On Sunday my husband and I led youth group at our church. We asked our youth what they wanted to be when they were older. Two of the teens said, vets. So, I shared with them that I just had two lambs born who needed their tails docked. One of the teens was available and did the lamb tail docking for us. Tail docking is perfect for those trying to see if they want to start a farm or want to be a vet.
We raise lambs and when you raise lambs you practice tail docking the first week of the lamb’s life. We do it to prevent flystrike. A tail is shortened to reduce fecal soiling. Blow flies like to lay eggs in wet wool and dirty tails. The maggots can cause health problems and in extreme cases, death (to be eaten alive is a horrible way to go). We use rubber rings, its easy and affective. The ring will cut off the blood supply to the tail. The tail will fall off in a few weeks. You want to make sure not to dock the tail too short because that can cause anal prolapse. The best way to make sure you have the right length is to make sure it covers the vulva in ewes as well as their anus. When it is this long, it is less likely to get sunburned or have frost bite. This is usually where the skin ends on the tail.
