How to dock an older lambs tail

[Obi Wan]

I've two older lambs that I'm looking as selling on for breeding, they missed having their tails docked as the main flock started lambing sooner than expected. There about 3-4 months old now. What's the routine? Vet job or will they just whinge and say leave alone

 

[MRT]

I've two older lambs that I'm looking as selling on for breeding, they missed having their tails docked as the main flock started lambing sooner than expected. There about 3-4 months old now. What's the routine? Vet job or will they just whinge and say leave alone

I would ask your vet yes. They may whinge

 

[Obi Wan]

Probably end up leaving them, back in the good old days this wouldn't be seen as a problem but nosey townie neighbours hiding here in their second home are a royal pain in a##e

 

[MRT]

Probably end up leaving them, back in the good old days this wouldn't be seen as a problem but nosey townie neighbours hiding here in their second home are a royal pain in a##e

I'd leave them

 

[Bones]

Rubber ring, have they been double vaxanated? ,I know the cruelty police will be on in a minute , but won't do them any harm ,

 

[unlacedgecko]

Rubber ring, have they been double vaxanated? ,I know the cruelty police will be on in a minute , but won't do them any harm ,

It's illegal and cruel. My industry is under the spotlight from vegans et al. Please don't give illegal advice on an open forum.

 

[Bones]

It's illegal and cruel. My industry is under the spotlight from vegans et al. Please don't give illegal advice on an open forum.

Here we go

 

[Guleesh]

I think I'd better keep my 'secateurs' suggestion to myself

 

[Pistonbroke]

The one box of rings here said legal in NZ until five months. Don't see that on the legs in Tesco

 

[Cripper]

Whatever you do dont get the burdizzos on them!

Definitely not. That’s how they would have been done in the bad old days before we were enlightened

 

[egbert]

Long ago, when the world was young, I was lucky enough to have sat drinking cider (or very possibly zyder) with an old fella locally - 'mutton chop' side burns, bowler hat, the works
....now long gone sadly.
Amidst the pearls of wisdom was how to cut off lambs tails

You do em with a sharp knife when they'm several weeks.
They'm best when they'm doin real well, and fat as butter.
Don't ee upset um, cuz they'll bleed too much else.
Juzz pen em up with their muthars close by the chopping block (and i'm sure he said knife rather than axe), and speak quiet to em, find a joint tween thar bones... and there tiz.
An then you kin ave lambs tail pie fer tea...bootie!

He went on to describe curing constipation in bullocks- a process involving a handful of lard-, various other animal husbandry techniques
....and ever mindful to impart good advice to a rapt youngster.....what to do with a sore finger. (All together now...'you put it in zyder')

As far as the OP? Leave em on now.
I got plenty of long tail ewes, and see it as sign they jumped up and ran before Basil or I could get near em. a good sign!

 

[Pistonbroke]

Long ago, when the world was young, I was lucky enough to have sat drinking cider (or very possibly zyder) with an old fella locally - 'mutton chop' side burns, bowler hat, the works
....now long gone sadly.
Amidst the pearls of wisdom was how to cut off lambs tails

You do em with a sharp knife when they'm several weeks.
They'm best when they'm doin real well, and fat as butter.
Don't ee upset um, cuz they'll bleed too much else.
Juzz pen em up with their muthars close by the chopping block (and i'm sure he said knife rather than axe), and speak quiet to em, find a joint tween thar bones... and there tiz.
An then you kin ave lambs tail pie fer tea...bootie!

He went on to describe curing constipation in bullocks- a process involving a handful of lard-, various other animal husbandry techniques
....and ever mindful to impart good advice to a rapt youngster.....what to do with a sore finger. (All together now...'you put it in zyder')

As far as the OP? Leave em on now.
I got plenty of long tail ewes, and see it as sign they jumped up and ran before Basil or I could get near em. a good sign!

At Newton Rigg college in the nineties we were taught how to screw the tail off in your hands. Lambs never flinched or bled,I thought it was brilliant. I tried showing Dad at home one weekend and our lambs were a lot older. It didn't go well......never tried since.

 

[Obi Wan]

Cheers folks, enjoyed the stories of old and the comment about what's legal In NZ but won't be stated on the Tesco label Will try and catch the vet soon.

Was always a knife here on a dry day, pile of ewes tails to the right, wedders to the left, the grandfather would count them out at the end. Never seemed to bother them.

 

[Tim W]

Was always a knife here on a dry day, pile of ewes tails to the right, wedders to the left, the grandfather would count them out at the end. Never seemed to bother them.

And it may not ''bother'' them but to a certain extent that is irrelevant
What is certainly relevant are market demands and many countries in EU (which presently takes 50% of our lamb) do not allow docking or castration, i would like to retain access to that market
If i was a farmer in EU i would be asking for parity of standards for imports (just like we want from NZ) ] in the coming trade negotiations over Brexit

We don't always get want we want of course but there is no harm in asking and positive advantages to being ahead of the game in market demands

 

[Jockers84]

I hear you man ? the posts above are obviously stories of the PAST, or for the explanation to any hyper sensitive animal welfare types DOESN’T HAPPEN ANYMORE.
I ain’t no rebel or renegade, both the welfare of my animals, and free market access are paramount imho.
The OP was a serious and hopefully constructive question on how you would A. approach such a problem, and B. maybe then glean the costings from someone that’s been through said experience.

 

[Steel]

The one box of rings here said legal in NZ until five months. Don't see that on the legs in Tesco

Suprised there is an age limit in NZ. Here I’ll put a ring on if the tail is small enough for it to fit over.
Are you alowed to use a gas knife. They cut the tail off and coterize at the same time.

 

[Guleesh]

Illegal to put a ring a ring on a lambs tail as it is cruel, but its totally acceptable to have the same lamb eaten alive by the likes of sea eagles.

What enlightening times we are living through....

 

[Pistonbroke]

Just out of curiosity,how common is mulesing ( might be spelt wrong ) in NZ and Australia now? Makes a rubber ring look pretty tame

 

[unlacedgecko]

Just out of curiosity,how common is mulesing ( might be spelt wrong ) in NZ and Australia now? Makes a rubber ring look pretty tame

It's been banned in NZ since 01 October 2018. Still used in Australia, but there are alternatives such as breeding wrinkle free merions and using a technique similar to freeze branding.

About a year ago I had lunch with an Australian wool farmer. She bred away from mulesing 20 years ago, and is now looking for an alternative to live export for her slaughter merino wethers.

 

[egbert]

It's been banned in NZ since 01 October 2018. Still used in Australia, but there are alternatives such as breeding wrinkle free merions and using a technique similar to freeze branding.

About a year ago I had lunch with an Australian wool farmer. She bred away from mulesing 20 years ago, and is now looking for an alternative to live export for her slaughter merino wethers.

Cousin-in-law o mine was over 4-5 years past. He's a grain farmer first, and admits it- but had started keeping a few (hundred) sheep when corn was a dead loss.
He is told by some boffin somewhere which rams to put to which ewes, to breed in various traits.
And maggot resistance was one of em i recall. He reckoned they were getting almost no problems with strike, just from genetic selection.
(This is NSW, inland from coast range.)
It sounded very impressive - although a candid report might suggest he's a lovely guy, but is always one to tell you all his geese are swans- as it were.