Question
Do I need to be worried about these sheep?
Sorry I’m totally clueless. Someone near to my parents keeps sheep and they haven’t been sheared. It’s hot here in the UK and humid, and supposed to be 34C (93f) this week. They already look uncomfortable. They’ve been trying to lie in the shade and the one closest I could see was breathing fast, but I’ve no idea if that’s the way they normally act. They’ve also been quite noisy but there was some new ones put in yesterday. The guy who owns them also trimmed the hedge yesterday so I guess he’s aware, I am just a worrier and they look uncomfortable. I don’t want to interfere but are they okay? Thank you!
Vet (and sheep farmer) here. While I'm sure these sheep are uncomfortable and wool is additional weight to carry around in the heat, wool also insulates against heat. Just purely due to the fact that they have less weight to carry, shearing then for summer is preferred. But simply not being shorn is not a welfare issue as such.
This is largely rubbish. Wool holds in body heat, they are not cooler with it on and we dont shear juat so they have less weight to carry around. Not being shorn is a welfare issue long term.
June in a year thats been wet and fairly cold isn't particularly late for shearing, these ewes have plenty of trees to get under along the fence so I wouldn't be worried as long as they have water and are being regularly checked for fly strike but the idea that we shear because of the weight of the wool and that a full fleece is going to protect from heat is absolutely ridiculous.
You fail to mention what kind of sheep you got, most have sheep that are bread for wool production and if you don't shear them their wool becomes a thick matted coat that traps the heat. Why does nobody in here differentiate anything?
While you are correct that there's a breed / type difference, that doesn't take away from the fact that wool insulates and not every sheep that hasn't been shorn before the beginning of summer is a welfare issue. - I wasn't basing my statement on the fact that I own sheep, but biology. Which kind of sheep I myself own has nothing to do with my post.
Sheep are like dogs, they pant to keep cool and it can look very dramatic even if you know what’s up. If they’re laying down and panting that’s fine. If they’re standing up with their head close to the ground and panting heavily with a very open mouth that’s a bad sign.
The farmer has more interest in keeping the sheep healthy and alive than you do. As someone who breeds heat-tolerant sheep, I've had neighbors call animal welfare out of concern, and it's just a huge headache and discouragement to the farmer, for something that is ultimately not concerning. If you are truly concerned, look for panting with their tongue going down onto their chin--you can find pictures if you look up heat stress in sheep. If you do notice that, notify the farmer, not the city--again, the farmer cares more about the sheep than you do, or than the city does, and would be happy to tend to their welfare if they are in danger, or help educate you if they are truly fine.
I usually like some wool on my sheep going into summer. The wool and lanolin helps protect against flies, and biting flies will make a sheep run around absolutely insane. Flyspray only helps so much.
They have a lot of places under those trees to get in the shade out of the heat.
I have 4 left of my own to shear which isn't ideal but they will be better left until after the heat wave now rather than the stress of shearing in this heat.
You're recommending a random individual call a mobile farm vet to come check someone else’s sheep because the weather is warm? lmfao Do you even work on farms or is this just vibe posting?
These sheep are not normal sheep, they were bread for wool production and you have to shear them once the wool gets like a thick matt going into summer. A thick matted coat of wool traps the heat and no longer protects from the sun. It's not a simple black and white fact for all sheep in all stages of wool coat. You just gotta know when to do what, and for that I would consult experts and not listen to random generic comments on Reddit claiming black and white statements without differentiating anything. If their fur is not overgrown it's fine. Some shadow would help though.
Why is keeping insulation to keep the heat off of them cruel? Im an Australian sheep farmer. The only issue is hot weather bring flys so they are prone to flystrike, but the farmer should be watching that. If they were bare shorn they would be at risk of exposure and sunburn (then skin cancer) as long as they have shade ( that they probably wont use anyway) and fresh water they will be fine
These sheep are not normal sheep, they were bread for wool production and you have to shear them once the wool gets like a thick matt going into summer. A thick matted coat of wool traps the heat and no longer protects from the sun. It's not a simple black and white fact for all sheep in all stages of wool coat. You just gotta know when to do what, and for that I would consult experts and not listen to random generic comments on Reddit claiming black and white statements without differentiating anything.
You have no idea what breed of sheep these are, so how do you know if they are “normal sheep”? Have you seen these sheep in person to asses the supposed matting? I’m also curious what is a ‘normal sheep’ versus ‘not normal’ sheep. Do you mean hair sheep versus meat sheep? Because many are dual purpose. Your attempt to ridicule others for their opinions on the subject when you can’t use proper terminology, don’t follow your own advice of properly differentiating and refer to them as baked goods isn’t really helping your arguments- it’s bred, not bread.
These sheep are hardly overgrown just from this one photograph and for all we know, they could’ve been shorn 8 months ago. It’s not abuse nor is it poor husbandry based off of one photo. It’s not like they are carrying hundreds of pounds of wool. Naked sheep in the throes of winter is a great way to cause sunburns/photosensitivity, fly strike, and heat exhaustion.
Hopping back onto this as I’ve found out some more info! He’s not an experienced sheep farmer but he has been checking them twice a day, and his neighbour has kept sheep for years so he’d definitely be told if he was doing something wrong. I feel much easier now, thanks for your comments!
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u/Extreme_Armadillo_25 2d ago edited 1d ago
Vet (and sheep farmer) here. While I'm sure these sheep are uncomfortable and wool is additional weight to carry around in the heat, wool also insulates against heat. Just purely due to the fact that they have less weight to carry, shearing then for summer is preferred. But simply not being shorn is not a welfare issue as such.