desertranger Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 I see ads for them. From $20 to over a hundred for some very nice ones in lengths from 1-2meters. I have seen them carried by a lot of people at trials only I wonder what they are used for besides opening and closing gates. Would someone please explain the staff or crook as used by BC owners. I have walking/hiking stick 4ft (1.2m) long and it might be suitable. Otherwise I'll make a longer one if need be and if I have a use for one. Do I have a use for one? Is it needed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronHorse Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Just a definition i pulled off the net, but besides the obvious uses as an extension of ones arm to guide sheep or a hook to grab one by its neck and as a weapon, I thought it explains alot. Besides their just cool Early versions of the shepherd's crook were likely carved or constructed from wood, or often horn. In fact the crooked handle may be called the horn. Length of the staff is variable. A shorter person would want a shorter crook, with the handle no higher than, or slightly below the hip. As with any walking cane, a shepherd, a goatherd, or a herder of any animals might find the crook extremely useful in walking across difficult or changing terrain. When not in use, the crook could be hung over the arm. In modern times, you’ll still find many shepherds and goatherds, especially in the British Isles, who use a shepherd's crook on a daily basis. While some still prefer the feel of carved wood or horn, others prefer a more modern version of the crook. You can certainly purchase elaborately carved crooks, many as useful as they are ornamental. A newer trend is to offer shepherd’s crooks in light but sturdy metals. There are fans of both old and new forms. Prices for the elaborately carved wooden sticks, which may be all or at least partially handmade can be particularly expensive. You can expect to spend at least 300-400 US Dollars (USD) if not considerably more for the more elaborate crooks. Aluminum crooks are lighter in weight, and some may be more durable than their wooden counterparts. These may cost about 20-40 USD depending upon where you purchase them. You can also buy fairly simple mass-manufactured wood crooks for approximately the same price. Not only does the shepherd's crook serve as a walking stick, with many people using them only in that manner, but they may also serve a significant function in the shepherding world. The curved handle is normally wide enough to fit around the neck of a sheep or goat, allowing a herder to catch an animal that is straying and reroute them to a different direction. A crook might also have been used to hold a sheep in place while the animal was shorn. This is not common today; most sheep are tethered during the sheering process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Desertranger, If you're not actually handling sheep on a regular basis, then you don't need a shepherd's crook. If you find a walking stick suitable for your needs, then that's what you should use. But if you happen to like crooks and just want one, then get one! At trials, a crook (or a stick without a curved top) is an extension of my arm, as IronHorse notes. The standard crook can be used catch a sheep by its neck. A smaller-necked version, known as a cleek, can be used to catch sheep by the leg. But of course that's for work around the farm as you're not allowed to touch the sheep in a trial. I sometimes use a stick and sometimes a crook. My handmade crooks that are special to me I generally just use for light duty at trials because I don't want them to be damaged. For everyday use at home, I'd opt for one of the cheaper chestnut or metal crooks because I wouldn't have to worry about damaging them. Generally crooks come to the bottom of the shepherd's breastbone (at least that's how it was described to me by a crook maker), which would make them a bit tall for walking stick purposes (if you need to lean on the stick anyway). J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted March 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Thanks guys and gals. @Julie I don't have a need for a crook, I just wanted to know about them. Of the walking sticks I have, and I make my own, one is a 4ft wooden spoon and the other comes up to my armpit. Both have small snake notches carved in the ends allowing me to pin a snakes head to the ground so that it can't get away. Mostly used to move rattlers away from the scene. As for whether I'll ever have a use for one. Probably not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painted_ponies Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Oh, you really must find someone whom you can help worm sheep at least once. You crowd them all together in a little corner of the field, using hog panels, until you have the approximate density of the Columbus Circle subway stop at rush hour. It's like being in a gigantic pillow fight, only with live pillows. The crook lets you anchor a single sheepie to shoot wormer down her/his throat, and keep her/his head up until s/he swallows it. Then before you let go you chalk her/his forehead so s/he doesn't get double-dosed - sheep looking remarkably alike even at close range. It's a whole lot of fun, plus your skin feels great the whole rest of the day from rubbing up against all that lanolin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue_Deutscher Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 "approximate density of the Columbus Circle subway stop at rush hour" ha ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Meier Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 You crowd them all together in a little corner of the field, using hog panels, until you have the approximate density of the Columbus Circle subway stop at rush hour Hog panels, that what I use my dog for, it's his job to keep the mob together so I can treat them, of course it always just me and him or her, I don't have anyone to help push things together. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Hog panels? Where are the dogs during all this? I use my crook more as a distraction - I'm behind the sheep, the dog's in front, she moves forward, I crook her in the neck but I don't PULL her back - I'm ready to catch her as she goes forward into my arms. I do use it a little more bluntly on lambs, who require more of the rodeo treatment. I use a Walmart wooden cane with the rubber stopper taken off. They do sell stock canes of a similar size and shape but I find that the round part isn't rounded enough. I've been told that a crook should reach from your forearm to the ground, while hanging on your wrist with your arm bent ninety degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Crooks are also very useful for errant younguns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
concrete Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 I usually worm by myself with a dog in a corner somewhere and don't bother with hog panels, trim feet the same way. I use a crook for catching sheep never carry one while training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 I usually worm by myself with a dog in a corner somewhere and don't bother with hog panels, trim feet the same way. I use a crook for catching sheep never carry one while training. Same here. Well, I use my crook at trials, but don't generally carry a stick when training. I do like having someone here to help--it makes the job (especially hoof trimming) go more quickly if there's someone sharing the work that you can talk to. Sometimes I don't even use a corner, just push the sheep into the round pen and expect the dog to cover and hold them near where I'm working, without letting them push back and forth over me (since there's no actual corner to hold them in). J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Stein Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 A crook might also have been used to hold a sheep in place while the animal was shorn. This is not common today; most sheep are tethered during the sheering process. Just thought I'd mention that most sheep are not tethered during the shearing process. They are held by the shearer in a progressive series of holds which immobilize them. Show sheep are often tethered for finishing touches, but sheep are not tethered for ordinary shearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Eileen's absolutely corrrect on the shearing thing. And although I am not accomplished at the various holds (much to Tom F's chagrin) so I can shear like the real shearers do, if I'm going to tether a sheep to shear it, I want both hands free for shearing, one to operate the shears and one to stretch any wrinkles out of the skin, so if I have to hold a sheep for shearing, it's going to have a halter on and either be tied to a post or up on a fitting stand. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
concrete Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 I agree with Julie and Eillen about shearing. The real secret is in the various holds that smooth the skin and convince the sheep they can't move. The scariest part of learning to shear was when a sheep managed to get free and I was trying to keep it restrained with one hand while not cutting anybody with the shearers in the other. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 A crook might be handy in the catch pen before shearing if one were working by oneself, but if you don't want to take all day you don't shear on a stand. The others are right - stand shearing is usually seen in the context of show sheep. We turn the sheep and basically immobilize them on the ground - mostly on their butts - the scariest move is while the sheep is laying on its side but the easiest cuts are also being performed then. She really has no idea what's coming. Opening the belly. This is the part where you can lose a jumpy sheep and they can go hopping away trailing their half-shorn fleece. Not that this has EVER happened to me. Then you roll the sheep and you have a shot at it happening on the other side. Or getting kicked in the wrist and not being able to shear for the rest of the season, like I did shortly after doing this little photo shoot. The good news is that this is the last step! A sheep having a bad hair day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 I enjoyed your pictures, Becca! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 I have a crook, but I'll confess I'm more likely to poke my own eye out with it than I am to actually catch a sheep with it. With my dog and a corner (or fence, or if I'm lucky sometimes out in the open) I can usually catch whatever sheep I'm after. Anyhow, part of the problem with the crook I have is that it's too long, and one of these days I'm going to cut it down a tad. I too will use a crook or stick as an extension of my arm. Then again, I had a crook and a whistle before I had a real dog, and didn't know that I would hate that crook as far as usefulness goes. I can, however, snare a snake with a cleek like nobody's business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted March 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 You guys... You guys are... Brilliant. First thanks for the photos and I've seen sheep shearing contests. Not only did I learn something but you gave me a million ideas on how to better control a bus load of tourists. Typically 56 to a full load. Use Jin to herd them around the track and the crook to keep them from touching what they shouldn't. ROFLMAO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsnrs Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Great discussion all. My neighbor bought me a crook to watch the sheep. I'm a newbie at stock work. Mainly it is my security blanket. I have used it to catch sheep to sell them; take to butcher; etc. N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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