Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or "sheared", depending upon dialect). The annual shearing most often occurs in a shearing shed, a facility especially designed to process often hundreds and sometimes more than 3,000 sheep per day.

What is sheep shearing season?

Spring is the most common season for shearing sheep, though sheep may be sheared at any time as long as there is enough wool to keep the animal warm in winter. Sheep may be sheared before lambing, as the wool quality of the lactating ewes (after lambing) may be reduced.

Why is shearing done in sheep?

Sheep didn't always need to be sheared; people breed sheep to produce excess wool. ... Most of our rescued sheep are wool breeds—or wool/hair crosses—and can't regulate this excess weight on their own. So we shear them to keep them from overheating and to improve their quality of life.