An investigation into the efficacy of the Te Pari Patesco knife in providing a bare tip and the relationship between tail length and dag score in unmulesed Merino lambs
J. E. Smith A B , R. G. Woodgate A , C. A. Curnow A , D. L. Michael A and A. J. Van Burgel AA Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, 444 Albany Highway, Albany, WA 6330, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: julia.smith@agric.wa.gov.au
Animal Production Science 52(7) 671-674 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN11286
Submitted: 10 November 2011 Accepted: 16 February 2012 Published: 1 May 2012
Abstract
This study investigated dag accumulation between marking time and first shearing and wool cover of the tip of the tail in a total of 842 ewes and wethers, tailed either at the second or third joint using a standard gas knife or at the third joint using the Te Pari Patesco gas knife. Four hundred of the ewes had further measurements taken in 2011. The Te Pari-treated animals had significantly (P < 0.05) less wool on the tail tip than lambs treated with a standard gas knife. There were no significant differences in dag score between treatment groups in 2010; however, there were significantly (P < 0.05) less dags on animals in the Te Pari-treated group in 2011. This effect needs to be further investigated in a range of sheep genotypes, locations and seasons.
Additional keywords: fly strike, lamb marking, tailing.
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