Shearing Sheep: When, How Often, and Crutching

Author: Elliott Garber, DVM

Most wool sheep are shorn once a year, and for many flocks the best time is spring, often a few weeks before lambing. Shearing keeps sheep cool and mobile, keeps the birthing area cleaner, and lowers the risk of flystrike. Hair breeds like Katahdin and Dorper shed their coat naturally and do not need shearing at all. Between full shearings, most wool flocks also get crutched (wool clipped from around the tail and udder) to stay clean and fly free.

How often do you shear sheep?

Wool grows continuously, so wool sheep have to be shorn at least once a year to stay healthy. Once a year is the standard for most breeds. Some operations, and some fast growing or extra long wool breeds, shear twice a year instead. According to UMass Extension, if sheep are sheared more than once a year the fibers will be shorter, but the fleece may come off cleaner. That tradeoff, staple length versus cleanliness, is usually what decides once versus twice for a wool grower.

A once a year schedule works for the great majority of farm flocks. Twice a year makes more sense when you are managing very fast fleece growth, when hot summers make a long fleece a heat problem, or when a buyer specifically wants shorter, cleaner staple.

Hair sheep are the exception to all of this. Breeds like Katahdin and Dorper grow a coat that sheds on its own each year, so they never need shearing, crutching, or tagging. If you are keeping sheep mainly for meat or for low labor management and you do not want an annual shearing job, a hair breed removes that task entirely. If you are unsure which category a given animal falls into, the sheep species page and our sheep breeding guide are good places to compare wool and hair types before you commit.

When is the best time to shear?

Spring is the most common season for shearing, and for good reason. The Michigan State University Extension sheep and goat team notes several benefits to shearing a few weeks before lambing rather than after.

• A shorn ewe is more comfortable in late gestation, especially one carrying twins.
• Shearing produces a much cleaner lambing. A newborn lamb finds a clean udder far more easily when the wool around it is gone, which helps it nurse quickly.
• Shorn ewes take up less space and are easier to house under cover, so they are more likely to seek shelter and bring their lambs inside in bad weather instead of staying out in it.
• There is a wool quality benefit too. Late pregnancy puts metabolic stress on a ewe that can create a weak point in the fiber called a wool break. If you shear before lambing, that break ends up at the very tip of the new fleece where it does not hurt the fiber’s value.

The main caution with pre lamb shearing is weather and timing. A freshly shorn ewe loses her insulation, so you need shelter available if cold or wet weather is likely. Most guidance says do not shear closer than about two weeks before the ewe is due, both for her comfort and to avoid stressing her right at lambing. If your climate makes spring shearing too cold, early fall shearing can work as long as the fleece has time to regrow before winter.

Why shearing matters for health and welfare

Shearing is not cosmetic. A wool sheep that is never shorn faces real, compounding problems.

• Overheating. A heavy fleece traps heat. In summer, an unshorn wool sheep can suffer serious heat stress.
• Flystrike. This is the big one. Flies lay eggs in warm, moist, soiled wool, and the maggots then feed on the sheep’s flesh. Flystrike is painful, moves fast, and can be fatal. Long, dirty wool around the rear is exactly the environment flies look for. If you see a sheep suddenly restless, stamping, biting at itself, or with a foul smelling wet patch of wool, treat it as urgent and call your vet. Our sheep flystrike guide covers recognition and prevention in more depth.
• Mobility and cast sheep. A very heavy or matted fleece makes a sheep clumsy. A pregnant or heavily wooled ewe that rolls onto her back may not be able to get up, which is called being cast and can be deadly within hours in hot weather.
• Dirty wool and general hygiene. Manure, urine, and debris build up in an unmanaged fleece, which feeds both flystrike risk and skin problems.

None of this applies to hair sheep, which is a large part of their appeal, but for any wool animal, keeping to a shearing and crutching schedule is a basic welfare requirement, not an optional chore.

Crutching and tagging between shearings

Even on a once a year shearing schedule, the wool around a sheep’s rear and udder gets soiled long before the next full shearing. Crutching (also called tagging or dagging) is the job of clipping just that wool away. According to Maryland Small Ruminant guidance, crutching clips wool from the breech area to reduce soiling and the fly attraction that comes with it.

You crutch for two main reasons: hygiene and flystrike prevention. Clean, short wool around the tail does not collect manure the way long wool does, so there is far less for flies to strike. Ewes are also commonly crutched shortly before lambing so the udder is clean and exposed and the lamb can find the teat. Many flocks crutch once or twice between annual shearings, and more often in warm, wet fly season if soiling builds up quickly.

Crutching is a much smaller, quicker job than a full shearing, and it is one many owners learn to do themselves even if they hire out the main shearing. Again, hair breeds do not need this at all.

Working with a professional shearer versus DIY

For most flocks, hiring an experienced shearer is the better choice. A skilled shearer is fast, is far gentler on the sheep, and removes the fleece in one connected piece with minimal nicks. Speed and calmness matter for the sheep’s welfare, and a clean job protects the wool.

Booking a professional does take planning. Good shearers are busy in spring, so line yours up well ahead. Ask what they need from you, since most want the sheep penned, dry, and gathered before they arrive so no time is lost.

DIY shearing is absolutely possible, but treat it as a skill to learn, not something to improvise. Wet or first time shearing goes slowly and stresses both you and the sheep, and a struggling animal is at higher risk of cuts. If you plan to shear your own, learn hands on from an experienced shearer or a shearing school first, start with a small number of animals, and keep your equipment sharp and maintained. Whichever route you choose, log who did the work and the date on the animal’s record so you know when the next shearing and crutchings are due.

Preparation: clean, dry, and empty

Two preparation rules do the most to protect both the sheep and the wool clip.

First, the sheep must be dry. This is the single most important point. According to NCAT ATTRA, the number one priority is keeping sheep dry, and a good rule of thumb is that if you place your hand on top of the fleece and it feels even slightly damp, the sheep are too wet to shear. Moisture can clog the equipment, ruin the wool clip, and make conditions unsafe for the shearing crew, and wet wool that is baled tends to heat, mold, and discolor. Even light rain or snow can delay shearing day, so plan to keep the flock under cover overnight before shearing if weather threatens.

Second, sheep are usually held off feed and water for several hours before shearing so their stomachs are emptier. A full, distended sheep is more uncomfortable to handle in the shearing positions and is at higher risk during handling. Pen the sheep clean and calm ahead of time, and remove obvious debris, bedding, and hay from the wool where you can.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension publishes a full “getting ready for the shearer” checklist that is worth reading before your first shearing day.

Protecting wool value: avoid second cuts

If you are selling the fleece, how the sheep is shorn directly affects what the wool is worth. The goal is to cut each fiber once, cleanly, right next to the skin. When a shearer runs the handpiece back over the same area a second time, it produces short fragments called second cuts. According to SDSU Extension and University of Maine Extension wool handling guidance, second cuts are short fibers of reduced value, and a lot of them drags down the length and quality of the whole fleece.

This is another reason a skilled shearer pays for itself if you sell wool. After shearing, the fleece is usually skirted, which means throwing it out on a slatted table and removing the soiled belly wool, tags, second cuts, vegetable matter, and stained portions. A well prepared, skirted fleece with few second cuts brings a better price than a fleece full of short bits and debris. If wool is a real part of your income, learning to skirt well is worth the time.

Keeping shearing on your calendar

Because shearing and crutching recur on a schedule, they are easy to track alongside your other flock care. When you record each shearing and crutching date on an animal’s profile, you can set a reminder for the next one so it does not slip, which matters most heading into fly season and lambing. Creatures lets you keep this history in one place: see adding a record, health and medical records, and reminders and upcoming care for how to log the work and get nudged before the next date is due.

Frequently asked questions

Do all sheep need to be shorn?

No. Wool breeds need shearing at least once a year because their wool grows continuously. Hair breeds such as Katahdin and Dorper shed their coats naturally and do not need shearing, crutching, or tagging.

How often should sheep be shorn?

Most wool sheep are shorn once a year, commonly in spring. Some operations and some fast or long growing breeds shear twice a year, which gives shorter but often cleaner fleece.

What is crutching or tagging?

It is clipping the wool from around a sheep’s rear and udder between full shearings. It keeps that area clean, helps prevent flystrike, and gives newborn lambs clean access to the udder when done before lambing.

Why do sheep need to be dry before shearing?

Wet wool clogs equipment, is harder and slower to shear, and heats, molds, and discolors once baled. Extension guidance says if the fleece feels even slightly damp, the sheep is too wet to shear.

What are second cuts, and why do they matter?

Second cuts are short wool fragments made when a shearer passes over the same spot twice. They lower the value of the fleece, which is why a skilled shearer and good skirting matter if you sell your wool.

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