Every year just before a show we take on the task of washing our sheep for show. It can be a lot of fun but if your sheep don't like to cooperate it is not fun at all. Its a fairly long process but man do your sheep look good in the end. Here's how you do it;
Step 1; Get sheep. yes it obvious but still important. You will want to have a well-fitting halter and a secure place to tie the sheep to, preferably in the sun by a water source. Personally, we have built wash tables for our sheep. This is just a movable platform (we use hydraulics) and a neck brace for the sheep to be held (without any discomfort) and kept safe.
Step 2; Get water and soap. You will want to use lukewarm temperature water so that your sheep doesn't get too cold and the dirt will come out much easier than cold water. The soap. Here's a big hint: use blue dawn soap. The blue will partially dye the wool. No your sheep won't be blue but it will contradict the colour from the lanolin so the wool will be really white!Step 3; Wash. Use water. Then massage in soap then rinse. It's simple but just make sure you get all the soap out. It can irritate the skin of the sheep. While washing you will want to use a damp clothe to clean the inner thighs of the sheep, the hooves, the nose and inside the ears. You want your sheep too look great everywhere possible. Just be careful not to get any soap in their eyes or too far into the ears.
Step 4; Dry. Firstly you can just towel dry the sheep to get the most of the water off. The rest you will either need to let dry itself or you can use a dryer. Kind of like a giant blow dryer. Its the same as what cattle showmen use.Step 5; Trim it up. Using your carder and clippers you will want to just make everything even and clean even more. This is a chance where you can try and visually correct any flaws you may see in your sheep. Like leveling the topline or fixing a ewe-neck.
Its a tough job but someone's got to do it. It will make your sheep look fantastic!!
