Bad shearing cuts
- Thread starter Doris1142
- Start date
Castle Farm
Member
another shearer.
sheepwise
Member
- Location
- SW Scotland
Fair enough but even the best shearer in the world can have a wee slip up. The OP is trying to be sensible in being prepared for all eventualities. Not much fun stuck out at a set of sheep pens on a hill holding you finger over a bleeding milk vein on a sticky bellied ewe with only the bag needle and baler twine available.Get a proper half moon stitching needle from your vet and a roll of stitching gut. Keep it in your shearing bag and hopefully you’ll rarely need it.
d williams
Member
Cobwebs stuff plenty before a couple stitch
How bout do them yourself.
I used to shear like Edward Scissor Hands, moved the comb forward a mm more than the people who can actually shear and cuts don't happen much at all.
A cutting needle is far easier to use than a round one and will last longer because the round ones don't go through skin without big pressure applied. Proper medical suture material can be very expensive
primmiemoo
Member
- Location
- Devon
APS sells skin suturing kits. Page 65 of their catalogue online
serf
Member
- Location
- warwickshire
Captive bolt gun 
- Location
- West Wales
The 6” half curved suture needle is what we’ve always used for prolapses, use the string that wool bags come with for stitching prolapses, only ever seen 1 cut on a ewe that needed stitching
Was once shearing with a right clever sod, I pulled one out of the pen that the dog had nipped the back leg (honestly!), for the next run he kept on calling me butcher. First sheep of the last run of the day he hit the milk vain and bloody everywhere, moral is never comment until you have shorn your whole career without cutting one!
Take them out before next year or the machine will cough a bit!
primmiemoo
Member
- Location
- Devon
The 6” half curved suture needle is what we’ve always used for prolapses, use the string that wool bags come with for stitching prolapses, only ever seen 1 cut on a ewe that needed stitching
I've only had to deal with one ever, too. From memory, the dog came rushing in, and made the shearer jump. The stitching was done with a sewing needle and mercerised cotton thread, dipped in surgical spirit, and everyone recovered
The OP only wants to feel reassured, which makes sense. Even if it's only needed once, a ready to use suture needle and gut would be very handy to have in the meds box.
Well worth having a kit on hand, I’ve seen over eager ewes leaping away after shearing only to land on the corner of the trailer or something and open up a nasty gash on the side, easy done when the skin is so thin after clipping and without the protection of a wool layer.
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Curved needle and dental floss and your kitted up properly.
ianlucasshearing
Member
- Location
- Kent
Elastrator rings work well for milk viens. Aslong as you put it on as soon as possible,
i got the half moon ones like @Al R shows , but they can twist about a bit /hard to hold if its very tough skin
- Location
- North Wales
The s needle in the Horner link above. And there's a cotton string you can buy specially for the job. I brought some back from NZ so don't know who has it over here.