Julien St-Jean

Shawville Sept. 5, 2021

Sunday offered one of the Fair’s many lessons in farm life as Tyler Armstrong of Pinnacle Haven Farm offered a demonstration on sheep shearing.

Armstrong ran through his shearing routine, starting with the sheep’s belly and then working down to the legs, neck and finally back of the sheep. He described the process as “like a haircut” for the sheep.

“To keep them healthy, you have to shear their wool once a year,” said Armstrong. He explained that this helps keep them healthy by preventing overheating and helps maintain hygiene by preventing bacteria buildup.

Armstrong showed attendees how to tell the age of a lamb by their teeth. He explained that at the age of two, sheep will lose their two front “baby teeth.”

“The sheep was really passive. He was able to control it just by touching its forehead,” said Suzy Thomson, who watched Armstrong’s evening shearing demonstration, “I always found sheep really wild, but the way he handled it looked easy.”

Thomson explained that she thinks these types of demonstrations benefit the area’s youth by showing them new skills in working with animals that not all children are exposed to.

“It’s a really great education for the kids,” she said. “Just watching it gives a strong impression. It may encourage kids to raise sheep in 4-H.”