THE MORTALITY OF SHEEP

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 199, 24 August 1903, Page 3

THE MORTALITY OF SHEEP

LECTURE BY MR C. J. REAKES.

On Saturday at Ewart's Hall a large number of sheep-owners and others interested assembled to hear the lecture delivered by Mr O. J. Reakes, assistant Chief Veterinarian, on " The oauses of mortality amongst breeding ewea; and the oauses of mortality amongst sheep fattening on rape and turnips." Mr D. Bishell, vice President of the A. and P Association, under whose auspices the meeting was held, occupied the chair, and briefly introduced the lecturer. Mr Reakes commenced his address by referring to the great freedom %of the sheep of the colony from specific diseases, and said those that existed amongst them, and were the principal causes of mortality, were mainly dietetic, and arose from errors in feeding and not from specific diseases. The only oauses of mortality which arose from the presence of a special organism were blood poisoning (malignant oedema), which was a frequent cause of loss amongst sheep at shearing time, and amongst lambs during culling and tailing, and a disease that often arose amongst sheep, especially hoggets, feeding on turnips and which closely resembled the disease known in Scotland as braxy, with which it was very probably identical. He referred those present to Leaflet for Farmers No. 58, issued by the Department of Agriculture, which-gave full directions as to the symptoms and treatment of oedema, and urged the necessity for having absolutely clean instruments, and as fair as possible the best antiseptic conditions. When cutting and tailing lambs he said it was always a good plan to put on the wounds a small quantity of carbolic oil after operating, the oil being made in the proportions of 1 in 12. He gave an instance of a farmer who, on the day after marking his lambs, found over 50 per cent, of them lying dead in the paddock. He at once asked for advice and assistance from the Department, thinking that some deadly disease had got into his flock. Mr Reakes found that the mortality was owing to two contribut ing causes, viz., a thoughtless, careless farmer, and a dirty, contaminated knife. The farmer had used this particular knife for all sorts of purposes, including the skinning or cutting up of dead sheep, before operating on the lambs, and there could be no doubt it had been the means of infecting the lambs with blood poisoning, careful investigation having proved that the yards and surroundings generally were free from infection. Other diseases that prevailed amongt sheep were due, as previously mentioned, to dietetic error. Nature intended the sheep to derive its nutriment from food not too rich and stimulating, and to have to take considerable exercise in order to obtain its food. In the colony, however, sheep were generally fed on rich pastures and paddocks of rape and turnips, and provided with an ample supply, placing them in the way of getting their food with scarcely any exercise. They thus assimilated large quantities of food and stored up fat at a rapid rate, j and if on rape or turnips assimilated food which contained large quantities ol nitrogenous matter, and this led to congestion of the kidneys and acute eczema, etc. The question before the j owner was whether it would pay him better to market his stock quiokly and take bis ohance of losing a few of them, or whether he would wait longer and raise them under natural conditions. The mortality amongst ewes before lambing was caused by two diseases— antepartum paralysis, and prolapsis vaginas. The first was brought about by an excessive amount of nutriment and insufficient exercise, which developed the accumulation of fat about the liver and kidneys, thus preventing these organs exercising their proper functions. In the second disease the membranes became weakened from the same cause of a superfluity of fat, and ewes affected were invariably found to be carrying twin lambs. This straining and weakening of the membranes and their relaxed condition, together with the weight of the womb, caused expulsion. The lecturer went on to describe the treatment necessary for this cause of mortality, and said that in the case of antepartum paralysis the owner could only go on the lines of prevention, as when the disease had developed it was too late to save the animal. Referring to parasitic diseases, Mr Reakes described internal diseases, dealing especially with lungworm and parasitic gastritis, which was brought about by the presence of small worms in the fourth stomach. He impressed on owners that the taking of medicines was of little or no use. The best treatment was by good management and the provision of a diet of dry and nourishing food. In answer to various questions by Messrs R. F. Goulter, J. G. Armstrong and J. Rose, as to causes of "in lamb ewes" feeding on roots frequently aborting,— Mr Reakes said he did not consider it a good thing to bring ewes to lambing on a diet of roots alone. A mixed diet was far better, more especially as in frosty weather a diet confined to roots alone was liable to cause digestive arrangements, which in turn might induce abortion and other troubles. Mr R. Bell asked the lecturer for some information re anthrax. Mr Reakes said Anthrax had obtained a solid footing in the Waikato especially, and also to a less extent in Southland. Seeing that the anthrax germs could retain their vitality for many years in the earth, he felt certain that it would be a very long lime before there would be the slightest hope of eradicating the disease in the colony; indeed he was doubf ul if it ever would be eradicated. Marlborough farmers should make a strong point of absolutely refusing to purchase any manure containing bones imported from outside the colony. If they did this, they might rest secure from anything but a very remote possibility of getting anthrax into their district. The Government were now taking steps to erect sterilising plants to ensure the proper sterilisation of all bones imported into the colony; and once this was done, and the sooner the better, we would have the satisfaction of knowing that we had stopped the introduction of the disease into the colony, and a prolonged and interesting occupation would be afforded the otllcers of the Department of Agricul ture in endeavoring to deal effectively with the disease as it already existed. Replying to Mr S. Tapp as to how the disease could be detected, he said nearly always the first symptom the farmer noticed was a dead beast. As a rule no serious symptoms were evinced for several hours after the germs had gained entrance into the animal's system; but once acute symptoms were exhibited death followed within a very short period.