[Jacob-list] speaking of eartags

[Linda Bjarkman]

This link came through on a spinning group.  
http://www.woolisbaad.com
The website is abit extreme and I find it annoying.  We've been talking of eartags 
and thought this might be of interest.  I don't like eartags because I think they 
are ugly.  I'm not all that sold on the voluntary scrapie program because I'm not 
sure it is effective.  I'll probably get in the program at some point. But, I don't 
think that an eartag is inhumane and I've been known to chop a tail and castrate 
without anesthetics.  When we first had sheep (not Jacobs) a ewe had a vaginal 
prolapse.  No local vet would come out, but one would talk to me on the phone.  When 
I asked about anesthetic before I did the stitching, he said that the anesthetic was 
more of a danger than having Dave hold her while I stitched. 

>Within weeks of birth, lambs' ears are hole-punched, their tails are chopped
>off, and the males are castrated without anesthetics. Male lambs are castrated
>when they are between 2 and 8 weeks old, either by making an incision and
>cutting their testicles out or with a rubber ring used to cut off blood supply-
>one of the most painful methods of castration possible. Every year, hundreds
>of lambs die before the age of 8 weeks from exposure or starvation, and mature
>sheep die every year from disease, lack of shelter, and neglect.

Linda




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