The invention relates to an animal shearing machine with a housing, a shearing head connected to the housing and a drive unit arranged in the housing. The drive unit comprises an electric motor and a reduction gear connected to the shaft of the electric motor. The shearing head of the animal shearing machine has a stationary shearing blade and a movable shearing blade. A planetary gear is used as reduction gear. The driven shaft of the planetary gear is arranged parallel, in particular coaxially to the shaft of the electric motor. If oscillatingly driven shearing heads are used, the drive unit comprises an eccentric connected to the driven shaft of the reduction gear and an oscillating lever. The oscillating lever is in engagement with the movable shearing blade via the first front end and with the eccentric via a sliding element in the area of the second rear end.