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Author Topic: Dagging - how do you do it?  (Read 10276 times)

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #15 on: August 22, 2016, 08:30:34 pm »
OK     yes you can get at all 4 feet ,both side panels open .          The ramp is short maybe 2ft and my sheep run up it easily , I suppose you could have  it in just a small pen but then  you would need a hurdle or 2 to make some kind of small race so the sheeps only way out was through the crate .                       Yes jump down easily.  Don't think a foot bath in the crate would work as both entry and exit gates  open inwards but you could maybe put the footbath on the ground at the exit and make a small  race/pen .                                                         IF you and mrs womble wanted  a drive to the sea side you are very welcome to come and have a look

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #16 on: August 22, 2016, 08:56:47 pm »
We halter our Soay to roo them and tie to the fence. Very rarely need to dag but again we halter and tie. Much easier and less stressful than trying to hang on to them .... Just too wrigglsome!

They quickly clicked on to the fact that they couldn't get away once tied and now settle quite quickly.

Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #17 on: August 23, 2016, 09:47:33 am »
FECs came back low, so I think it's just a surplus of lush wet grass that's been the problem. There was only one with actual dangly bits, the rest just got a tidy up of any mucky bits to stop them from getting worse.
If your weather is anything like mine, they would benefit from having hay out all year round.  It makes a big difference to bottoms, they just pick at it when they need it :) .  Cheaper than a crate ;)

Cuddles

  • Joined Feb 2014
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #18 on: August 23, 2016, 10:31:02 pm »
Quote
... follow up boring meeting tomorrow... challenge accepted!

Cuddles, can't wait to hear how you weave that one into the conversation at your meeting

Epic fail... meeting was that boring I forgot all about getting this quote into the meeting... will try harder next time!

Cuddles

  • Joined Feb 2014
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #19 on: August 30, 2016, 12:32:28 pm »
So I was master at ceremonies for my sisters wedding at the weekend and some guests were being particularly slow to shut up and get back to their seats before the speeches... if only I knew a phrase that meant get a move on! 

"Would everyone kindly rattle your dags and take your seats as quickly as possible."  I had a wee bit of explaining to do after the speeches  :innocent:

 


Dans

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Spalding
    • Six Oaks
    • Facebook
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #20 on: August 30, 2016, 10:55:15 pm »
I've only dagged the once so far (first year and my castlemilks seem to be clean ladies lol).

We started with the pin them between two hurdles method but soon realised that's no good where horns are involved. Ended up doing as FW suggested. Only had a problem with one ewe - I'm pretty sure she thought we were in a rodeo! She's top of my cull list as she gave the shearer a nightmare time too.

Dans
9 sheep, 24 chickens, 3 cats, a toddler and a baby on the way

www.sixoaks.co.uk

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Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #21 on: September 01, 2016, 08:13:30 pm »
Well, I tried with a tied halter, but the sheep really hated it and struggled to get free. A proper head-yoke might have been ok though.

However, I went to a different feed store to normal today and they had an AIE docking crate in stock. It had turned a bit green and must have been sitting in their yard for a while, so I managed to bag it for just over half the list price  :thumbsup: . Definitely my strangest ever impulse buy, but if it saves me from another herniated disc, hopefully money well spent!

I ran some ewes and lambs through it tonight to check, and I think it will do the job nicely. The width adjusts easily without tools, and it's perfect for doing bums, undercarriage and back feet. It can also be used for injecting and drenching. Front feet are a bit of a challenge since the sheep stand quite far forward in it, however it was possible and I think it will be easier if I raise the crate off the ground a bit.

I also think I'll be able to make a footbath for it. This may require changing the back doors so they open outwards rather than inwards, but that looks easy enough. I don't think it will be any use for sheep with horns BTW, but I'll report back properly in due course....
« Last Edit: September 01, 2016, 08:15:08 pm by Womble »
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #22 on: September 02, 2016, 09:34:16 am »
Great score, Womble  :thumbsup:

We'd love to see some pics of it in use..   :eyelashes:
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

silkwoodzwartbles

  • Joined Apr 2016
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #23 on: September 02, 2016, 11:58:05 am »
Only just able to contribute to this thread as my sheep are very clean but the other day I noticed one of my Zwartbles shearlings had a few dags so I decided to see how easily I could sort it out. I chucked some food into the trough in the field then trimmed the dags off while she was eating. So it turns out, life can be very easy, with well handled sheep with nice temperaments. Thumbs up to my Zs again :love:

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #24 on: September 02, 2016, 01:46:25 pm »
OK Silkwood - when you can check all four feet while they're eating, THEN I'll give you that one  :) .

My main problem yesterday was that whilst I was checking one lamb, the rest of them wanted to nibble my hair or trousers. I don't think either of our flocks have ever read this diagram (flight zone? What's that!?)
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #25 on: September 02, 2016, 03:23:26 pm »
Have the MODULAMB crate , preferred it to IAE as the sheep can be tilted to make it 20" above the ground and swung out to allow you to work without catching your head on anything , good for ear tagging or worming /treatments .     But it needs 2 people to move it unless you can leave it in a race permanently

I have a WM Ironworks turnover crate that Modulamb supplied along with our sheep race.  Is that the one you mean, Shep53?  If so they now sell a set of wheels that fit on one end to make it into a (hefty) wheelbarrow.  Is does make moving one much easier.

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #26 on: September 02, 2016, 05:40:51 pm »
No sorry different  type ( if you look on the modulamb site )    I could fit wheels easily, for now if I need to move then it goes in the tractor loader bucket .   I had a rollover crate  20 yrs ago and I just fitted a pair of wheels  that were held with a pin so I could move it in a trailer

silkwoodzwartbles

  • Joined Apr 2016
Re: Dagging - how do you do it?
« Reply #27 on: September 02, 2016, 09:23:58 pm »
OK Silkwood - when you can check all four feet while they're eating, THEN I'll give you that one  :) .


lol I've blue sprayed one of Wagtail's feet while she was loose in the field but don't think I've ever had cause to check all four feet...but might have a play tomorrow and see what they make of it :innocent:

 

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