Tips for December

Cattle

• Do faecal egg count tests on your cattle, especially this year’s calves. They’ll still be building immunity to parasites, a common cause of low growth rates.

• If your paddocks don’t have natural shade, provide some. Given a choice, cattle will always head for shady areas on hot days. Research by dairy scientists has shown increased production in lactating cows which have shade over those which don’t.

Sheep

• It’s prime flystrike time. Check sheep morning and evening. The first sign will be a change in an animal’s behaviour, separating itself from the flock, seeking shade, stamping its feet, looking restless, and biting itself. Sometimes you’ll see what looks like a damp patch, usually on its rump, head or ears. Have the correct treatments on hand, and use a preventative product which will offer some protection for 2-3 months.

• Sheep should be shorn now. Cut away dags around the rump so it’s clean for your shearer. Note: this is no guarantee of a sheep remaining flystrike-free; the Australia green blowfly will strike whether it’s clean or dirty.

• If fly numbers are high, try moving stock into a paddock that is more exposed ( flies don’t like the wind), and using fly traps on trees. If you don’t have a fly problem, don’t hang up a trap – you can create a fly problem that wasn’t there before. • Limping animals need to be checked for stones/debris caught in the cleft of the hoof, scald (irritated skin between the hooves), or footrot (smelly ooze in the hoof wall). For scald, soak the hoof in water with a 10% zinc sulphate solution (keep adding zinc until no more dissolves); for footrot, trim back the affected area of hoof with clippers, wash, then soak in zinc sulphate. For bad infections, you may require an antibiotic spray. If the joint above the hoof is very hot, your animal may have a foot abscess. In both cases, talk to your vet.

Goats

• Goats need shade, especially if they have pink skin. Protect exposed skin (usually on the nose) using an animal sunblock.

• Always have fresh, clean water available at all times – it’s a complete myth that they don’t require a water supply.

• Check as for sheep if a goat is limping.

Pigs

• Pigs can’t sweat, so hot days are especially hard. They need to rest in cool, shady, well-ventilated areas.

• Set up a pool or mud pit (or preferably both!) to help them regulate their temperature. Make sure the pigs can get in and out easily.

• Pink-skinned pigs will find it especially hard going – check for signs of sunburn and other skin issues.

• If a pig is scratching and has bare or raw patches of skin, it probably has lice or mites. Talk to your vet about a treatment, usually an injectable drench.