Strange requests

[shearerlad]

Currently shearing in Norway. Was on farms yesterday shearing breeding stock and when doing the ewe lambs the farmer asked me to cut off any secondary pairs of teats. His reason being that lambs want to latch onto them instead of the milking teats.

 

[Gerbert]

We do that when dehorning calves, seems logical when you milk them. Can't really see the point when that's not the case.

 

[Al R]

Currently shearing in Norway. Was on farms yesterday shearing breeding stock and when doing the ewe lambs the farmer asked me to cut off any secondary pairs of teats. His reason being that lambs want to latch onto them instead of the milking teats.

I only tend to get 4 teaters with my draft hill ewes but I’ve seen lambs latch onto the smaller teats when milk was coming out and then go onto the normal ones, I’ve also seen lambs latch onto the smaller ones when there was milk in them, they’ve dried up after a few days and the lamb has died as it wouldn’t move to the normal teats. I had a ewe last year with 4 equal sized, serious amount of milk in every quarter, even at 2 weeks post lambing and at weaning she was still milking on all 4.

 

[David.]

Those secondary teats are a real problem if you get a gormless lamb.
Not sure if it would ge legal to snip them off as lambs here, I expect not. Anyone who has carelessly cut a teat off while shearing hoggs would attest to the fact that they are not going to bleed for long.

 

[Dry Rot]

Used to do that with female piglets as the farmer had some idea that they looked better! (For show?). ?

Is it true that most (?) young animals in a litter will prefer to take the same teat each time when suckling? I heard that somewhere but never checked it out. Some comments above seem to suggest it might be.

 

[neilo]

I know someone that routinely snips them off as small lambs. I prefer to cull as soon as I see them (usually the first lambing that they are a problem), then you don't breed any more. It is hereditary, and 4 teated ewes that have reasonable amounts of milk in the extra 'quarters' can be selected for, so equally, you can select against it.

 

[Longlowdog]

I've noticed you can get left or right sided suckers. When adopting a second lamb to a ewe after a lamb has learned to suck I've noticed you can have two sucking the same teat and ignoring a full teat inches away. When two lambs learn to suck right away they seem to naturally pick a teat and stay there. It's also noticeable if a ewe looses a quarter that one lamb can fade very quickly simply by not adapting to sucking from the other side.
Perhaps I'll mark a few lambs with port and starboard this year and see if there is any degree of interchangeability.

 

[shearerlad]

I can see how it can be an issue but from a shearers point of view, I don’t want to be cutting anything apart from wool.

 

[high plains drifter]

Did you do what the farmer asked?

 

[Paul E]

Did you do the farmers wife??

Or boff her sister? (to ask the well used TFF question!)

 

[unlacedgecko]

Breeding for four-teated ewes - Farmers Weekly

On the face of it, high prolificacy is a bonus for sheep producers, but in reality, triplets and quads are often seen as a nuisance. Limited feeding

www.fwi.co.uk

 

[Bury the Trash]

Those secondary teats are a real problem if you get a gormless lamb.
Not sure if it would ge legal to snip them off as lambs here, I expect not. Anyone who has carelessly cut a teat off while shearing hoggs would attest to the fact that they are not going to bleed for long.

the thing of note is not to have gormless lambs. if you do , mr bloke mentioned in the op....change you're breeding theres a good chap.

Cutting them off What shite of an idea

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

I seem to remember in the "code of good practice" for cattle, that supernumerary teats can be removed with scissors. You would have to see it in writing, and not take my word.