Sheep

[Mrsbarnyard13]

When is it to late to dock a lambs tail?
and what are the pros/ cons of leaving tails long
i have two suffolk ram/lambs with long tails they are about 4 months old. i want to keep one for breeding. ive heard maggots can become a problem with their tails. what are your thoughts?
TIA

 

[Doc McCluckins]

I got into Cotswold sheep (longwools) this year and I bought a herd sellout from a guy. All the older ewes and rams were docked but the man who owned them had not docked tails for two years so the yearling ewes have tails and so did the lambs born before I purchased them in the spring. Those born on our place have had tails docked. I am not a fan at all of the tails being left on. With mine being sooo wooly I feel like the poo accumulates much worse on those with tails. Flystrike is a concern. It is also more difficult to shear around a long tail. I will be docking all of ours in the future. I have heard after they are more than a week old that it would have to be done by a vet. I am interested to hear others opinions as well. I am new to sheep in general.

 

[cassie]

Tails are docked on sheep for reasons of sanitation. Manure can collect under the tail and cause all sorts of problems. You should be able to dock them at any age with an elastrator band. When you do so, give a tetanus antitoxin shot and if the weather is warm and flies are a problem, put a screw worm spray on the tail to prevent infestation of maggots.

 

[6th_Happiness]

A person with our breed of sheep who said they had no trouble leaving the tails on- so we tried it with our first lamb... disaster. (it was true hers were not docked, but I think she may have selected for sheep that stand differently when they eliminate, so as to keep their tails cleaner... only thing we could think of). Anyway, I tried cleaning our girl EVERY DAY but she still got so much accumulated poop/urine that it caused her skin to burn and slough off under the tail. We banded it and kept an eye on it for infection (didnt happen, but we caught things early and were very dilligent about watching and keeping it clean; I cant recall if we gave her anti-B's just in case or if we just had it on hand in case we saw trouble starting).

Best to dock when young, when you do ear tags, wether the boys, and all that. But if need be, you can dock older lambs or adult sheep, as in our case. It took a little longer for it to fall off, but other than that, no difference.

WE do all our lambs now. We dock them so there are a couple inches worth of tail- this helps protect sensitive areas on the girls, and to spred the poop/fertiliser. Also, if you do it too close to the body, you could injure muscles around the anus.

 

[6th_Happiness]

A person with our breed of sheep who said they had no trouble leaving the tails on- so we tried it with our first lamb... disaster. (it was true hers were not docked, but I think she may have selected for sheep that stand differently when they eliminate, so as to keep their tails cleaner... only thing we could think of). Anyway, I tried cleaning our girl EVERY DAY but she still got so much accumulated poop/urine that it caused her skin to burn and slough off under the tail. We banded it and kept an eye on it for infection (didnt happen, but we caught things early and were very dilligent about watching and keeping it clean; I cant recall if we gave her anti-B's just in case or if we just had it on hand in case we saw trouble starting).

Best to dock when young, when you do ear tags, wether the boys, and all that. But if need be, you can dock older lambs or adult sheep, as in our case. It took a little longer for it to fall off, but other than that, no difference.

WE do all our lambs now. We dock them so there are a couple inches worth of tail- this helps protect sensitive areas on the girls, and to spred the poop/fertiliser. Also, if you do it too close to the body, you could injure muscles around the anus.

 

[Doc McCluckins]

@cassie @6th_Happiness So banding a yearling would be ok as long as you gave a tetanus shot?

 

[Gray Farms]

I always dock my lambs. I've even docked adult sheep that I've bought. I band mine. On adults you just have to be sure and get the band between the bones. And I use two bands on adults incase one would break. It always comes off nice and neat but does take longer with adults. Wool sheep almost have to be docked "other have explained why very well". Leave enough tail to cover their "holes".

 

[Doc McCluckins]

Another question. I understand banding would be ideal for an adult and we have banded our lambs this year. But I have seen videos where the tails are just lopped off of young lambs. It seems to me that might be a better alternative to banding (young lambs). My opinion being mostly based on cattle experience and castrating. Castrating has always been much less problematic than banding, especially concerning tetanus. And its also over and done with quickly for both farmer and calf. Thoughts?

 

[Gray Farms]

I've only ever banded, for over 15 years now "tails and nuts". Never given a tetanus shot either.

 

[Zoomie]

I used to have a vet, years ago, who taught me to castrate and not band, because she thought banding was cruel. So for years I did not band, believing that it was cruel. However... these days, I'm not so sure that banding is as bad as she thought it was, and in particular for tail docking. After talking with many other farmers, and personal experience, I think banding for tails can work just fine. I do give shots, however... I give CDT, which has tetanus in it.