Farmers in Tasmania are preparing Shaun, thought to be the world's woolliest sheep, for his first shearing so it is not a fatal one.

Peter Hazell caught the animal on Sunday after spotting it wandering in scrubland on his property in the state's Midlands.

Mr Hazell said he was getting Shaun ready for the shock of shearing, which he fears could kill the sheep if it was done without proper preparation in the cold conditions.

He said the solution was to partner him with a ewe and then fit a coat against the cold weather afterwards.

"The main thing was to get him with another sheep so that he has a cobber to mate up with, because we'll have to keep careful with him after he's shorn," Mr Hazell said.

"If we get some cold weather that could affect him, and he could die, so we've got a rug to put on him and we'll shed him after he's been shorn for a night.

"Once he acclimatises he'll be fine, but we've got to be very careful in the few days after he's been shorn to make sure he survives the shock.

"He's going a lot better today because we've introduced a girlfriend if you like, a pet sheep we have - Prue."

Bonding with another sheep will help settle Shaun down for what is thought to be his first date with the clippers.

After a tense introduction, Mr Hazell said the pair was getting on well.

"They've touched noses now, so that's good," he said.

Prue is due to give birth soon and Mr Hazell hoped Shaun would think of himself as the father to the new lambs after his makeover.

Mr Hazell and his wife Netty estimated Shaun's fleece would weigh at least 25 kilograms.

The farmers believe Shaun could have come from a farm on Tasmania's east coast, and were surprised it had managed to wander so far and appear so healthy with such a heavy coat.