Bad Hair Day
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (347369)
Rockingham, Australia
January 19, 2017 7:23am CST
Our neighbours have a flock of sheep agisted on their property. Some are Boers; others are Wiltshires or crossbreds but all are self-shedding meaning they shed their fleeces and don't need to be shorn. This saves the farmers a lot of expense and handling.
It does mean however that they become very scruffy looking from time to time as you can see from this photo. They are also good 'doers' meaning they stay fat on minimum rations. For all their bad hairdos they are still cute, don't you think?
38 people like this
38 responses
@JudyEv (347369)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan 17
Many of them just have a patch of wool on their backs. The rest has fallen off.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
20 Jan 17
Does the farmer do anything with the shed wool.. or is it kind of like dog hair and just left out for birds to make nests with?
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
20 Jan 17
@JudyEv I'm sure the local birds love having their comfy, warm, wool nests!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (347369)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan 17
It's just left for the birds or I guess it eventually becomes compost.
@JudyEv (347369)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan 17
@katsmeow1213 I can't think of anything nicer than having some of this wool as a nest-liner.
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
19 Jan 17
I learned two things from this discussion. First, that there is such a thing as a "self-shedding" sheep. Do they just drop it as they walk along or are they considerate enough to leave it in a central location?
The other thing I learned is the word "agisted," one I nver saw before and had to look up. They are pretty cute, though a bit ragged.
2 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
20 Jan 17
I didn't know that word either @JamesHxstatic and was pleased to learn a new word.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
20 Jan 17
@JudyEv So then the shepherd or owner of the sheep has to wander around finding this wool in order to use or sell it?
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
19 Jan 17
Until I read your explanation, my first thought was I wouldn't want to hire those sheep shearers.
3 people like this
@allknowing (141589)
• India
20 Jan 17
I would never have known if I had not read your post. I would have thought they were left that way half shorn. I have to be honest. They do not look pretty at all 
1 person likes this
@allknowing (141589)
• India
20 Jan 17
@JudyEv Indeed they are. This reminds me of what i saw in New Zealand while on a bus. We were passing through miles and miles of prairies and there were these sheep thousands of them that looked like cotton balls from a distance, grazing. .
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (347369)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan 17
@allknowing Most of the NZ sheep would need to be shorn unless things have changed there too.
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@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
19 Jan 17
Hum....guess I'm not a sheep lover. I would want to get the sheers out.
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@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
20 Jan 17
@JudyEv They look uncomfortable!
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@JudyEv (347369)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan 17
@AbbyGreenhill I'd love to get my hands on those long bits.
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
19 Jan 17
I think they are adorable, I've never seen a sheep that shed its own wool. How cool is that!
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
21 Jan 17
@JudyEv I remember my neighbor Sheering his sheep....
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (347369)
• Rockingham, Australia
21 Jan 17
@PainsOnSlate In certain seasons 'ordinary' sheep are more prone to fly-strike too.
1 person likes this
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@averygirl72 (38474)
• Philippines
19 Jan 17
They don't look cool if they are not fully covered with fleece. So there are self-shedding sheeps
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@averygirl72 (38474)
• Philippines
20 Jan 17
@JudyEv I mean they don't look great when not fully covered. They are cuter if they have all their fleece
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@JudyEv (347369)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jan 17
Do you mean they look 'hot' with their fleeces intact?
@silvermist (19702)
• India
20 Jan 17
@JudyEv Something new learned.I never heard of this type of sheep.They look fat and well looked after in spite of the "bad wigs".
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
19 Jan 17
It looks like the guy doing the shearing just gave up halfway through.
1 person likes this
