SHEEP – MANAGEMENT.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 4, 15 April 1913, Page 365

SHEEP - MANAGEMENT.

VIEWED - FROM . THE HEALTH STANDPOINT.

C. J. Reakes,

D.V.Sc.', M.R.C.V.S.

SHEEP-FARMING is already a great industry in New Zealand, but it has a still - greater future before it. Not only is there yet much land waiting settlement capable of carrying considerable flocks, - but the land already in occupation could, with improved methods of management, quite well carry more sheep than at present, and this without interfering with, other branches of rural industry, as dairyfarming, &c. ■ . ■ One' cardinal principle in, successful sheep-farming is that the flocks be maintained in as sound health and condition as possible, in order that the yield of marketable products, whether wool, lamb, or mutton, may return their full share of profit to-those engaged -in the industry, and this can only be brought about by good management, which •in turn is dependent upon.'the possession of good ■ practical knowledge on the part’ of the farmer. New Zealand is free from any .serious disease of a contagious nature affecting sheep, and such mortality as does

occur year by year- is due principally to causes which are more or less preventable —though, unfortunately, in some cases the preventive measures necessary are such as to be .in a degree opposed to the most advanced methods in practice and, for that matter, - necessary for commercial success in sheep-farming— in these cases the sheepowner is faced by the proposition whether it is not better to take the risk of some possible loss rather than to accept the certain loss of profit which is entailed by taking the necessary measures to ensure the greatest possible immunity, from sickness or mortality.

The Question of Environment

. New Zealand is, on the whole, an excellent country for sheepfarming, much of its area constituting ideal country for it from • a health point ,of view, but other portions, particularly in the North Island,' have so copious a rainfall, so good a soil, and so plentiful a growth of herbage that sheep, unless carefully managed, are apt to suffer through life being made too easy for them. The sheep is an animal particularly well adapted for living on dry hilly or undulating country, with a sufficiency but not an excess of food, and when - in such an environment a high standard of general health and vigour is maintained in the flocks. By a process of gradual natural adaptation of the character and constitution of sheep to environment in which the principle of the survival of the fittest doubtless played an important part —followed later by careful breeding-and selection, various breeds of sheep have been evolved which have become specially adapted to different classes of country, and thus animals have been produced which, given proper management, can be inore or less successfully kept on land which in itself is' not naturally suitable for sheep. A notable instance of this-is seen in the Romney breed, whose original home was in the low-lying, marshy, alluvial tract situated in the southern part of Kent, and known as Romney Marsh. Not only is the land there low-lying and wet, but the climate is usually more or less moist, and the conditions, as a whole, are opposed to those usually looked upon as being best adapted for the maintenance of sound health in sheep. Yet the breed persisted, and has now made a high reputation for itself for its capacity for withstanding soil and weather conditions of a nature detrimental to most other breeds. Certainly the breeding and rearing of Romney sheep is not now confined to Romney Marsh alone, higher and drier country being also utilized, but the fact, remains that the breed was originally evolved in this wet, lowlying area. Within a comparatively short distance of Romney Marsh are. the low chalky hills known as the South Downs, which constitute the native home of the Southdown sheep, an animal of entirely different

type, eminently adapted for its own particular environment, but unsuitable for the low-lying wet country on which the Romney sheep was developed. . And so on throughout England and Scotland we see particular breeds domiciled in different districts, each largely confined to its own district and each suited to the particular soil and climatic conditions existing there. Perhaps the British farmer is at times somewhat too conservative and too parochial, so to speak, in this matter, yet the principle is a sound one and one which could be followed out in New Zealand with profit to a much greater extent than is .the case at the present time. True, on many properties this principle is adopted, but often the smaller owner, who runs sheep in con]unction with other stock and with cropping, has to go to the saleyards for his purchases, and under present-day conditions he cannot always afford, when purchasing ewes, to be too particular as to breed, as he might thereby miss his chance of buying; but he can, at any rate, always do his best in this direction, and he can always secure purebred rams, and these should certainly be of the right breed for his country, with, of course, due regard for the production of wool, and of good-quality fat lambs when required. But, with the ram, breed is not the only consideration: care must be exercised to select well-furnished vigorous animals, well woolled throughout. Thus one principle of profitable sheep-farming is the maintenance of a flock bred under such conditions as to render it best adapted to the class of country and climate prevailing. Another is to take all possible steps to maintain the sheep in . sound health and condition. . This requires good management, and, as already stated, it is often a difficult matter to make conditions of health harmonize with commercial necessities. On poor country, be it high or low, provided it is not ill drained and wet, there is very little mortality among sheep, except as a result of extremes of weather ; but on rich country considerable trouble often occurs through the feeding-conditions being really too good to a greater or lesser extent, partly according to the breed of sheep kept. Management of the Ewe.

Breeding-ewes are the principal sufferers, they being very apt, especially when carrying their lambs, to put on fat freely, to become lazy and take uoo little exercise, and to degenerate in health and vigour .in consequence. Well-marked instances of the results of a combination of too much good feed and too little exercise are seen in two conditions occurring in ewes before lambing, and. known respectively as antepartum paralysis and ante-partum extrusion of the vagina. (See Bulletin No. 15, by Dr. Gilruth, Two Diseases affecting Pregnant Ewes,” which contains a full description of these diseases.) The first-mentioned was formerly principally met with in Canterbury and Otago, but of late

years it lias been often found m the : North Island also. Extrusion of the vagina is still far more common in the North than in the South Island. Both can be prevented by suitable management, and even after either has made its appearance a change to short pasture combined with a sufficiency of daily exercise is the most effectual means of stopping the trouble.' The change of feed most desirable, if it be available, is to place the ewes on a paddock of short fresh-growing grass or one of young green oats, the laxative effect of this feed no doubt assisting nature in restoring the balance of the system and enabling the ewe to return to a condition of normal health. I had an interesting practical experience of this some years since. A. number of stud ewes in high condition were on exceptionally good feed, and deaths began to occur. In a few days the mortality reached an average of seven or eight daily, and the owner naturally became alarmed. At his request a visit was made to the farm, and after a careful examination the cause of the trouble was determined. A change on to short pasture was advised, together with the ensuring of daily exercise by a man going into the paddock twice daily and keeping the animals on the’ move for an hour or so each time. The result was that after two days the mortality ceased entirely. Similar treatment has generally been found equally successful in other : cases of the kind when the owner has been able to properly carry it out not always an easy matter when a man’s time is involved ; but the change of pasture alone does a lot of good. Extrusion of the vagina rarely affects ewes other than those carrying twin lambs ; and with this, care in preventing the ewes coming to their lambing in too high condition, at the same time' ensuring that they get a sufficiency of exercise, is of the highest value as a preventive measure, as is pointed out in the leaflet on the subject, referred to above. It is a mistake to suppose that the higher the condition of the ewe the stronger and healthier will be her lamb or lambs. The ewe most likely to produce the best and strongest progeny is the ewe in good healthy, • strong condition. A ewe which is too fat is neither healthy nor strong. The time to provide an abundance of good feed for breed-ing-ewes is not before they lamb, but after, when they are suckling their young. Before lambing all they need is a sufficiency to keep them in good sound health and condition, but not an excess, such as would be Hable to induce laziness and an accumulation of fat in the

system. An instance of the efficacy of this practical and. commonsense treatment came under my notice recently. A large sheepowner who had been troubled with extrusion of the vagina among his stud ewes - year after year decided to, try it. He brought his ewes to their lambing in a paddock of short sweet grass, and put on an old man to go among them daily, ■ stir them up, . and . keep them moving round.

The result was most satisfactory, only one or two isolated cases occurring instead of a considerable number as had been the case in previous years. There is, I know, still some diversity of opinion among sheepowners as to the cause of this trouble, and this is no doubt encouraged by the fact that occasionally a case occurs in a ewe not in high condition. But occasional ' cases may occur from other causes, as, for instance, constipation, indigestion causing distension of the first stomach or the bowels, through the formation of gas produced by the fermentation of imperfectly masticated or improperly digested food. Retention' of urine, again, caused by the muscles controlling the neck of the bladder not relaxing and allowing the urine to be passed when it should be, and consequent straining on the part of the ewe, is another very probable direct cause. But this, 'as with digestive trouble, constipation, &c., is far more likely to occur in a fat lazy ewe than in one in less high condition.

Lamb-troubles.

Another source of loss to the sheep-farmer, if the necessity for proper preventive measures be not acted upon, lies in the tendency of lambsusually single lambs —to develop a condition of acute congestion of the kidneys, due to overnutrition when their dams are oh good feed and are yielding a plenitude of rich milk. Earlier in this article I indicated the necessity for providing plenty of good feed for ewes suckling their lambs as preferable to putting them on it before their lambs are born. This is especially necessary for the production of early Jambs of good freezing-quality, but the lambs need careful watching in order to ensure that they do not suffer as a ' consequence of too plentiful and too rich a food-supply. Twin lambs, having to share the milk of one ewe, are rarely affected with kidney-congestion, single lambs being the chief sufferers. The remedy is simple, seeing that the trouble in most cases makes its appearance before the lambs are cut and tailed, what is needed being something which will counteract the plethoric condition of the system and the consequent overworking of the kidneys ; this is provided by the bleeding which results from these operations. This relieves the plethora and enables the system to regain its normal balance, the lambs consequently continuing to do well after a quick recovery from the temporary check. Whenever fat lusty lambs commence to die the whole of those in the flock should at once be cut and tailed. This will usually stop the trouble, though occasionally it occurs later, a little time after marking. Then the blood-letting resulting from taking a little bit more off the tail does good. Or removing ewes and lambs for a little time to a poorer pasture and ensuring a sufficient amount of exercise is of great value as a measure to counteract the mortality, though it may throw back

in condition the more backward lambs: ' When carrying out the operations of cutting and tailing, care must be taken to ensure that any knife used is perfectly clean. I well remember a heavy mortality due to blood-poisoning which occurred in a lot ■of lambs which were operated upon with an unsterilized knife often used by its owner for skinning dead sheep. The practice of searing the stump of the tail of lambs is often adopted, and where the lambs are not in really high condition it is a good practice. The lamb which is not plethoric falls back temporarily through loss of blood and searing helps to prevent this. But with, fat, lusty single lambs a little bleeding does no harm at all, but may have .the effect of keeping alive good marketable lambs which otherwise would be lost. .At one time this mortality which annually occurs in lambs through congestion of the kidneys (though now much less in extent than formerly) was largely ascribed by owners to the reputed evil effect of wool-balls in the stomach, many having examined dead lambs and, finding these accumulations of wool, blamed them for being the cause of death. - This was entirely fallacious, and though it is not absolutely impossible that a wool-ball might under special circumstances work mischief in the digestive system I have never yet Seen a case or heard of one where it was proved to have caused death. As a matter of fact, a considerable proportion of fat healthy lambs are found, when slaughtered, to have these woolballs present in the stomach (abomasum). Last season arrangements were made to collect some records on this point, and at six different freezing-works the stomachs of a number of good, healthy lambs were examined, after slaughter, in order to determine whether wool-balls were present or not. In all 4,043 were examined, and of these 20 per cent, were found to contain wool-balls of varying sizes. The sheep-farmer has no need to trouble himself -about wool-balls. What he should realize, however, is that in sheep-breeding and sheepmanagement the greatest measure of success is gained by the man who uses his brains and knowledge to the best advantage in fostering the natural processes of body-development and fattening to the greatest extent compatible with the maintenance of health. To attempt to go beyond that means not only a risk, but a probability of loss.

(To be continued.)