SHEEP DIPPING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 15

SHEEP DIPPING.

Stated shortly, the advantages of dipping are:— 1. The destruction of ticks, lice, and other vermin which sheep are so liable to carry. Ticks are easily noticed, hut lice and the scab mite may exist on sheep without the owner being aware of the fact, for tho insects are of the same colour as yolk, ami very minute. These set up an irritation which causes the animal to rub against fence posts, stumps, and logs. One consequence is a badly-grown; felted, ragged, and generally inferior fleece. 2. The worry causes a falling off in condition. A owe with scab or lice, owing to her condition, breeds a loss robust lamb than if she were comfortable. The lamb itself becomes badly infested, and, if not dipped, will probably die of poverty. 3. If dipping does not altogether prevent the attack of the maggot fly, it certainly acts in no small measure against that nest. That fact, from evidence at command, is undoubted, and, for that reason alone, all sheep-owners should be compelled by Jaw to dip their sheep, as, indeed, they are in this country. Once a man dips his sheep, he will not require to be compelled, the benefits being so apparent. Summed up, therefore, the effects of dipping are: — 1. A hotter and more valuable fleece. 2. A more contented and, therefore, bettor “doing” sheep. 3. A better and more robust lamb. 4. A fairly large degree of immunity from the attack of the maggot fly. The disadvantages of dipping are:— Initial cost of dip and expense of working it. Liability of injury to sheep, caused by rough usage, which is nearly unavoidable in ill-conslructed dipping baths. The liability to serious loss after dipping by sudden falls in temperature or othet changes of weather. The liability of the animals swallowing a large quantity of the liquid in the bath, wh'oh. if it does not kill, - will certainly make very sick sheep. The direct benefit of an increased price for a heavier fleece more than balances the cost of the operation. A sheep may be dipped for jfd or less, and at least Id per Ih will bo added to the value of its fleece. Caro in choosing suitable weather will prevent the losses caused by sudden changes) of temperature. A sheep should be dipped as early as possible in the day, so that ifc mav have its woo! dry before night. A new method of (lipping is described as having been adopted in some parts of Australia, whore many hundreds of sheep have often to be dipped on a single farm. As a matter of interest it is here explained. The idea may be d&cnbed as a shower bath instead of a plunge, end the eatenarc,a,flat tray roof perforated with

boles, under which the sheep stand quietly while the liquid is showered upon them. A shed, 40ft long by 12ft sin wide, tfas a flat roof covered with No. 22 gauge flat galvanised iron, soldered at all seams, and perforated with No, 10 holes, 3in apart. The iron is turned up all around the edge about 6in. Thus the roof is really a big iron tray. The roof joists are- 6:n by 2in, placed 18in apart, and run across the building. The height of the shower is about 6't above the floor. The floor is of corrugated galvanised iron. No. 22 gauge, and not battened. The floor is laid with a fall to the side, of 2in in 10ft across the shod and the cha.nnels of the corrugation lead into a gutter, which carries the Iquor draining off the sheep back into the dip tank where the dip liquor is mixed. This dip tank is an excavation Bft by 4ft by 4ft, lined witti flat galvanised iron and made watertignt. From this tank a 3in centrifugal pump, worked from a 3£ b.h.p. oil engine, delivers the dip. mixture on to the tray roof of the shed, and this falls in a gentle penetrating shower on the sheep standing beneath A pair of gates at each end of the shed hold the sheep. , In practice, when the entrance gates are opened, the sheep march straight through to the far end of the shed without the least trouble. Such a thing as “dip shyness” is not seen, and they are thoroughly wetted all over in six or seven minutes. I inspected a number of animals, .and found that the dip was all over the body in every case. Three or four minutes suffice to drain them, and thus a. shedful of sheep may be dipped every 15 minutes, allowing for filling and emptying. It is claimed that 1000 sheep per hour can be dipped without undue haste by four men It is unlikely that such a method will bo adopted in Ireland, where the flocks are so much smaller. Here the plunge bath has proved very effective and still holds favoui. *-W. G. 8., in the Farmers’ Gazette.