# Dirty Jobs-oct 21 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-jobs-oct-21/469002 "2008-10-22T02:00:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sky\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Sky\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sky_King)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-jobs-oct-21/469002/21 "2008-10-22T20:37:48Z")
I was surprised at how little reaction there was from the animals…maybe a little kicking, but no noise or show of pain, even when they docked their tails? How does that work? ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-jobs-oct-21/469002/22 "2008-10-22T20:54:23Z")
They looked like they held them the same way we did- we took their front legs and basically placed them behind the hind legs and bent them at the knee- by doing that you can keep tension on them and prevent kicking. After the fiftieth lamb or so, my arms gave out and I had a hard time holding onto them. It’s hard to tell when they baah whether it’s pain or not because they start hollering usually as soon as you pick them up (more about seperation from the ewe). My own lambs definitely wince when the band goes on them and they hop around for a bit until it goes numb. It’s more something you feel holding them than could actually see. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-jobs-oct-21/469002/23 "2008-10-23T11:39:07Z")
> [@Sky\_King](#): > > I was surprised at how little reaction there was from the animals…maybe a little kicking, but no noise or show of pain, even when they docked their tails? You know what they say… _In like a lamb when you cut its nuts off, out like a lion._ ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-jobs-oct-21/469002/24 "2008-10-23T13:56:28Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > To be slightly more specific - he said they won’t let him do anything involving slaughtering or processing cows, pigs, chickens, etc. I’m guessing since molluscs, fish, and the like aren’t as cuddly, they’re OK with them getting gutted. Don’t slaughtermen have to be licenced? Could that be the reason? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-jobs-oct-21/469002/25 "2008-10-23T14:19:07Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > Mike Rowe has just castrated a number of lambs with his teeth. > :eek: > :eek::eek::eek::eek: > :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: Yes, :eek: seems to have been Mr. Rowe’s reaction as well… ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-jobs-oct-21/469002/26 "2008-10-23T15:19:05Z")
> [@Cowgirl\_Jules](#): > > Eh, that’s how they taught us to do it in college. I haven’t seen that episode yet, but it’s an old sheepherder’s trick. OK, why?? I mean, why the teeth, are knives or tin-snips scarce on the plains? I could picture the handler holding the balls in his hand and then using the snips to do the _exact same thing_ the teeth would do. Again **why the teeth**? There’s got to be fecal matter on the animal, you wouldn’t want that to come in contact with your mouth. What the f\*\*k? ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-jobs-oct-21/469002/27 "2008-10-23T15:31:21Z")
They use the knife to open the ball sack, pull the balls out and then use the teeth to crush the cord. There is a tool that can do that as well- it will make no difference to the lamb if you use the tool but my understanding is that it takes a a little more time plus more care to keep track of the knife as you put it down, pick up the tool, etc. On the day we did it, we docked/castrated over 600 lambs- so those few extra seconds matter. It all works like an assembly line, and we were lucky that day to have enough help. The crew showed up late, which left us with only 4 people to do the first half of lambs, so if we wanted to get done, every second counted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-jobs-oct-21/469002.md?page=1)