CARE OF LIVESTOCK DURING AUGUST

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 1, 15 July 1950, Page 4

CARE OF LIVESTOCK DURING AUGUST

Contributed by the Animal Research Division.

UNCOMPLICATED milk fever in cows 4 years old and upward is prevalent in grassy seasons. The number of cases may be reduced by putting such cows in a relatively bare MILK FEVER jj i I+lo Awn cTArv'cnc paddock a week to 10 days AND STAGGERS g efore calving and fee , |lag liberal amounts of good-quality hay. Complicated cases of milk fever (staggers) are more common in adverse seasons, especially among good-condi-tioned cows which lose weight rapidly after calving. Feeding autumn-saved pasture in breaks, sufficient for an hour’s grazing, after each milking plus 401 b. of silage and as much hay as the cows will eat will help to prevent staggers, provided this type of feeding is continued until the spring pasture comes away and hardens up. * * * The productive ability of the herd’s replacements sets the production level of the future herd. Use the son of a merit bull out of a L.M.R. cow SELECTION OF CALVES 5® th , e Sire L FOR REPLACEMENTS the . daughters of such a sire out of the top half of the herd. Providing they are sturdy, the calves of old cows with good life-time performance should be kept and there is no reason why calves of well-bred heifers should not be reared. Twin heifers are seldom worth keeping and the twin of a bull calf should never be kept. * * * About 10 per cent, of all lambs are either born dead or die during the first week. These losses can be reduced by -careful shepherding. Many CARE OF lambs and some ewes can be r * < i-ro-zT-r. saved by skilled assistance durLAMBING EWES mg lambing. Always use a reliable lubricating antiseptic on hands and wrists. Faulty presentations must be corrected. A lamb should never be pulled away forcibly when a leg or head is turned back. A number of lambs die from suffocation through the cleanings remaining over their nostrils. These are very easily removed. Where necessary lambs should be assisted to get a drink, particularly where ewes have very large teats. Drawing away a few squirts from these will reduce their size and enable the new-born lambs to suckle. Ewes with very large teats, very small teats, badly placed teats, or defective udders should be marked for culling, as a big percentage of their lambs will die. Many lambs which die during cold or wet weather would survive if they got a good drink soon after birth.

Calves should be fed their own mothers’ milk for the first 3 days. This is important, as the first milk known as colostrum or “beastings” contains CALF substances which increase a calf’s REARING res^stance to scours. Since over-feeding is an important cause of this trouble, feed not more than 6 pints daily during the first week, 7 pints during the second week, and 8 pints during the third week. Diluting the milk ration with a quarter of its volume of water will also reduce the incidence of scours. If scours occur, a supply of a sulpha drug should be obtained from a veterinarian immediately, as the drug is very effective when used promptly. Calves should not be kept in a calf paddock. When 2to 3 weeks of age they should be rotationally grazed ahead of the cows. Alternatively, rotate the calves through a minimum of 5 cow paddocks, in which not more than 5 days should be spent at a time in any one paddock. * * * - Navel disease is contracted in the incubator, which should be cleaned scrupulously and fumiDISEASES with formalin between batches nr rrnrirc °f chicks. Pullorum disease can be controlled only by repeated blood testing of all stock, immediate disposal of al! reactors, and thorough cleaning and disinfection of premises after each test. ** • * Calves and yearlings may become very lousy during late winter and early spring. Control can r Tr-r? nw be effected by the use of suitable dips, patvrq sprays, or washes. those containing D.D.T. or “Gammexane” are most effective. Repeated treatments may be necessary, as the eggs are difficult to destroy.