Hot knife tailing thoughts

[taff]

I know this has been covered before but I was wondering how,when people do it and what experiences people have had of it?
We got hammered with joint I'll in our autumn lambing flock and I was looking at ways to help prevent this

 

[devonshire farmer]

Watching with interest we lamb in November and find the rings are rubbish now, net tex seem the worst with elastrator this year proving much better

 

[spin cycle]

I know this has been covered before but I was wondering how,when people do it and what experiences people have had of it?
We got hammered with joint I'll in our autumn lambing flock and I was looking at ways to help prevent this

do you lamb outside?

 

[taff]

Watching with interest we lamb in November and find the rings are rubbish now, net tex seem the worst with elastrator this year proving much better

Our joint I'll was so bad we were catching up each group and jabbing every f##kin lamb! at 4 weeks old I was still pulling of half off tails I thought it was just cos they weren't growing but maybe it was the bands. Hot knife looks quick and clean and we don't castrate so seems logical

 

[taff]

do you lamb outside?

No

 

[neilo]

I know this has been covered before but I was wondering how,when people do it and what experiences people have had of it?
We got hammered with joint I'll in our autumn lambing flock and I was looking at ways to help prevent this

Do you not (in the UK) legally have to use an anaesthetic if tailing lambs over 7 days old? That’s what I was told by an inspector last month anyway.
My use of rubber rings allowed him to tick his box anyway.

If you are getting joint-ill from the wound after the tails drop off, I would consider vaccinating for erysiphilis. That’s exactly the reason we started, many years ago, and I’ve been afraid to stop, even though it’s dearer to do now.
The infection was getting in that wound and causing serious issues at 3-4 weeks old, rather than a few days old for navel infections. Never see any late ones now at all (or since we started vacc’ing nearly 30 years ago), whichever ring we use.

 

[devonshire farmer]

Our joint I'll was so bad we were catching up each group and jabbing every f##kin lamb! at 4 weeks old I was still pulling of half off tails I thought it was just cos they weren't growing but maybe it was the bands. Hot knife looks quick and clean and we don't castrate so seems logical

We have also found when catching them up, spraying around the rings with engymycin spray just as effective as a jab so it’s definitely related to the rings

 

[devonshire farmer]

Do you not (in the UK) legally have to use an anaesthetic if tailing lambs over 7 days old? That’s what I was told by an inspector last month anyway.
My use of rubber rings allowed him to tick his box anyway.

If you are getting joint-ill from the wound after the tails drop off, I would consider vaccinating for erysiphilis. That’s exactly the reason we started, many years ago, and I’ve been afraid to stop, even though it’s dearer to do now.
The infection was getting in that wound and causing serious issues at 3-4 weeks old, rather than a few days old for navel infections. Never see any late ones now at all (or since we started vacc’ing nearly 30 years ago), whichever ring we use.

We tend to get 3 or 4 rings snap a year, they definitely aren’t as strong as they were and no we didn’t forget to ring them!

 

[Macsky]

@Top Tip.

 

[devonshire farmer]

@taff what brand rings are you using or find best?

 

[taff]

Do you not (in the UK) legally have to use an anaesthetic if tailing lambs over 7 days old? That’s what I was told by an inspector last month anyway.
My use of rubber rings allowed him to tick his box anyway.

If you are getting joint-ill from the wound after the tails drop off, I would consider vaccinating for erysiphilis. That’s exactly the reason we started, many years ago, and I’ve been afraid to stop, even though it’s dearer to do now.
The infection was getting in that wound and causing serious issues at 3-4 weeks old, rather than a few days old for navel infections. Never see any late ones now at all (or since we started vacc’ing nearly 30 years ago), whichever ring we use.

I know nothing about erysiphilis but will look into that thanks.
As for the 7 days thing wounderd if I could do them out of the shed at a few days old not sure if it would work?

 

[taff]

@taff what brand rings are you using or find best?

Netex rings general whatever ag store has never given it much thought until now

 

[spin cycle]

No

got my first ever case last week to a lamb born outside......only heard of erisyphilus in a big outdoor flock that lambed outside and hot tailed

 

[Top Tip.]

We lamb outside and hot knife the tails ,I have used most forms of tailing devices over the years and this is definitely the best . Clean hygienic quick humane, I could go on but you get the picture.

 

[devonshire farmer]

We lamb outside and hot knife the tails ,I have used most forms of tailing devices over the years and this is definitely the best . Clean hygienic quick humane, I could go on but you get the picture.

So they can be done at birth?
Only ever seen it done in New Zealand on older lambs!

 

[taff]

We lamb outside and hot knife the tails ,I have used most forms of tailing devices over the years and this is definitely the best . Clean hygienic quick humane, I could go on but you get the picture.

Generally what age do you do them? Would it work hot knifeing at 2 days old as we turn out? There would then be no need for anesthesia

 

[Top Tip.]

Generally what age do you do them? Would it work hot knifeing at 2 days old as we turn out? There would then be no need for anesthesia

Can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work at two days old .

 

[unlacedgecko]

Get a contractor in with a tailing chute and hot iron. If only you knew such a man ???

 

[Al R]

@exmoor dave has a taling chute if I remember right? Must be quite a few around the country as shearwell sell them?

the only lambs I’ve ever had joint ill or erysipelas with have been once that have spent any time in a shed like on an adopter crate. We used to use nettex septiclense in the shed and fields but we’d be forever catching lambs at 3-4 weeks old with joint ill. Since moving to 10% iodine spray to anything that Goes near the shed the incidences are less than 0.6% for joint ill and 0.3% for erysipelas.
Only use rubber rings here but definitely get some break, got 2 ewe lambs this year and 2 last year that were definitely ringed yet have long tails. Any recommendations on best rings? I had 1500 nettex last year that were good and then 500 generic in a bag and quality is nowhere near as good, they tend to ping off the pliers easier to have to get the hacksaw out and make bigger grooves in the pliers.

 

[Bury the Trash]

got my first ever case last week to a lamb born outside......only heard of erisyphilus in a big outdoor flock that lambed outside and hot tailed

It's still a cut or a wound , so the bugs will have a chance to get in .
Op shouldnt forget Theres other ways to get in the newborn lamb like , via sucky titty or navel .