Tail Docking
The taking off of the tail from a sheep. Like puppies, lambs are born with a long tail. But most lambs are put in a restraint device and have their tail cut off (like tail docking: to reduce soiling and the risk of flystrike). When lambs are less than 6 months old, this practice can be done without anything to dull the pain. Often (as in the video below) lambs are also mulesed at the same time.
A hot blade or sharp knife is used to cut through the muscle and bone of the lamb's tail. On some farms, lambs will instead have a rubber ring tightened around their tail so that it will wither and drop off. |
Mulesing
Injecting fluid into the sheep skin to protect it from diseases. In an attempt to reduce the incidence of flystrike in Australia, the ‘Mules’ operation was introduced in the 1930s. Skin is sliced from the buttocks of lambs without anaesthetic to produce a scar free of wool, faecal/urine stains, and skin wrinkles. Over 20 million merino breed lambs are currently mulesed each year. Most will have their tail cut off and the males will be castrated (‘marked’) at the same time.
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Shearing
The removal of the sheep wool. Shearing is the process whereby the sheep’s fleece (wool) is removed using mechanical shears called ‘handpieces’. For sheep breeds that are specifically grown for wool production, the fleece needs to be removed regularly because it grows continuously. Sheep are typically shorn at least once a year, usually in spring. Most sheep are shorn by professional shearers who are paid by the number of sheep they shear – this can be up to 200 sheep a day (2-3 minutes per sheep).
Sheep are usually brought to the shearing shed yards well before shearing to ensure their fleece is dry and they are off feed and able to empty out to prevent soiling in the shed. On the day of shearing, sheep are penned in the shearing shed within easy access of the shearer who removes them individually from the pen to be shorn. In order to shear the sheep effectively, the shearer is trained to move the sheep through a series of set movements that make shearing more comfortable for the sheep as well as the shearer. If positioned correctly, the sheep will not resist or try to escape. Inevitably, nicks and cuts may occur if the sheep does struggle, or has excessively wrinkled skin or the shearer is distracted or under time pressure. Where deep cuts occur, these are usually sewn up by the shearer. Once sheep are shorn, they are dropped through a slide chute into pens beneath the shed and/or yards adjacent to the shed. From here, sheep may receive preventative treatment (e.g. for parasites) and then be returned to the paddock. |
Backlining
Sparing fluid straight down the back of a Sheep back. Backline treatments, used off-shears, can be a relatively quick and easy method of treating sheep to eradicate lice, but they require care during application to obtain good results. Most products must be applied within 24 hours after shearing. As with all lice control treatments, it is essential that every sheep is treated according to the label directions for dose rate and application pattern.
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