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A Jute rug on a Sheep

Rugging sheep has a dual purpose.  In cold areas such as the Monaro, Southern and New England Tablelands in NSW and in Tasmania, some farmers have rugged their sheep off-shears to reduce sheep losses from the cold.  Some have used the snow combs which increase the length of the stubble left, but it is still open and the wax has been melted by the heat of the comb, leaving the stubble tip dry and open.  A sheep farmer in Southern Patagonia in Argentina decided to go to New Zealand to learn how to shear correctly with the blades (they had much better schools for teaching shearing than Australia).  He went home and taught a team of 8 shearers to shear with the blades.  Instead of leaving dry, open stubble, the blades leave the equivalent of one month’s growth of wool and the blades actually close the fibres together and the wax sticks them together to form a “blanket” over the sheep.  They have shorn sheep in winter with cold, strong wind blowing with a chill factor of -10 to 20oC.  When these sheep are released they will commence feeding, while machine shorn sheep will huddle together in a corner and may even smother and die, as in snow storms in the Mid North of SA with no trees for protection.

Rugs have also been used on valuable superfine wool Merinos to prevent water penetration and stains, or dust penetration, both of which cause heavy discounts in the price for superfine wool.  However, the price has to be high enough to justify the expenditure of rugs.  It is high enough in the Sharlea superfine sheep in sheds where rugs stop sheep eating wool off one another.

In part of the Selection Demonstration Trial at Turretfield Research Centre from 1996 to 2006, there was a superfine flock.  Ewes were bought from WA in a clean high rainfall area near Kojonup and the yield of clean wool was over 70%.  However, at Roseworthy College, where they were depastured for several years, the yield fell to 48%.  So half of the sheep were rugged to measure the benefits and increased returns from the cleaner fault free wool.

(Source: Brian Jefferies)

High Wool Prices

During this period (1960s to early 70s) 20’s micron merino wool and finer were tested for price benefits resulting from rugging sheet.  The object was to prevent quality deterioration from the effect of the sun on the staple tip, as well as contamination from dust and vegetation along the shoulder and flanks.

Some commercial growers and sheep studs adopted the practice.  After a period the practice waned because rugs were damaged, fell off, or couldn’t show any better results than those experienced from shedding and feeding sheep in pens.

Lambing Time

Some wool growers who lived in areas with severe winters, rugged their lambs soon after birth to prevent deaths.  Again, the practice of shedding ewes with lambs at foot for three days or so, was shown to be less trouble and more successful.

Stud Sheep

Stud merino breeders rugged and shedded their show animals, during the time leading up to and including, their attendance, at major and country shows.

(Source: Harry Nash through Sarah Harrison, April 2007)