What Is Dagging Sheep?

Dagging or crutching is the cutting away of dirty, wet wool from around the tail and anus (crutch) of the sheep. ... The maggots burrow into the skin and feed on the flesh of the sheep.

What does it mean to crutch a sheep?

Crutching is shearing the wool from the rear end of a sheep – between the legs and around the tail. The purpose is to remove 'dags', which are clumps of wool stained with faeces and urine.

What are sheep dags used for?

An Auckland firm has rolled out an ingenious use for the byproducts of an unlikely combination; sheep and coffee. Woolgro mixes dag wool - which is often exported for low grade products - and jute fibre from used coffee sacks to create a seed-infused mat to be rolled out over ground ready for a lawn.