Rayon Butler keeps sheep looking sleek
Ten- year- old Lammy stood in a line with five other of his kind at Hope Zoo last weekend, eager for Rayon Butler to work his magic.
A 10-year-old ewe, Lammy’s heavy coat is about to be trimmed by Butler, a part-time sheep shearer whose job is as a full-time electrical engineer.
Adult sheep get a ‘haircut’ once each year to keep them healthy and allow them to live comfortably, especially during the hot summer months.
Butler said that “It is better for their growth because you can actually see their weight”. He also said that too much wool makes the animals uncomfortable.
THE STAR was given premium access to a grooming session last weekend as six sheep at the zoo receive a well-needed haircut. The animals were led from the barn to the cutting area, where zookeepers Jahiem Stewart and Oliver Jackson assisted in the process. Lammy peeked as Butler readied the shears. With a steady hand holding the shear, much concentration, as well as a strong grip of the animal, the grooming began.
Butler, who has a herd of 80 sheep at his farm in St Ann, said that the hair texture and wool for each breed of sheep – be it Katahdin or St Elizabeth black belly – will vary, and this may impact the grooming time. He said that grooming a sheep can take more than half an hour.
“You will find that after you finish shearing a sheep, they won’t all look the same, because of the texture and mixture of their wool,” Butler said.
Nationally, he said that many sheep owners do not place emphasis on grooming.
“Some may resort to grooming the animals themselves using scissors but the outcome is not neat,” he said.
The 47-year-old said that he decided to become a sheep shearer some years ago when he started attending agricultural shows and realised the importance of the animals being properly groomed.
“A lot of people don’t think animal grooming is important. When you shear them, it tells the true look of the animal. When you don’t shear, you think you have a big animal and when you shear, it’s like you have a little baby. It’s just like opening a business, the last thing on the list is garbage collection. So it is just like rearing animals. A lot of people don’t think grooming is important but it has to do with beauty,” the Kingston Technical High School graduate said. The small ruminant farmer said that he is trained to identify and even treat animals if he find cuts or skin issues when he removes the heavy wool. He said that he never attends a grooming session without a can of Ectoline medicated spray.
“They might have mites under the wool, so when you shear them you will be able to see the issue and treat it properly, because the mites go under the skin and infect them,” he said.
Although the animals may be entertained by the buzzing sound of the shears and the cooling relief now that their hair is being cut, Butler shared one mishap he had on the job.
“I had a guy that was assisting to take care of my farm, and one of the rams just came and lift him, and he did went down on the ground. So, it is advised, when you enter into a sheep pen, do not turn your back to the animals,” he warned.
Meanwhile, Lammy and her friends, having been entertained by the buzzing shears, moved about with style, thanks to the cooling relief that Butler provided.
Their sheared wool is heaped and packaged. Joey Brown, curator of the Hope Zoo, said it is given to other animals such as the monkeys and lions as toys.
The liberated sheep are not the only ones to come away from a session smiling. Butler said that he gets a form of professional fulfilment from seeing the animals in their unburdened state.
“It is satisfying, I love to see them looking good and properly groomed. I really can’t explain the feeling, but I really love it,” he said.