Care of Livestock during September

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 87, Issue 2, 15 August 1953, Page 148

Care of Livestock during September

Contributed by the Animal Research Division

CARE OF EWES WITH TWIN LAMBS

COR the first month or 6 weeks of life a lamb depends *■ almost entirely on its mother’s milk. Ewes are capable of producing more milk than a single lamb can drink in the early part of lactation.

Twins, on the other hand, can soon drink all the milk which

the ewe can produce. For this reason ewes with twin lambs should be drafted off and grazed together on good paddocks. Separation is most easily done immediately after lambing.

ROTATIONAL GRAZING OF CALVES

Well-reared cattle at Ruakura out-produced their poorly reared mates by a total of 401 b. fat over the first two lactations, when both groups were well fed from first

calving onward. Frequent changes to good clean pasture are essential if

calves are to be successfully reared. (See “Care of Livestock” notes in last month’s “Journal”.) This rotational grazing avoids deaths in winter, eliminates the need for drenching against worms, and produces yearlings 1001 b. heavier than those kept in the one paddock for weeks at a time.

FEEDING THE MILKING HERD

Autumn-saved pasture is almost equal to high-quality spring pasture as a milk-producing fodder. It should, therefore, be rationed to the milking cows to make it last

until the spring feed comes away and hardens up. An electric fence is essential for efficient utilisation, enabling the pasture to be grazed in small

breaks. Unless sufficient reserves of this pasture are available for full feeding,/the remainder of the feed should be made up with silage. Make sure enough hay is retained to balance the lush spring growth. When the autumn-saved pasture is finished the herd should be rotated round the farm. Paddocks should be small enough to maintain a concentration of 20 to 30 cows per acre. If necessary, larger paddocks may be subdivided with the electric fence. The aim should be to graze pasture when it is 4 to 6in. high, as it is then at its most nutritious stage. Cows should not be kept for more than 1 or 2 days In the paddock. If necessary, cleaning up after them should be done with dry stock.

CARE OF PIGS

Late-farrowed spring litters should receive special attention, as they will be approaching weaning age. Creep feeding is a very important factor in the production of heavy weaners, and best results will be

obtained by having a supply of meal and milk always before the litter. Weaned pigs

must be well fed, and if meal has been used before weaning, its use should be continued for at least a fortnight to avoid an after-weaning check. The meal ration will be reduced as the skimmed milk supply increases. It is preferable to feed weaners with meal up to half their daily rations and give the milk saved to the store pigs rather than feed meal to the older pigs at this stage. After weaning sows should receive sufficient milk and meal to enable them to regain the weight lost during previous suckling. They should be hand-mated, and once safely in pig may be allowed to subsist on good pasture.

MASTITIS

Mastitis is usually most prevalent in spring. Milk from all quarters should be carefully examined each day in a •strip cup. If there is any abnormality, the quarter should

be treated without delay, three tubes of penicillin cerate being used at 24-hour intervals. Prompt treatment at this time of

the year will greatly reduce loss in production from light ■or dry quarters.

VACCINATION AGAINST SCABBY MOUTH

On farms where scabby mouth occurs each new crop of lambs should be vaccinated, and this is most conveniently done at marking. If lambs are not protected, they

are liable to suffer a severe check, as the disease makes eating very painful. The

vaccine gives very good protection if properly used. Cart is necessary to keep the needle prong clear of grease, as if it becomes blocked, no vaccine is applied and lambs may still be susceptible. Ewes which have not previously been exposed to the disease should be vaccinated at the same time as the lambs.

COCCIDIOSIS IN POULTRY

To prevent coccidiosis in chickens it is necessary to keep them growing steadily. Any check is dangerous. Cleanliness is very important, as the disease spreads through the

soiling of food by droppings. If an outbreak occurs, sulphamezathine or sulphaquinoxaline should be used in the

t drinking water. Full particulars of dosage may be obtained from the Department of Agriculture’s Poultry Instructors. '

X CHICK DISEASE

The work carried out on X chick disease during the last 2 years has shown it to be a form of vitamin E deficiency, possibly arising from the feeding of certain

batches of wheat. Outbreaks of X chick disease have been confined so far to the South Island, and poultry farmers in the areas affected in

previous years are advised to add 5 per cent, wheat-germ meal to the chick mash as a precautionary measure. An article describing the results of the investigation carried out on this disease will appear in the September issue of the “Journal of Agriculture”.