While it is customary to shear your sheep at least once yearly, this hasn’t always been the tradition. Sheep were domesticated about 500 years ago but have been alive much longer. They survived and still do in the wild battling the harsh environments successfully. But how do sheep survive in the wild without shearing?
Sheep can survive in the wild without shearing since their coats are made to cool them down in summer and keep them warm in Winter. However, as the weather gets warmer, wild sheep lose their wool by rubbing their bodies against rocks and trees.
Domestic sheep are docile animals who stay mainly in the fields or barn, but wild sheep live in treacherous landscapes.
Why Do Wild Sheep Need Wool?
Sheep that live in the wild have a lot of harsh conditions to battle, from rough terrains to extreme weather conditions.
Fortunately, the wool covering their bodies provides special protection to help them tolerate harsh weather conditions like the extreme cold in Winter, rain, and strong winds.
Wool helps sheep navigate various temperature levels. For instance, it is a natural insulator, keeping the sheep warm and allowing them to withstand the extreme cold in Winter.
On the flip side, it prevents moisture from escaping the sheep’s body and shields them from the scorching sun in summer.
Research shows that sheep with an inch of fleece are more comfortable than sheep with bodies covered with less wool.
This is because wool fibers dispel heat faster. Besides, wild sheep employ other ways to dissipate extreme heat and prevent heat stress in summer.
These methods include drinking plenty of water from streams, rivers, and ponds and escaping the sun and heat by spending time in shade under trees or caves.
READ ALSO: How To Shear A Sheep With Hand Shears? (Practical Guide!)
How Do Sheep in The Wild Shed Their Wool?
How do sheep survive in the wild without shearing? Well, while sheep were among the first type of animals to be domesticated by humans and have lived among us for thousands of years, not every sheep is domesticated. Some still live in the wild.
Sheep ancestors who still live in the wild are Rocky Mountain Bighorn (the most popular) and its less famous cousins, the Stone sheep and the Dall sheep.
The Stone sheep and Dall sheep grow about 2 inches of pure white fleece coat. They naturally lose their wool by scratching themselves on bushes, tree trunks, rocks, and other objects every summer.
You will see the Dall sheep in their native lands of Alaska, the Northern Territories, and the Yukon.
On the other hand, the Stone sheep mainly live in the Yukon and British Columbia. They grow fleece of different colors ranging from black and brown to white.
However, Bighorn sheep don’t produce wool but rather have hair that resembles the coarse hair of a deer.
The Rocky Mountain Bighorns live in the mountainous regions of Texas to Southern Canada, while the Desert Bighorns stay in the Southwest regions of the United States.
The mountain regions are cold but not compared to the Yukon; that’s why Bighorns don’t produce wool since they don’t require it to survive.
What is Molting in Wild Sheep?
Molting in sheep is the natural process of wild sheep losing their wool. This is essential, especially since these animals don’t have access to shearing services.
Molting typically happens in Spring to help them regulate body temperatures and eliminate dirty or damaged wool fibers.
For instance, Bighorn sheep, North America’s biggest wild sheep, shed their thick winter hair in June and July annually when it gets warm.
Molting is a practical process for these animals since it aids their survival by helping them avoid Summer’s extreme heat.
In addition, it helps them navigate rugged areas with high elevations more easily. Sheep in the wild also make the molting process more efficient by using rocks, trees, and other objects to rub against them to make shedding much easier.
While wild sheep like Bighorn sheep shed naturally, domestic sheep like Merino do not molt. Instead, they keep growing wool, producing about 10 to 40 pounds of wool annually. Therefore, you must shear most of the sheep you keep on your farm 1 to 2 times a year.
Wild sheep shed in Spring because it allows them to get rid of the coats they grew throughout the year. This helps them to remain comfortable and cool as it gets warm. In addition, it gives them ample time to grow back a long, heavy coat before Winter arrives.
What Happens to the Wool Shed by Wild Sheep?
The wool and hair that wild sheep shed naturally is good for the environment. For instance, birds will use the hair to make their nests because nest building and hair shedding happen in Spring.
READ ALSO: What To Do With Raw Wool? (7 Best Uses You Didn’t Know!)
How is Wool Shedding Healthy for Wild Sheep?
Besides aiding temperature regulation, wool shedding keep sheep healthy. In addition, wool rubbing has an evolutionary advantage. Sheep that get rid of their heavy coats will probably live healthier and longer lives.
Excess wool offers the perfect environment for bacteria, manure, and urine build-up. Therefore, shedding the wool helps eliminate bacteria before causing long-term issues such as discomfort and parasitic infections. This is why you will find wild sheep rubbing themselves against rocks and trees.
READ ALSO: Can Sheep Live without a Shepherd? (Reasons They Need a Shepherd!)
How Do Sheep Survive in the Wild Without Humans?
Sheep survived in the wild for many years before being domesticated by humans, and they did just fine.
However, that might be difficult to see considering how gentle these animals are, but it is true they protected themselves from predators and found things to eat on their own.
For instance, they climbed hard-to-reach places and used their horns to ward off predators.
Wild sheep have larger horns than domestic ones; the glorious huge horns of the bighorn sheep are a great example and are suitable for combat.
Sheep are good climbers, so they can reach high altitudes and steep mountain spots predators would not dare go to.
For instance, you will find the Argali sheep in climates of high altitudes (up to 5800 meters) or hiding in forests from humans and other predators.
It’s believed that the Urial sheep are endangered because they haven’t mastered how to live in remote high-altitude areas. However, the ability of wild sheep to self-shear is also fundamental for their survival in the wild.
It’s also worth noting that wild sheep are more muscular and bigger than domesticated sheep, with the largest breed being western East Asia’s Argali wild sheep.
The size gives them a better defense against predators such as small wolves and eagles.
On the contrary, domestic sheep rely on their human owners for many needs, ranging from shelter and food to protection.
This is why while wild sheep shed their wool on their own, you will have to shear the sheep on your farm unless you have breeds like the Katahdin, American Blackbelly, St. Croix, Romanov, Blackhead Persian, West African Dwarf, and Dorper.
Final Remarks
Sheep, especially in the wild, are highly adaptable, self-sufficient animals. Wild sheep can shed their coat successfully to stay cool by taking advantage of their surroundings. Objects like walls and trees come in handy during wool shedding.
If you’ve been wondering how do sheep survive in the wild without shearing, then we hope this article has answered all your questions.
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