Massey studies ins and outs of handling

Press, 11 October 1985, Page 25

Massey studies ins and outs of handling

Farmers carrying out operations such as drenching and vaccination have to spend up to half their time moving sheep around the yards instead of treating them. New methods of sheep handling are needed to improve this situation.

Dr Gavin Wall, an agricultural engineer from Massey University, has surveyed a number of Manawatu farms in recent months and preliminary results suggest 45 to 50 per cent of the farmer’s time is spent herding groups of sheep to and from the position where they are treated. Sheep handling rates for drenching and vaccination vary from 250 to 400 sheep treated an hour.

The survey is part of an investigation, funded by the University’s Riverside property, to establish what is happening with sheep handling and what improve-

ments can be made. Drenching, vaccination and weighing have been studied so far, and lamb drenching will be looked at this summer. Shearing and crutching are being left alone because

Australian researchers are carrying out extensive work in this area.

Dr Wall sees the survey as a first step in a Massey programme of designing and evaluating new sheep handling methods. While only halfway through the survey, he is convinced much of the future effort will be directed towards improving the flow of stock through the yards. “It is the one problem common to all the operations: the farmer or shepherd is trying to get the sheep out of a mob into a position where it can be individually treated and this is a task which is taking up too much time.” Dr Wall foresees this inefficiency in the yards leading to a new generation of sheep handling equipment This trend has become apparent in a research review of domestic and overseas sheep handling developments which he is also undertaking. He feels demand for this equipment will grow because of the current trend in farming to produce better rather than more, which will mean more individual

inspection of stock. Of immediate interest to Dr Wall is the carousel, a raised turntable with sheep on board. It is designed to improve flow in the elevated race system which has replaced catching pens in some woolsheds. Dr Wall sees the carousel having a wider. role in sheep yards and hopes a scientific evaluation of the equipment can be carried out in the next stage of his research.