Uses for scurfy wool?

So, upon shearing, i realized that my llama has something like scurf, and so do some of the sheep. Apparently, shearing should help cure this - and i plan to worm them all after lambing is over. (but i am sad that Beyonce's fleece was unusable... ) Anyway, I am looking for ideas to use up the scurfy wool. I don't want to just throw it out, because i'm sure i can use it for something... but i need ideas!

Some ideas I've had - use it in the garden as a mulch? - cons - i've heard that it doesn't biodegrade easily.
use it to keep plants warm at the end of the summer (we live very far up north in Canada) - possible?
use it to insulate the greenhouse my husband says he will build me this summer? OR insulate lambing jugs in the pole barn? Even just the lower four feet or so?

Any other ideas? I'm going to see what i can salvage/wash/card/spin - but i have wool from fifteen ewes, one ram, and one llama. So, i have quite a bit of wool that needs to find a use which is not in my spinning wheel...

I've used wool as mulch or sheet composting with no special problems. Just use a thin layer under other mulch such as woodchips.

Maybe you could make felt with some of it?

if there isn't tons of scurf in it I wouldn't bat an eye at spinning it. I have spun some that it wasn't noticeable at all. of course it was white wool and wasn't dyed which helps. black wool would make it more noticeable. but I noticed some of it carded out and I picked out a bit while spinning.

If there is quite a bit in it then it wouldn't hurt to spin it bulky and use it for a rug where it wont need to look super perfect anyhow.

what part of the world are you in?

Treat it with borax and use it as insulation. (You need borax because it repels rodents from using it for nests).

kadence blevins wrote:if there isn't tons of scurf in it I wouldn't bat an eye at spinning it. I have spun some that it wasn't noticeable at all. of course it was white wool and wasn't dyed which helps. black wool would make it more noticeable. but I noticed some of it carded out and I picked out a bit while spinning.

If there is quite a bit in it then it wouldn't hurt to spin it bulky and use it for a rug where it wont need to look super perfect anyhow.

what part of the world are you in?

Thanks, Kadence! I'm in northern Canada . The first few websites i read said to just discard it, but i DID want to make a new rug... we'll see. I'm new to spinning, too (watched some of your videos) - so we'll see how it goes

Travis Johnson wrote:Treat it with borax and use it as insulation. (You need borax because it repels rodents from using it for nests).

Thanks, Travis! I asked my other sheep friends around here, and one insulated an outhouse, one a chicken coop, and one other structure - so that's on my list, too!
I didn't know to treat with borax, would i just soak it in diluted borax and let air dry? (doable)

I thought I'd post one more idea that my friend gave me - it's actually not just for scurfy wool, but for the little gross crotch bits or belly bits that are more fetid. She said to collect those up and put them underneath plants as you plant them in the garden or in containers (but smell?) - over time, the plants are watered, the roots reach down to the rich poopy wool - and it gives them timed release fertilizer? Not sure if anyone's tried this, but i think i may

Stephanie Fehler wrote:

Travis Johnson wrote:Treat it with borax and use it as insulation. (You need borax because it repels rodents from using it for nests).

Thanks, Travis! I asked my other sheep friends around here, and one insulated an outhouse, one a chicken coop, and one other structure - so that's on my list, too!
I didn't know to treat with borax, would i just soak it in diluted borax and let air dry? (doable)

I'm using wool for sound-proofing walls and floors inside the home we are building. I use the suint cleaning method, then add borax. I've been adding about a cup of borax to the horse trough I am cleaning the wool in. After the borax rinse, I let the wool drain on our trampoline. When dry, I fluff it by hand and put it into empty feed bags I've been collecting, staple them shut, and then place in the framing of the walls and joists of the floors.

First I should mention that I have never used wool before so I might be totally off here but

couldn't it be used for wool balls for the dryer?

I just got interested in using wool balls since I'm opposed to sheets in the dryer.

Would love the feedback. Can it be used this way even though it is scurfy?

Give it a wash, and if you don't like it for spinning, make felt out of it. You can make anything with felt, and it uses a ton of fleece in no time.

Finula

Grungy raw fleece is wonderful for adding to dirt road surfacing. Helps create a more stable base. We add a layer to our muddy farm road in the spring time.