Care of Livestock during January

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 95, Issue 6, 16 December 1957, Page 558

Care of Livestock during January

Contributed by the Animal Research Division

LAMB-FATTENING FODDERS

J) APE should not be grazed until the leaves show a purplish tinge. “Unripe” rape does not fatten so quickly and seems to “scald” more readily. Best results are probably obtained by grazingin breaks which last the lambs about a week. It is false economy to keep lambs on a break until the last leaf is eaten; they should be moved on while they are still getting a full feed, and the paddock can be cleaned up with ewes. Run-offs have little to recommend them and, unless they contain good pasture, they will depress the lambs’ rate of growth. If hay is fed, it must be of the very best quality. Thousand-headed kale is splendid lamb-fattening fodder, but because it is relatively unpalatable, it must be managed properly. It must always be fed in small breaks and grazed only lightly before the lambs are moved on to the next break. A run-off should never be used. Treated in this way, the kale makes excellent regrowth and can be regrazed several times and, if necessary, grazing can be extended into autumn and winter.

LAMB WEANING

Weaning is an important event in the life of a lamb and special care at this time will be well repaid. Longwool lambs should be shorn and all others crutched. If the . weather is wet, lambs should be given a full dose of 20 grammes of phenothiazine at weaning; otherwise drenching may be postponed until rain falls. If fattening crops are not available, lambs should be drafted into “clean” paddocks. Lambs should never be weaned into paddocks in which ewes and lambs have been grazed during the previous month. Unless very good paddocks of spelled pasture are available, hoggets should be spread thinly over as large an area as possible.

EWE CULLING

After lambs have been weaned the ewes should be gone through carefully to select those which require culling. Feet and wool should be examined carefully. Special attention should be paid to udders and teats, and ewes should be culled if they have defective udders or very large or damaged teats, as the lambs of such ewes often die from starvation before they are a week old. Provided ewes are in reasonable condition and have sound udders and good fleeces, they should be retained. Even “gummy” ewes will rear satisfactory lambs on good pasture.

Lambing percentage increases with age, reaching the highest level at 5 to 8 years. Many ewes on fat lamb farms could well be kept for 1 or 2 years longer, but fat ewes which have not reared a lamb should be culled. Ewes should be kept on low rations for 2 months after weaning to prevent their becoming over-fat.

FOOT-ROT ERADICATION

Campaigns for foot-rot eradication should be started as soon as the lambs have been weaned. Once foot-rot has been eradicated from a flock it does not recur unless it is reintroduced " from outside. Farmers should follow the recommendations in recent “Journal” articles on this subject.

ERGOTISED GRASS MAKES DANGEROUS HAY

Serious lameness can be caused by cattle eating hay heavily infested with ergot. Such hay can be easily recognised by the black ergots which replace the seeds of ryegrass and other grasses. . Where ergot is known to occur hay should be made before the grasses have time to seed.

SHEEP DIPPING

Modern dips are so effective that the eradication of lice and ticks should be quite feasible. Best results, however, will be achieved only if the instructions for mixing and replenishing dips are followed accurately. Carelessness in dipping can cause disastrous losses. If sheep are dipped off shears, the shear cuts may become infected and deaths from blood poisoning may occur. These can be prevented by vaccinating the sheep with blackleg vaccine at least a fortnight before dipping them. The vaccine is available at a reasonable price, and Department of Agriculture Veterinarians or Livestock Instructors should be consulted about its use.

ST. JOHN’S WORT MAKES DIPPING DANGEROUS

Sheep that eat St. John’s wort become sensitive to sunlight and develop scabs on the ears, face, and back. If sheep in such conditions are dipped, they take convulsions and may be drowned. If possible, sheep should be grazed on country free from St. John’s wort for several weeks before dipping. If this is not possible, they should be dipped on dull days only.