Rethinking traditional husbandry practices – changing the lengths to which lambs’ tails are docked

• Published in: Veterinary record Vol. 186; no. 10; pp. 317 - 318
• Main Author: Fisher, Mark W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Limited 14.03.2020; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Animal welfare; Domestication; Sheep; Social sciences; Veterinary medicine
• ISSN: 0042-4900; 2042-7670
• DOI: 10.1136/vr.m845

[...]of domestication, beginning in the eighth and seventh millennia BC, sheep have very long tails – natural populations rarely have more than 10 tail vertebrae, whereas domesticated sheep may have as many as 35 – and a woolly fleece.1,2 As such, the tails of sheep in many countries are routinely docked to reduce faecal soiling and urine staining – thus reducing susceptibility to flystrike – and facilitate husbandry practices such as shearing. [...]the tails of many sheep are docked very short, with some even appearing tailless. Since animal welfare is as much about people as it is about animals,7 it is surprising that there have, with some exceptions,8 been few insights into the reasons why farmers choose to dock the tails of sheep shorter than the recommended length. SEE PDF.] The broadening of animal welfare science from its traditional focus on animal physiology and behaviour to include social science is both welcome and likely to lead to more effective interventions and expectations of pragmatic changes in farmer behaviour. Since what we believe determines how we act, addressing the demands of animal welfare and efficient husbandry will require more studies like that of Woodruff and colleagues,9 acknowledging the complex and dynamic human social and psychological factors involved as well as the animal physiological factors.References 1 Zeuner FE.