purplequeenvt - Ivy Knoll Farm

[purplequeenvt]

It depends on the shepherd. I personally don't like a 3 or 4 inch tail, but I also don't like the "no tail" look so I do something in between. In pet flocks the tails tend to be longer and in commercial or show flocks they are shorter.

I am not a fan of long tails on sheep! Too much possibility for fly strike. Ugh...nasty maggots. I just acquired 7 sheep for a neighbor - 3 Shetlands, 1 Friesian, and 3 Friesian/Shetland/Texel crosses - and they all have tails. Thankfully they have rat tails (meaning no wool).

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

It's funny that I never knew sheep were born with tails until I was an adult. The first time I saw a long tail on a lamb with a blue band on it I thought "how weird" - then it was explained why you band the tails.

 

[Queen Mum]

Band them? I thought they were just nipped off. Snip, and done.

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

Well I guess I've only been to one sheep farm, and they band the tails just like banding the boy parts. Uncle already thinks I'm silly for asking lots of City girl questions.

 

[SheepGirl]

Band them? I thought they were just nipped off. Snip, and done.

Some people do that...like with an emasculator or with a hot docker. Most people use bands though.

 

[Queen Mum]

There is no such thing as silly questions, just idiotic silence.

 

[purplequeenvt]

Yeah, most people use the bands. They just seem less traumatic to me.

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

There is no such thing as silly questions, just idiotic silence.

that's a good one. I like it

 

[purplequeenvt]

We torture our lambs daily with hugs and kisses....

I know that "everyone" says not to handle ram lambs too much, but I think people need to cautioned against mishandling, not handling. We spend hours with our lambs, both rams and ewes, petting, cuddling, training them to lead, etc....and, in the 12 years we've had sheep, the only mean rams we've had are rams that we have purchased. I think the trick is to teach them when they are little that we are in charge by handling them. Or maybe we just have weird sheep.

"Where's my breakfast???" Danny came looking for me the other day, apparently I was late....

Aramis

I found the first dandelion of the year!

 

[Roll farms]

Cute lambs!