Maybe you can get the back length cor- rect,but then the hem is dragging on the ground making your animal look like it is borrowing its big sister ʼs prom dress....It takes some looking around and experimentation.

Blankets are expensive.I find they often run up to $20 each for a high-quality blanket that will last you several seasons.I have some blankets that are six-plus years old – but those are still around because of instant patch repairs when I see a bit of a hole or a tear.

Sheep are sheep;they will tear their blankets.Even if you place them into a padded stall with no visible protrusions or hardware,they will manage to tear a hole in that blanket. Guaranteed.

Cleanliness is next to godliness in all things.These blankets are keeping your fleeces clean.You have to also keep those blankets clean.

I remove blankets at least once a month and even more often if it is very humid.Wash and dry your blankets and allow your animal to be exposed to fresh air for a spell.This ensures that you are not getting moisture up under that blanket that can cause the fleece to mildew.

Yes,you can get a mildewed fleece – especially with some types of blankets.

When you take off your blankets for washing you will instant- ly notice how clean your sheep is!The head and lower britch which are still exposed when blanketed will look very dirty and the fleece will just be sparkling.

Taking off the blanket also allows you to check the quality of the fleece.Is it felting? Is it gorgeous? This is the time to look.

One of the things I like best about blanketing is the color of the fleece.My flock is many colors and hues and the blankets stop your fleeces from sun bleaching! If you have a black animal and blanket it,they will be black,no brown tips.

When you take their blankets off for routine washing and maintenance it is funny to see the animal with all of the sun bleaching on its head and britch with the body so richly colored.

I am not saying that the color of sun bleaching is a bad thing – and often it makes a yarn especially pretty – just that there is a big difference that is often fun;you actually see the true color of your fleece.

Can every animal wear a blanket?

No.No.No.Finding out is a matter of experimentation.I have a couple of girls whose fleeces are so fine that the movement of the blanket and the moisture in the air cause – FELTING..Yup. Instant and complete felt.Nice if you want to produce kitty beds – not nice if you want hand--spinning fleeces.

The only way to know is to play with this method.I find that those of my girls whose fleeces cannot tolerate blanketing are the same ones who felt all on their own during very wet weather.So their fleeces can end up being a loss anyway,especially during a summer like this past one.

You don ʼt have to blanket to get very clean fleeces;the old hand picking method works and works well depending on the number of sheep you have and your facilities.

Blanketing is work,but in the long run it probably requires less hours than daily hand-picking.

The choice is yours,now that you have a bit more information about another method of producing a top quality handspinning fleece.Have fun!

(Nadine Chounet can be contacted via her website: paintedknollfarm.net )