Sheep are usually ear marked at approximately 3 months of age after lambing (birth).
Lambs are castrated to prevent full development of reproductive organs and hormones.
Ear marking is used to identify each lamb in the flock and tail-docking is usually carried out to prevent blowfly strike.
At some stage, blow-flies lay their eggs within moist and warm areas (breech region) of the sheep.
These operations are carried out to improve the survival rates of the lambs.