Care of Livestock during July

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 86, Issue 6, 15 June 1953, Page 506

Care of Livestock during July

Contributed by the Animal Research Division

PULPY KIDNEY IN LAMBS

pulpy kidney occurs in lambs under 6 weeks ™ of age its incidence can be reduced by vaccinating the ewes before lambing. If ewes have never been vaccinated before, best results will be obtained

from 2 doses of vaccine given at least 1 month apart. Ewes which were

vaccinated last year will require only 1 vaccination. The last (or the only) vaccination should be given about a fortnight before lambing and this can be done quite safely if ewes are handled carefully. Very poor immunity results where the ewes are vaccinated much earlier. If most losses from pulpy kidney occur in lambs over 6 weeks of age, vaccination of ewes is of no value, but vaccination of lambs at marking may help.

BLOOD POISONING IN EWES AND LAMBS

Losses from blood poisoning in lambing ewes and marked lambs appear to be increasing in some districts. They may be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, by vaccinating the ewes with black-

leg vaccine about a fortnight before lambing. As the immunity which passes from the

ewe to the lamb in the first milk does not persist for many weeks, lambs should be marked early. To obtain the best results it may be necessary to divide the ewes into early and late lambers, which should be vaccinated separately to ensure that all ewes are vaccinated from 10 to 20 days before lambing. Advice concerning vaccination can be obtained from any office of the Department of Agriculture. Where possible ewes should lamb in clean spelled paddocks, and lambs should always be marked in clean temporary yards. Sometimes losses from blood poisoning occur in lambing ewes that have not been vaccinated. If losses are occurring, it is too late to vaccinate. It may be possible to save some ewes by treating them with penicillin if the penicillin is used early enough. It is important that blood poisoning be confirmed, and the local veterinarian should be consulted in this matter. After such confirmation all ewes which are assisted in lambing should be treated by penicillin injection. This should be an emergency measure and should not replace vaccination, which is the cheapest and most certain means of treating blood poisoning.

SLEEPY SICKNESS IN EWES

Heavy losses from sleepy sickness sometimes occur in ewes carrying twins or heavy single lambs. These losses may be prevented by ensuring that ewes do not suffer a check just before lambing. If

necessary, they should be divided into early and late lambers and drafted on to the best feed avail-

able 3 to 4 weeks before lambing. Recent work has indicated that glycerine properly used as a drench may save some cases of sleepy sickness. The local veterinarian should be consulted on this matter. Research has shown that poor feed for 5 weeks before lambing can reduce the fleece weight by more than Jib.

RINGWORM IN CALVES

Ringworm in calves is sometimes troublesome, especially In poorly nourished calves. Before any remedy is applied The scales should be removed by rubbing in a mixture of

equal parts of soft soap and lard and scraping off the softened scabs the next day. The bare patches should then be dressed with an ointment consisting of 1 part of salicylic

acid and 8 parts of lard or any registered stock remedy for -ringworm which is available. As the infection can be transmitted to man, it is wise to wear rubber gloves when treating ringworm. In any case the hands and arms should be -thoroughly washed immediately after the dressings are supplied.-

ERGOTISM IN CATTLE

Hay made from ergotised grass will cause lameness and sometimes even loss of feet in cattle. The small black ergots which replace the seeds of ryegrass and other grasses

can easily be seen, and if they are present in large numbers, the hay should not be used. Similar trouble often occurs when

cattle are grazed on tall fescue grass even, when no ergots are present. This grass should be regarded as poisonous and should not be grazed by cattle.

WINTER FEEDING OF COWS

It is imperative that cows should be well fed for 6 to 8 weeks before calving. They should have access to hay at all times, and if the pasture is poor, they should also receive

up to 201 b. of silage per day. Early-calving cows should be given about 2 hours’ grazing per day on

autumn-saved pasture and in addition should be fed as much silage as they will eat.

MILKING METHODS ARE IMPORTANT

At the start of a new season cows should be trained to let down their milk quickly and completely by the establishment of a fixed milking routine so that the cows are brought into the shed, bailed

up, washed, and milked in the same way at each milking. Anything which upsets the cows must

be avoided. A brief but vigorous wash followed by the withdrawal of a squirt of milk from each quarter is the best method of stimulating the flow of milk. As the duration of let-down is limited, the cups should be put on immediately after washing and the removal of the first milk. Strippings arise from two causes. First, cows which are not properly stimulated to let down their milk at the start of milking often give another let-down when stripped. Secondly, cups tend to crawl up the teats toward the end of milking and cut off the flow of milk. This can be overcome by pulling down on the cups a few seconds before their removal. Hand stripping is unnecessary. A good milk flow indicator is essential for the correct application of these principles.