Woodruff Madeleine, Munoz Carolina, Coleman Grahame, Doyle Rebecca, Barber Stuart
The Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia.
Faculty of Science, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Mar 7;13(6):963. doi: 10.3390/ani13060963.
Docking sheep tails is a long-standing practice that, when done at the recommended length, reduces the risk of flystrike. The recommended length is to cover the vulva of ewes and to a similar length in males. This length is often equated to three coccygeal joints left intact, and there are many other ways the recommended length is described by researchers, industry, and government. This study compared the observer consistency and retest consistency using three different tail length measurement methods: vulva cover assessment, length (mm), and joint palpation. The tails of 51 yearling and 48 weaner Merino ewes were assessed by two observers. Length and vulva cover assessment methods provided the most reliable results, and joint palpation was the least reliable method of tail measurement. In the sample, tails that covered the vulva of yearlings and weaners measured 57.6 mm ( = 14) and 63.7 mm ( = 30) on average, respectively, and contained two coccygeal joints (more than two coccygeal vertebrae). Tails that did not cover the vulva of yearlings and weaners measured 41.3 mm ( = 36) and 52.8 mm ( = 17) on average, respectively, and had less than two coccygeal joints. The two most reliable methods enable valid comparison to the best practice recommendations.
给羊尾巴断尾是一种由来已久的做法，按照推荐的长度断尾可降低蝇蛆病的风险。推荐长度是要覆盖母羊的外阴，公羊的尾巴长度与之相似。这个长度通常等同于保留三个完整的尾椎关节，研究人员、行业和政府还有许多其他描述推荐长度的方式。本研究使用三种不同的尾巴长度测量方法比较了观察者之间的一致性和重测一致性：外阴覆盖评估、长度（毫米）和关节触诊。两名观察者对51只一岁龄美利奴母羊和48只断奶美利奴母羊的尾巴进行了评估。长度和外阴覆盖评估方法提供了最可靠的结果，而关节触诊是最不可靠的尾巴测量方法。在样本中，覆盖一岁龄母羊和断奶母羊外阴的尾巴平均长度分别为57.6毫米（ = 14）和63.7毫米（ = 30），包含两个尾椎关节（超过两个尾椎）。未覆盖一岁龄母羊和断奶母羊外阴的尾巴平均长度分别为41.3毫米（ = 36）和52.8毫米（ = 17），尾椎关节少于两个。这两种最可靠的方法能够与最佳实践建议进行有效的比较。
