Treatment of animals when sheared for their fiber?

Question

Just wondering, how are animals treated when they are sheared? (for wool, alpaca, mohair, etc.)

from these responses so far, it seems to me that they're not treated to greatly, being held down or tied down to prevent kicking. that's not very humane..

also.. what about cashmere?

Answer 1

Well, I personally own sheep, and what happens to them is the shearer first catches one, he grabs it by the wool (this doesn't hurt the sheep actually) and then he upends it so its sitting on its rump. Where he starts to shave, I think, depends on the shearer. But he shaves in horizontal rows on th sides of its body and back, and down the legs. At some points he straddles the sheep, and at times the sheep is on its back and sides. When sheep are on the ground though, they have a tendency to thrash and kick. The sheep shearer has to be careful at these times, because sheep hooves are pointed and sharp. When he is done, he trims the hooves if they need it, and if it is summer he may spray a fly repellent on any nicks and cuts the sheep may have gotten from the shearing. This is to prevent flies from laying eggs in the wounds and creating maggots. They look funny after they get sheared! For alpacas, what I'd seen on TV ( this was on that show Dirty Jobs) they strap them (neck, legs) to a kind of table (so they don't thrash and get hurt, probably since they are such big animals) and they shave them. Alpaca ?wool? differs in value depending on what part of the animal it comes from. (Same with sheep.) The wool on the shoulders is worth more - it is usally has the highest quality, while the wool from the posterier around the genital-urinary tract and anus is worth the least.

Answer 2

We had sheep that were sheared every summer and I remember it wasn't that bad. The 'worst' part was when the guy grabbed them and flipped them over to shear the underside. They really didn't struggle that much but they were left with a few nicks that bleed a tiny bit. They always healed quickly without any problem. They were never tied up or anything. When he released them, they would run about 15 feet but then stop when they realized no one was chasing them.

I don't know how it's done in the big business world.

Answer 3

I think it depends. Some livestock are treated like members of the family and they would be sheared with great care with much attention placed on making sure the animal was comfortable. Other animals are treated like a piece of factory equipment with the goal being to get the fiber off as quick as possible while doing minimal damage to the animal.

Answer 4

Very carefully. If you hurt the animal they are going to be scared of getting sheared. It walso can harm the fiber you are removing from the animal. This is how these people make a living is from the fiber they get off the animals
They are treated well and well cared for.

Answer 5

It depends on who does the shearing and how much they care about producing a quality product and treating their animals well. I imagine there are many instances of abuse and many more of compassion. People can suck and they infect the world around them, whether they are sheep shearers or sales clerks.

Answer 6

Sheep are often cut by the shears and their injuries are left untreated which can be painful.

Answer 7

They are treated fine.

It's that goose down jacket everyone loves so much. Those geese are plucked and when their feathers grow back they are plucked again. I'm sure they wish they were sheep.