tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013443865933181475.post1095427670729889133..comments2023-07-01T02:40:32.976-07:00Comments on Nature's Way: Lamb Tail Docking Inhumane, Cruel, UnnecessaryXenia Stavrinideshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06275540581378482203noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013443865933181475.post-44870700789655684052011-05-19T06:05:25.044-07:002011-05-19T06:05:25.044-07:00Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it. It se...Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it. It seems to have been written by vegetarians, accoring to the original link.Xenia Stavrinideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06275540581378482203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013443865933181475.post-7243647908799034952011-01-22T08:44:03.870-08:002011-01-22T08:44:03.870-08:00I respectfully disagree! While I don't advoca...I respectfully disagree! While I don't advocate short docking (where all of the tail is removed, removing a substantial portion of muscle) I do dock the long, bone-and-skin section of the tail, leaving enough tail to cover a ewe's "lady parts." This does actually prevent the buildup of fecal matter and mud during the winter, which can lead to flystrike -- when maggots start living in and eating the poop/mud, and then move on to eating the sheep's skin and flesh. Could I shear their tails and hind ends every month during the rainy season? Possibly. Would that be any easier on the sheep? Absolutely not. Trying to catch and shear sheep is stressful for them and I wouldn't want to put them through that any more than once per year. <br /><br />Also, after performing the procedure many times myself, I have absolutely no reason to believe it causes pain to the animal. Lambs will cry out if their mothers accidentally step on them; if one of their legs hurts, they will limp. And yet every lamb I've ever docked has sat perfectly still and happy in my lap for the entirety of the docking procedure, showing no sign of distress. They don't even seem to feel it and simply go back to their siblings and mother.<br /><br />I also castrate, not because I want the meat to be more tender -- actually, my wethers go to pet homes, because around here there's a greater demand for sheep as lawnmowers than lamb meat -- but because it's unsafe and unwise to have tons of intact rams running around. We believe in neutering male dogs and spaying female dogs, but castration is so cruel that we're supposed to let huge rams run around, causing danger to humans, ewes, and lambs alike? Spay and neuter surgeries are hardly painless; when my dogs have come home from a spay surgery they've been miserable and out of commission for a week, and tender long after that. But we spay for the greater good -- which is to not have unwanted puppies running around filling up shelters. I castrate for the same reason, and while the lamb does experience tenderness for a few minutes (as evidenced by a funny walk, not crying out), the area quickly goes numb. I've never had a lamb be "terrorized" or "go into shock," let alone "die of starvation." Mine always go immediately back to the ewe and nurse because that comforts them.<br /><br />Sigh. As a farmer who does love and humanely treat her animals, whether they are destined for food or for a long life providing milk and eggs on the farm, this sort of misguided article makes me really sad. I'm guessing that the person who wrote it doesn't have much experience raising sheep!<br /><br />So -- my note to all sheep meat buyers -- don't automatically assume that a farmer is evil for castrating or docking their animals! Make sure docking is done properly (when lamb is young, and don't dock the tail too short). I agree that this procedure is likely not necessary on lambs destined for slaughter before their first winter, but the decision isn't always made right away what lambs will be slaughtered and what lambs will be retained for breeding stock. If you do not believe in docking at all, purchase only hair sheep meat (hair sheep do not require docking as they don't have wool to catch the poop and mud.)<br /><br />Lynda<br />http://wisdomoftheradish.wordpress.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com