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Tail Docking
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SheepShed

Joined: 08 Nov 2006
Posts: 332
Location: In the middle of a Welsh forest

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 07 8:58 am Post subject:

If I believed the docking of lambs tails was inhumane, and if I observed the level of distress exhibited by the lamb in the video, I wouldn't do it. In my opinion docking with tail rings causes some small temporary discomfort but this is far outweighed by the benefits to the animal.

Looking after livestock inevitably involves doing things that cause some degree of distress or discomfort to the animals. Foot trimming is essential to prevent lameness, this requires restraining the animal to do it which causes them some distress. You try and minimise this by gentle handling and quick efficient working. Again the benefit outweighs the temporary discomfort.

Are dentists inhumane because of the distress and discomfort they inflict on their patients ? Is vaccination of babies and children inhumane because it causes them pain ? No, because it is done for their benefit. I think that this is the same with the necessary husbandry tasks needed to keep livestock in the best possible condition, which is what we owe them as their keepers.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45641
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 07 9:26 am Post subject:

i have had my teeth renewed
the benifit is worth the pain
dentists are nice

i must see mark very soon and check what he has done and what is needed (if i can survive a 2 hour general anaesthetic i could fill the last quarter with implant molars
docking for look is wrong ,docking for health is necessary in hill sheep (i have seen fly struck walking dead )but breed out tails can be done . 4 generations in dog , can you do that with sheep ?
i have savaged people for docking for fashion or foolishness but sheep bum attracts flies
it would be good if folk bred dag proof ,tailless ,fly resistant woolies
teflon tails or no tails
would you want to sh?t in your dreads?

SheepShed

Joined: 08 Nov 2006
Posts: 332
Location: In the middle of a Welsh forest

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 07 10:13 am Post subject:

Primitive sheep like Soays were all horned so I guess tails could be bred out in the same way. I don't think there's the same diversity in the gene pool with sheep as there is with dogs so it could be a very long process and who knows what the side effects of breeding soley for tail length would be.

Sheep breeding has historically been for either wool (like the Merino) or meat (like the Blue Faced Leicester). Perhaps the future will see breeding for other criteria - a designer sheep that doesn't get worms, fluke, scab, or fly strike and that doesn't need foot trimming or shearing ?

(there are existing breeds of sheep known generically as 'hair sheep' that naturally shed their wool in spring so don't need shearing).

Tradbritfowlco

Joined: 15 Feb 2007
Posts: 526

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 07 5:37 pm Post subject:
in australia they actually cut the skin away around the bums, much worse problems with flies there, and now some of the sheep have started producing bald bummed lambs!!!

Beckyess

Joined: 08 Jan 2006
Posts: 1076
Location: Worcestershire

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 07 7:36 pm Post subject:

SheepShed wrote:

But that is basically what we have done with domestic livestock. We selected them for a particular attribute, wool, milk, meat and bred on from them to try to make more of them and hence all our different breeds bred for different purposes. We then, of course, went overboard and started to grossly exaggerate features which have then resulted in health issues, but I suppose most of these animals don't live long enough for it to be a problem.
Becky

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