BENEFITS OF RUGGING FLOCK SHEEP

Southland Times, Issue 23989, 2 December 1939, Page 14

BENEFITS OF RUGGING FLOCK SHEEP

Practice Gaining Popularity

In Australia

[The writer of this article, and another which will be published next week, is a resident of Dunedin who spent nearly two years in New South Wales until the end of last year studying developments in the rugging of sheep. His opinions on this question have been widely sought and have created interest among sheep breeders.]

By

W. F. McQUIN

No. 1 Rugging sheep as a protection against dirt, dust and moisture is no new conception. In fact the practice dates back to the times of ancient Greece when the sheep were covered with pelts to keep filth, and so on. out of the growing wool, and there have been various modifications and extensions of the theory ever since. For instance, sheep have been rugged in Spain, to somi extent for centuries and it must not be forgotten that Spain is the birthplace of the merino. In more recent times, about the middle of last January, farmers in the north of England protected their flocks from excessive cold and wet by smearing them with mixtures such as Stockholm tar and butter, and so on, and it can readily be imagined that this was a very tedious and complicated process, necessitating placing the sheep on oblong. stools and turning them from side to side, incidentally parting the fibres down to the skin before the smearing could be started. This procedure served the purpose at the time, but besides being costly both in time and in money, not to mention the cost of scouring the wool, it is too cumbersome a process to'satisfy present-day demands of mass production with the Consequent keen competition among the wool-producing countries of the world.

Until recent years, rugging had been confined solely to stud sheep and/or sheep being prepared for show purposes and file extension, ' therefore, of the practice to the entire flock may seem at first glance, to be a revolutionary change in practical sheep husbandry. Extensive and comprehensive trials in the three main sheep-produc-ing states in Australia, namely, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales; towards the practical adoption of this system have proved that far from being impractical the general application of these new methods not only are eminently practicable, but also, are accompanied by higher cash returns to the grower applying them. The commercial rugging of flock sheep in Australia has now come to stay and is rapidly gaining the confidence of the sheep growers. This practice has passed far beyond the experimental stages and the various state Agriculture Departments are now carrying out trials at Government Research Stations to determine by scientific methods the quantitative and qualitative effects on wool and mutton production. WATERPROOF MATERIAL The rugs themselves present no insuperable obstacle. Although covers can easily be made from corn sacks, and so on, it has been found in practice that where large numbers of rugs are required it is infinitely cheaper and quicker to obtain commercially made sheep rugs already on the market. Not only are these rugs more durable—some of them will last for three and even four seasons—but also they are easy to adjust to fast-growing fleeces. Although in light rainfall country it seems that a waterproof material may not be absolutely necessary as the natural grease in* the wool saturates the rug and renders it waterproof, nevertheless in cold wet country nonwaterproof material has a definitely detrimental effect on the constitution of the animal by conserving the cold rc'-isture in the fleece.

Actually, the expenditure in time and labour is relatively small. An official test in New South Wales showed that two unpractised men could rug approximately 100 sheep an hour. Depreciation due to very badly torn rugs is as low as 2J per cent. Repair and maintenance is also a small item and the replacing of torn rugs, if any, can be very simply and expeditiously accomplished by always carrying one or two spare rugs when on the daily

round of the sheep and replacing them in the paddock. When flock rugging was first introduced in South Australia, the theory that the greatest advantage would accrue by rugging for the full season was most generally held, but, like most theories, this was modified by subsequent practice. There is no doubt but that rugging from shearing to shearing may be most beneficial in some districts, namely, those in which grazing conditions are very dusty ,or in which winter conditions are severe, but in the majority of cases it has been found that a period of four to six months is the most satisfactory and this view is now held generally by Australian growers. Furthermore this shortened period prolongs the life or the rug to a very appreciable extent. One of the main advantages of a rug is the elimination of that long wasty tip so apparent in some wools and hence it is advisable to rug as soon after shearing as practicable in order to check the formation of any tip at its inception. In Australia it is usual to rug after dipping, but although a very small tip may have made its appearance then it is often impracticable to place the rug on'directly after shearing and then remove it before dipping. PROTECTION FROM DAMP As mentioned before the primary functions of a rug are to protect the animal from damp and cold and also to keep dirt, and so on, out of the fleece as there is little demand for dirty wool and anyone who has travelled or yarded sheep is aware that there is always a thin film of dust lying over them. Another prolific factor in lowering the value of good wool is the presence of bidi bidi or burr and thistle, and so on, in the fleece and though they might appear in the skirtings of rugged fleeces the massed effect on the unrugged is ruinous. Naturally it has been found in practice that the benefits derived from rugging vary in different districts under different climatic and grazing conditions, but as an economic proposi-tion-after all, this is what concerns the farmer mainly—the initial cost of the rug has been more than repaid by the increased wool yield alone. A summary of wool yields in numerous trials in South, Australia showed that the additional cash return to the grower for wool alone on the first season varied from 1/11J to 6/9 a head. It is a significant fact that in every case of comparison of rugged and unrugged wool the rugged wool has invariably appeared “very much cleaner, brighter, better grown, and with a 1 marked absence of wasty tip.” Although in some instances they may not be much difference between the greasy yields of rugged and unrugged wool, a comparison between the clean scoured yields (and it is on a clean scoured basis that buyers base their estimates) almost invariably shows a greater weight yield from the rugged, wool. Quite apart from quantity increase it has been proved repeatedly that wool from rugged sheep commands a higher | price per lb than wool from unrugged sheep in the same flock and grazing under identical conditions. The ultimate benefit to the country as a whole from an increase in the individual returns'of each farmer need hardly be stressed here. It cannot be over-emphasized, however, that because there has always been adequate markets for wool, and incidentally lamb and mutton, the many substitutes in synthetic fibres coming on the world markets in constantly increasing quantities and the concentrated efforts towards increased lamb production in many sheep-producing countries, do not tend to indicate that there will always be such adequate markets. It behoves every wool grower therefore to use every means at his disposal to increase the quantity and quality of his output. It is abundantly clear from the evidence of the Australian experiments that the rugging of his entire flock can materially assist the farmer in his fight to retain his wool and mutton markets. As has been mentioned previously, results vary in different localities, but it has been proved beyond all doubt that greater benefits accrue in localities with a heavy raintions. Furthermore it is the considered opinion of practical sheep men that the practice of flock rugging will give even greater returns when applied to Corriedales and crossbreds than have been obtained from experiments with the merino and fine-wool breeds. (To be concluded next week)