Yesterday, Memorial Day, we went to the Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey. Why? Well, besides being a totally awesome and VERY kid-friendly zoo, they also had a special event: Sheep Shearing Day.
You see, every spring, sheep need to get a nice haircut in order to shed their winter coats. Otherwise, it just gets too long and messy. So, the sheep at the Turtle Back Zoo farm got a visit from a sheep farmer and professional shearer, who helped them along. Here is what it looked like:
Sheep didn't seem to be very much bothered. You could tell they were ready for a haircut. But, don't think it is because it was almost 80 degrees outside. No. The wool is actually a natural coolant, and it takes the heat away from the body. It seemed to us that they were simply the urban kind that liked to keep up with the latest trends.
To see the sheep shearer in action, as well as a short interview we recorded, please visit our You Tube channel, or watch here.
Very simply. We are going back to the age old production process our grandparents, or at least my grandparents, used to make their bedding.
The sheep is sheared, like so:
The wool is gathered and washed with cold water and white distilled vinegar. Check out this page for more info about cleaning with vinegar and its benefits: http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/
