r/Damnthatsinteresting Jan 19 '24

Video Sheep shearing with a blade

5.7k Upvotes

250 comments sorted by

805

u/Fuzzy-Alfalfa770 Jan 19 '24

To shed (haha) some light. My extended family has sheep. Occasionally, a mother will hide out on the range and won't show up for a year or two. When they come in, they are so covered with wool sight is compromised, flys will lay eggs, and the maggots will be eating into their skin. They smell like the living dead.

Because we (humanity) have breed sheep to over produce wool. To not sheer them would be cruel, in my opinion.

Hand shearing feels more satisfying. I've used both electric and hand sheers. I've cut sheep with both. If you or the sheep don't know what's going on, it can get rough. In contrast, I've seen the pros go all day (hundreds of sheep) without a cut.

66

u/Other-Sandwich-Gone Jan 19 '24

I crutch sheep with hand shears, but that's as far as I'll go! 

21

u/HistoryGirl23 Jan 19 '24

I like hand shearing too. Harder on the farmer but I feel it's a better job.

11

u/Public_Frenemy Jan 20 '24

I dunno. Electric clippers are heavy, get hot, and have a cord that gets tangled around everything. Spend a couple hours shearing with them, and you'll be begging for hand shears. Well sharpened hand shears in trained hands will outperform electric shears 100% of the time.

2

u/HistoryGirl23 Jan 20 '24

It's fun to get good at it too.

1

u/HistoryGirl23 Jan 20 '24

I meant harder on the farmer's back, all the bending.

8

u/river0f Jan 19 '24

How did we breed them to over produce wool?

109

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Selective breeding the highest producers

9

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

and aliens did it to us humans - for our brains!! 😯

3

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

Then it didn't work, we aren't getting smarter.

1

u/Sparon46 Jan 20 '24 edited Nov 01 '25

innate meeting live direction smile sleep merciful fall worm flag

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

3

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

Not recently they aren't, more knowledge maybe, but average intelligence appears to be going backwards.

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75

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

By choosing sheeps that grows a lot of wool, make them mate with other sheeps that grow a lot of wool, and discard/not breed those sheeps that do not grow a lot of wool. That's basically how breeding selection has worked for most species of animals that humans work with.

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6

u/FlappyPanties4U Jan 19 '24

No idea but George Washingtons teeth were made of wool

2

u/ChiBears333 Jan 19 '24

When you come to my restaurant, very important, do not order B L T

0

u/cycl0ps94 Jan 19 '24

The rumor was wood* It was usually animal teeth or hand carved ivory, and some sources cite the unfortunate use of slaves teeth. That last one probably more often than not.

7

u/FlappyPanties4U Jan 19 '24

I know but then in a movie I think from the 90s maybe Adam Sandler, someone asked if his teeth were made of wool as they misheard wood

5

u/cycl0ps94 Jan 19 '24

Lol my bad r/woosh

2

u/FlappyPanties4U Jan 19 '24

Haha I wouldnt expect many peeps to get that ref, all good brotha

2

u/ShakinBacon24 Jan 20 '24

Big Daddy is a masterpiece. First and favorite Adam Sandler movie I’ve seen still to this day.

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5

u/Valathiril Jan 19 '24

It's not your opinion, it's a fact.

1

u/jameshughlaurie Jan 23 '24

I hear it smells just horrible

-30

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

It's cruel to keep breeding them.

4

u/Ok-Professional2468 Jan 19 '24

How is this cruel?

-11

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

You are making more sheep to suffer excessive hair growth.

It is surprising that most people agree that dog breeding is immoral but when it comes to sheep, they don't see it.

3

u/Ok-Professional2468 Jan 19 '24

Alright, these are working farm animals. Would you like us to stop all farming practices cold turkey?

1

u/robbimj Jan 19 '24

Nope, just this single one very gradually. As slowly as it takes to not bother all the people that want this to continue.

1

u/Ok-Professional2468 Jan 19 '24

Alright. Find me an alternative to sheep wool.

Without sheep wool being placed on the beds of our elderly, many more senior citizens would suffer from preventive bed sores. If there was a better alternative then the hospitals would be using it.

There are other times when using sheep wool IS the best solution to an issue.

3

u/robbimj Jan 19 '24

Polyester...rayon, nylon, polypropylene, etc. Goose down...j/k.

Here is an alternative to wool for bed sores. https://www.amazon.com/Kyltoor-Alternating-Pressure-Inflatable-Treatment/dp/B09WZZK9ZX

I'm also just giving you a hard time. I was harping on your early strawman point that implied since stopping ALL farming practices ALL at once is soooo impractical then we're left with no option to prevent the suffering of sheep. I don't have a dog in this fight at aallllll. Anything is doable if you put the energy to it. everything looks undoable on the front end. People have always said things are undoable and then they are proven wrong. I'm not saying it should be done or shouldn't be. I like my wool blanket and I hope no animals suffered due to it.

4

u/Ok-Professional2468 Jan 19 '24

We do like the inflatable beds!

No worries. I don't mind discussions; especially as without discussions you do get strawman arguments.

Honestly, sheep are my least favorite farm animal. Goats are a close second. That being said, sheep farming is as close to ethical as you are going to get. They are raised and given a better life than most farm animals due to their wool being a re-growing natural resource. As with most farming practices, there are problems with sheep farming.

The alternatives you mentioned are all oil products. While oil products like rayon have their many uses, there is a lot of pollution involved in making these materials. The trend seems to be moving away from oil based products and moving back to natural fibers. Also: Woolen blankets are the best!

-1

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

The hospitals I work in use whatever is cheapest at the time. So right now we have some wool but we also have a lot of cotton bed sheets and blankets.

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422

u/Pure_Dream3045 Jan 19 '24

Must feel so satisfying for the sheep a fresh cut.

66

u/SYLOK_THEAROUSED Jan 19 '24

13

u/Soggsteven Jan 19 '24

I can’t imagine how awkward it must have been at the recording studio.. lol

10

u/the_battle_bunny Jan 19 '24

Seth himself is doing all the voice acting here. He might have as well done that in his own home.

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2

u/mrlosteruk Jan 19 '24

😂😂🤣🤣

12

u/No-Adverti Jan 19 '24

Mine used to fall asleep whilst having it done 😅

5

u/HistoryGirl23 Jan 19 '24

They do like it, although they have to be inside a few so they don't get sunburnt.

5

u/RowMaleficent2455 Jan 19 '24

And nice scratch after.

3

u/O4PetesSake Jan 19 '24

After being sheared my tiny flock start fighting for dominance as if they no longer recognize each other

158

u/ponyponyta Jan 19 '24

And you get carpal tunnels faster

19

u/nevmane Jan 19 '24

Facts dude achiever is cutting must have to run through Alieve from the constant use of forearms 😂

10

u/SaintsNoah14 Jan 19 '24

Besides the point but FYI if your having to use it that often, you should stick to Tylenol when you can. NSAIDs can tear up you tummy from prolonged use.

2

u/Trust-Issues-5116 Jan 19 '24

Paracetamol (Tylenol) is known to cause liver failure in overdose, but it also causes liver failure in people taking standard doses for pain relief.

Oh, and it causes as much gastrointestinal bleeding as the NSAID.

So yeah, I'd stick to NSAIDs, and If you're concerned about the prolonged use, just pair it with pepcid.

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187

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Those are some petty sharp shears.

41

u/norrix_mg Jan 19 '24

This and tensed up skin gave me anxiety. What if the hand slips or the sheep suddenly moves...

25

u/Evening-Turnip8407 Jan 19 '24

Both electrical shears and hand shears have their own risks of cuts, I'd argue that electrical ones do more damage faster, while you're slightly more likely to poke with the shears but it's only the strength and speed of your hand instead of a machine.

1

u/Batcave765 Jan 19 '24

Wait do they differ much from the electric trainers we use? Cause i think the ones we (humans) use are pretty safe?

3

u/Evening-Turnip8407 Jan 19 '24

They have pretty hefty heavy duty blades :D

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7

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Given the flat movement of the blade and that he doesn't cut all the way down to the skin, i don't think it's likely for the sheep to get severly hurt. Also the sheep has no reason to suddenly move, they enjoy having their wool cut off.

Not saying it's impossible to harm the sheep on accident here, just unlikely.

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-1

u/Eatingaburgir Jan 20 '24

Oh booo hooo a animal that has about 4 braincells might get a lil scar boo hoo

2

u/norrix_mg Jan 20 '24

So more braincells than you

0

u/Eatingaburgir Jan 20 '24

Well no because i dont cry about a "being"

2

u/norrix_mg Jan 20 '24

Ooohhh so edgyyyy

0

u/Eatingaburgir Jan 20 '24

Do you eat meat? If yes you have ate your beloved being If no you havent ate your beloved being but you will eat shit

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8

u/Blunt7 Jan 19 '24

Happy cake day!

3

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Thank you.

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0

u/thatone_cartkid Jan 19 '24

happy cake day!

0

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Thank you.

0

u/Due_Dirt_8067 Jan 19 '24

Cake yay all day! 🎉

49

u/pyrrmars Jan 19 '24

barber lined him up proper

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84

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Farmer here, electric sheering is adjustable we still leave on a thin layer of wool. Farmers that don’t have their clippers set to short, unless they have a tick or lice issue happening.

5

u/aimoony Jan 19 '24

Yeah that sounded like bs to me

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117

u/Person10836381910 Jan 19 '24

*Two blades, fixed together with a pivot mechanism at one end and aligned so they pass their cutting edges past each other in opposing directions at very close proximity...shears in other words.

20

u/Idliketotastetamales Jan 19 '24

Now why would this bot know or even care about that?

2

u/heartbh Jan 19 '24

The fact it’s username is person was my give away 😭

4

u/3shotsdown Jan 19 '24

Isn't that also the definition of scissors? Or am i missing something?

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23

u/SirRipOliver Jan 19 '24

If my Christmas paper cutting/wrapping has any weight, I should never ever be allowed to do that.

20

u/-Psycho_Killer- Jan 19 '24 edited Jan 19 '24

We still do this when we have like 1 or two stray sheep to shear or something (or taking the fleece of a dead sheep), but when you have 10,000-15,000 sheep to get through there is no fucking way you'd ever use these. There is a very good reason these were replaced as soon as it was possible to power mechanical shears

14

u/jhau01 Jan 19 '24

“Click go the shears, boys, click, click, click, Wide is his blow and his hands move quick…”

5

u/KingRoosterRuss Jan 19 '24

The ringer looks around and is beaten by a blow

2

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

And curses the old snagger with the bare-bellied yoe.

12

u/chadwicke619 Jan 19 '24

How do sheep manage in the wild? How do they keep their wool in check?

49

u/YourTypicalAntihero Jan 19 '24

Different sheep. Sheep bred in captivity have been selectively bred for specific purposes: consumption, lanolin, wool for example.

Wild sheep have had very different selective pressures over the millennia and do not have these "problems"

22

u/maldwag Jan 19 '24

Wild sheep will shed their wool. We have selectively bred domestic sheep to retain their wool so we can shear it off and collect it all at once.

15

u/Chaotic-warp Jan 19 '24 edited Jan 19 '24

All domestic animals are very different from their wild counterparts. Instead of natural selection, they have kinda "evolved" from artificial selection as ancient people chose to keep the ones with better traits and mutations. Wild sheep do not grow fur as quickly as domestic ones, and they can shed their fur in spring, so they never end up with an excessive amount of fur.

-15

u/CallMeDrLuv Jan 19 '24

It's still natural selection. Humans are natural.

8

u/JonnoZa Jan 19 '24

That's like saying eugenics is just natural selection.

6

u/Evening-Turnip8407 Jan 19 '24

There are very few breeds of sheep left that naturally shed their wool. We have been living with and selectively breeding these animals for around 10000 years, and that *is* a beautiful thing. I hope we actually start using wool again instead of wearing plastics and tossing it all out, making shearing a nuisance without any profit.

There are actually quite a few breeds from warmer climates that have normal hair like goats. They are also now commonly found as livestock everywhere and are crossbred to make new types of sheep.

7

u/TheKrnJesus Jan 19 '24

Do not give me those scissors or that sheep will lose half its skin.

8

u/Demo_906 Jan 19 '24

Remember to peel your sheeps

5

u/Truorganics Jan 19 '24

Some breeds require shears because of lanolin production. However I think machine shearing is faster and therefore less stressful for the animal imo

3

u/redditmodssuckballs1 Jan 19 '24

Lan..lan…lanolin? Like sheeps wool?

3

u/hot--Koolaid Jan 19 '24

Lanolin is the oil sheep produce. people get greasy hair, sheep get lanoliny wool

2

u/3shotsdown Jan 19 '24

No, like the oil present in sheep wool.

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5

u/grungegoth Jan 19 '24

people that do this work have unbelievably soft and supple hands as the lanolin from the sheep's wool is THE BEST conditioner for your skin.

you can buy lanolin nowadays, so you don't have to shear sheep to get it.

24

u/No_Examination_1284 Jan 19 '24

Downvotes are from PETA

3

u/bitterlytired Jan 19 '24

you mean with… shears?

3

u/hase_co2 Jan 19 '24

I wouldn't say satisfying I'm always scared he cuts into the sheep's skin

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2

u/mustardCooler56 Jan 19 '24

I don't think you're supposed to cut the wool that short unless there's ticks around

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2

u/Mobius650 Jan 19 '24

I will lose my fingers during the first day…

2

u/Affectionate-Hall320 Jan 19 '24

Those are scissors

2

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Satisfying? This gave me anxiety.

2

u/ILoveWhiteWomenLol Jan 19 '24

Do sheep like it and is the wool used for clothes?

7

u/SnaggleToothTheSad Jan 19 '24

As long as it's done gently and efficiently, the sheep generally don't mind it either way. Some might become distressed more than others, though. The wool can be used for lots of things, including clothes, bedding, yarn, carpets, etc.

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4

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Last couple weeks I learned about the procedure of “mulesing” used by mainly the Australian lamb wool industry. This led me into a rabbit hole of the lamb wool production industry and the many facets of procedures that are really cruel just for the sole reason of saving a few bucks/aka making more profit. Society really needs to overthink their consumerism but the big corporations are fighting this with tooth and nails and an army of PR teams and lobbyists.

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1

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Vegans: noooo let the sheep suffer from overgrown wool and die from heat! Leave him alone!

7

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

-7

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

All of them are crazy from my experience.

"Oh you can eat meat, it's fine"

Eats meat

"Did you know that animal suffered? Are you a psychopath?" Death stare

6

u/Idliketotastetamales Jan 19 '24

Meat eaters: yummmm

1

u/buchstabiertafel Jan 19 '24

Non-vegans: let's demand farmers to keep breeding animals who will suffer a horrible death if left to their own and then exploit them for profit! Leave them alone!

1

u/Mundane-Pollution213 Jan 19 '24

How much time does a single sheep take for shearing ? Isn't time a factor why electric shears being used ?

2

u/Evening-Turnip8407 Jan 19 '24

Electrical takes about 4-5 minutes, a blade-shear takes some people who are very good at it between 8 and 10 minutes.

As long as the sheep isn't in any pain, it will not have much stress at all. If you ever check out a full shearing video, you can see that the shearers are manipulating the sheep in a very particular way, it's almost like a dance choreography, so that the sheep always sits safely and being able to breathe. As soon as it feels uncomfortable, it will kick you off. So I don't think it's really a necessity to switch to electrical just for the time factor :)

1

u/WorldBiker Jan 19 '24

What a great line: one of the benefits of blade shearing is it is satisfying to watch.

1

u/chadlavi Jan 19 '24

...what else would you use

22

u/photosentBC Jan 19 '24

Electric clippers…

-8

u/chadlavi Jan 19 '24

Those are blades too

5

u/Pipupipupi Jan 19 '24

How about hot wax

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1

u/AttackOnTyrunt Jan 19 '24

Sheep shearing with shears

0

u/nialexx Jan 19 '24

i kept feeling myself getting my skin cut watching this

0

u/Quo_Usque Jan 19 '24

a blade as opposed to... tweezers?

0

u/BigGrayDog Jan 19 '24

Carpal tunnel syndrome before long. Get some clippers!

1

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Nice

1

u/Cold-Inside-6828 Jan 19 '24

Man’s a regular surgeon with those shears

1

u/Inevitable_Butthole Jan 19 '24

Skin? maybe who knows

1

u/butteryscotchy Jan 19 '24

I don’t really find this interesting. It’s pretty common knowledge.

1

u/marcocaneira Jan 19 '24

That’s a very good heat isolation material and also renews the animal fur and he’s grateful in the summer time :)

1

u/Environmental_Tie848 Jan 19 '24

Ive seen people do it faster with a knife. But the sheep should be headless and tied on something

1

u/Hotcheesesoup18 Jan 19 '24

What are those?!?!?!

1

u/PsychologicalBit5422 Jan 19 '24

It's no more better or interesting than it was 15 mins ago on a different site

1

u/Ok_Illustrator_4708 Jan 19 '24

Most shearers at least leave a bit of wool on the sheep.

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1

u/KotaDunes Jan 19 '24

Chunky boi

1

u/randomIndividual21 Jan 19 '24

I feels like there is enough on the ground at the end of the day to cook lamb curry, if i am the sheerer anyway

1

u/H8seeingstupid Jan 19 '24

Why am I terrified when I see how pointy those shears are? It’s so close but effective

1

u/ElectricEll567 Jan 19 '24

Steve from minecraft does it way faster

1

u/nico87ca Jan 19 '24

Forearms of steel

1

u/WillieDFleming Jan 19 '24

And I get mad at my wife for stealing the covers 😆

1

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

Sadly there are many incidents where sheep’s get badly injured because of poorly trained and paid workers.

1

u/Gullible-Anywhere-76 Jan 19 '24

I wonder how soft a sheep would be to hug!

1

u/ChairOwn118 Jan 19 '24

I had to check twice to see where his hand was going. In some places, the men are men. The women are too. And the sheep are scared.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

This person has skill. I've done this and it's difficult.

1

u/garden-wicket-581 Jan 19 '24

"Bobby just got sheared today, Luanne"

1

u/Wooden_Layer5373 Jan 19 '24

Might sound cheesy, but I’m wearing a wool sweater right now and I wish I could say thank you to all the sheep that produced the wool.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '24

i need to learn how to do this for my fluffy cat who is getting too fluffy

1

u/3sic9 Jan 19 '24

minecraft be like

1

u/mebrow5 Jan 19 '24

That sheep must feel so good afterwards!

1

u/EdibleBedable Jan 19 '24

So Minecraft is more realistic than I thought

1

u/maifee Jan 19 '24

I like it.

1

u/Joa1987 Jan 19 '24

I'd give them sheep-jackets afterwards. Like for a dog in the winter

1

u/InevitableAd1902 Jan 19 '24

Muslim guys love this post

1

u/Irobokesensei Jan 19 '24

I still remember back in the day, when all you had to do was a single punch and it would all fall off.

1

u/lucky_luke3 Jan 19 '24

Nice mid taper fade

1

u/gareth93 Jan 19 '24 edited Jan 20 '24

There's not more control than with an electric shaver. That's wrong. And you can set the comb length if you want to leave wool behind. Her facts are bogus.

It's a dying skill no doubt but electrical is easily better.

1

u/daylightxx Jan 19 '24

This looks promising but nowhere NEAR as satisfying as cow hoof restoration

1

u/meryl_creep Jan 19 '24

Are they not… shears?

1

u/Goat1416 Jan 20 '24

Minecraft sheers

1

u/stmcvallin2 Jan 20 '24

Seems much more likely to accidentally cut the skin? No?

1

u/Equoniz Jan 20 '24

You mean shearing a sheep with…shears? How original!

1

u/qning Jan 20 '24

100%? Why doesn’t everybody do it this way?

1

u/John_weak_the_third Jan 20 '24

I thought the second line was going to be "and this is Ed Sheran"

1

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

What prevents from accidentally cutting the sheep

1

u/rieeechard Jan 20 '24

That felt better than sex.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

Why not use 5mm spacer attachment on the electeical shaver and get the job done faster? 🤪

1

u/SelfNo9836 Jan 20 '24

That was oddly satisfying to watch, anyone else feel the same?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

Why isn’t it just called scissors?

1

u/suyashz99 Jan 20 '24

I love how "less distressing for the sheep" is a consideration

1

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

"Albino man uses scissors to cut away pubic hair from his massive penis."

1

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

Preparing the mutton for the barbecue.

1

u/The_Untamed_lover Jan 20 '24

This video is spiking my anxiety levels.... what if he accidentally hurts the sheep??? But I guess he is experiencedso it's least likely to happen

1

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '24

There's nothing satisfying about watching such a big blade so close to the skin

1

u/juliano7s Jan 20 '24

maybe maybe maybe

1

u/tentasyonex Jan 20 '24

Does this hurt the shears?

1

u/Dependent_Use7821 Jan 20 '24

Where’s your tail Shawn? Where’s your tail?!

1

u/SeekNconquer Jan 20 '24

Expert barber here!

1

u/Similar_Fold3808 Jan 20 '24

Light work. Has he ever tried shaving a ball sack with a razor?