Tail Docking & Ear Tagging In Lambs
wolfcrik -
1,665 views
- 3 months ago
This short video is a demonstration of ear tagging and tail banding in 2 day old lambs.
Tail Banding
There are many different ways to accomplish tail docking.
Methods of tail docking vary by location, culture and tradition.
The method I use and the one that I think is the simplest for beginners is the banding method.
With the banding method a heavy duty rubber ring is placed over the tail with special pliers called an elastrator.
With the band applied, blood circulation is cut off to the part off the tail beneath the band.
The tail will wither and drop off of it's own accord in about 10 - 14 days.
The banding method carries with it the risk of tetanus.
Neonatal lambs are protected from tetanus via the colostrum milk if their mothers are current with their boosters.
A Tetanus antitoxin shot should be given to unprotected or at risk lambs at the time of their banding.
And all lambs should be healthy and well started before having their tails docked.
With banding, I think the ideal time is when a lamb is between 48 and 72 hours old.
A lamb older than 7 days should not be banded in my opinion.
When the band is applied to the tail there is transient pain for the lamb, but within 30 minutes or so the pain appears to subside.
When I dock tails I hold the lamb firmly between my knees and lift the tail.
I then place the band on the tail just below the caudal fold and roll the band off the elastrator with my thumb and forefinger.
Sometimes the rubber bands or rings can very stiff and hard to remove from the elastrator to the tail.
A light coat of Vaseline to the elastrator will helpsthe band roll off easier.
Ear Tags
I use small swivel or rototags for identification in sheep.
I tag lambs that are less than a week old and the same time that I band tails.
I use the small tags to reduce the weight on the ear and only tag lambs when the ear is clean and dry.
I never tag any animal when the weather is humid or if an animal is being kept in dirty conditions.
Theres too much chance of infection.
Tag placement is critical to success.
A tag should be placed no more than 1-2 inches from the skull and in the center of the ear.
Tags too close to the head can cause problems as the ear grows because the tags tend to get wedged in the ear canal.
Conversely, tags placed too far from the skull will tend to get caught on fences and other objects and will result in lost tags or ripped ears.
When inserting ear tags its very important to firmly restrain the lamb and keep the head still.
Hold the ear with your thumb and forefinger and feel to the large vein that runs down the middle of the ear.
You want to avoid the large vein if possible and place the tag to either side of the vein.
Place the female side of the tag in the applicator, with the flat side with the hole it against the applicator. Then place the male part of the tag to the solid side of the applicator. Make sure that both parts of the tag are seated firmly in the applicator.
Grip the ear firmly and position the tag to either side of the large vein
Before placing the tag in the ear, double check to make sure that the male part of the tag is lined up and will smoothly penetrate the female part of the tag.
While gripping the ear firmly at the proposed position of the tag, place the point of the tag in contact with the ear close to your thumb.
The female side of the tag should be facing down.
With swivel tags once the female and male parts of the tag are joined they cannot be removed with the applicator.
The only way to remove a swivel tag is by cutting it off.
Tail Banding
There are many different ways to accomplish tail docking.
Methods of tail docking vary by location, culture and tradition.
The method I use and the one that I think is the simplest for beginners is the banding method.
With the banding method a heavy duty rubber ring is placed over the tail with special pliers called an elastrator.
With the band applied, blood circulation is cut off to the part off the tail beneath the band.
The tail will wither and drop off of it's own accord in about 10 - 14 days.
The banding method carries with it the risk of tetanus.
Neonatal lambs are protected from tetanus via the colostrum milk if their mothers are current with their boosters.
A Tetanus antitoxin shot should be given to unprotected or at risk lambs at the time of their banding.
And all lambs should be healthy and well started before having their tails docked.
With banding, I think the ideal time is when a lamb is between 48 and 72 hours old.
A lamb older than 7 days should not be banded in my opinion.
When the band is applied to the tail there is transient pain for the lamb, but within 30 minutes or so the pain appears to subside.
When I dock tails I hold the lamb firmly between my knees and lift the tail.
I then place the band on the tail just below the caudal fold and roll the band off the elastrator with my thumb and forefinger.
Sometimes the rubber bands or rings can very stiff and hard to remove from the elastrator to the tail.
A light coat of Vaseline to the elastrator will helpsthe band roll off easier.
Ear Tags
I use small swivel or rototags for identification in sheep.
I tag lambs that are less than a week old and the same time that I band tails.
I use the small tags to reduce the weight on the ear and only tag lambs when the ear is clean and dry.
I never tag any animal when the weather is humid or if an animal is being kept in dirty conditions.
Theres too much chance of infection.
Tag placement is critical to success.
A tag should be placed no more than 1-2 inches from the skull and in the center of the ear.
Tags too close to the head can cause problems as the ear grows because the tags tend to get wedged in the ear canal.
Conversely, tags placed too far from the skull will tend to get caught on fences and other objects and will result in lost tags or ripped ears.
When inserting ear tags its very important to firmly restrain the lamb and keep the head still.
Hold the ear with your thumb and forefinger and feel to the large vein that runs down the middle of the ear.
You want to avoid the large vein if possible and place the tag to either side of the vein.
Place the female side of the tag in the applicator, with the flat side with the hole it against the applicator. Then place the male part of the tag to the solid side of the applicator. Make sure that both parts of the tag are seated firmly in the applicator.
Grip the ear firmly and position the tag to either side of the large vein
Before placing the tag in the ear, double check to make sure that the male part of the tag is lined up and will smoothly penetrate the female part of the tag.
While gripping the ear firmly at the proposed position of the tag, place the point of the tag in contact with the ear close to your thumb.
The female side of the tag should be facing down.
With swivel tags once the female and male parts of the tag are joined they cannot be removed with the applicator.
The only way to remove a swivel tag is by cutting it off.
uBlQ0viUAkQ
