FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, 19 July 1929, Page 15

FARM AND DAIRY

LAMBING TROUBLES IN EWES. A WARNING TO SHEEP FARMERS. i Department of Agriculture). •Many of the troubles met with in stock in New Zealand are peculiar to this country, which is singularly free from infectious diseases. The cause of our losses i.. many cases can be traced to the effects of feeding conditions. In colder, -less temperate climates, where the growing season is much shorter than in New Zealand, the question of winter grazing of sheep often presents a problem. In New Zealand, however, sheep farmers are favoured with a long grass season, and in some districts, with the exception of roots, very little supplementary feeding is necessary.. With the extended a.nd varied use of fertilisers the present long grass season may be further prolonged. There is a danger that in some eases the conditions of feed may be too congenial, more especially for the heavier breeds of sheep. In the South Island more provision for winter feeding is necessary than in the north. In the North Island teed is as a rule plentiful, so far as sheep are concerned, for the greater part of the year. The sheep's close grazing habits enable it to obtain its food supply on pastures where some of the larger ruminants would encounter difficulty. In either ease, whether the food is supplied as .supplementary to the available grazing, or whether it consists almost entirely of grass, there is a serious danger of the breeding ewe becoming too fat. It is safe to say that more losses are encountered in the breeding flock from an excess of condition than from a shortage of the food supply. Compared with the cow t.' ewe has a short period of production, as the lambs, as a rule, are weaned early. There is then a period when the animal, under our congenial conditions, is inclined to become too fat. As a result of obesity and also on account of advancing pregnancy the ewes become sluggish and vefy lazy in their habits. This sluggishness is noted in all pregnant animals, but ewes, being more phlegmatic than cows or mares, the danger of lack of exercise in the ewe flock, if the food conditions are plentiful and do not call for forced exercise, is a very real one. With a shortage of feed the ewes arc forced to travel afield in search of it. The forced exercise thus ensured renders the animal physiologically fit, the bowels are regular, constipa on and indigestion are guarded against, and the result is a fit Hock, not a fat one, and lambing troubles are infinitesimal.

To consider the ease of the flock with a plentiful supply of food, the flock does not take, exercise, it has no need to; the feed is within easy reach, whether it is grass or supplementary foods, the ewes are naturally lazy, they lay on fat even to the extent of fatty infiltration of the liver and other organs. There is a tendency to constipation with indigestion, impaired function of the liver, even some evidence of jaundice. The most acute eases in the flock are inclined to become listless, have difficulty in rising and drag behind the remainder of the flock. In a day or so the ewe is found down and unable to get up; if raised, the hind quarters appear unsteady, and if forced to move the animal often staggers and falls. This condition is well known to the farmer, and is known as paralysis of the hind quarters. If the eye is examined it is found that it has lost its sensitiveness, and the animal is only semiconscious. If not disturbed it will remain lying and often die without a struggle. Hence, in some districts, this mortality of pregnant ewes has been referred to as “sleeping sickness,” a term which is somewhat symptomatic, but otherwise has no bearing whatever on the nature of the disease. As I have already indicated, this condition of the pregnant ewe is brought about through not obtaining sufficient exercise when grazing. This is the season of the year when it is advisable to anticipate the trouble. The best cure is prevention. Pregnant ewes require to be exercised regularly for a period of at least a month to six wee’s before lambing. It lias been proved by the majority of owners that regular exercise before lambing, rendering the ewes physically fit, not fat, absolutely and entirely prevents losses from this cause. A minority still consider this trouble infectious, but there is no evidence whatever to suggest that the trouble is of bacterial origin or transmissible from one ewe to another. » In a typical case of this trouble in Marlborough where deaths were taking place the pasture on which sheep were feeding was rather bare, but the owner was feeding the flock on hay, roots and chaff, which were, taken to the paddock daily. As a result the ewes did not take any exercise, merely feeding and

lying down to ruminate, and feed again. The ewes were in. good condition. : The owner was advised to drive the ewes daily to a paddock of green feed, allow them to graze thereon for two hours daily, and then return. No further losses took place, and, adopting preventive measures on these lines, no losses from this cause were experienced last lamb- ; ing season. The practice of forcing exercise ■ upon pregnant ewes in good con* dition is being more and more adopted. Ewes carrying twin lambs are more often the victims, but even ewes carrying single lambs succumb. Aged ewes are more susceptible than young ewes. The exercise should not be hurried or forced, but should be regular for a period of from four to six weeks before lambing is expected. Losses are met with about 10 to 20 days before lambing so that the preventive measure necessary, the exercise, requires to be, started six weeks before lambing. Treatment of the affected ewes is not satisfactory, although a number of owners have claimed cures from the use of a laxative (four ounces salts dissolved in water), and forced exercise afterwards. If seen in the early stages medieined treatment may be tried, >,but unfortunately too many cases are seen only when the animals are too far gone; hence the necessity of taking effective preventive, measures and exercising early. BEARING TROUBLE IN EWES. Closely related to the above condition, in that it occurs under similar feed conditions, and more commonly in ewes in good condition, is what is commonly spoken of as ‘'bearing-trouble” in pregnant ewes. Every sheep-farmeu has seen cases of this trouble in his ewe flock before lambing. Here again ewes carrying twins are more commonly affected and fat ewes with a plentiful food supply are more liable to the trouble. It is a well recognised fact that all pregnant animals are lazy and sluggish, and lie down a great deal; the pregnant ewe is particularly so. Lack of exercise reduces- the tone of the muscles generally, and -when combined with a fatty condition of the internal organs, increas,ed abdominal pressure, those (sphincter) circular muscles of the vulva and vagina relax and allow the eversion of the vaginal wall. The reddened, swollen, everted vagina is the actual "bearing trouble.”

The immediate cause of the trouble may be, congestion of the urinary bladder or constipation or both. Lack of exercise is most conducive to both the above conditions. It is a regular practice when ewes are stirred up, especially if they have been lying down for some time, that almost every one of them urinates, some, in fact, to an excessive amount.

If the ewes fail to evacuate the bladder at regular intervals through lying down, the bladder becomes distended, spasm' of the neck of the bladder may prevent urination, and if extra pressure is exerted by the ewe the walls of the vagina are forced outward through muscles which have lost their tone, and the typical prolapsed condition as met with is produced. The pregnant womFr is carried backwards over the brim of the pelvis, and further prevents the escape of urine from the bladder. The affected ewe strains violently to empty the bladder, and instead of obtaining relief merely accentuates the eversion. If the ewe is not seen early the e.vert--1 ed vagina become very swollen, blackened, liable to infection, and even, gangrene may set in, and death results. Unless treatment is adopted early success does not follow, as even when replaced the swollen eversion is so irritating that it causes further straining and further prolapse. Sutures are sometimes inserted through the lips of the vulva to prevent prolapse; the wool in this region is so tied across the natural opening with the same object in view. Occasionally affected ewes are tied to the fence with the hind quarters raised and after 12 hours are allowed their liberty. If seen early the prolapse should be thoroughly cleansed with water, to which a little antiseptic has been added. With the aid of some lubricant, such as medicated vaseline or carbolised oil, the prolapse is reduced, and kept in position until it regains its normal heat. The ewes may bo given two reaspooniul of laudanum in gruel to prevent straining, or some of the measures above mentioned regarding sutures may bo adopted. Treatment is not satisfactory in many eases. It is not called for if the measures now recommended are put into operation for several weeks before lambing. Lack of exercise with easy and plentiful food conditions are the cause of both of these troubles, and those farmers who have adopted the precautionary measures here recommended bear testimony to the effectiveness of regularly moving the flock from paddock to paddock daily, tf available two hours’ daily grazing on some young feed,has a beneficial laxative effect, and, combined with the daily exercise to and fro, the trouble is prevented. If no fresh green feed is available the ewes should be exercised in the paddock twice daily. An old dog is more suitable for ewes advanced in pregnancy. The season, in the North Island particularly, has been a most favourable one in regard to the production of feed. These notes are intended as a guide to the farmer, and, if the advice given is carried out, there should be a considerable reduction of mortality from these two troubles.

HEAVY LOSSES. DOMINION SHEEP MORTALITY. SOME ALARMING FIGURES. . Surprising and alarming figures dealing with sheep mortality through parasitic infection were given by Mr. L. T, Daniell, of Masterton, when addressing the Masterton Rotary Club last week. Taking a ten-ycar period, the speaker estimated that in that time 21 million sheep had died of preventible disease, an average of over two million per year. Mr. Daniell contended that the affliction was not only century-old but also world wide, and suggested that a suitable committee should be set up to make a serious study of the question in the hope that a cure might ultimately be discovered. In this land of huge freezing works it is generally taken for granted that the normal end of a sheep is in the butcher’s shop or the freezing works,” Mr. Daniell said. “It is surprising to find that out of 26 million sheep in the Dominion at least two million die annually from preventible disease. So far the ablest of our scientists have failed to find a complete remedy for internal parasitic infestation of sheep.” The Dominion, lip said, was famed for its production of lamb, mutton, and wool, and to maintain the quantity standard of production our pastures were grazed heavily and continuously.

Grown sheep suffered little from, intensive grazing, but .hoggets were susceptible to parasitic infestation. Autumn and early winter conditions were, most ifav-.. ourable to parasites, and during the last two or three months the death rate had been at least 50,000 a week. The methods' of collecting pastoral statistics were ,e.Qn-. fused and haphazard, Mr? Dkniell''dtpserved, and it was not easy to compute a national stock without allowing- for a margin of error; but by taking a tenyear period it would be' found that, in that time, about 21 million sheep were accounted for, an average of over two million each year.' Of these, over 600,000 were ewes and at least a million were hoggets. This regrettable drain on the economic life of the Dominion occurred year after year; surely it was high time that the best brains of the . country were organised to assist the farmers in what at present was a losing fight.

It would probably be urged that the incidence of the disease had followed the recent increase in top-dressing of pastures. The experience of'older countries, such as England and Wales, wentto show that extensive losses were all too frequent last century. One witness ' at an official inquiry in 1836 had said: “We expect generally to get a rot every six or seven years.” Another had estimated that in the period 1828-31 over 8,000,000 sheep were lost out of a total of 32,000,000. Heavy losses had been suffered in the ’eighties. In 1914 '. a well-known Wairarapa sheep farmer, “ travelling in the Argentine, mentioned that in some seasons he lost as much as 30 per cent, of his hoggets. A friend-> ly ranchero, who had also suffered, gave him a prescription which since had been used most effectively, the losses of the particular farmer to-day being only 3 - or 4 per cent. These facts, Mr. Daniell said, went to show.that the trouble was not only century old, but also world • wide.

Illustrating the extent of what he ‘ , termed “local still life studies,” Mr., Daniell stated that one station with 1400 hoggets had lost 400, and might .yet lose more’; another had separated 300 of the culls and lost 250 of them, while a stud breeder had lost 13 out of 20 valuable hoggets, and another had lost 20 out of 40. When it was remembered that the skin of a dead hogget yielded only a shilling or two, against the live hogget worth of a pound or two' in the spring, the enormous wastage became apparent. PARASITIC GASTRITIS The general term to cover the epidemic was parasitic gastritis, the speaker continued, and the annual visitation was so consistent that it would be wise to assume that the disease was always present and to develop, economic methods uf prevention and cure. The chief symptoms were coughing and diarrhoea, leading to an anaemic condition and loss of appetite, the animal gradually sinking into a coma. When it was remembered that every sheep in the Dominion produced about £1 per year, the financial stake involved could be appreciated; Losses by -disease, moreover, affected more than the year in which they occurred, as it necessarily took time for the numbers to be restored. Further, .■ farmers might be left either short of capital and unable to replace their stock Or unwilling to do so until they were , sure the “epidemic”, was over. It should also be remembered that those hoggets which survived suffered so severely that in many instances their constitutions were undermined, and farmers were thus breeding from cull stock —and this feature was perhaps the worst, for its effects could be • noted in the lack of fecundity of the younger breeding ewes. A station nowadays carrying 10,000 breeding ewes that used to get over 100 per cent, could now rely on something over 80 per cent., and the 2000 lambs that did not materialise were not only a ‘loss to the individual, but also a loss to the Dominion. REMEDIES. . Dealing with direct remedies, Mr. Daniell said it would have been noted that Massey College had recently appeared with an injunction to use bluestone and starvation. In the Wairarapa area, at any rate, bluestone had been found useless in stemming the disease. It was understood, he said, that Massey College had had trouble with their hoggets, but I though bluestone might have helped them, it was becoming plain that more I thorough investigation was becoming essential, for the worst of the epidemic /. was over by July, only the fittest surviving then. It was possible that, the figures given , by him might be challenged, Mr. Daniell ; said. They had been the result of care- .1. ’ ful working out of the Abstract of. Pastoral Statistics. This work, he contend- : • ed, would be simpler if the present methods were reformed. In Queensland stock returns took the form of a simple bal-ance-sheet, the number of stock at the last return being each year, the • ; natural increase added, and the owner asked to account for them. This would w ; . : bring horiie, each year, the huge losses sustained. Simple, and efficient methods, something on Plunket lines, should then be called x for as the extensive mortality amongst the hoggets became clearer. The ; trained scientist or medical man who\,..: turned all his attention to this problem ;• and helped the producers to overcome the present alarming deathrate, would _ not only be a great public benefactor, .... but also become through his study what . Sir Truby King was in his particular , sphere. . . : ;