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?

Tails 🙄

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

It does if you only want to know it to 2 decimal places. 3.14.

More and more farmers use local anaesthesia and ling acting pain relief.

I’m not sure this is true. Wouldn’t be cost effective and not really necessary.

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.

In NZ tails are cut off at a few months old with a specialised by knife. They barely notice and it’s thought to be better for them than doing it on tiny lambs, also banding small lambs whilst lambing indoors increases risk of joint ill (an infection young lambs can get).
So the tails of the older lambs are like the size of sausages and definitely good to eat!

I did chuckle when my friend said I was wrong, when I told her that baked beans aren’t orange and tinned peas aren’t that shade of green.

Have you not seen them feeding? Their little tails wag like crazy as they suckle.

I did chuckle when my friend said I was wrong, when I told her that baked beans aren’t orange and tinned peas aren’t that shade of green.

Ok I might know about farming but this is all news to me!?

Have you not seen them feeding? Their little tails wag like crazy as they suckle.

It’s so adorable and goats are the same. If I ever get a chance to move back to the country, I’m going to get wee goats.

It does if you only want to know it to 2 decimal places. 3.14. But that's not pi. That's an approximation to pi. Neither 22/7 nor 3.14 equal pi.

Ok I might know about farming but this is all news to me!?

Food colouring is added to the sauce/juice in the tins to darken the colour of the pulses and make them more attractive looking.

WellErrr thats really interesting, fat tails are a delicacy where I grew up but even the dogs wont touch dropped tails.

WellErrr Baked beans are navy beans, which despite their name aren't dark blue, they're white. The orange colour comes from, originally, the tomatoes in the sauce, nowadays, probably a synthetic colouring.

In NZ tails are cut off at a few months old with a specialised by knife.

Autocorrect did this - it’s a hot knife. We do it with our sheep too, I was sceptical the first time but the lambs don’t even notice it’s weird.

And yes then the dogs have a feast 😂

Baked beans are navy beans, which despite their name aren't dark blue, they're white

More commonly known as haricot beans in the UK I think, in case anyone is wondering why they've never heard of navy beans.

Does banding them cut off the nerve supply so they don't feel anything?

I had to do it in college and thought it was so inhumane. I get why it needs to be done but at the time I was shocked as I didn't realise it's not a proper operation.

I do love lambs little waggly tails when they're feeding!

I heard now it has become illegal for dogs in the UK. If you need to get it done you have to use a vet - I don't know if this is because it is more humane or for proof that your dog requires it.

I’m not sure of the science Poppi but I know they’re not bothered by it and they don’t lose condition, which they certainly would if they were in pain.

More commonly known as haricot beans in the UK I think, in case anyone is wondering why they've never heard of navy beans.

I’ve never heard of them being called navy beans, so I’ve learnt something new, today. 😁 I actually rinse the sauce off them sometimes and use them in salads and casseroles. It sometimes works out cheaper, than buying them fresh.

I am breathing a huge sigh of relief here. I'm a sheep farmer and I was dreading opening this thread thinking there would be loads of shouts of "animal abuse" and ignorance induced farmer hate! Thank you to the people who explained the reasons why tails are docked. Faith restored

WellErr - thank you. I didn't think about that.

When I was younger I used to think farmers were awful and treated their animals horribly - until someone pointed out that their whole livelihood depends on their animals being happy and healthy.

It does if you only want to know it to 2 decimal places. 3.14.

But that's not pi. That's an approximation to pi. Neither 22/7 nor 3.14 equal pi.

In that case, nothing is correct for Pi as it's never ending.

It depends how many decimal places Pi is required to. If someone asks for Pi to 2 decimal places, which is a perfectly reasonable request, the correct answer is 3.14, or 22/7.

@WellErrr More and more farmers use local anaesthesia and ling acting pain relief.

I’m not sure this is true. Wouldn’t be cost effective and not really necessary.
Products like Trisolfen (local anaesthetic, antiseptic spray for surgical procedures like gas knife tailing), Buccalgesic and Metacam (oral and injectable anti-inflammatory) are increasingly used for tailing (as well as mulesing, where its still done). We're in Australia, and they're commonplace for large commercial sheep production, and now for cattle also. We've used some form of pain relief on our place for at least 10 years (Trisolfen mainly). www.agric.wa.gov.au/management-reproduction/best-practice-marking-lambs?page=0%2C2

I remember seeing a sheep with fly strike - it was uncovered whilst being shorn after coming down from the fells.

It's horrible - a mass of maggots eating their way through the poor sheep's flesh. The hole was about the size of the farmers fiat.

Fiat 500?

I was surprised to recently discover corgis naturally either don’t have tails or have tiny, stumpy tails. I always thought the poor things had been docked. I knew about lambs tails though, back when I was at primary someone who lived on a farm brought in dropped lamb tails for the nature table. I have to admit they freaked townie me out a bit.

I've worked on farms for just over a decade now, and tail-docked and castrated hundreds of lambs.

It should be done within 7 days of birth, after that it should be done surgically.

With tail-docking, it's mainly to do with easier management and long-term welfare. It's generally done on sheep in the lowlands where the grass is richer, and more likely to give the sheep the runs.

The tail would be right in the firing line - and in the summer, blowfly lay their eggs in the dirty fleece. The maggots hatch out, and if untreated will slowly eat the sheep alive.

They don't have the whole tail removed: ewe lambs should still have enough to cover the vulva, and ram lambs to cover the anus. That way any flies can be batted away from the sensitive areas!

With castration, it used to be about flavour - testosterone is said to "taint" the meat making it less palatable. Though I'm not sure how true that is in young animals, as we hardly ever used to eat lamb.

The fleece used to be worth more than the meat, so only older animals would have been eaten. (I think a ransom for King Richard was paid in English fleece at one point, it was that valuable)

Castration also makes management easier too - if you've got loads of "entire" arms in the flock, after several months you'll need somewhere else to keep them to stop them all mating? If they're castrated they can be kept with the ewes.

*fist.

Oops