Seasons Greetings to all Have a Safe and Happy Christmas & Prosperous New Year

Transcription

1 sheep december 2012 Growth trial teasers & timing Christmas Hours Seasons Greetings to all Have a Safe and Happy Christmas & Prosperous New Year Photos by Richard Hilson

2 Lamb growth trial summary Simon Marshall BVSc A lamb growth trial was conducted from December 2011 until April 2012 on a property in Dannevirke. The trial originated from the farmer observing that lamb growth was always better on the limestone soils vs his Greywacke soils. The aim of the trial was to determine if the difference was real or perceived and what was causing the difference. We also wanted to measure if parasite larval challenge was having an effect on lamb growth rates. We selected 200 ewe lambs from 1200 and divided them randomly into 2 lines of 100 each. They were tagged with numbered ear tags with a different colour for the differing soil types. 50 of the lambs on each side had drench capsules applied and the rest received routine triple combination every 30 days. Individual weights were taken every thirty days. Trace minerals were monitored via blood testing of the lambs and pasture testing. Energy, protein and digestibility of the pasture was also measured. Summary of findings: Very small difference in body weights and weight gains between Limestone side and Greywacke side lambs (see figure 1) The small differences in body weights between the two sides of the farm can possibly be attributed to a drop in pasture quality on Greywacke side in late summer/early autumn. Feed quality was constant on the Limestone soils averaging approx MJ/kgDM. Feed quality may have limited growth on the Greywacke soils during the late summer/early autumn period as ME dropped to 9.3 MJ/ kgdm Parasitism and trace mineral deficiencies did not limit lamb growth. Feed quantity was not limiting during the trial. Growth rates dropped on both soil types to 30 g/day between February and March. (see figure 2). Overall growth rates were 91g/d and 85 g/d for Limestone and Greywacke soil s respectively. The overall average was 88 g/d. Conclusions On this farm in this season there was no growth rate difference between capsuled lambs and routinely drenched lambs i.e. larval challenge was not affecting growth rates. Lamb growth on hill country farms in Dannevirke may reduce to very low levels during late summer/early autumn and may not exceed 100gms per day on average over the entire lamb growing season. There are still some unknown factors involved in dramatic growth rate depression during late summer/early autumn. Sward height may have been too high during this season for optimum lamb growth. Manipulation of pasture quality will be fundamental to improving lamb growth rates on this property. This should apply to all hill country farms. One of the hoggets after lambing figure 1 figure 2 LEPTOSPIROSIS IN LAMBS Leptospirosis is getting a fair amount of press of late, with discussion of the disease in dogs and humans but in terms of sheer numbers, the most sick or dead animals we see with lepto, in any given year, are lambs. Like all types of lepto, lots of animals carry the disease without getting sick (and we know now that sheep can carry Leptospirosis Pomona for many months), but if animals do start falling over they will do it in numbers. In lambs, the post-weaning period, being a stressful time for the young, is a high-risk time. This is especially the case if it coincides with some rainfall (will it occur this year??!!). At least one major outbreak happened here last December, albeit with more water on the ground than currently. The lepto bacteria is passed on in urine, then lives in water, surviving well in puddles, dams and streams. Richard Sides BVSc It enters a new victim through the mouth, eyes, or any cut or scratched skin. This applies to humans as well! The other major risk time is in the autumn again because it tends to be wet. At any time of year diagnosis is all-important, but there is often confusion in the autumn due to the possibility of barber s pole (Haemonchus) parasitism. Do not be confused! Diagnosis is actually quite simple, usually achievable on post-mortem exam, and a blood test (from a live but sick animal) will confirm the diagnosis quickly. Treatment is usually successful, if the disease is caught early enough, and they often pull through even if quite sick. The key is to talk to us before too many have died waiting too long increases the spread to other animals and of course greatly increases the chance of you catching it. People who have had lepto assure us you do not want to risk this.

3 Health Issues of Lambs around Weaning If the health of a lamb is perfect post weaning you can expect up to 400gm per day live weight gain (LWG) on a grass fed situation. The reality of life is that to achieve an average body weight of 40kg in hoggets by 1 May the average LWG from birth is only 130 gm/day. This tells us that the health of the lamb post weaning is not optimal and that there is plenty of potential for improvement. There are several reasons why maximizing LWG is advantageous: Higher carcass weights Higher hogget and 2 th ewe mating weights. For every extra kg of body wt in a 2 th Romney ewe you will produce 2.5% more lambs Quickly reduce lamb numbers allowing more feed for other stock classes especially capital stock What are the Key Issues Affecting Lamb Health?? Vitamin G deficiency Vitamin G = Pasture quality and quantity. This is the biggest constraint to LWG in lambs. The aim is to use pasture with a high green/dead ratio and maximizing the clover or herb ratio of the green component. It is also worth remembering that the top leafy 1/3 of a sward has a higher ME compared to the lower parts of stem and dead matter. Maintaining relatively high post graze residuals are important for maximizing LWG. Parasitism: Worms are the second biggest constraint to LWG. We would recommend you devise a comprehensive worming program in conjunction with a veterinarian. If this is not done we would recommend a regular monthly drenching program for your lambs with an effective drench. Occasionally if pasture contamination is high the drench interval may need to be decreased. A FEC at the time of drenching will help with future drench planning. If you don t know your drench status this would be ideally a triple combination product +/- tapeworm. Trace Elements: Now is the time to check trace element status in your lambs. This can be done on farm with liver biopsy / bloods or liver samples collected at the works post slaughter. Cobalt (B12) deficiency is common in lambs in HB. Because of the widespread use of Selenium in drenches not much deficiency of this element is seen. Copper deficiency is uncommon in sheep although we are seeing more now especially in the Northern HB area. We conducted a trial in B12 deficient sheep in the Kereru area a few years ago and found a 3 kg advantage in treated sheep over controls over 90 days. This would translate into a 7.5% higher scanning in these ewes as 2 ths. Pneumonia: Refer to the article in the October 2012 newsletter. The key points to remember in prevention are: Don t wean and shear lambs at the same time. Don t over heat lambs during yarding. If you see open mouth breathing in lambs during mustering they are over heated and very prone to pneumonia. Generally minimize stress. Fly Strike: Flystrike is a major constraint to LWG so prevention is important. Modern chemicals applied correctly should give 8 14 weeks protection against strikes. It should be noted that application of saturation type products through a jetting race will give good results but the length of activity may be slightly less than expected. If you get a major reduction in length of activity then resistance may be at work so you need to contact one of us to investigate the problem. Often companies will pay for the investigation at no cost to the farmer regardless of outcome. secure your lamb numbers. secure your GaIns How to plan for a successful season. Mark Matthews BVSc Clostridial Diseases (Blood poisoning) The most important disease in weaned lambs in this group is Pulpy Kidney. This causes sudden death sometimes with nervous signs pre death. 5 in 1 vaccine gives good protection against these diseases. Possible Animal Health Plan for Weaned lambs: Weaning: Treatments: Monitoring: Drench (Triple combination +/- Tapeworm) B 12 injection 5 in 1 vaccine primer dose Apply fly treatment Liver samples from works for trace elements (Call the clinic to organize) Separate 75 lambs for full drench testing (Sheet enclosed) Weaning plus 10 days: Collect feces for Faecal Egg Count (Drench check) Weaning + 1 month: Treatments: Drench B12 depending on liver results 5 in 1 booster Think about ordering TOXOVAX for ewe hoggets Plan for success: order your Toxovax now! Toxoplasmosis is on every new Zealand farm, and it can cause ongoing losses or abortion storms. your plan for success: Contact your vet to secure your order at least 8 weeks before you intend to introduce the ram. You can use Toxovax anytime up to 4 weeks before mating One shot gives lifetime immunity. Up to 8% higher lambing percentages (3% national average). Toxovax is made to order so place your order with your vet now.

4 Teasers and Timing richard hilson BVSc Successful sex is all about timing, isn t it? Right place, right time, right mood, right partner hopefully. Well, so is unsuccessful sex when you are aiming to use vasectomised rams good unsuccessful sex is all about timing too. Vasectomised rams are definitely the way to go if you want to synchronise the mating of your ewes to create a short, predictable lambing. In lower country where rams join from early January through to mid March, use of the teaser effect can streamline management in autumn and spring. We can certainly see the difference at scanning time with lots of early conceptions. Basic rules of thumb are Make sure the ewes have no sight, sound or smell of rams from New Year. They must be surprised by the introduction of the teasers. This means making sure the rams aren t through the fence while ewes are yarded too. Use vasectomised rams- the only way to be sure you don t end up with unplanned pregnancies. Put the teasers in not more than 19 days before you want real (successful) mating to start. For a start date of 1 March this means teasers go in 9 February. Take teasers out two days before the start date and put the entire rams in. The two days gives them a chance to spread out and acclimatise a bit. For 1 March mating this is 26 February. Ewes have a silent heat 2-4 days after the teasers are introduced. The teasers cannot detect this heat but it does start the whole breeding process off, so ewes will cycle again in 17 days or days after the teasers joined. Timing is absolutely everything so if you want to use teasers, follow those rules and/or speak to one of our large animal vets. Get the timing right and the results will be spectacular! Promise. early PD and artificial breeding Helen taylor BVSc, mrcvs Do you really know how well your mating is going this season? A vital indicator of breeding success is the 6 week in calf rate this measures the proportion of cows in calf 6 weeks after the start of mating and every dairy farmer should be monitoring this measure of breeding efficiency the InCalf target is 78%. It is possible to make significant progress in your herd s reproductive performance when you know where you are now and have some tangible targets in your sights. By doing a first pregnancy test 5-6 weeks after the end of AI, we can accurately age the calf up until 12 weeks of gestation. We then re-scan the not detected pregnant cows 6 weeks after the bulls have come out and have a much clearer picture of what to expect next calving season and how best to plan for it now by: 1) Culling empty cows sooner if the feed situation dictates. 2) Drying off heifers, thin cows and early calving cows sooner to ensure they calve in the right condition and get back in calf next year. 3) Mobbing up cows into earlies, middles and late calvers and adjusting their feeding accordingly, especially if you have them on the run-off during the dry period. 4) Milking late calvers or dries for longer if conditions permit. 5) Potentially identifying induction cows if special circumstances such as drought have been a factor remember we can only induce cows if we have accurate pregnancy data for them as they must be within 12 and 8 weeks of their expected calving date. 6) Knowing what proportion of AI calves to expect and hence plan your heifer replacement management long term. 7) Assessing your mating performance this year and aiming to improve it next year which means getting body condition, trace elements and diseases such as BVD under control now. Please sign up for Infovet at the clinic this is a free service - we can enter the data on farm as we pregnancy scan each individual cow. The dates are uploaded directly to MINDA so the information is accurately and quickly captured and processed into a Fertility Focus Report highlighting areas that may need attention. Take home message plan for a whole herd early PD in the New Year, get your date booked in at the clinic, and be sure to have a fantastic, restful Christmas and holiday season!

5 Seasonal Update Hastings/ Napier Helen Taylor BVSc MRCVS Northern Hawke s Bay is really drying out now and to say we have a rain shortage is an understatement. Now is the time to be destocking and heading to the beach for a rest if you can. Not everyone has the option to get hungry mouths off the farm and we should all be on high alert for fly as conditions are just perfect and the first fly-blow reports have already come in. Brucellosis is under control with only a few scattered cases to report. We can only achieve this if you commit to regular testing and encourage your neighbours to do the same, so make sure you book all the rams in again for their annual warrant of fitness next year. We seem to have examined an unusually high number of broken Seasonal Update Dannevirke The rain has come to some parts of the disctrict that need it and the temperatures have been better on some days but overall I think that November was only slightly better than October. There are still tight feed supplies on a lot of properties but if things settle down we might hopefully grow some grass in December. There has been a fair bit happening on the extension front with a very successful equine seminar held on the 15 th of November, thank you to all involved. We also had a good turnout at the Pongaroa Farmer Focus Group, Focus day, looking at Cropping and Pasture Renewal on Arklow, a property owned by Alistair Timothy and Rachel Joblin. I would like to let you know that the Tararua Sheep and Beef farmer of the Year is returning. The aim of the competition is to At the time of writing we are looking decidedly dry and it hasn t been a great spring. It is a perfect storm really. An awesome autumn with great ewe weights and great scanning results. Too much grass to clean up so there was sluggish spring growth initially after way too much water in late winter. Then persistently cold weather combining with lots of wind and no rain to keep grass from growing while all the animals ate what was on offer. bulls this season hopefully they were tested before mating began with a service capacity test, but regularly check the bull team for lameness, swollen pizzles, sitting under the tree looking sick etc. and not getting your cows in calf. The normally beautiful Lake Tutira is suffering a major Algal bloom and anyone driving past will have noticed the horrendous stench and stagnant grey-green colour. This has been confirmed as highly toxic cyanobacteria and is causing a great deal of stress to farmers who depend on the lake for stock water. Sadly there is no quick fix and this may continue to plague us, as many saved up paddocks to wean lambs onto will not be safe for weeks. Simon Marshall BVSc promote innovative sheep and beef farming by identifying farmers that demonstrate a well balanced and positive approach to their business. Entries close 15th February 2012 and judging will take place in the last week of March. The winner will be announced in the 1st week of April. We will have completed most of our reproductive work by the time you read this and will be focussed on getting ram palpations and dog vaccinations completed. We will also be starting to think about faecal egg count reduction testing in lambs and calves. This test is essential when planning parasite management on your farm. Let us know early if you want to carry out this test as some planning is required. Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at the Dannevirke clinic. Seasonal Update central hawke s bay richard hilson BVSc It won t take much to change things but we do need rain soon. Grass growth rates of maybe 20kg/day in September (maybe half what we d normally expect) means there is little grass shut up for supplements locally and while the sunshine is good for lambs and for dairy cows, a feed shortage looms. Got a plan for reducing demand? Some farmers have been planning for exactly that since mid October. Winners of the Ride on Lawn Mower Waipukurau Don & Cecily Syme- Dannevirke Dennis & Debbie Henricksen The winners of the machines were: Dannevirke: Dennis & Debbie Henricksen Waipukurau: Don & Cecily Syme- Rotohore Hastings: Craig Hickson- Anawai

6 Christmas 2012 Treats Some angus pure on us! orpurchase selected Merial Ancare products this holiday season and receive a quality 100% NZ Pork Kiwi Ham. Offer ONly AvAilABle BefOre CHristMAs from qualifying veterinary CliNiCs ANd while stocks last. NAPIER 210 Taradale Road Purchase selected Merial Ancare cattle or sheep product and receive 1/2 an Angus Pure scotch fillet cube roll. This is an alternative to the Ham Offer. WHILE STOCKS LAST. SEE YOUR VET FOR DETAILS. HASTINGS 801W Heretaunga Street DANNEVIRKE 9 Gordon Street WAIPUKURAU 43 Takapau Road Choose either a Kiwi ½ COB Ham kg or Kiwi Banquet Ham kg* Promotion starts 1 November and finishes 22 December vet services hawke s bay HOLIDAY HOURS Date Day Napier Hastings Waipukurau Dannevirke 24-Dec Mon 8-5pm 8-5pm pm 8-5pm 25-Dec Tue Closed Closed Closed Closed 26-Dec Wed Closed Closed Closed Closed 27-Dec Thu pm 8-5pm pm 8-5pm 28-Dec Fri pm pm pm 8-5pm 29-Dec Sat 9-1pm 9-3pm 9-12pm Closed 30-Dec Sun Closed 9-3pm 10-12pm Closed 31-Dec Mon 8-5pm 8-6pm pm 8-5pm 1-Jan Tue Closed Closed Closed Closed 2-Jan Wed Closed Closed Closed Closed 3 Jan Thu Normal hours resume For emergencies please note we have a duty vet available at all times