Middleboro Review 2: Wool for the birds?

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Wool for the birds?

As temperatures climb, it’s time for the sheep to be shorn and go naked! This annual tradition keeps our wooly sheep cooler during the summer months. And here is your chance to keep a sanctuary sheep comfortable and provide your local birds with nest material!

Normally, all of the wool is left out for the wild birds to use as nesting material. We will still do that this year, but we want YOU to have an opportunity to do the same!

🥰 With your $30 donation, you help cover the cost of shearing one sheep. You will receive a wild bird nesting kit that contains a small sample of wool, a holder, sponsorship card, and instructions.

Not every sanctuary sheep gets shorn. Maybe you already know this, but wild and some domestic breeds grow hair and a light wool that sheds naturally. During domestication, hair and fine wool developed into a heavy, continually growing fiber.

For most of the sheep, though, next week will see them undergo a dramatic transformation! It is always a surprise. You never really know the size and shape of a sheep’s body until after shearing. 😅

🥰Your donation of $30 or more will help offset the cost of shearing and keep our sanctuary friends cool through the summer months.

We’ll mail you the wool from one of the rescued sheep as a token of our gratitude. Also included is a container, card about your sheep, and instructions. You might receive wool from Gigi, Cocomel, Conrad, or Noodles! And don’t worry, there will be plenty of wool for the wild birds here.

Whose wool might you receive to share with the birds?

💛13-yr-old Gigi was found hobbled inside a box truck on an impound lot. She is shy but recently started opening up to human friends. She often volunteers to keep Dolly company, our oldest sheep who is blind and lives in a separate pasture. We rotate a new sheep friend in with Dolly every few weeks.

💛2-yr-old Cocomel was left outside the house of a cat rescuer during a massive winter storm. Hypothermic and near-death, Cocomel was rushed to a veterinary hospital, at which point we took over care. He is very friendly and best friends with Marzipan.

💛 4-yr-old Conrad is a “bummer” lamb. These are lambs whose moms die during birth or abandon one of their lambs. Many don’t make it, often dying in the fields before discovery. Lucky for Conrad, he and 3 other lambs made their way to Animal Place. He has a delightful tuft on his head that we make sure not to shear

💛 13-yr-old Noodles knows what it is like not to be shorn. Confiscated as part of a cruelty case, Noodles likely had not been shorn in years. She could barely stand under the weight. Noodles was born with short-spine syndrome, a genetic condition that left her with a limp and more fragile bones. She’s a sassy lady who knows what she wants!