Blanket Management

When you shear or clip show lambs and goats, you should always blanket your show projects. Blankets serve many purposes but primarily they provide a barrier to the elements, dirt, debris, as well as protection from insects and skin fungus. Show lambs and kids should always be cleaned up with anti-fungal shampoo and treated with a safe ringworm preventative immediately after shows and jackpots. A clean, light-weight and breathable blanket needs to go on your animal before trailering home.

PRO TIP—Learn how to rough shear your sheep with 13 tooth combs so as its wool grows to an uncomfortable level, you can do a quick dry shear at an appropriate wool length which will not stress the hide and set up a situation that is more conducive to a ringworm infection. Having to wash your sheep so you can shear the sheep with your hair heads, dries its hide out and is too close for periodic utility shearing. Maintaining the lanolin and wool grease in your white face breeds is imperative. Black face sheep can handle more sheerings per season, and the short shearing that takes place with shows and jackpots can actually improve good-hided blacks and dissipate unsightly wool patterns. If you raise black face show lambs, there is only one way to keep them; sheared, blanketed and under a fan! Thanks, and good luck with your show stock.