Chickens - Things to do this Month - May

Chickens - Things to do this Month - May

CHICKENS (Laying Hens):

• At this time of year your hens should be looking and feeling their best:
  - full, bright and velvety ‘headgear’ (comb & wattles)
  - full, round and bright eyes, not sunken or cloudy
  - good, smooth feathering
  - neither thin or over-fat
  - steady respiration, no panting or wheezing
  - active, moving freely
  - laying well and producing regular, perfect eggs
• If you see your chickens pecking their feathers, they may well be harbouring some uninvited pests – see our new Guide to Ectoparasites of Chickens
• Feeding: Layer pellets and ‘mash’ (designed to be dampened before feeding) are specially formulated to provide all the energy and nutrients they need, but given the choice, most hens will chose to eat corn! So, give hens their ration of layer pellets in the morning (for a ‘utility’ type laying hen, allow approximately ¼ - ⅓ lb (or 130-150gms) per hen per day, and then offer corn in the afternoon. They’ll also appreciate plenty of ‘greens’ in their diet: lettuce, cabbage, cucumber – anything fresh & juicy!
• Commercial egg producers regularly weigh their hens, and this is a good practise to adopt; loss of weight can indicate ill health, while excess weight can predispose a hen to become ‘egg-bound’.
• Check regularly for eggs, if left too long it may encourage egg pecking or eating – and once the habit is formed it’s very difficult to stop.
• If you find soft-shelled eggs, or eggs with misshapen or rough shells, it may be a sign of nutritional imbalance, disease or stress.
• Add a little Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to the hen’s water – many people claim that the acidity acts as a ‘tonic’ for the hens and aids digestion. It certainly won’t do them any harm, but always offer untreated water in another container in case any of the hens won’t drink the treated water. Add 2ml of ACV (use a syringe to measure accurately) to 1 litre of water in a plastic drinker (it will corrode metal).
• If you like ‘natural remedies’, also offer the hens some garlic granules mixed with their layer or corn: garlic can act as a repellent to harmful gut worms, but don’t rely on it totally. Best practice is to carry out regular (4x per year would be about right, but even one test will be useful) ‘faecal egg counts’ (FEC) to determine the parasite burden of your hens – your vet will explain how to collect a sample and will arrange for it to be tested in a laboratory, the result will indicate whether you need to use a worming product on your hens.
• Another herbal favourite of hens is Oregano – sow some seeds on a windowsill or in a propagator, and they’ll have their favourite herb all summer long (and you may get pizza-flavoured eggs!). Interestingly, oregano oil (with an olive oil base) has been used with great success as a substitute for widespread use of antibiotics in commercial-scale organic poultry units.
• Keep grass mown short – long grass can obstruct their crop; and, by allowing the sun to penetrate the sward, parasite (worm) eggs are desiccated and killed (but you will still need to monitor your hens using Faecal Egg Counts, and worming as necessary).
• Try to rest at least part of their run for a few weeks on a rotation basis – this will help to break the parasite lifecycle
• Spring is the ideal time to replace or increase your flock, and there are various ways to go about this: from buying ‘POL’ (point-of-lay) hens, to hatching eggs – from your own hens if you have a cockerel and a broody hen, or buying in fertile eggs to hatch in an incubator.

For more information on keeping chickens and increasing your flock, visit our Basic Principles of Rearing and Breeding Chickens and look out for the release of our new DVD series, “Poultry on Your Smallholding”. If you’d like to be alerted as soon as this 2-DVD set is available, please leave your details HERE.

Source: http://www.smallholderseries.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=556&Itemid=183

Managing Internal Parasites in Sheep - Part Three – Sustainable Control

Managing Internal Parasites in Sheep - Part Three – Sustainable Control

Many smallholders are keen to rear their flocks in as natural a way as possible, choosing to manage their sheep in a way that promotes good health, rather than relying on the routine use of drugs and chemicals. This third article looks at specific flock management regimes that will both reduce the routine use of chemical wormers, and improve flock health.
Last month’s article - part two - looked at the problem of wormer resistance and described how to administer a drench effectively, and do a Faecal Egg Count (FEC) to ascertain the need to drench, or not. One of the most effective uses of an FEC is to carry out a ‘Worm Egg Reduction Count’, or drench test, to find out if you already have a problem with wormer resistance. If it turns out that you do, you can then both save money and get better performance from your sheep by targeting parasites with a product that actually works on your holding!

Wormer groups – an extended range

There is a ‘hierarchy’ of the wormer groups, starting with the oldest group, the BZ or ‘white’ group. Next is the LV or ‘yellow’ group, followed by the ML or ‘clear’ drenches. The two newer groups are AD or ‘orange’ (Zolvix) and finally SI or ‘Purple’ which is only available as a ‘multi-active’ compound (Startect) – these last two groups currently have no known worm resistance to them and so are ideal to use when you bring new sheep onto your holding as a ‘quarantine’ drench. However, on many farms, especially where sheep have been grazed for some years, the gut parasites have developed a degree of resistance to some of the older groups of anthelmintic.
A flukicide is a narrow-spectrum product, designed specifically to act against liver fluke, which has a unique lifecycle that relies on an intermediate host, a tiny water snail, to complete its life cycle. It’s most prevalent in wet marshy areas, and can be a serious problem following a period of high rainfall, such as most of the country has experienced this summer!

How to test for wormer resistance – the ‘drench test’

1. Collect fresh faecal samples from a group of sheep (or lambs, but not both together) that hasn’t recently been treated with any worming products
2. Send samples to vet for faecal egg count (FEC)
3. On the same day, drench this group of sheep with a wormer from one of the older groups listed above (ideally, restrict feed for up to 24 hours before drenching with BZ and ML, but not for pregnant ewes)
4. Identify these sheep with a marker spray
5. After a set number of days (see table below) repeat the FEC
6. The difference between the 1^st and 2^nd egg count will indicate whether the wormer used is reducing the worm burden in the sheep.

Drench Class	Days before repeat FEC
Group 1 – BZ	10 -14
Group 2 – LV	7
Group 3 – ML	14 - 17
Flukicide	21

It makes sense to test a product from Group One (BZ) first, as this is the oldest group of wormers and therefore it’s the most likely one that parasites will have developed resistance to. If you do find you have resistance to this group, repeat the exercise with a product from Group Two (LV) – then ditto for Group 3 (ML), but hopefully you won’t need to.

Grazing management

Organic production systems rely on careful grazing management to minimise the sheep’s exposure to gut worms, but bearing in mind that worm larvae and eggs can survive on pastures for a year or more, this is not an easy task for the smallholder on limited acreage.
Rotational and strip grazing are widely used methods of ensuring that the flock always has fresh, clean grass ahead of it and doesn’t graze the same pasture for any length of time, thus reducing their exposure to ‘dirty’ pasture. ‘Mob’ grazing is a more extreme version of strip grazing where sheep are heavily stocked but confined by electric fencing to a narrow strip of pasture. The electric fence is moved ahead of them frequently, so that there is no heavy build-up of parasites and the sheep don’t return to the same grazing for several months.
New ‘leys’ and the aftermath that grows following the harvest of a crop, or hay, can be considered ‘safe’ and are ideal for weaning lambs onto. Rotating grazing with another species, such as cattle, also offers safe grazing as sheep-specific gut worms will be destroyed when ingested by the cattle. Care must be taken however, if sheep and goats share pastures, as a goat’s digestive system differs from a sheep’s and can accelerate the problem of parasite resistance to worming drugs.

‘In refugia’ – no more ‘dose and move’

For generations, it was common practice to drench sheep before moving them to fresh pasture (‘dose and move’), in the belief that by ridding them of internal parasites they wouldn’t contaminate the new grazing. However, this strongly selects in favour of drench-resistant parasites that are carried forward in the sheep’s gut to populate the new grazing. Current advice is that a flock should carry a small worm burden (called ‘in refugia’) to any new pasture – this means that any ‘superworms’ will cross with susceptible worms and not colonise the pasture. There are two main ways of achieving this: firstly, drench only those animals showing physical signs of parasitic infection (eg. poor condition, scouring), leaving fit animals in good body condition untreated; and secondly, by leaving the flock on the same pasture for 24 hours after drenching so that they re-ingest some susceptible worms, then move to new pasture.

The role of nutrition

Nutritional stress, or imbalance, can cause poor body condition in adult sheep and restricted growth rates in lambs, and if gut parasites are also present, the sheep is less able to mount a defence against them. Forage and soil analyses can identify any shortfall in your grazing, as well as the presence of ‘antagonistic’ elements that can block the availability of essential minerals & trace elements.
In recent years, ‘bioactive forages’ have been shown to help sheep repel gut parasites, and become more resilient to their harmful effects. Suitable plants, which can be incorporated into existing permanent pastures, include chicory, sainfoin and plantain. These forages, which are relished by sheep, also have deep tap-roots that increase the availability of minerals and trace elements to grazing animals.

The Future – Selection & Breeding

Immunity against parasitic worms is the ‘holy grail’ for sheep breeders; but how achievable is this goal? In reality, it takes a great deal of energy for a sheep to mount an immune defence against gut worms that would result in a worthwhile reduction in worm egg output. This energy use would inevitably be at the expense of some other valuable trait, such as prolificacy – the ability to rear twins.
On the other hand, most shepherds will be aware that certain lambs are always ‘clean’ and grow well, while others in the same group suffer from scouring and are unthrifty. Although exposed to the same challenge, some lambs inherit their mother’s resilience to the effects of gut worms, in other words, they tolerate a moderate worm burden without ill-effect. In our own flock of Hampshire Down sheep, we’ve always kept the best ewe lambs that also exhibit this trait to join our breeding flock, and within a few years we’ve noticed how their ability to thrive without routine worming treatments is passed down to their lambs, resulting in a healthier flock, less drenching, and a lot less bother for the shepherd!
One final word of caution in interpreting FECs is that they don’t show the presence of immature worms that are not excreting eggs, so you must regularly monitor your flock.
In conclusion, if you are in any doubt about the parasite status of your flock, consult your vet, you’ll find the money you spend will pay itself back with fewer worming treatments, a healthier flock, and faster-growing lambs!

Source: http://www.smallholderseries.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=558&Itemid=29

Goat Husbandry Course

We have secured
some funding towards a
Goat Husbandry Course
being presented by
Odelle Walker of ADAS.

It will take place on
Saturday 29th June 2013
10am – 4pm
Latchingdon Essex

The course will include

• Health and welfare – common ailments and feet trimming
• Breeding and conditions for breeding
• Kidding and rearing kids
• General Husbandry eg: feeding, housing, grazing etc
• Common problems
• Bio Security

Lunch will be provided

Places are limited to 8, so early booking is required.

The cost of the course is £15 for members
Book now with Danni: 07854595640
Danielle.Perkins@Yahoo.co.uk

Sheep - Things to do this Month - May

Sheep - Things to do this Month - May

SHEEP – for a March/April lambing flock:

• As the weather warms this month watch out for flystrike – although this spring is relatively cool, you should still watch out for early cases of flystrike. It’s not recommended to use a ‘pour-on’ product so close to shearing time as it will leave chemical residues on the fleeces; instead, consider the following prevention methods: clean any mucky bottoms promptly, put out fly traps to reduce the population (www.redtopflycatcher.co.uk), add garlic granules to the ewes’ feed or use a bucket lick with garlic (www.brinicombe.co.uk).
• Drench newly-lambed ewes before turning out onto pasture as they lose much of their acquired immunity to gut parasites during lambing time (this effect is called PPRI – Peri Parturient Relaxation of Immunity), and will therefore deposit eggs onto the pastures which will be ingested by the lambs. Use a drench with a persistent action containing Moxydectin for greatest protection, but don’t drench all ewes – leave a small percentage of fit, single-bearing younger ewes undrenched to avoid selecting for parasite resistance.
• Avoid turning lambs out onto pastures that carried lambs the previous year (to do so would favour Nematodirosis as the parasite N. Battus can survive the harshest winter – see below).  
• Continue to feed ewes at ‘stepped-down’ rate for up to 6 weeks after lambing – or discontinue feeding sooner if grass is good and ewes recover condition quickly
• Treat any lame ewes promptly, if her feet hurt the ewe may be reluctant to stand to allow her lambs to suckle, and if the cause is footrot, she may pass the disease to her lambs
• Offer creep feed to lambs from 2 weeks of age – they may not eat a lot, but this early feeding will help gut development and increase their ability to utilise fodder efficiently at later stages of their life.
• Monitor ewes for mastitis, signs to look out for are: hungry lambs, ewes not letting lambs feed. Condition can develop at weaning.
• As the maternal protection against clostridial disease and pasturella starts to wane 4-6 weeks post-birth, give lambs their 1^st vaccination (to be followed by a further jab 6 weeks later)
• If any of your ewes aborted, this is the time to ask your vet to carry out blood-testing to check for Enzootic (chlamidial) abortion or Toxoplasmosis
• Be vigilant against parasites in the lamb flock and treat as soon as symptoms occur. Be especially on guard against Coccidiosis (causes severe scouring / diarrhoea, can be identified by carrying out an FEC) and Nematodirosis – this is caused by a very nasty parasite and can lead to high death rates in lambs (typically at around 6-12 weeks old), and due to its unique lifecycle CANNOT ALWAYS BE IDENTIFIED by faecal egg counting. Be advised by your vet regarding local risks and treat lambs without delay if advised to do so. If lambs are on ‘dirty’ pastures that carried lambs during the previous year, you may consider giving a prophylactic, or preventative drench (use a Group 1 – white drench containing Albendazole for Nematodirus, unless you suspect that other parasite species may also be present which may be resistant to this group).
• Shearing – book your contractor (or book onto a BWMB course and train to shear yourself), and plan your handling system: pen sheep ready for shearing (preferably starve for 12 hours before); electricity supply for shearer; smooth-topped table for rolling fleeces; stand to support the wool sack
• Treat shorn ewes, lambs and rams with ‘pour on’ product for flystrike protection – consider using an IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) with a 16-week persistence.

Source: http://www.smallholderseries.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=554:sheep-things-to-do-this-month-may13&catid=84:things-to-do-this-month&Itemid=182

New ear tag design overcomes common problems

FW Reporters

Thursday 09 May 2013 11:57

Improvements to ear tag design by a leading Scottish manufacturer look to have countered some of the key welfare and tag retention problems experienced by sheep farmers.
An all too common complaint among those applying tags is the pin bends on contact with the ear and therefore does not pierce the ear properly and does not close. When this happens the tag is often wasted and worse, the sheep can be left with a wounded ear.
Roxan ID claim to have solved this problem with a new improved design around the new "Senior" pin in their Tagfaster range of ear tags for sheep. At the fixed end of the pin, a design improvement holds the tag securely in the applicator meaning that it is much less likely to flex and the pin is therefore driven straight through the ear and into the receiving clamp.
Roxan claim a further Tagfaster design improvement, their patented spring-loaded tag hinge, results in a tag which is less likely to pinch the ear. Pinched ears, where the tissue is caught in an over-closed ear tag, can cause pain and inflammation in the ears of sheep. When this happens the sheep may rub their ears against fences, for example, with the risk of further ear damage and possibly tag loss.

Brian Eadie, Roxan managing director, said: "It is not only sheep that can benefit from these design improvements that we have made. The pins in our double-tag sets can be colour-coded to correspond with year of birth, flock, heft or breed, which is particularly useful in a situation where a non-eid coloured tag is lost, leaving only the yellow eid tag in the other ear.
"If the tag was plain yellow, it would be impossible to tell what colour the lost tag from the other ear had been. The coloured pins in the yellow double-set tags eliminate this problem and make it easier for the shepherd to visually identify which batch a sheep belongs to.
"All in all, we are trying to ensure that the tagging process is as efficient and painless as possible for both farmer and animal and this new pin is certainly a large step in that direction."

Source: http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/09/05/2013/138987/new-ear-tag-design-overcomes-common-problems.htm#.UYzBVXBxhzA?cmpid=NLC|FWFW|FWNEW-20130510|dali

Butlers Farm Alpacas

Visit to the Speakmans cancelled

Due to a family bereavement tomorrows meeting will take place at The Blue Boar in Maldon. Where we will have a good olde catch up!

See you tomorrow!