Lambs have tails

[ambereeree]

Today I went for a walk in the country. As an ex city dweller I have little experience of animals. I saw baby lambs and was shocked to see they have long tails. Has anybody else discovered that after 4 decades they really lack basic knowledge?

Yeah they do. They are usually banded so they fall off to stop fly strike

They put bands on them to cut them off. It always struck me as being cruel but there is a reason for it.

Many breeds of sheep have their tails docked to reduce the buildup of faeces which can encourage fly strike. Also used for this purpose is mulesing. Docking also makes it easier to view a grown ewe's udders to detect potential problems

Sheep have long tails. The lambs will be docked at some point

Watch Jimmy's Farm and you'll see them being docked.

Little Bo Peep’s sheep had tails!

Yep, lambs tails are treated like offal and eaten in New Zealand. They seem to be a, 'black market' delicacy though i.e. if you know someone who owns a sheep farm. Or you're into the local social media selling site.

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep.
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home.
Wagging their tails behind them.

Two shakes of a lambs tail.

They also 'dock' the testicles I the same way with a device that stretches a tiny rubber band over them. Also a delicacy in New Zealand [grin[

Some dog breeds have tails docks and even ears cut to make them stand up. I'm unsure if this is still done, but certainly used to be.

Tail docking and ear cropping are illegal in dogs now

It’s still done sometimes, but it is illegal.

Only exceptions are working dogs like Jack Russells and they are usually done in the vets now

I used to chat to some younger people in my local pub when it was still open, and was surprised how little they knew about basic simple things. Some of them had jobs, went to work, and then spent most of their time on their phones, or watching Netflix stuff. Probably none of them have noticed lambs, or their tales, despite living in a country village here. !!

Well, a woman aged 55 once told me all birds are mammals. So you're not alone.

I was stunned to learn that Pi did not equal 22/7.

I remember walking across a field in my teens and actually seeing several lambs' tails that had dropped off.

Some dog breeds have tails docks and even ears cut to make them stand up. I'm unsure if this is still done, but certainly used to be.

It's illegal now unless you can prove the dog will be used for work.

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep.
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home.
Wagging their tails behind them

Didn't it used to be 'leaving their tails behind them' because they'd been chopped off?

Tail docking and ear cropping are illegal in dogs now

Hardly comparable though is it?

Hardly comparable though is it? Initially n working dogs it would have been more comparable. Both were docked to save them getting caught in brambles, by rats, etc.

A docked tail makes a great handle on a terrier down a hole!

They get docked so they don't catch them and hurt them.

They get them docked so they don’t get maggots in them

They are usually banded so they fall off to stop fly strike.

That’s a spectacularly unhelpful post.

Do you imagine someone who didn’t know lambs have tails will know what “banding” and “fly strike” are? (I know I don’t.)

That’s a spectacularly unhelpful post.

Yes I agree.
Very young lambs (dried after birth but under ten days) get a castration ring (a very small thick elastic band with antibacterial agents inside it) put round their tail with a special stretcher thing. It cuts off circulation and the tail drops off.
It’s a bit sore when it first goes on but they don’t bother at all after.

Fly strike is when they get poo on their fleece, flies lay eggs in it then maggots hatch out and eat at the lambs flesh. It’s ‘orrible!

Hill breeds like Swaledales or Scotch Blackface aren’t usually docked as they’re a) less at risk from flies out on the moor, and b) need the tail for warmth in harsh landscapes.

A lot of farmers in the UK use tight rubber rings on the end of lambs tails to make them fall off. So naturally lambs would have long tails.

This is done to prevent flystike/maggots. The area can get dirty with faeces stuck to lambs tails if left long. Not all farms do it. Some can finish (slaugher) lambs before the fly strike risk time and some dont get much of a problem.

The use of these tight rubber rings is restricted to

Tails and testicles that have dropped off after banding are tiny and dried up, since banding cuts off the blood supply. Like killing a wart by tying it at the base. I'd be surprised if you could eat them, they stay the same size while the lamb grows.