What Is Dagging Sheep?
Dagging, also known as crutching or tailing, is the process of clipping wet and dirty wool from around the sheep's tail and rear end to keep the fleece in the best condition. Farmers remove these 'dags' (mucky wool) to maintain sheep hygiene, focusing on the area from the hocks, crutch, under the tail, and down the hindlegs. These areas get particularly dirty when the herd is at pasture or experiences a bout of scouring.
Dagging is an essential part of flock management, helping to prevent flystrike and maintain the overall well-being of sheep. Read on to find out more about the benefits of dagging and our recommended shears for a safe and efficient trim.
Why Do Sheep Need To Be Dagged Out?
- The most crucial reason for keeping the tail and surrounding wool short and clean is to prevent an incidence of blowfly strike. In the warmer months from spring to early winter, wet, dirty fleece attracts flies, who then lay their eggs in the mucky wool. Within just a few hours, the eggs hatch resulting in an infestation of maggots which can cause great suffering and distress to the sheep.
- Flystrike is a significant economic cost for farmers, so prevention is a key part of effective husbandry. Find out more about flystrike prevention from our blog here.
- Dagging around the tail can also help to keep a clear view of this area when it comes to lambing time and can possibly help to facilitate tupping through good hygiene.
When Do Sheep Need To Be Dagged?
- The frequency of dagging varies from farmer to farmer but is usually undertaken once or twice a year. Dagging may need to be carried more frequently, depending on various factors such as the breed of the sheep and the environmental conditions.
- It's best to dag sheep before they get too mucky. Typically, the first dag is carried out in early spring before the flies emerge. This is followed by full shearing in the hotter months and then dagging again in autumn before tupping if sheep are dirty or the prevalence of flies is still high.
- Dagging can be carried out using hand shears or for a quick and efficient process, mechanical shears are often adopted for servicing larger flocks.
- At Masterclip, we offer a range of mains powered and cordless mechanical shears and hand held shears to suit small or large flocks for effective fleece maintenance throughout the year.
Hand Shears For Dagging Sheep
- Hand shears are a traditional and reliable tool for dagging, offering farmers a precise way to remove soiled wool to prevent flystrike.
- They are lightweight, easy to carry, and require no power source, making them ideal for dagging small flocks or quick touch-ups in the field.
- Manual hand held shears are also a brilliant tool for giving a clean, flawless trim up for show sheep.
- Our Masterclip hand shears are designed with optimal tension and maximum control with soft squeeze handles to reduce hand fatigue. Watch our double bow hand shears in use on YouTube here.
- However, using hand shears can be time-consuming and physically demanding, especially when dealing with large numbers of sheep. Precision also depends on the skill of the user and blunt or poorly maintained shears can lead to uneven cuts.
Dagging Shears For Small Flocks
For farmers looking to streamline the dagging process, electrical shears offer a faster and more efficient alternative. With a steady motor-driven blade, electric shears allow for a smooth cut and reduce hand fatigue, making dagging less strenuous, particularly when caring for larger flocks. The speed and ease of using electrical shears for dagging often make them the preferred choice for busy farms where time and efficiency are key considerations.
For smaller numbers of sheep, the Ewe 2000 shears are the ideal lightweight clipper for full shearing and dagging.
- The continuous power provided these mains clippers allows for efficient back to back shearing of multiple animals in a single session.
- This handset has a traditional style shearing head which can be used with straight toothed dagging blades or specialist shearing blades with a curved point to help follow the contours of the animal's body when caring out a full shear.
- Novice users may opt to utilise the dagging blades for shearing and can find these easier to handle when getting to grips with the shearing technique. Dagging blades are also suitable for clipping dirty cattle.
- With a traditional shearing head, these shears can also be used with other branded shearing blades that have a standard fitting (such as Heiniger blades).
- These shears may also be purchased as a Multihead option, which includes an additional A2 clipping head for clipping cattle and horses with our range of premium A2 clipper blades - making these shears the ideal choice for farmers and smallholders caring for a range of livestock.
Cordless Dagging Shears
Cordless Shears For Small Flocks
For a cordless solution, the HD Roamer battery shears are a brilliant handy pair of clippers to dag anywhere! Even out in the pasture. The flexibility of cordless shears means that if a sheep is spotted in the field with a case of flystrike on the fleece, it can be dealt with quickly and efficiently outside without the need to bring it in.
- The HD Roamer clipper comes with 2 rechargeable batteries so you will always have a spare battery on hand. Extra batteries may also be purchased if needed.
- The A2 livestock blade is ideal for shearing and dagging a small number of sheep, llamas or alpacas and clipping the backs or tails of dirty cattle.
- These shears can also be used with multiple A2 clipper blades to clip a range of livestock such as horses, ponies, donkeys and show cattle.
Heavy Duty Cordless Shears
For farmers needing a more heavy duty solution for dagging, the Masterclip Outback shears are the perfect clippers to service both small and large flocks of sheep. Being fully cordless, these powerful shears are handy when inspecting sheep out at pasture, allowing farmers to dag in the field.
- With a traditional style head, these shears can be used with both dagging and shearing blades and are compatible with a range of blades from different manufacturers.
- A superb choice if you need a handy, powerful, cable-free clipper that is compatible with existing shears and traditional dagging and shearing blades.
- With 2 rechargeable batteries, this clipper offers up to 1 hour shearing time per battery, with extras available if required.
Essential Accessories And Tips For Dagging Sheep
If you have a few sheep to clean up, we recommend dagging the cleanest animals first, saving the dirtiest jobs until last. This will help to preserve the sharpness of your clipper blades.
Alongside clipper oil, It’s advised to always have some Andis 5-in-1 blade care spray to hand as not only will this lubricate and keep the blades clean, but the added disinfectant properties will also help to maintain hygiene between animals.
Carrying extra blades is always a good idea for shearing and dagging so that you always have spares to swap to, should a blade start to dull mid-shear.
For mains powered shears, always use with an RCD for safety.
Keep shears and accessories together and readily portable in our handy holdall.
Explore our range of sheep shears today or contact our friendly and knowledgeable team if you'd like personalised recommendations to best suit your flock and dagging needs.
