CONTAGIOUS ABORTION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 424, 15 November 1930, Page 22 (Supplement)

CONTAGIOUS ABORTION

THE BILLY GOAT REMEDY

SOME INTERESTING EXPERIENCES There are some dairyfarmers who are firmly convinced that the scourge of rontagious abortion will not appear in their herds if a billygoat is permitted to run with the cows. These views are firmly upheld by a resident in North Otago, who has devoted most of his life to the studying of dairying problems, and has taken a prominent part in the industry in the district, states the Otago Daily Times. Tn support of the contention it is stated that on one successful farm in the Trafalgar district of Victoria, where an excellent herd of Jersey cattle has been developed a large goat used to run with the herd, and it is remarkable that the herd was singularly free from abortion and other calving troubles. "Whether the goat had any influence in the matter is not definitely known, but it is remarkable that similar measures have been claimed to have proved effective in Scotland. Writing in the Scottish Farmer a farmer, who signed himself ‘'Desperation” asked for a cure for abortion. A week later an “Old Dairy Farmer” from Fifeshire replied as follows: —Science has certainly gone a long way. but in one thing it has failed—a cure for abortion. Why should “ Desperation” not try the billygoat—our grandfather’s cure. I wrote some time ago and gave my experience; T again give my latest. I came to this farm fo-ir years ago, taking over the 45 cows. Contagious abortion has been in ‘hi? herd for the last 20 years, ami every year nearly half of thorn aborted. Everything had been tried, including inoculation, and the owners had even gone the length of not bulling the cows and putting them out fat; but whenever breeding was started again abortion was as bad a? ever. I got a billygoat and let him go about the byres as he pleased. A few cows aborted just after I got him. but the trouble then stopped, and not one has aborted for *he last three years. A billygoat is inexpensive, the price being less than the cost of a. vet. for one visit.

About a month later “Desperation” again wrote and expressed “great faitii in the billygoat,” and gave his experience with a herd of 50 cows. “Abortion made its first appearance last November,” he stated, “just before the beginning of the calving season, and I had cases of abortion every week till January 16. when I purchased a billygoat and let him run at will through the byres. Since then I have bad only two cases—the last one being on February 8. The calves in both eases were in a decomposed condition, which showed that the trouble jnust have been well advanced in both cases before the billygoat was introduced. Since February 8. six cows have calved healthy calves. I got 13 cows to calve within the next few months, and they appeared as if they would carry their calves up to the full time. I must add that about four weeks before I got the billygoat I had all the cows dosed by a man who claims to cure abortion. If the rows are clear of the disease now, as 1 think they are. it is questionable whether the honour is due to the goat nr the man. Personally I have great faith in the ‘billy.» Ido not know whether wisely or not, but I have had »ll my 20 aborted cows inoculated with the vaccine of the Ministry of Agriculture.”