Well yes thats what its called. Crutching is the shearing of the wool around the behind and udder so the shepherd can see whats going on in the nether regions as lambing aproaches. It also ensures a clean udder for the nursing lambs. If you look at the photo showing the rear end its kind of like a bikini wax for ewes! A side benefit is the remainder of the fleece stays clean for shearing which we plan on doing in May. Wiging is the removal of the wool around the eyes, this ensures the ewe a clear view as sometimes the wool can grow over the eyes causing wool blindness. As you can see by the photos the ewes have had an eyebrow plucking and are looking lean and mean. Phil our local shearer came on Saturday and did the honours, and the girls not only got a visit to the Spa but I also gave them a shot of Selinium/vitaminE and a drench of wormer for good measure. To top of their new hair styles I gave them each a new numbered green ear tag so we know who is who when they lamb.
The picture second from the top shows me drenching a ewe with a wormer. Its a fluid squirted down their throats in measured amounts buy the pistol in my hand, it is attached by pipe to the pack on my back with more fluid. It kills any stomach worms and ensures better use of the feed ( as they are not feeding any worms ) and keeps the ewe in good shape for lambing.
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