Ensuring calves stay healthy
Rearing facilities should be set-up and maintained well to ensure calves stay healthy.
Weaning, drafting, drenching and shearing create the perfect environment for pneumonia and pleurisy in lambs.
However, some simple management ideas can reduce the risk of these production limiting diseases.
Pneumonia is a disease that causes lesions in the lungs. The most common form is Chronic Non-Progressive Pneumonia which can be caused by bacteria, mycobacteria or viruses.
Symptoms are usually not obvious, although lambs will be slower growing and often pant and cough following exercise.
Lambs with pneumonia are more likely to develop pleurisy, which is where lungs stick to the chest wall. At processing, affected carcasses are downgraded or condemned.
A 2000/2001 study carried out on a database of 1719 farms in Canterbury, Manawatu and Gisborne found the prevalence of pneumonia ranged from 0–100% per flock. But on average, flocks had 24% of lambs affected.
The number of flocks with some pneumonia present ranged from 40–70% – in other words it is very common and costly. Slower growing lambs cost more to feed and then their carcasses are downgraded.
Risk factors include high temperatures and humidity, crowding, stress, dust, excessive exercise, poor ventilation, low immunity and high parasite burdens.
Preventing Pneumonia
The real winner of this year’s FMG Young Farmer Region-off have been the regional communities.
As calving approaches, farmers need to get their teams ready for what lies ahead in the coming months.
Feeling sluggish this winter? Then try some seasonal fruit, renowned for lifting mood, energy and immunity levels just when we need it most.
The missing link in getting maximum weight gain in your calves may be as simple as keeping them warm, says the Christchurch manufacturer of a range of woollen covers for young livestock.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) and Massey University are joining forces to help raise awareness and funds to combat leptospirosis.
Auckland-based supplement and nutritional company New Image International is celebrating 40 years of business in their home country.
OPINION: In 2021 a group of prominent academics got ’cancelled’ for daring to oppose changes to the school curriculum that…
OPINION: On top of the rural banking inquiry, several as-yet-unnamed banks are facing a complaint to the Financial Markets Authority…