What a gift February has been with the unexpected cool days and rainfall to boot....how lucky are we to live here. 

Its a busy time of year on farm & our team have been in demand for pregnancy testing - have you scheduled yours yet? Ring us 63618388 to arrange a time to suit.

Our February newsletter is the complete mixed bag with articles on cattle lice, what to consider when buying in sheep, coughing calves, tetanus in horses, weaner management, euthanising large animals & foal weaning.

We also share a story of loss of livestock and a timely reminder of our responsibility as dog owners.  

Lice populations and infestations follow the cooler weather. The louse eggs attach to the coat of an animal and hatches when the skin’s temperature is between 33 and 37 degrees. This occurs when the ambient temperature drops below 16 degrees. 

Lice irritate cattle, causing them to scratch, bite and rub themselves. This constant irritation is a welfare problem, especially in severe infestations. They may also damage fencing, gates, trees or anything they can find to rub themselves against.

Whilst all cattle can carry lice, young cattle or cattle in low condition bear a lot of the burden, and often have the heaviest infestations.  

There are two types of lice:

1. Biting lice feed on skin debris and can cause severe irritation.
   
   

2. Sucking lice pierce the skin and suck blood. In large numbers, they can cause anaemia. 

This is important, as different products have different claims against lice. 

Treating lice, why and how?

• Treating light to moderate infestations is generally not economically viable. However, if hide quality is important, it may be as hide damage occurs with scratching. It is also necessary for some QA programs.
  
  

• There are four treatment types available – spray and pour on are frequently used, but there are also ear tags and injectable options.
  
  

• Treatment for lice can usually coincide with a strategic drench for internal parasites in March to May in most regions where lice are an issue. It is good to treat before infestations are heavy. However, you can’t treat before the hatchings as most products have poor efficacy against louse eggs.
  
  

• All cattle including calves on the property are treated within a 7-to-10 day period.
  
  

• Treated cattle are kept separate from other cattle until all have been treated.
  
  

• If any cattle are missed during treatment, they serve as a source of reinfestation, which can occur quickly.  

Please contact us if you have any other questions on treating lice.

Do you know where your dogs are now?

One of the most distressing things a farmer can come across is when stock have been mauled or attacked in the paddock.

We know these photos are graphic - they were shared with us by one of our clients who lost a significant number of sheep over a few days to dogs who visited his livestock repeatedly with devastating injuries.

Sadly most of the sheep, if not dead, had to be euthanised, the balance required treatment for deep tissue injuries. 

The dogs involved were domestic working dogs from a nearby farm - they were not tied up allowing them free time to roam. Their owner was unaware of the carnage they were inflicting. 

Dogs are hunters and when in company they work as a pack - what may start off as sport can be deadly.

Don't give your dogs the opportunity to roam at will, keep them with you or tethered at their kennel when not working. 

When buying sheep, follow these few basic steps: 

Before you buy

1. Check the Sheep Health Statement.
   
   

2. Check the health of the sheep while in the pen. Pick out 20 sheep, specifically looking for any which are lame or have pulled wool. Examine them for footrot and lice.
   
   

3. If you are in the market for rams, be very wary of brucellosis. This disease is still very common in sheep flocks. It is best to steer clear of saleyards to buy rams, and instead buy from brucellosis free-accredited flocks. 

On introduction to your farm

1. Quarantine drench - Use a combination of no less than four unrelated drench actives. It must contain either monepantel (Zolvix or Zolvix Plus) and/or derquantel (Startect). This can be done using multi-active (combination) and/or single-active products. Don’t mix products, go up the race with one product, then up the race again with the next.
   
   

2. Footbath them with 10% zinc sulphate. This will remove bacteria off their feet, but won’t kill footrot if they are carrying it.
   
   

3. Assume they have lice. The best guide for managing lice in introduced sheep is available on liceboss.

Once on farm

1. Quarantine - Keep sheep isolated until you are sure they don’t have lice or footrot. For footrot, it is difficult to tell until after a good period of warm wet weather. For lice, it’s ideally until they are next shorn.
   
   

2. Sheep in quarantine can be moved through yards, just don’t let your main herd have access to the yards for seven days after. 

Pneumonia is a very frequently occurring disease in calves. It is often seen in calves 4-6 weeks of age and post-weaning. The disease is characterised by:

• Open-mouth breathing.
  
  

• Nasal and oral discharge.
  
  

• Coughing.
  
  

• Drooping ears.
  
  

• Increased respiratory rate.
  
  

• Fever >39.3 degrees.
  
  

• A sudden drop in condition.
  
  

• Reduced appetite.

The risk of a calf developing disease depends on several factors which relate to either the chance of exposure to a pathogen and the immunity of the individual. Cold weather, poor air quality, mixing of age groups and overcrowding increase the chance of exposure. While immunity from colostrum, stress, ventilation and husbandry influence calves’ ability to fight disease. 

The coughing calf pictured inset above is showing classic signs of pneumonia. Prompt treatment of calves is essential for good outcomes. The lungs can become permanently damaged following a bout of pneumonia. In fact, a calf which develops pneumonia pre-weaning is 2.4 times as likely to suffer from calving difficulties as a heifer. This indicates the lifelong impact that pneumonia has on dairy cattle. 

If you are having trouble with pneumonia in calves, please call us. We can help with both a treatment plan, and a preventative care program including pneumonia vaccinations, colostrum management and housing recommendations.

Weaning is one of the most stressful events in the production cycle of beef cattle. When weaning is managed poorly, weaners have poor weight gains and succumb to diseases like pneumonia more commonly. Conversely, when managed well weaners continue to gain weight and cows maintain or improve body condition. 

The economics

• Cows convert forage to milk at approximately 60% energetic efficiency (it takes ~5.5mj energy to produce a litre of milk, and milk is about 3mj/L).
  
  

• Calves then convert 90% of the milk to lean tissue.
  
  

• This results in 54% (60% x 90%) energetic efficiency for the conversion of forage energy consumed by the cow into calf live weight gain.
  
  

• As the calf gets older and the rumen starts to develop, this efficiency drops off substantially as the rumen microbes ferment the milk. 
  
  

• It is much more efficient to feed high-quality forage to a young calf, than it is to feed the cow to feed the calf. 

When to do it

• Weaning should routinely be done with calves down to 130kg, and under drought conditions down to 100kg. 

Preparing for yard weaning 

• Managing numbers – batch wean if group sizes will be >100.
  
  

• 2.5m2 yard space is required per animal.
  
  

• Vaccines (5 OR 7-in-1, BRD vaccines, Piliguard).
  
  

• Drench – Drench using injectable drenches like Dectomax injectable. On farms with high Cooperia burdens, using oral Levamisole in combination with Dectomax injection is preferred.
  
  

• High quality pastures and nutrient dense feedstuffs – weaning ration needs to be 11.5ME/kg dry matter with 16-18% crude protein.
   

• Fresh clean water – trough space 3cm/hd.
  
  

• Management of dust or mud in yards.
  
  

• A set of scales to weight at the start and end of weaning.

Please contact us if you would like to know more about weaner management. 

An unfortunate reality of livestock farming which we all face is the decision and necessity of euthanising animals. We do this for a variety of reasons, including poor and hopeless prognosis for disease, no improvement of disease within a suitable timeframe, unfit for transport or human consumption. Whatever the reason, once we make the decision to euthanise, we must ensure the process is done promptly, safely and humanely. 

On-farm, the options we have available to us are:

• Close-range firearms to the brain: minimum 0.22 long rifle cartridge.
   

• Captive bolt to the brain.
  
  

• Chemical euthanasia (Veterinarian only).
  
  

• Blunt trauma (Calves less than 24 hours only when other options are not available).

With the cooler Autumn months soon approaching horse breeders are likely to be contemplating the weaning of foals. Large scale breeders and those that have been in the game for some time may have already established tried-and-tested weaning approaches. For many first-time breeders, this can be a very new and daunting chapter. There is no “textbook” right or wrong way to go about weaning, the approach can vary greatly from breeder to breeder depending on a whole range of factors - it is just a matter of deciding what will work best for you, your horses, and your circumstances.

At what age should a foal be weaned?

The age of weaning can vary greatly. From around four-to-six months of age, foals are usually becoming more independent, and are consuming more roughage, relying less on the mare’s milk. Weaning earlier than 4 months can be performed however should be done in consultation with your vet.

What is the best method of weaning?

There are a range of methods of weaning varying from complete and abrupt separation (“no contact”) to slow and gradual separation. Deciding on a weaning approach should involve careful consideration of factors such as; your facilities and paddock layout, the scale of operation, season or feed availability, and breed and size of your foal. We can help guide you in what may work best for your individual scenario.

How can I reduce the stress of weaning?

Preparation is key. You should carry out some basic handling and halter training of the foal pre-weaning. Ensure that the appropriate vaccinations and drenches are up-to-date and that the foal is in good health. Nutrition is another big consideration - creep feeding is a good way to help ensure a smooth transition to the weanling diet.