Male lambs are castrated before three months old. The method consists in the application of a tight rubber ring cutting off the blood supply. This causes severe pain. The use of a knife is also common. If an ewe has only a single lamb it may grow too large to pass through the narrow birth canal.
Many farmers choose to cut the front legs off the live lamb whilst still in the womb .
This is carried out to avoid having to pay a vet to perform a caesarean. This practice is very common and many lambs are killed this way during the lambing season. Transportation to slaughter Observers tell us that one of the greatest sufferings inflicted on farm animals takes place during their transportation to the slaughterhouse. Their mistreatment begins with the loading, a task often done roughly and hurriedly. Animals that fall off the loading ramp are sometimes left unattended to slowly die of their injuries.