Castration and Tail Docking

Lamb castration

With lambing for many either started or about to get started now is a good time to think about the routine management procedures as well as ensuring you have everything you need in your lambing kit.

Castration and tail docking are two routine husbandry procedures that are worthy of consideration, as to which method is best, as they are recognised to be painful. It is important to consider welfare and the legal restrictions on these procedures. The good news is there are some new methods and equipment which can help in this. Both Numnuts and ClipFitter have been tested and shown to reduce the pain associated with tail docking and castration.

Pain and stress can result in reduced milk and feed intakes and therefore impact both growth rates and the incidence of disease. Please discuss the use of analgesic (anti-inflammatory) and anaesthetic drugs with your veterinary surgeon.

Castration is often carried out to prevent unwanted pregnancies and make management of the lamb crop easier.

Do You Need to Castrate?

Can you finish lambs before puberty is reached?
Can you run ewe and ram lamb crops in separate groups?
If you need to castrate, then it is important to consider not only the pain and distress but also the stress of gathering and handling. It is important that the lamb(s) are not castrated until the ewe-lamb bond has formed and this will also reduce the risk of mismothering.
Anaesthesia and pain relief should be routinely provided where significant pain is likely (even if less than seven days).
Castration should be carried out in accordance with the law and by a trained operator. Once the lamb is three months old the procedure must be done by a vet.

There are two methods of castration available to farmers:

Rubber ring

Use of local anaesthetic plus analgesia is advised in all lambs and in lambs over seven days local anaesthetic must be used. Numnuts has been designed to facilitate the application of local anaesthetic.

Clamping

This works by crushing the nerves within the spermatic cord. Burdizzo devices are used to crush the cord on each side of the scrotum. The clip fitter device is designed to crush both cords and therefore the nerves with one application.

The table below shows what and when can be used (this table applies in Scotland only).

Tail Docking

Tail docking may only be carried out if failure to do so would lead to subsequent welfare problems because of dirty tails and potential fly strike.
Anaesthesia and pain relief should routinely be provided where significant pain is likely (even if less than seven days).
Tail docking should be carried out in accordance with the law and by a trained operator.
Tails must not be left too short; the tail should be long enough to cover the vulva in female lambs.

Methods for tail docking include:

Rubber ring or elastrator - in lambs over seven days local anaesthetic must be used, the Numnuts applicator can be used in this situation.
Cautery e.g. docking with a hot iron which must cut and cauterize (prevent bleeding) at the same time.
Applying a clip using a special applicator (e.g. ClipFitter) which is permitted up to three months of age and has been demonstrated to be less painful with a faster shedding of the tails.

The table below shows what and when can be used (this table applies in Scotland only)

Useful Links

Kythe MacKenzie, Veterinary Investigation Officer, Kythe.MacKenzie@sruc.ac.uk 

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Posted by Unearthed News on 13/03/2025

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Categories: Lambing | Livestock