With the British summer as it has been, the sheep are spending more time wet than dry, so why is it they don’t shrink like our woollen jumpers?
When the wool fibres are looked at under a microscope they are covered in fish-like scales. This gives the wool its warmth but it is also why wool becomes felted when washed. The scales open up and act like a one way ratchet, getting smaller every time. Hence the need to dry woollen garments flat, to keep their shape and not to stretch them. So now you know!
There are other reasons why the sheep’s fleece remains in good condition, despite the wet weather…
Firstly nutrition. Just like our skin, hair and nails, nutrition plays a key role in appearance of the fleece. With the grass growing well, sheep produce the natural oil lanolin which keeps the wool from tangling. At lambing time nutrients from the grass are also needed to produce milk, so the sheep’s production of lanolin declines (being less important than the milk) so the wool can become felted. Once the lambs are weaned, the ewe will resume production of lanolin and once sheared, the fluffier fleece will return.
Another reason why the rain doesn’t create a woolly wet mass on the sheep’s back is the way that they fend off the showers. Like a dog, it will shake so the water does not get onto their skin. Shaking is the ovine (and canine) equivalent of a spin-dry cycle! So the wool keeps the rain off their back – as well as the sun (if there is any).
You may notice, if it’s wet and windy, sheep will stand with their back to the wind and will drop their faces down. Let’s face it who likes the wet in their face when looking for predators?
The more hardy breeds will go and find shelter under a tree or behind a wall, but often they would rather stay together than being isolated. Being part of the flock is the safe place to be – it’s their comfort zone if you like.
The one thing a sheep will not do is groom itself like a dog or cat. In fact it’s not even bothered it if it gets shorn or not. So the word vanity will definitely not be found in a sheep’s dictionary!
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.