Ring Expander – College of the Atlantic’s Peggy Rockefeller Farm
Cyanotype, 15” x 22”
photo credit: Jay York
Ring expanders are used to dock a lamb’s tail. Sheep have been selectively bred for
millennia and their thick wool makes for heavy tails that are difficult to pick up. As a
result, they get caked with feces and trap moisture, making sheep vulnerable to fly
strike, an infestation that can ultimately lead to painful death. The theory/research
behind tail docking is that it prevents fly strike. Farmers also use ring expanders for
castrating lamb and goat kids.
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