Tasks undertaken prior to shearing ewes can greatly cut down on stress and workload.

Housing ewes prior to shearing, if possible, will reduce stress on the animal and the operator.

Full sheep can be 10kg to 15kg heavier than fasted sheep, which is a lot of extra weight to handle.

Housing is frequently not possible where ewes are suckling young lambs and in this case leaving animals in a bare paddock prior to shearing can help.

Do not make the mistake of bringing animals to a convenient fresh paddock the night before as animals will increase intake when offered access to fresh grazing, no matter how little a cover of grass you think may be present.

Drafting lambs off ewes facilitates easier handling (and helps reduce the risk of flystrike), as does setting up a simple system where sheep can be located beside where animals are being shorn rather than having to carry out significant handling with each animal.

In terms of safety, a circuit breaker should be used and the working order of all leads and plugs should be checked prior to use.

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