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| Based on a rotational system, our rabbits come down to the shop every three months to be shorn. We use a sheep shearing hand piece with a Marino (10 tooth) comb and 3 tooth small cutter, and the machine has been slowed down as the fibre is so fine. The fibre is manually graded into: "90%", which is the very best fibre, kept for products which will be hand spun and knitted. It will be hand spun onto a dacron core, which gives it its colour, and hand knitted by skilled spinners and knitters throughout the area, into jerseys, scarves, baby booties etc And "30%" which is also a top quality fibre, but doesn't have the length required to be hand spun, and is sent away to be comercially produced into yarn. This fibre is blended with 70% fine Marino wool, some of which is then knitted by local knitters, into jerseys, scarves, hats etc, and the majority of the yarn is available in our shop in a variety of colours. |
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| F.A.Q's |
| Q: What do you keep the rabbits for? A: We keep them for their fibre, nothing more, and they will live out their natural lives at The Shearing Shed. Our bunnies are very special to us, so we don't kill them for their skins or meat, or mistreat them in any way. Q: Do you brush the rabbits? A: No. LIke most animals they groom themselves. We do however make sure that their runs are kept clean at all times. Q: Do the rabbits get cold once they've been shorn? A: No. We keep them in temperature controlled sheds, and we leave enough fibre on them to keep warm. Q: Do you sedate the rabbits for shearing? A: No. They jump around a fair bit when they're being shorn for the first time, but by the time they come down for their 3rd or 4th shearing, they're fairly accustomed to the whole procedure. Q: Are the rabbits friendly? A: The majority of them are relatively friendly, but will bite if they are poked and prodded, or if their faces are touched. (And they have a good sharp bite too!) Q: Do the rabbits have names? A: Yes - Fluffy, and Shorn (Ok, we have a few pets, and if you really want to know their names, you can find them in the Authors Notes) Q: How many rabbits do you have? A: Approximately 350, consisting of 15 breeding bucks (approx.), 10 shearing bucks (approx.), and 330 does (approx.) |