Big news for 2020, we have completely revamped our pricing for the new year. Do not think that we have made this decision lightly or in haste. As a farmer myself (I will go into that more in a bit) I am always hyper aware of the impact of the cost of shearing on a farms bottom line. But over the years I have struggled with figuring out how to price fairly to account for the amount of time I am at a farm, how to charge for foot trimming and other animal assistance services, how to deal when farmers are not ready for me when I arrive and how to deal with sheep that are excessively large or tough to shear. It has long been the code of the sheep shearer that we only get paid based on the number of sheep we shear and it has always been a point of pride that I have the skills necessary to shear larger flocks and be able to get the job done. But with the increasing amount of driving, the multiple jobs each day, the fact that much of what we do now is not shearing, we just had to stand back and figure out a better way to get compensated for the job done. With all of that in mind we have decided to go to a set hourly fee of $100/hour (no driving fee, no itemized services fee, no fees for moving or having sheep not penned up). Up until now the entire pressure to stay on time has rested entirely on my shoulders and this has led to stress and bad customer relations on my end as I get frustrated that things are not running smoothly. Now with switching to an hourly fee the pressure is now on the client to do as much as possible to ensure a smooth painless shearing and I dont need to feel so rushed to ensure that the time I am at a farm matches up to the amount I make. People have always been generous and kind with me over the years so this is not meant to be a punishment to anyone. I am happy to discuss pricing options if you think this will really effect you, but the bottom line is that it is easier to have a one price fits all model and we are happy to offer suggestions on how it will work best to keep things running smoothly. Most people will not see any major jump in price, some some folks may see a $25-50 increase. The folks with coated sheep, finewools and multiple setups or groups of sheep will see the biggest potential increases as these jobs do historically take longer then we normally estimate. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have concerns about this. I am always happy to help brainstorm the best ways to keep things rolling to ensure the best handling of the sheep and the best fleeces as a result.
So while I have your attention I want to quickly address again what is required by us to be prepared for shearing day. So often folks tell me they didnt know about the no food rule or dont think to have a broom handy so I mention it again to keep it fresh in everyone’s mind as we go into the spring.
Sheep need to be off all food (No grass, grain and hay) for 12 hours prior to shearing. Sheep that have food in their stomachs will fight a lot more and make the shearing job a lot harder and a lot more dangerous for the sheep and myself. Locking them up overnight with no feed will not negatively impact fetal growth if your ewes are pregnant or affect milk production in a lactating ewe. Asking for them to be off feed is no different then not eating before surgery or an outpatient procedure and we do it for many of the same reasons. A sheep with a full gut will be uncomfortable in the shearing position and they will fight. Sheep that are wormy will struggle to handle the increased pressure on their heart and lungs and you can have increased issues or death with sheep in that condition so it is even more important to keep them off feed. Grass is especially potent in the spring being heavy and hot in their guts so do not lightly discount the fact that they have been on grass. This will make them harder to shear and will increase the time needed to shear and ultimately your costs. Hungry sheep are happy sheep.
Provide a piece of plywood to shear on.
Have a good workable broom
Have bags ready to put the wool in
Have the sheep ready to go in the pen that we will shear out of (this will save a lot of time)
Have the biggest group of sheep ready to shear first. It is easy to bring smaller groups or rams over to the shearing area on a halter if necessary. Doing this will save a lot of time
I need electric, have a safe extension cord handy and check your outlets ahead of time
Sheep need to be dry to shear. Moving sheep in and out of the barn as necessary in the 3 days prior to shearing might be needed. If they get wet do not put them in the barn, they will not dry. Usually a combo of sunshine and wind will dry out sheep and my motto is if the road is dry the sheep are dry. But preventing them from getting rained on in the first place is the best bet.
Shearing one month before lambing is the ideal time for most sheep and provides the cleanest wool. Shearing one month after the last ewe has lambed is the second best option. Please sort out the lambs away from moms before I get to your farm to prevent any accidents from ewes running around. Waiting at least a month postpartum allows for the sticky stress line in the wool to lift off the skin and allows moms to recover (slightly) from birth. Your wool will not be as clean and may have discoloring from stress but waiting at least a month will mean that the ewes dont get cut during shearing because of the sticky grease that comes with lambing.
Lice is becoming a huge issue in our region. If your sheep are itching, you go to shows, or you brought in new animals in the past year you may want to do a delice treatment after shearing as that is the best time to do it. Any topical cattle insecticide will do, most are permethrin based. Dust and injectables do not work as well as a pour on in my experience.
Many people ask for foot trimming and shots during their shearing appointment. We will continue to offer this on a case by case basis. We dont mind doing it for smaller jobs but larger jobs need to communicate their needs well in advance to see if we can accommodate. Again we are charging an hourly fee now so based on how bad the feet are will determine how much this adds to your bill. We largely discourage foot trimming and shots during shearing because tonails get into the wool, bad feet can bleed and make a mess, and that is usually when we end up injured as well. Doing shots during an already stressful day can result in bad reactions from the animals which can get missed in the chaos and we want to ensure that all of these procedures are done in a clean safe environment. Communication is key.
Continuing on with things that are new is that we are now farming on a more full time basis. We had the good fortune to obtain a farm lease close to home and we have expanded our flock to 125 sheep currently. We are dedicated to doing intensive grazing which means moving temporary fence every day or every other day. This means we will be taking a bit more time off to ensure that our own animals are being properly cared for. This will mean the schedule gets a bit tighter but again, we want to work with everyone to ensure a smooth painless shearing and we want to make each shearing as enjoyable as possible. Please contact us early to get on the calendar. Make sure we know all of your needs for shearing day so we can plan our time accordingly. Also if you want to check out what we are up to on our farm feel free to go to www.aeriefarmeast.com to see our Border Cheviots and keep up with whats happening. We are planning a pasture walk this summer to allow folks to see our grazing and animal husbandry methods and a farm to table dinner in the fall of 2020 so check back often to get info on those events.
Also to add to the general confusion of this spring, the Ipad App that I have long used to keep track of everyone’s contact info will no longer open. This means I have lost a great deal of information and and all my client data. I had records going back to 2012! With that being said, new year, new opportunity for growth. I do need everyone who has the ability to resend their contact info: address, email address, phone numbers, number of sheep etc… when they reach out to make their shearing appointment. This does coincide with the announcement of the price increase and the shearing day reminders so I am asking that everyone comment on this to assure me that you have read it and are aware of the changes and the need to keep sheep off of feed prior to shearing as well as my need for your addresses.
As always text is the best way to reach me and allows for a nice paper trail. Facebook messenger and Emails are also great although messages can get buried in the general chaos and sheer volume so if you do not get a response from me in a few days then re sending the email or message is greatly appreciated to ensure that people dont get overlooked. It is hard to have enough time to go through and respond to emails when you shear 8 hours a day and drive for another 6 hours. Just keep reaching out, I am always grateful for squeaky wheels. Phone calls are the toughest for me to get to and I usually only check messages on my day off. This means you may not hear from me very quickly and playing phone tag usually doesnt end well especially if you dont leave a detailed enough message. If you have the ability to send a text, please do so, and save my voicemail box space for those who dont have cell phones or email, or those clients trying to reach me to check in on the day of their appointment.
Lastly I want to thank everyone for their continued support of Kevin, Lydia and I and we look forward to seeing everyone again this year. We welcome any questions you may have and look forward to being able to provide you with the same excellent service that we have provided the last 15 years. We continue to take on new clients as well as continuing to shear for old friends, so thank you again to everyone who continues to support Chamelin Hickman Shearing and we look forward to hearing from you soon.