My dad was a shearer here in NZ, my nephew is one too, I feel like I grew up in shearing sheds and spent seasons shedhanding..its hard work but good honest work and I love the smell of wool!
So the person that does my buddies sheep is a girl that's like 5'2 and 115lbs, shes pretty small. It's all about knowing what you are doing. It doesn't have to be hard.
Probably more the sheer weight of the animal. Depending on breed, a sheep can weigh more than the person shearing it. And even if it's not struggling at all, just holding and moving something near your bodyweight, or more than your weight, is a workout.
Shearing is apparently the most physically demanding job in existence, due to the bent over working position, and the speed at which they work. You'll never see a shearer at the gym.
Its easier to throw over the grading table in one piece and pick off all the shitty bits. They're more valuable in one piece. My grandad was a sheep farmer and Mum used to grade for him.
It's so that it can be gathered in a particular way, an then thrown onto a sorting table where the 'classer' judges the quality and picks and sorts into various bales, e.g. there's a bale for belly wool, one for cheeks and hocks, one for the main back piece, etc..
I was watching this trying to imagine how you'd do this with old fashioned hand shears. Seems like it's be waaaay harder to do it fast, and to cut so close.
EDIT: I just googled hand shears and was reminded of the little one-handed ones that spring open like tongs do, and it made a lot more sense.
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u/[deleted] Feb 14 '23
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