Sheep...

[palefrost]

Why is it when it rains..Sheep dont shrink? They do have wool coats right?

[LightHeart]

Why is it when it rains..Sheep dont shrink? They do have wool coats right?

Probably the same reason I keep finding empty ice cream cartons in my freezer, yet no one has eaten any.:disbelief

[OneofaKind]

I guess their woold doesn't shrink, because it hasn't gone through the same type of processing as the woolen clothes that we wear.

[FourBear]

It might shrink a bit, but since it isn't woven into anything, it just gets more of a curl to it ;) When wool is used for clothing, it is stretched quite a bit.

[Sister]

Well I have to admit this is something I haven't thought of before! LOL! I like the answer that the wool is stretch before it becomes clothing. :)

[TheWriteKind]

Wool is stretched when it becomes clothing. It's stretched out and pulled out into thread which is twisted into yarn which is then knit into clothing.

[palefrost]

Thats not the reason. There is actually a real reason the wool is not effected on them. :D

[rubybeetle]

Do you know the reason? Tell us if you do! :dork: I have no idea! I asked my husband if he knew, but he just laughed.

[LyricB]

Maybe the sheep pull it back out after the rain when nobody is looking? :D They're crafty, those sheep....

[hokeshel]

And for that matter, why does your leather coat get ruined but, cows don't?

[tater03]

I thought this was a really neat question. Here is what I found through the farmer's almanac. Sheep don't shrink because they manufacture lanolin, a greasy secretion from the sebaceous glands. The lanolin collects in the wool and prevents it from drying out and shrinking. Once the wool is sheared, it passes through several water rinses designed to remove the lanolin.

[TinyStar]

Let's ask some other boggling questions...
Like why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways?

[Peabug]

things that make you go hmmmmm....

[Melos]

Ahh Tater - I was going to say lanolin :)

Ask a silly question and search for a real answer to it... funny.

[palefrost]

LOL. Yup its lanoin but isnt it a great image to have of a little sheep shrinking in the rain? LOL. I love sheep i think they are so cute!

[nightgirl]

A very nice question! I used to be puzzled by those stuffs too but as I have read the explanations on this post. Yeah, it's right. I don't have to be really puzzled by it anymore. It's like "Eureka!" an answer at last! Anyhow, another thing that a friend told me why the wool on the sheep don't shrink is because they are still attached to the sheep hence, they are still growing unlike the wool on our dresses those are like dead hairs that don't develop anymore.

[Fluffernutter]

They do have wool coats right?
No actually it's a polyester-wool blend. When they make wool clothing they remove the polyester first.

[womanistic]

Now wouldn't it be weird if sheeps would shrink everytime it rains? Then I guess it would be best to buy them when it's raining so they would cost less because they would weigh less, isn't it? What do you think?

[sweet_mayhem]

hmm...must be something in the sheep's diet that makes their wool stay that way no matter what....:disbelief