Care of Livestock during August

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 93, Issue 1, 16 July 1956, Page 38

Care of Livestock during August

Contributed by the Animal Research Division POWS about to calve should be brought into a handy paddock so that they can be kept under supervision. If a cow has difficulty in calving, veterinary assistance

CARE OF THE CALVING COW

should be sought. This should be done as soon as it is obvious that the presentation is not normal and in any case within 6 hours of the beginning

of labour. Unskilled interference exhausts the cow and makes the veterinarian’s task more difficult or even impossible. Veterinary assistance should also be sought if the cows do not clean within 48 hours. Do not hang weights on the afterbirth.

FEEDING AFTER CALVING

Autumn-saved pasture is the best food for newly calved cows, but it must be grazed in small breaks which

the cows will clean up in about 2 hours. They should continue to receive as much silage as they will

eat and if the pasture is short and sappy, they should also receive hay.

CALF REARING

Calves should be fed their mother’s milk for at least the first 2 days. This is important, as the first milk, known as colostrum or “beastings”, contains substances

which increase a calf’s resistance 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. If whole-milk is fed, there is no need to give more than 7 pints per day. If scours occurs, 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 2 to 3 weeks of age they should be rotationally grazed ahead of the cows. This will ensure that they always have access to good, fresh pasture, which they will eat readily. Where good pasture is available calves can be weaned quite satisfactorily at 8 weeks. Further information about the good rearing of dairy stock is contained in the Department of Agriculture’s Bulletin No. 228.

SELECTION OP CALVES FOR REPLACEMENT

The full sisters of high-producing heifers should always be kept, as should the daughters of Merit Sires with a high progeny test. Provided they are sturdy, the calves

of very old cows with good lifetime performance should always be kept, and there is

no reason why the calves of well-bred heifers should not be kept. The twin of a bull calf should never be kept. Twin heifers may be kept with safety, provided they are not too small, especially if . they are born early in the season.

MASTITIS

Milk from each quarter should be examined with a strip cup before milking. If it shows any abnormality or if the udder appears inflamed, treatment with penicillin

should be started at once. Three tubes of 25,000 units should be injected at 24-hour

intervals even if the milk appears normal after the first tube. Prompt treatment early in lactation will often save a quarter which otherwise might become weak or even blind.

STERILITY IN COWS

If difficulty was experienced in getting cows in calf last summer, now is the time to seek veterinary advice with a view to preventing similar trouble this year.

Facilities for diagnosing infectious' infertility are available at both the Wallaceville and Ruakura Animal Research

Stations of the Department of Argiculture. Specimens must be submitted through Veterinarians or Livestock Instructors. Effective control depends on accurate diagnosis.

LICE ON CALVES

Calves and yearlings may become very lousy during

late winter and early spring. Control can be effected by the use of suitable dips, sprays, or washes. Those containing DDT or BHC are most effective. Repeated treatments may

be necessary, as the eggs are difficult to destroy.

CARE OF LAMBING EWES

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 lambs and some ewes can

be saved by skilled assistance during lambing. Always use a reliable lubricating antiseptic on hands and

wrists. Faulty presentations must be corrected. A lamb should never be forcibly pulled away when a leg or the 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. This is particularly important 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. 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.

WORMS IN HORSES

Red worms reduce the efficiency of farm horses. Drenching with phenothiazine now will prevent the pastures becoming contaminated with eggs and thus

reduce the chances of reinfestation in spring. As phenothiazine causes , very severe reactions in some horses, dosing should be done under veterinary supervi-

sion wherever possible. If this cannot be arranged, divide the dose recommended on the package into 5 parts and give them over 5 days.

DISEASES OF CHICKS

Navel disease of chicks is contracted in the incubator, which should be scrupulously cleaned and fumigated with

formalin between batches of chicks. Pullorum disease can be controlled only by repeated blood testing of all stock,

immediate disposal of all reactors, and thorough cleaning and disinfection of premises after each test.

RICKETS IN POULTRY

Vitamin D, known as the rickets-preventing or sunshine vitamin, is essential to young chicks for normal bone development. Chicks denied daily exposure to sunlight

by intensive rearing or prolonged cloudy weather require vitamin D added to the diet, and it is advisable to use fish liver

oils containing this vitamin as a routine supplement. The amount added varies according to the potency or strength of the oil; for example, up to f pint of an oil containing 100 units of vitamin D per gramme to 1001 b. of mash or half that quantity of an oil containing 200 units of vitamin D.