Tag, you're it!

Today is a big day for the poddy lambs. Today they are getting their ear tags, having their tails banded and are being vaccinated. The older Wiltipoll lambs were done weeks ago, but as these little ones are younger, they are getting done now. At three weeks of age they are growing strongly and putting on lots of weight.  These two are out of the lamb pen during the day now, learning how to graze in the orchard and having a fun time running, exploring, and chasing the chooks around the yard.

We tag the sheep on the ear to identify them so we can keep track of individuals and bloodlines.  It is also now a requirement that all sheep be identified and traced in accordance with the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) .  Each property must have its own Property Identification Code (PIC).  Amazing how much paperwork and red tape there is to comply with these days, even for a small farm. On our tags we have our PIC, plus a number to identify the individual sheep.  Each years lambs get a different colour tag. This year they are green.