# Docking



## aggieterpkatie (Feb 23, 2010)

I did a blog post about docking.  Let me know what you think.  

Docking Time


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## jhm47 (Feb 24, 2010)

This is VERY good information for anyone who is planning to raise sheep.  I know that there are some who abhor the idea of docking, but if they could have seen the terrible flystrike problems that I've seen, they would quickly change their minds.  

When our children had Columbia sheep for 4-H projects, we routinely docked them with an electric docker.  I still prefer this method, since it's over nearly immediately, there is no blood loss, and the tails are disposed of right away, instead of rotting off, and smelling bad for a week or so.  Of course, that's just my opinion.  

Whatever method is used, it's much better than taking a chance on acquiring a flystrike problem.  

Again, GREAT post!


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 24, 2010)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> This is VERY good information for anyone who is planning to raise sheep.  I know that there are some who abhor the idea of docking, but if they could have seen the terrible flystrike problems that I've seen, they would quickly change their minds.
> 
> When our children had Columbia sheep for 4-H projects, we routinely docked them with an electric docker.  I still prefer this method, since it's over nearly immediately, there is no blood loss, and the tails are disposed of right away, instead of rotting off, and smelling bad for a week or so.  Of course, that's just my opinion.
> 
> ...


Thanks!

And I agree with the electric docker method.  We used it when I was working at the campus farm in college.  I just don't have the money to buy one for a small number of sheep.  If I was going to get into sheep as a business, I'd definitely buy one.  

We also cut to castrate, not band.  That was quicker too.  It's just easier now for me to use the band becuse most of the time I'm doing this stuff while hubby is at work.  Though the other day I did get him to vaccinate a lamb for me! His first vaccine!


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## Royd Wood (Feb 24, 2010)

Just come back in from docking 6 lambs to find this thread  
Great blog post aggie


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## SweetDreams (Feb 25, 2010)

Glad to see someone else having to deal with those tiny bands! DH always manages to leave some in his pants pockets, and I find them in the laundry. 

My DH and I dock the ewe lambs, but not the males to tell them apart, and for "easy access" when it comes to breeding. Plus, most of our males go to the stockyards before it becomes an issue with the rear end problems.

I once saw a "Dirty Job" episode about docking the ol' fashioned way with a knife. They also tagged their ears with notches to tell the gender apart in the pasture. That was interesting, but I KNOW I couldn't do it.

I LOVE the blog BTW- have I told you lately??


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 25, 2010)

SweetDreams said:
			
		

> Glad to see someone else having to deal with those tiny bands! DH always manages to leave some in his pants pockets, and I find them in the laundry.
> 
> My DH and I dock the ewe lambs, but not the males to tell them apart, and for "easy access" when it comes to breeding. Plus, most of our males go to the stockyards before it becomes an issue with the rear end problems.
> 
> ...


If I had hair sheep I'd skip docking!  


And I've notched piglet ears, but nothing else.  


And yes, you did.  Thank you!!


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## SweetDreams (Feb 25, 2010)

Ahh- to dock or not to dock...that is the question... 

Even with hair breeds, we still see our share of "wool" (see below in the picture)
which can provide a place for problems to grow.








That is from this fall, and some were growing a nice little thin coat for the upcoming winter...which is in full force here in Kentucky....


And I too have notched piggy ears as well! 
I'm thinking about getting a pair to help "seal" a pond of ours that isn't holding water....

but I digress....


Too many sheep....too little time!!


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 25, 2010)

SweetDreams said:
			
		

> Ahh- to dock or not to dock...that is the question...
> 
> Even with hair breeds, we still see our share of "wool" (see below in the picture)
> which can provide a place for problems to grow.
> ...


I tease my friend about her "ugly shedding sheep" all the time.   


And I was thinking about getting a pair of pigs this year....to "seal up" the empty space in the freezer.


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## SweetDreams (Feb 25, 2010)

Does you friend dock her "ugly shedding sheep"? 

And how about I get the pigs for the pond.....and you can have the left-overs?


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 25, 2010)

SweetDreams said:
			
		

> Does you friend dock her "ugly shedding sheep"?
> 
> And how about I get the pigs for the pond.....and you can have the left-overs?


Actually, she doesn't dock them!  They do alright, but not like there's anything wrong if ya do dock them!


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## Raiquee (Aug 9, 2010)

Hey guys, I know this post is old but rather than reposting I figured I'd just bring this back to the top.

Lucky me to view your post of your baby lambs before, as I was like "Does that lamb have a tail?!" and then lo and behold, I found this thread!

So, with the band method, all you do is place the band on? I guess I was confused because it said "open wound" but i'm guessing that relates to after the tail has the band on it for awhile?

How long does it take the tail to fall off? Do I have to retrieve the tail when it does fall off? lau ) And would it benefit to shave the tail a bit, so the band touches skin? Or does it not matter? 

I am not a sheep owner yet, but thinking of it next year. Good to know these things now!


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## aggieterpkatie (Aug 9, 2010)

Yes, you place the band on, and the band does the work.  You should check it every so often because the band does create an open wound as it cuts through the tail.  Most times it's not a problem, but in the summer flies can cause irritation and nastiness.  

It usually takes a couple of weeks for the tail to fall off.  You can retrieve it if you want, or you can just let it stay out in the field (or wherever it fell).  You don't have to clip the tail, because the band is strong enough to go through the wool on a lamb.


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## Raiquee (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks! How much (general) does the band gun thingy and bands cost? vs the electro cutter? 

I won't get to go to my TSC or FF for awhile, so just thought i'd ask.


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## aggieterpkatie (Aug 9, 2010)

The elastrator runs about $18 and the bag of bands costs a couple bucks.  I haven't priced the other types lately, sorry!


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## cheraboo (Jun 2, 2011)

Thanks so much for posting not only instructions but good pics of your instructions. We are expecting our first lambs here within the week I think. Docking and castrating have really had me worried. I feel much more confident about doing it now. Actually, I have RA so much kids are going to have to do it. I'm hoping we won't have to worry about castration. For some reason my son just shudders when I mention it *lol*. He wants to show the lambs at fair in August but I'm not sure if they will be old enough. I'm thinking that a poster about tail docking and castration (along with pics) would make for an interesting still project though ... sorry, getting off on a tangent ...


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 3, 2011)

Congrats on your lambs coming (soon)!  Hmm...your lambs will be pretty small when fair rolls around. They might not be ready for any market classes, but you could still probably do fitting and showing and/or breeding classes!  Make sure to post pictures when they're here!

And don't worry about docking and castrating, it's very easy!


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## emilypaonia (Jun 26, 2011)

wow, this blog is great - very informative.

i just bought some lambs from a friend of mine who does not dock tails.  he raises fresians crossed with polypay, so he said that since the tail is less wooly and more of a rat tail he does not dock.  i think he does not dock because the idea of it makes him a little queasy.

the lambs i bought from him are almost 3 months old.  they are females that i am going to keep for breeding.  most of them have these rat tails that do not have much wool on them, but 1 or 2 of them have some seriously bushy tails.

what to do?

is it too late to dock?  i have the bands and the tool for castrating, so i could do it, but i just don't know if i should just leave it be at this point. the lambs are pretty big.

thanks for your help!


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 27, 2011)

Well, it's really up to you.  3 months is pretty big, but it may be easier to do it now than have a problem with tails for years to come.  If you do it now, be sure to give them a tetanus anti-toxin vaccine (not the CD/T).  You'll also need to follow up in a week or two with the regular CD/T vaccine.  You'll also need to watch and make sure the flies don't bother the tails.


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## Natisha (Jun 29, 2011)

This is interesting. What kind of problems can happen from not docking?  I have a lamb that could have had problems from severely short docking.  I don't raise sheep but have 2 as pets. 
 Thank you.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 30, 2011)

Pretty much the only problem that can come from not docking is fly strike.  Here's an excerpt from http://www.sheep101.info/201/diseasesa-z.htmlSheep 201: 


> Fly Strike
> (blowflies, wool maggots, fleece worms, myiasis)
> Fly strike is the infestation of the flesh of living sheep by blowfly maggots. Of all domestic animals, sheep are most often affected because of their wool, as particularly dirty wool attracts blowflies. Blowfly populations are greatest during the summer months.
> 
> Docking, shearing, and removal of dags (wool contaminated with feces) will help to prevent flystrike. Insecticides are another control measure. Hair sheep are less susceptible to fly strike due to their absence of wool. Blowflies are also attracted to wounds, foot rot, weeping eyes, or sweat around the base of the horns of rams.


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## rockdoveranch (Jun 30, 2011)

Question.

On the underside of our hair sheep's tails, starting from where they attach to the body, there is strip of hairless skin.  Not sure how long it is.  When the sheep come back around the house I will take a peek under.  

So do wool sheep also have this hairless area under their tails?

Thanks.

Okay . . . I just gave Wimberly her bottle and nabbed that wagging tail to take a look underneath.  There is no hair on the underside of her tail with the exception of the very end where there is hair.  I think it might be a little different with our Dorper lamb.  It will not be so easy, but I am going to take a look.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 30, 2011)

rockdoveranch said:
			
		

> Question.
> 
> On the underside of our hair sheep's tails, starting from where they attach to the body, there is strip of hairless skin.  Not sure how long it is.  When the sheep come back around the house I will take a peek under.
> 
> ...


Do you mean on the tail itself?  There's usually a triangular area that's hairless, similar to a goat tail.  There are also "flaps" of skin called caudal tail folds on either side of the tail that attach to both the tail and body, and those are used to direct manure away from the hind end.  It's good to dock below them when you dock.


ETA:  Rock, if you look on the blog post about docking in the first post in this thread, you can see the picture of my Romney lamb's tail.  Is that what you mean?


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## Bossroo (Jun 30, 2011)

If you ever get a sheep with fly strike... pure hell to the sheep as the maggots start to eat into flesh and lots of really messy work for you and/ or a huge vet bill. You will always dock thereafter.  I use a 1/2" thick piece of wood as a spacer placed up against the rear end and under the tail when the lamb is held by all 4 legs and placed on its rump on a stump or table. This piece of wood also protects the rectum and /or vulva from the hot iron at the same time. Then use a hot iron to cut the tail off on lambs from a day old and up to 1-2 weeks old. This leaves about a 2"-3" long tail on the lambs  to protect the anus and vulva from sunburning, but still gives for a nice rounded meaty appearance to the hind end. Also makes it easier for the ram to hit it's mark when breeding the ewe when no tail is ever in the way. The hot iron immeditely cauterizes the blood vessels so that they do not bleed.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 30, 2011)

Bossroo, we used a docking iron to dock tails on the farm where I went to college. It was so nice, much nicer than banding.  Only having a handful of sheep means it's not really worth it for me to buy one, but if I had a larger flock I definitely would.  I think once someone uses an iron to dock they'd never go back to banding!  Seems much easier on the lambs too.


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## rockdoveranch (Jun 30, 2011)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> Do you mean on the tail itself?  There's usually a triangular area that's hairless, similar to a goat tail.  There are also "flaps" of skin called caudal tail folds on either side of the tail that attach to both the tail and body, and those are used to direct manure away from the hind end.  It's good to dock below them when you dock.
> 
> 
> ETA:  Rock, if you look on the blog post about docking in the first post in this thread, you can see the picture of my Romney lamb's tail.  Is that what you mean?


Okay . . . I just got your Blog open but not all the pictures opened.  Don't laugh, feel sorry for me.  We are on dial up and usually 3 computers are going at the same time so many times I cannot get pages to open.  I cannot watch videos.  We have to be about 45 minutes away from our home for our cell phone to work.  My DH is not home so I am the only one on a computer and, YEAH, I was able to open your Blog on docking.  Nice page.  Very informative in interesting.  And thanks for sharing here in your last post.

I did get to see the caudal fold and the entire underside of the undocked tail of your little lamb in the picture.  Our Barbado are not like that.  The caudal fold runs the entire length of the underside of the tail and stops just short of the very end of the tail.  I did not get to look under the tail of the Dorper lamb, but she has a big fluff of long hair half way down her tail, so I assume there is hair covering that entire part of her tail.  

Am I using the right terminology?  

Hair people.  Jump in here.    Tell the tail.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 30, 2011)

Hmm...well I did board a couple of Katahdins for a few months and they did not have docked tails. I don't remember their caudal fold going all the way down the length of the tail....but I can't say I looked that closely.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 30, 2011)

I just found this pic  of a hair sheep lamb on the net and it looks the same as mine.  Maybe yours are crazy web tailed sheep.


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## rockdoveranch (Jun 30, 2011)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> I just found this pic  of a hair sheep lamb on the net and it looks the same as mine.  Maybe yours are crazy web tailed sheep.


No doubt!    It is probably a Texas thing!

When the herd was put up tonight I wanted to check a few more tails, especially the Dorper Ewe lamb's tail, but I have ended up having a bad auto-immune day and am just laying around feeling sorry for myself.  Thanks for the link!

Do you think I dare check The Old Man's Tail?







I think not!  Even though his back end is his safest end!


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## secuono (Apr 3, 2012)

Old, old thread, but it keeps coming back.

When is too old to dock?
What do you give them before you dock? What do you give them if they start getting sick or something after the docking?


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## aggieterpkatie (Apr 3, 2012)

secuono said:
			
		

> Old, old thread, but it keeps coming back.
> 
> When is too old to dock?
> What do you give them before you dock? What do you give them if they start getting sick or something after the docking?


Some people dock at a very early age, and some dock late (I've seen as late as 8 weeks! Yuck!).  I wouldn't want to dock much past 2 or maybe 3 weeks.  I sometimes give the tetanus antitoxin before I band, but not always.  The most I've ever seen happen to a dock is a slight infection (especially if it's fly season) that can be treated with a topical wound spray or ointment.


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