LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

Southland Times, Issue 22345, 9 June 1934, Page 12

LIVE STOCK AND THE FARM

(Conducted by

W. S. Allan, B. Agr. Sc.)

Ittfms of Interest with a view to publication in these columns will be accepted, and any inquiries accompanied by the name and address of the inquirer. not necessarily for publication, will be answered through these columns. CALVING AND FOALING CASES Article 111. (By Colin Aberdeen, L.V.Sc.) EXAMINATION. An examination should be carried out in the mare in three-quarters of an hour after the appearance of the water bag if the foetus appears to be repelled only a little or not at all and in the cow an hour and a quarter can be allowed. Birth may be normal, but on the other hand dystocia may be present and the earlier it is diagnosed and treated the better. Under no circumstances should a mare be left over an hour and a half or a cow over two hours without an examination. If the foetus is presenting normally traction can be employed to aid birth as the continued strain is weakening to the animal. The examination of the animals calls first for a clear idea of the normal presentation, so the previous description of the normal presentation should be studied. To carry out the examination the arm and hand to be used should be thoroughly cleansed, the finger nails cut as short as possible and smoothed and any cuts or scratches on the hand or arm liberally painted with iodine. The arm should now be covered with olive oil, strained linseed emulsion or a solution of slippery elm bark. Soap is usually used, but if trouble is experienced the use of soap, especially caustic ones, causes the vaginol membranes to swell and retards birth and may even cause the operator to be unable to secure birth. If soap is used it must be a mild toilet soap and it should be used only sparingly. The above three articles mentioned are more reliable and have no ill effects. The hand is now inserted in the vagina and pushed in until the foetus can be felt when the following points should be ascertained: the presentation of the foetus and the positions of the various extremities that can be reached. If the foetus is not in a normal position care should be taken to ascertain exactly what is causing the dystocia. The foetus may or may not be expelled as far as the pelvis and if it is not in the pelvis, the pelvic canal and entrance must be examined for constriction. As all further treatment depends on this examination it should be carefully done and when the exact position of the foetus is ascertained work can be put forward towards the removal of the foetus. The following are the main aids towards the removal of the foetus: repulsion, rotation, version, extension and traction, each of which is dealt with below. Repulsion.—This is necessitated by the fact that the pelvic canal is so narrow that there is not enough room to carry out extensive changes in the attitude of the foetus without pushing it back into the womb. The body of the foetus as a whole can be repelled but little, but a given part may be repelled quite considerably. In the dead foetus repulsion is best done with a repeller having a sharp spike in the centre. This is a steel rod about 30 inches long with a shoulder piece at one end and two short curved arms of about an inch to an inch and a half and between them is a spike half an inch long. The diagram gives a general idea of the type required. so" A ro rShoulder drnu This very essential instrument should be part of every fanner’s equipment. The spike may be used in the live foetus without any ill-effects and it has the advantage of fixing the instrument. The repeller should be constantly guided by the hana of the operator. An assistant may be asked to maintain pressure on the repeller while the operator carries out change in the position of the foetus or the operator himself may hold it fixed against the opposite shoulder to the arm being used. Application of pressure on the repeller usually arouses expulsion efforts and during these the operator should attempt to prevent the foetus being driven towards the pelvis. As soon as the repulsive efforts relax the operator should attempt to accomplish his object rapidly.

Rotation—When the foetus is not exactly in the upright position it must be rotated on its long axis. Rotation is extremely difficult when the foetus is advanced in the pelvic canal. When the foetus is entering the pelvic canal in any other than the upright position it is very unstable and tends to rotate into the proper position. The worker should aid these natural forces. Most cases demanding rotation occur in the tail presentation and are usually in the upside down position. It is first advisable to flush the womb with warm saline solution. The foetus should be repelled as far as possible and the hind feet secured by means of cords. Cord plough reins make excellent cords for these cases. The operator should insert the hand palm upwards and grasp the buttocks of the foetus, using the maternal brim as a falcrum repel and rotate at the same time. An assistant may grasp one or both hind feet, bend them at the fetlock and exert a rotary action in the same direction as the operator; or the two hind feet may be tied together and a short lever passed between them and rotated. The most effective method is cross traction on the hind limbs. In the head presentation the general plan is similar, though it may be rendered more difficult by the pressence of the head and neck. The head may have to be amputated. The operator acts upon the withers in the same way as he did upon the buttocks. Version.—lt is impossible to change a tail presentation into a head one or a head one into a tail one. In veterinary practice version is very limited, and its usefulness is restricted to the tranverse presentation which is confined essentially to mares. Usually, however, in these cases it is better to start on embryotomy (removing foetus in parts) at once as the chances of getting the foetus into a suitable position for birth are limited. Extension.—The deviations of the extremities are those of the head neck and limbs. These deviations become more aggravated as the foetus advances towards the vulva and tend as constantly to be lessened or overcome as the foetus is repelled back into the womb. In the side deviation of the head a hook should be placed in one or both eye sockets of the dead foetus or the lower jaw should be corded in the live foetus and repulsion to the base of the neck should be applied while the head is being pulled into the pelvic canal. To extend a fore limb bent at the knee the shoulders of the foetus should be repelled while traction is exerted at the far end of the leg by a cord attached round the pastern or as low as possible on the fore limb. Should the fore limb be completely retained the fore arm can usually be reached

and that even after repulsion. This should be corded and traction exerted on it while repulsion on the body is continued when the foreleg will be gradually drawn up.

In deviations of the hind limbs the body must be repelled while that part of the limb that can be reached must be corded and brought up. Finally the leg is pushed obliquely outwards and upwards in the upper flank regions of the foetus. The pastern is then corded and traction applied to that. The work should be done as gently as possible to avoid expulsive efforts on the part of the mother.

The coitections should be made without haste, but when a critical point is reached it is frequently essential that the operation should be completed promptly. Thus when the toe or fetlock is imparted against the brim of the pelvis it is important that the operation be completed promptly to prevent a return of the foot to its former position and because violent expulsive efforts may injure the womb. To help the foot glide over the brim of the pelvis without causing injury the operator should grasp it in the palm of his hand and pull it into the canal.

The next article will deal with traction and how to apply it and the technique of embryotomy (removal of foetus by surgical operation) will be dealt with.

NEW ZEALAND SHEEP EXPORT TO AMERICA. CORRIEDALE AND ROMNEY RAMS. Of interest to New Zealand sheep farmers generally, was the shipment in April of seven stud Romney rams from the flock of Messrs Voss Bros., Karere, to Mr H. Coffin, Yakima, .Washington. Included in the same shipment were three outstanding Corriedale rams bred by Mr W. Rayner, of Masterton, and dispatched to the same breeder. The seven Romneys, which comprised the first shipment of New Zea-land-bred Romney sheep to the United States of America for many years, included three shearling rams and seven ram lambs. Messrs Voss Bros, have for sale about 500 Romney rams each season, and the seven ram lambs were specially selected from them by Mr S. J. Goulter, chief stud stock officer attached to the staff of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd. The specifications which Mr Coffin sent out called for a rather larger boned sheep than is usually accepted in New Zealand, and he also asked for great strength in the wool. This shipment is to be regarded as an experiment by Mr Coffin, and if it proves successful it is hoped a brisk demand will eventuate for New Zealand-bred Romney Marsh sheep. The three Corriedales were beautiful sheep, being the top of Mr Rayner’s shearling rams. The value set on New Zealand-bred sheep abroad is shown by the realizations just received by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., from their agents in Argentine, of Mr W. Rayner’s December shipment to that country: Twelve Lincolns averaged 1275 dollars; three Corriedales, 1025 dollars; and three Romneys, 800 dollars.

At the same time a number of Eng-lish-bred Lincolns and Romneys were offered, a few being sold at an average price of 400 dollars, the majority being passed with no bidders, Roughly, thirteen Argentine gold dollars go to the pound sterling. EXPORT OF CORRIEDALES The United States is one of the countries, which a good few years ago, established the Corriedale breed founded in New Zealand as one of its national breeds of sheep. Importations from New Zealand have not, however, been made for some years. Recently, Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., received a repeat order from the Bear Claw Ranch, Ohio, U.S.A., to supply six special stud rams from the famous Bushey Park Stud. These rams, which left Wellington in April, were magnificently grown, of exceptional conformation, and carrying beautiful, even fleeces of high-yielding wool. The price of these rams was the highest paid for New Zealand Corriedales for some time. Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., also report that a targe number of Corriedale rams have already been booked for export to South American countries later in the year, and that there is every evidence New Zealand is in for a good season, in so far as the export of stud sheep to overseas countries is concerned. FEEDING PIGS If the value of all the food wasted annually in pig-feeding could be accurately estimated, observes a South African paper, it would certainly amount to a very considerable sum. That money would be' much better in somebody's pocket than on the muckheap. A certain amount of wasted food is inevitable but a great deal of the waste that occurs might be prevented by a little foresight. Unsuitable troughs are, perhaps, the first and most frequent cause of wasted food. When pigs are fed with slops in troughs which have no rim a certain amount of food is bound to be pushed overboard and lost. Food is also wasted when the trough accommodation is not sufficient for the number of pigs, and again when there are no divisions, so that the pigs jostle one another or can run their noses along the bottom of the trough, as they often will. This habit is encouraged when food is mixed too thinly, for this induces the pig to push to the bottom for the solid matter to be found there. That results in a good deal of the liquid being pushed over and any meal suspended in it is lost.

THE DAIRY HERD MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING. the winter months. Series 11. The food-supply of the herd during the winter months is an important factor in the maintenance of health and good condition. Dairy cows require to be well provided for even during the dry months. Cows should not be allowed to fall away in condition as, if they do, good results cannot be expected next season. A cow should be in good condition at calving-time, not necessarily fat, but with something to spare, as the drain is heavy until the spring feed comes away. With a herd in good condition at calving-time the peak of production is reached a few weeks after calving, whereas with a herd in poor condition the peak is not reached until the spring is well advanced. Moreover, the amount of trouble experienced at calving-time will be considerably reduced in those herds which have been well fed and well cared for. The shepherd finds it necessary to go round his flock last thing at night and first thing in the morning during the lambing season. The dairy-farmer must do likewise to ensure that everything is satisfactory.

The food-supply for the winter may consist of some roughage, which may be hay and roots and it may be silage or a combination of these staple foodstuffs. Whatever it is, it is advisable to see that the stock get an adequate daily allowance of a wholesome nutritious supply. When hay is being fed in fairly large quantities daily it is necessary to see that the water-supply is plentiful. Hay should be fed out in racks in preference to being spread out in the paddocks. The rack method is more economical and _ the hay is not trampled down and soiled. Hay of good quality is highly digestible and nutritious; poorly saved hay, on the. other hand, has a low food-value and is liable to cause indigestion and impaction. It is therefore advisable when feeding poor-quality hay to combine some roots in the daily ration, to see that a plentiful supply of water is available, and to provide a lick of agricultural salt. When hay of low quality is being stacked or baled it is a sound practice to sprinkle the layers with agricultural salt. It improves the keeping qualities of the hay and renders it more digestible. When roots, hay, and ensilage are available the common practice is to feed off the soft turnips with hay in the early part of the season, leaving the silage and the swedes and mangels till later in the season. The soft, turnips will not keep whereas the silage will keep almost indefinitely. It is always advisable to feed some hay with the roots. Large quantities of roots by themselves are liable to cause gestion and scours and may lead to dysentery and “red-water”. A better balanced ration is obtained when hay and roots are combined. Mangels, unless fully mature, require to be pulled, stacked or pitted some weeks before being fed out to stock. This procedure increases the sugar content of this crop and prevents the possibility of scours, which. are frequently seen when the crop is fed immediately after being pulled. Although all roots contain a very high percentage of water they are much valued by stock owners who prepare animals for show and sale. Roots contain a small percentage of dry matter which is highly digestible, the percentage of fibre being low. They have been described as watery concentrates. Ensilage as a Stock Food. Silage is being used more and more throughout the dairying districts as the mainstay of the herd during the. winter months and during the periods of scarcity. Grass silage is the crop most favoured in New Zealand, and is as popular in this country as corn silage is in the United States of America. Silage has many advantages over hay and roots as a winter food-supply for the herd. Surplus spring growth can be converted into silage much more satisfactorily than into hay in a rainy season. There is not the same risk of deterioration and wastage when making silage. In regard to roots, the chance of a good crop in this respect depends upon several factors; in fact, in some districts it is a relatively difficult matter to grow a good crop of roots. Silage can be prepared in any district with reasonable conditions for the growth of pasture. As a foodstuff for the dairy herd during the winter months silage is extensively used. It is succulent and nutritious and a very . useful ration for dry cows or cows in milk. Properly conserved it is rich in minerals, a necessary food constituent for a pregnant animal or a producing “ animal. The feeding value of silage for milk production is high: 2Jlb of silage are superior to 11b of meadow hay. In a trial in a, dairy herd where silage was used to replace both hay and roots it was found that BAlb of silage had higher feeding value than 101 b of mangels and 11b of hay. Some of the protein in silage is in the partly digested aminoacid stage. Stock do very well on silage, give a good return and retain their bloom. Mineral Content. The question of the mineral content of stock foods has been receiving more and more attention of late years. It is opportune here to say a few words about the mineral content of the winter foods discussed above. In regard to the mineral content of silage, the mineral content of the grass crop can be conserved in the silage when the silage is made in dry weather. Some drainage may take place under other circumstances, but generally speaking, silage is rich in its mineral content. This, can be increased by the inclusion of highclass plants such as clovers and lucerne. Likewise, the mineral content of good quality clover or lucerne hay is high. Hay .vhich has been cut too late in the season, or hay which- has been leached or subjected to rain is. low in mineral content. Roots are low in their mineral content. Where low-quality fodders are being fed, both the protein and mineral content of such fodders are low. It may therefore be advisable to supplement the winter foods in use on many farms by the addition of a mineral lick. Agricultural salt should be provided for all dairy stock on all farms during the winter months. This can be added to by the addition of 25 to 50 per cent, of bone-meal or boneflour. The addition will provide calcium and phosphorus, two minerals specially required by dairy cows even when dry, and more particularly required, by dairy cows which are being milked through the winter months. It has been shown that the dairy cow depletes her mineral reserves throughout the milking-season. The dry period is then a suitable time to build up again. There is some evidence to show that such diseases as tuberculosis, contagious abortion, and sterility are in some cases more apt to occur in herds where the mineral-supply is low. I

ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES “Morepork” (Tapanui, Otago), asks how to supplement the milk ration during the winter months. A balanced ration is required. Your practice of using meat meal is sound. When used in small quantities (Jib to Jib per pig per day) in winter for the purpose of making home grown foods complete, the winter carrying of stores becomes a profitable business. Deaths are eliminated and pigs wintered on meat meal can be fattened with two months milk feeding where previously those that survived the winter required four months to fatten. It would certainly be unwise and uneconomical to feed 61b of meat meal per pig per day. The following experience of a Waikato daily farmer should be of interest. This man supplements his whey with small but increasing amounts of meat meal. The little pigs when on the market, and fed by themselves in the “creep” receive only Jib meat meal a day, the amount being gradually increased till at 8 weeks of age jib is given to each pig. It should be noted also that this man puts his success, in pig farming down to the fact that instead of giving his pigs large quantities of whey twice a day he actually feeds them five times a day. Giving his pigs large quantities of whey twice a day without any concentrate means that the pig’s stomach gets overloaded and it makes unsatisfactory progress. Not only this, but drinking huge quantities of liquid food at long intervals makes an animal pot-bellied and this means a thin flank, one of the worst features in a carcase from a market viewpoint. In addition to feeding the whey in small quantities five times a day—after the morning milking, after the whey comes from the factory, after dinner and before and after the evening milking, the meat meal is fed daily as above.

From eight weeks when they are weaned, till 12 weeks, they get Jib a day fed with the whey. From then on Jib a day is fed, and this amount is gradually increased to lib a day at 18 weeks when they are ready to go away as porkers being then about 1201 b live weight and 801 b on the hooks. An experiment was carried out to determine the effect of feeding a larger amount, but it was shown that when the pigs were fed on 111 b of meat meal per day they actually lost weight. Potatoes are improved by cooking. From 4 to 51b of potatoes, lib of grain, preferably crushed, and a gallon of skimmed milk will form a balanced ration. Many people feed potatoes alone as they do hot wish to purchase grain. More than 6 to 71b to the gallon of skimmed milk is not advisable for fattening. Boil the potatoes, discard the water and mix with the milk. It should be remembered, however, that meat meal greatly enhances the value of potatoes as a feed. Brewers’ culmings are intermediate in properties between bran and oats. In general they are more suitable for working or breeding animals than for fattening. They should not form a large portion of the total ration. Swedes should also be used in moderation only. CHILLED BEEF TRADE ANOTHER SHIPMENT SENT FORWARD. The success that attended the two experimental shipments of chilled beef in January and June of last year has encouraged Messrs T. Borthwick and Sons to persevere still further with the development of this trade. The first shipment, which comprised 330 hindquarters and 270 forequarters, although not a commercial success, paved the way to success for the second consignment, consisting of 520 hindquarters. This was described in a London cablegram as “much the best trial shipment ever made by Australia or New Zealand.” The consignment realized IJd per lb more than frozen beef. In the above shipments, practically all the beef was drawn from the Wairarapa, and the whole of the killing and the chilling process was carried out at Waingawa -works. The March shipment, which left Wellington by the new motor vessel, Port Chalmers, specially fitted for the trade, and now on her maiden voyage, consisted of 1200 hindquarters. Almost all of this beef was also drawn from Wairarapa herds. Referring to the type of beef used for the trade, Mr P. J. Borthwick, said that experts had been greatly impressed with the quality. Its condition had borne out his contention that there was plenty of good beef available in the district. He said that while this shipment must still be regarded as experimental, he considered they were approaching a point where the shipment of chilled beef from New Zealand to Great Britain could be regarded as a commercial proposition. Considerable data of great practical value was gained from the results of the two former experimental shipments, and it is the opinion of the firm that this shipment will definitely put them on the right track. The firm intends to continue with the trade, and holds out strong hopes for its future prospects. “Perfect” Hindquarters.

In view of the bright prospects of building up the chilled beef industry in New Zealand, special freezing classes were included in the exhibits at the Masterton Show in February. The bullocks were taken over by Borthwich and Sons, and the competition was for the best two pairs of hindquarters, most suitable for the chilled beef trade. The judging was carried out by Mr J. Smith, the firm’s grader, who placed the entry of Mr G. Shaw, Te Ore Ore, first. After making the awards, he said, in referring to the winning entry, that one pair of hindquarters was the best he had seen, being absolutely perfect. He commented favourably on the dressing, which he considered very good. “Taken all through, it is a wonderful lot of beef,” he observed. The entry of Mr G. C. Williams, “Te Parae,” Masterton, was placed second, with Mr A. W. Buchanan’s (Masterton), third, and Mr C. J. Bennett’s (Masterton) entry fourth. The Sort Needed. It must be remembered that New Zealand will have strong competition in the chilled beef trade, so that only superior quality should be sent forward, if this Dominion’s product is to secure a profitable footing on the markets at Home. It is essential that the catfle be young, not more than 2J years, prime, and weighing from 650 to 7501 b. The individual hindquarters should average about 160 to 1801 b. There is little or no demand at Home for chilled forequarters.

DRAUGHT HORSES ENSURING QUALITY. For several years immediately preceding the advent of the world depression there was a marked decline in the popularity of horses, owing to the corresponding increase in the employment of tractors which, it is claimed could be worked “round the clock,” and required no “feed” while they were idle. Tractors are still largely in use throughout the farming districts but many of those who formerly operated them have reverted to horses on the ground that it is more economical to utilize horses for heavy haulage, such as ploughing, drilling, etc. It is axiomatic that it costs no more to keep a good animal than it does a poor one, but the former, from every point of view, is calculated to prove a far better investment than the latter. That applies not only to horses but all descriptions of livestock. The soundness of the principle, however, is not recognized nearly so widely or so thoroughly as it should be. The Clydesdale Horse Society and the Chamber of Agriculture of Australia are at present taking measures which will ensure that the quality of their draught horses is beyond reproach. They aim to have the country populated with only the most useful and satisfactory horses that can be bred. Hence, they seek to have the existing legislation so amended that all colts must be submitted for examination by a Government Veterinary Officer at two years instead of three years, as at present, and to have cancelled the provision which now allows owners on the payment of a fee of £1 1/- to retain rejected stallions for use on their own mares. The figures and comments furnished by the Chief Veterinary Inspector in his report on this subject make interesting reading. During the past year the number of horses of all types inspected was 803 against 623 the preceding year, and only 354 in 1931-32. Of the 803, 300 or 37 per cent., were rejected, 94 on account of rmsoundness, and 206 because of defect in type, conformation or breeding. Taking the figures for draughts, 87 were rejected for unsoundness, and 163 through disapproval. Of the 87 passed out 75 were found to be suffering from sidebone. “The persistence of this unsoundness,” states the Chief Veterinary Inspector, “has been attributed partly to the use of sires by owners who avail themselves of the provision whereby an owner of a stallion on payment of a small fee at the time registration was refused is permitted to use such stallion for breeding purposes with his own mares, and partly to the illegal use of imsound stallions for breeding purposes.”