Wool

'Over the Brae'

I have to travel over the brae to get to the next village. This wool has been caught in the barb wire for a few months now. There is certain seasons when sheep lose their wool both naturally and unnaturally.

The sheep shearing season starts on the 25th of May and finishes at the end of July. Working around Dumfries and Galloway through my work allows me to travel places which I would never usually come across. Each farm marks their sheep to keep track of their livestock, the colours vary from farm to farm.

Markers are also used when the sheep are wounded when being clipped by the shearers, so the farmer can keep track and treat the wound.

The use of marking interests me and I want to explore this further. Each farm has their own and area and use different ways to make this clear.

Mark making with dye

The concept of marking.

The use of marking and the theory of marking interests me. Marking livestock is something that has always been done to keep track of livestock. Each farmer marks their sheep a different colour to the farms next door.

Sheep are also marked in lambing time to keep track of lambs and their mothers. Also in sheering season, Sheep are marked when they are cut so the farmer can treat it and keep an eye on it for infection.