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Undocked lamb
Elastrator
Electric docker
Burdizzo
Emasculator
Scalpel
All-in-one tool
Properly docked lamb
Longer tail docks
Photo courtesy of the British
Bleu du Maine Sheep Society
Tail docked too short
Wethers
Young ram lambs
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Docking and castrating
- Docking is when the tail is shortened. Castration is when the
testicles are removed or their function is inhibited. Both are
routine management practices on most sheep farms. According to
a 2002 USDA NAHMS Animal Health Survey, 91.7 percent of U.S. lambs
are docked. 77.4 percent of ram lambs are castrated.
- Docking
Docking improves the health and welfare of sheep and lambs. It
prevents fecal matter from accumulating on the tail and hindquarters
of the animal. Research has shown that tail docking greatly reduces
fly strike (wool maggots), while having no ill effect on lamb
mortality or production. Docking also facilitates shearing. Not
many shearers want to shear sheep with long tails.
Not all sheep require docking. Because hair sheep lambs do
not have long, wooly tails and/or wool on the underside of their
tails, it is usually not necessary to dock their tails. Lambs
from the Northern European short-tail breeds also do not require
docking. Fat-tailed sheep are usually not docked. Some producers
of wooled lambs do not dock their lambs or they only dock the
ewe lambs.
Breeds that do not require tail docking
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Hair sheep
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Short-tailed
sheep
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Barbado
Barbados Blackbelly
Damara
Katahdin
Pelibüey
Royal White
Santa Inês
St. Croix
West African
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East Friesian
Finnsheep
Gotland
Icelandic
Romanov
Soay
Shetland
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Some markets may discriminate against tailed lambs, since having
a tail lowers dressing percent and removal may require an additional
worker on the kill floor. On the other hand, ethnic buyers of
lambs often prefer undocked lambs. For the Muslim Festival of
Sacrifice, unblemished lambs are often preferred for slaughter.
An unblemished lamb is one that has not been docked, castrated,
or had its horns removed.
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Banding
The simplest and most common method of tail docking is to apply
a rubber ring (band) to the tail using an elastrator tool. Banding
is a bloodless method of tail docking. The band cuts off the
blood supply to the tail and the tail falls off in 7 to 10 days.
Some producers cut the tail off before it falls off to prevent
problems.
Banding causes pain to the lamb, but the pain is short-lived.
Pain can be reduced if a clamp is applied across the tail immediately
distal to the ring. The use of a local anesthetic, such as lidocaine,
can be used to reduce the pain felt by the lamb. However, this
is not usually practical as lidocaine is not available for purchase
over-the-counter.
Lambs should be at least 24 hours old before bands are applied,
and bands should only be applied during the lamb's first week
of life. There is a law in the United Kingdom that restricts
banding to the first week of a lamb's life. .
When the elastrator technique is used, it is very important
that lambs be protected against tetanus (lockjaw), since the
rubber ring creates an anaerobic environment that is favorable
to the tetanus organism.
If the lamb's dam was not vaccinated or her vaccination status
is unknown, the tetanus anti-toxin should be administered at
the time of tail docking. The anti-toxin provides immediate
short-term immunity whereas the tetanus toxoid, while longer
lasting, takes 10 days to 2 weeks to cause an immune response.
- Other tail docking methods
An electric docking iron cuts and cauterizes the tail simultaneously
and is probably the most humane method of tail docking. It can
be used on slightly older lambs.
An emasculator can be used for docking. It has both a cutting
and crushing mechanism. The crushing mechanism seals the blood
vessels on the tail remaining on the lamb, while the cutting edge
effectively removes the tail. The emasculator should be left on
the tail for approximately 30 seconds to help prevent bleeding.
A Burdizzo is similar to the emasculator except it does not have
a cutting mechanism. A knife must be used to cut off the tail
(inside the Burdizzo). A "baby" (9 in.) burdizzo should
be used for lambs.
Tails can also be cut off using a knife; however, this technique
is not recommended because it can cause excessive bleeding.
- How long?
There is disagreement in the U.S. with regards to how long the
docked tail should be. In the United Kingdom, it is a law that
the tail stub (dock) be left long enough to cover the ewe's vulva
and ram's anus. Most other countries follow similar practices.
The American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association
of Small Ruminant Practitioners, and American Sheep Industry Association
all agree that tails should be removed no shorter than the distal
end of the caudal tail fold. Tails docked shorter than this may
result in an increased incidence of rectal prolapses among lambs
fed concentrate diets. This is because short-tail docking damages
the muscles and nerves used by the lamb's anus.
Ultra-short tail docking may also contribute to the incidence
of vaginal prolapses, though there is no research data to support
this claim. However, New Zealand researchers found that short-docked
ewes suffered higher rates of carcinoma of the vulva.
All lambs should be docked by the time they are 3 weeks old,
regardless of the method used. Older lambs and mature sheep
should be docked by a veterinarian using general anesthesia.
Though banded lambs are most vulnerable, immunity from tetanus
is recommended for all docking methods
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Castration
The decision to castrate ram lambs should be based on the management
needs of the shepherd and the demands of the market place. Ram
lambs grow faster than ewe and wether lambs and when ram lambs
are marketed at a young age (less than 5-6 months), the market
place usually does not discriminate in price. Ethnic buyers
usually prefer intact males and may pay a premium for them.
Rams are preferred for the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice.
It is not necessary to castrate ram lambs for the freezer (or
locker) trade, since there is no difference in the taste or
tenderness of meat from a young ram lamb versus a wether or
ewe lamb. Older rams may have a slight taste difference.
On the other hand, wether lambs are easier to manage and eliminate
the chances of early and/or unwanted pregnancies. When ram lambs
are kept intact, it is necessary to wean and separate them separate
them from their dams and ewe lambs when they are 3 to 4 months
of age. If this cannot be done, ram lambs should be castrated.
Male lambs sold for grazing or as pets should be castrated since
they will be easier to manage. Older ram lambs are more difficult
to skin. For this reason, it is recommended that ram lambs be
castrated if they are not marketed at a young age (less than
6 months).
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Banding
As with tail docking, there are a number of techniques that
can be used to castrate ram lambs. An elastrator band can be
placed around the neck of the lamb's scrotum, with care taken
not to place the band over the lamb's rudimentary teats. The
scrotum will shrivel up and fall off in two to three weeks.
As with docking, the scrotum may be removed after a few days.
Both testicles must be below the placement of the band. If one
testicle is missed, it will be retained in the belly cavity,
resulting in a "bucky" lamb.
Castration by banding causes some pain to the lamb and should
be done at a young age (less than 7 days). Pain can be reduced
if a clamp is applied immediately before or after application
of the ring. Some veterinarians advocate the use of lidocaine
to reduce the pain felt by the lamb; however, lidocaine is not
available for purchase over-the-counter. As with banding tails,
lambs should be protected against tetanus via passive immunity
or use of the tetanus anti-toxin at the time of castration.
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Surgical castration
The testicles may be surgically removed. A sharp knife or scalpel
is used to remove the bottom one-third of the scrotal sac. The
testicles are removed and the wound is allowed to drain and
heal naturally.
According to research conducted in Great Britain, surgical castration
is the most painful method of castration because it results
in higher levels of cortisol as compared to the banding method.
It also has the greatest potential for infection and fly infestation.
Surgical castration is best done before or after fly season.
It is essential that proper aseptic technique be used when the
surgical method of castration is used.
- Emasculator
A Burdizzo emasculatome is a tool that is used to crush the spermatic
cord, which crushes the blood vessels, thus depriving the testicles
of blood supply and causing them to shrivel up and die. The Burdizzo
does not break the skin. Each cord should be crushed separately.
The cattle-size Burdizzo should not be used to castrate lambs.
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Other methods
There is an "All-in-One" tool that can be used to
perform surgical castrations. The teeth of the All-in-One tool
are used to grab the testicles after cutting off the bottom
one third of the scrotum with the scissors portion of the tool.
So far, chemical castration has not proven to be effective or
practical.
- Lambs should be castrated by the time they are six weeks of
age, regardless of the method used. In the United Kingdom, veterinarians
must perform all castrations in ram lambs over 3 months of age.
Though banded lambs are most vulnerable, immunity from tetanus
is recommended for all castration methods.
- Short-scrotum
Less pain is associated with making a short scrotum ram versus
a wether lamb. A short scrotum is a ram whose testicles have been
pushed i[ into the body cavity and had its scrotum removed. Short
scrotum rams are superior in performance to both wether and entire
ram lambs.
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Mutilation or routine husbandry practice?
It is important to realize that some people consider tail docking
and castration to be "mutilation." In fact, the Humane
Society of the United States seeks to ban tail docking and other
routine animal husbandry practices.
Efforts to ban tail docking and similar animal husbandry practices
are usually based on emotion and are not supported by science
or reason. At the same time, all producers need to make sure
they perform these practices in the most humane way possible.
Some producers may find that it is not necessary to dock and/or
castrate their lambs.
Read
article The Welfare of Docking and Castrating =>
<== SHEEP 201 INDEX
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