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Fleece Washing Methods, by Tami Mulder, Justalitl Farm
Turn up your hot water heater to a minimum of 140 degrees. If you have hard water like I do, put 1/2 a cup of Mule Team BORAX natural laundry booster in your washer and fill with the hot water. I can fill halfway for a 4 pound fleece and fill on "large" capacity for 6 pounds and over. Add one cup of any liquid dish soap. I use Valley View Emerald dishwashing liquid that I purchase at my local Farm and Fleet. It comes by the gallon for $3.99.
I then put the entire fleece in the water after it's filled and after I add the soap. I add soap AFTER it's done filling and just swish around. I then add the skirted fleece and using rubber gloves so as to not burn my hands, I push the fleece under the water. THEN! I go around the tub and grab big handfulls of wool, and pull it up and out of the water and then push the handfull way down under again. Do this all around the drum. What this does it loosen up the wool you pushed under the water, letting hot soapy water get to ALL the locks AND gets rid of any air bubbles. Then close the lid and set for 15 minutes or half an hour.
Next, using rubber gloves, take the fleece out in handfulls, squeezing the water out. I have a 5 gallon pail handy that I put this wool in. I set the washer on spin and spin the water out but as soon as the water is gone, I stop it momentarily and return the fleece. Start up the spin again to spin the water out.
The reason I remove the fleece first is really simple if you stop and think about it! The wool acts like an air filter in the car IF you leave it in the water (ladies, ask you husband to show you an air filter if you've never seen one.) The water must run thru the wool on it's way out and the wool then filters the dirt out of the water, holding the dirt in the wool, like an air filter from your car filters dirt out of the air. Remove the wool again and look at the drum. It is really dirty? Wipe the dirt off with a paper towel.
Repeat the washing except this time use 1/2 a cup of soap and less water. If there is very little to no dirt on the drum, it's time to rinse your fleece. The only time I've never had dirt on the drum was for fleeces I purchased that were covered year round. I then saved the lanolin, but that's another story! So to rince the fleece, remove it from the washer and fill with warm or tepid water. Hey! Fleeces will NOT felt if you change the water temp, so why waste hot water that you have to pay to reheat?????
Fill your washer with the rinse water and return your fleece. Swish the fleece around good and using your hands, squeeze the fleece. You'll feel air bubbles squeezing out as you do this. NO! You won't felt it! Really, wool isn't all THAT fragile! After you've done that, there is no need to soak, just put the washer on spin and spin the water out and leave the fleece in the water. If it's clean, theres no dirt to get trapped!
Well, that's it. Easy, isn't it?
How to Show Your Shetlands, by Nyla Catanzaro
When you decide to go to a show, try to gather as much information as possible. You will need health papers, registration papers, entry fees, halters, bedding, feed, buckets, pans and of course the SHEEP! Find out when you can enter, when the show is, and who to contact for more information.
If you are going out of state you may need special papers or a special seal from the state vet office. If it is a large show, such as a state fair, find out who the breed manager for Shetlands is and ask when they are checking papers. Some shows have special ring cards that help the clerics keep track of placing. These need to be filled out before the show begins.
Preparation for the show begins at home. Practice with your sheep so that they move naturally when being lead on a halter or by hand. We start taking our sheep for walks about a month before the shows starts. This can be difficult and can lead to the "Shetland drag, belly flop, and back roll". We have found that if we take two experienced yearlings and two lambs together that the lambs usually catch on by the third day. All of our show sheep are halter broke for our convenience as well as an aid to showing. I typically show on a halter. My teenagers prefer to show the standard 4-H style.
Know the weak and strong points of your sheep. The judge may ask your pinion. Be honest even if it puts another sheep in a better light. The judge will respect your knowledge. The sheep should be free of straw, bedding material, and dung tags, the hoofs should be trimmed and the tags and nose clean. Some shows allow the bellies to be clean sheared and some don't. Find out well ahead of time. Do not wash or comb out your Shetland sheep -you want the natural crimp to be evident. The exhibitor should also be neat and clean. Don't wear hats, don't chew gum, and don't wear clothes that are revealing when you kneel down or bend over. Try to watch a few classes before it is your turn to enter the ring, this helps you become familiar with the arrangement and what requests will be made by the ringmaster. Enter the ring on time and be courteous to other exhibitors. Walk in on the left side of your sheep, keeping an eye on the judge and the ringmaster. The sheep should be moving in a clockwise motion in the ring. Smile! This is supposed to be fun and it is if you let it be.
When you stop you need to set up your sheep. This means all four feet should be squarely under the sheep. If you are working alone maintain control of the lamb with your left hand and set the feet, if needed with your right hand. When setting a lamb's rear leg, pick up the leg and set it down in one smooth motion. The lamb will fight less if you pick it up above the knee or hock. You can set the right rear leg from over the top or underneath. NEVER step over the back of your sheep. If it is an open show you can have someone in the ring to help set the sheep. This person needs to make sure they are not blocking the judge's view of your sheep. Do not over stretch the sheep. This makes the back appear weak. Avoid kneeling in the show ring. Stand in front or slightly to the left of the sheep or squat on your haunches (this is what I do, and watch the judge over the sheep's back or head). When in a nose to tail lineup, try to keep 2 to 3 feet between lambs. In a side-by-side arrangement, try to keep about a two-foot spacing. The number of sheep in the ring will also determine the amount of available space.
The exception to the spacing rule comes into play when you are showing group classes. In this case you will want to keep your sheep directly next to each other. Be prepared to answer questions such as age, weight, feeding program, and vaccination program. Few judges ask these in the open shows but 4-H judges like to find out if this is the child's project or Mom and Dad's. When the judge comes up to handle your sheep you will want to brace it so that it will not jump. This means standing up if you have been hunched down. I don't like to ever see a sheep's front feet off the ground when the judge is handling it. You will see this often in market classes. Let it be their problem and remember that if Shetlands were meant to stand on two legs than God would have made them that way. When the judge is in front of your sheep, you should step to the side, hold the head up and allow for a good front view. It is best to open the mouth for the judge to see the teeth yourself instead of having the judge stick his fingers in every sheep's mouth, this will also prevent a sore mouth from the potential struggle. Try to keep the sheep between you and the judge. When you switch sides of the sheep, do it gracefully after the judge has passed. The judge will often look back at your sheep after he has moved on to the next one, so keep paying attention and keep your sheep set. The judge is constantly comparing and placing sheep in his mind as he goes through the line. Never stop showing, even as you are leaving the ring, you may be back in with that sheep in a later class or back in front of that judge at another show.
My advice to parents is to enjoy the show and try not to coach from the perimeter. You may distract your child and he/she may feel so much pressure that it isn't a fun experience for him/her. Some people are natural showman and some aren't. T he more you practice at home the easier it is. If it is the first show for you or for your child, find someone who is experienced and ask for pointers. Watch for a good showman and study how they do it. My kids have spent hours with younger showman over the years teaching them to show, prepare animals, block (our Oxfords), and clean shear for market classes. This not only helps the younger 4-Hers it gives the big kids added confidence. We have had some younger kids that have shown such an interest that we have taken them along to open shows to help us out. Everything doesn't always go as planned, no matter how much you practice, so try not to get flustered. I have had rams that insisted on dancing through the ring, sheep that got tired of showing, 95-degree weather, and kids that got grouchy. Call it a plan B day and make the best of it. My advice for the show season: go to shows, meet people, have fun!
