Animal Sciences Commons^™

Post Dipping Lameness In Sheep, I J. Miller

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

LAMENESS can be a most distressing feature at any time of the year, bat when It coincides with the early onset of hot weather and fall-off in nutritive level of the feed, results may have a far reaching effect on the flock.

Worms In Poultry, H D. Seddon

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

WORMS occurring in poultry in Western Australia include both round worms and tapeworms.

However, the intestinal round worm (Ascaridia galli) which is found in the small intestine and duodenum is by far the most important and its effects the most serious.

Points On Producing Better Pigs, P C. Beck

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE are many factors to be considered in the production of quality pigmeat which today is the demand of the housewife.

Poor quality means two things, bad advertisement for the industry and low returns to the producer.

Chemical Poisoning In Animals. 1. Arsenic, H D. Seddon

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ARSENIC is poisonous to all animals and to man in quite small amounts and exposure to poisoning is often a result of human carelessness.

It is present in many chemical dips used for control of insect parasites on stock, and in agricultural fruit sprays and weed killers whose relative cheapness makes their use economical.

However, their potential danger and the economic loss they may cause are a disadvantage.

Cleansers For The Milking Machine, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

WITH the opening of the flush season dairy farmers should make sure milking machines are working at maximum efficiency.

Machines not working efficiently can cause production losses and damage to cows as well as wasting farmers' time.

White Muscle Disease Of Sheep : Symptoms And Pathology, M R. Gardiner

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

WHITE Muscle Disease (WMD) was recognised for the first time in Western Australian sheep during the winter of 1960.

The first outbreak occurred on a property in the South Stirling district in the middle of July and this was followed by outbreaks in August, September and early October, at Mayanup, Kendenup, Mt. Barker, Duranillin, Kojonup, South Stirling and Pinjarra.

A Calendar Of Farming Operations For Cereal And Sheep Areas Of Western Australia, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS calendar of farm operations for the Cereal and Sheep areas replaces the calendar published in the December 1949 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and reprinted as a leaflet.

This leaflet was subsequently reprinted twice with some amendments.

It's Dipping Time, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ANNUAL dipping is compulsory within six weeks of shearing.

Here are the main points to keep in mind for successful and trouble-free dipping.

Dingo And Fox Baits, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Vermin Control Section of the Agriculture Protection Board has devised an effective method of preparing poison for impregnating dingo and fox baits. The method is recommended where it is not convenient to use commercial 1/2 grain strychnine tablets.

Control Of The Emu, C D. Gooding, J. L. Long

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Vermin research officers C. D. GOODING and J. L LONG give the latest recommendations for control of the emu, based on a series of observations and poisoning experiments in the northern wheatbelt.

It Pays To Breed Your Own Pigs, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the most important decisions to be made by a pig raiser is whether to purchase store pigs which he will fatten for market, or to breed his own stock.

The Argentine Ant In Western Australia, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN November, 1954, was commenced one of the most ambitious insect control schemes ever launched in Australia.

The pest concerned was the Argentine ant (Iridomvrmex humilis) and the authorised expenditure was at the rate of £105,000 per annum for five years.

Pullorum Tested Poultry Flocks : 1961, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS year's pullorum tests of poultry flocks have revealed the lowest incidence of reactors since the tests began. Results are recorded below.

Drugs For Worm Control. 1. Sheep Drenching Trials With Mk 360, M R. Gardiner, J. Craig

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

DRENCHING sheep with drugs designed to eliminate parasites has become an established practice in the higher rainfall districts of Western Australia.

has been tested in many trials, and their is little doubt that drenching sheep clinically affected with worms—the so-called "tactical" drench—is valuable and necessary.

However, there is usually less general acceptance of the value of "strategic" drenching— the prevention of clinical parasitism by giving the drug at certain specific times, pre-determined by a knowledge of the numerical rise and fall of the various parasites within the animal body.

Thirsty Cows Are Poor Milkers, S R. Dunstan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE HOT summer weather is not far away, and now is a good time for the whole milk producer to attend to those points which will ensure that milk production is maintained at a high level during this period.

List Of Registered Stock Foods And Stock Licks 1960-61, H G. Cariss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

All foods for stock sold in Western Australia are required by the Feeding Stuffs Act, 1928-1955, to be registered annually with the Department of Agriculture.

For the purposes of the Act, "Food for Stock" includes stock licks, which in turn embrace all preparations claimed to supply or primarily intended to supply mineral matter to stock.

Correcting Cobalt Deficiency, Laurence C. Snook

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

COBALT is essential in the food eaten by sheep and cattle. As little as one part of cobalt in 10,000,000 parts of food appears to be adequate.

But if this mere trace is missing, ruminants will waste away and die, even when the feed appears excellent In every other way.

Third West Australian Random Sample Egg Laying Test : 1959-1960, R H. Morris

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AS part of the poultry improvement plan for Western Australia, the Department of Agriculture inaugurated a random sample laying test for commercial grade chickens at the Poultry Research Station, Herdsman Lake, in 1957.

The results of the first test appeared in the May-June, 1959 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and those of the second test in the June, 1960 issue.

Swine Erysipelas : A Newly Reported Disease Of Pigs In Western Australia, M R. Gardiner

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

RECORDED in Western Australia for the first time last year, swine erysipelas is a potential menace to the pig raising industry.

This preliminary description is given to help farmers recognise its occurrence. I t is not known how widespread the disease might be, and farmers' co-operation is needed to estimate its extent.

Any suspected cases should be reported without delay.

Chemical Poisoning In Animals. 3. Prussic Acid, H D. Seddon

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

HYDROCYANIC or prussic acid poisoning is a serious and not uncommon ailment of ruminants, and may be a cause of rapid death when pasture plants capable of developing dangerous levels of the poison are being grazed.

Is Your Water Supply Safe?, D C. Mickle

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE can be no doubt in anyone's mind that the need for a clean, safe and adequate water supply is essential for the production of high quality milk and cream.

It naturally follows, that, even though every possible care has been taken in an endeavour to produce clean, germ-free milk and cream, contamination by bad water can render these efforts void.

Avoid Losses From Poison Plants, Robert Dunlop Royce

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

E VERY country in the world has its poisonous plant problems, but in Western Australia we have more than our share.

Farmers in "Poison" districts can avoid serious stock losses if they can recognise dangerous poison plants, and have a knowledge of how the concentrations of toxic substances in these plants change with the seasons.

In this article, R. D. Royce, Officer in Charge of the Botany Branch, outlines the principles involved.

Feeding For Egg Yolk Colour, P Smetana

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ON July 3, 1961, the Western Australian Egg Marketing Board commenced paying a bonus to producers for yolk colour.

This is an extremely important step in the marketing of eggs and should have a widespread beneficial effect on the poultry industry of this State.

Automatic Waterers For Day Old Chickens, P Smetana, W. Ward

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the most tedious and time consuming tasks on a poultry farm is the provision of water to chicks from day old up to the age of three or four weeks.

Most poultry farmers use half-gallon glass fonts with metal bases for the first few weeks, until the chicks are old enough to use the automatic watering system usually situated along one wall of the brooder house.

This cumbersome glass font system can be replaced by the cheap and easily installed automatic watering system described below. This system has already been adopted by several local poultry farmers.

Let's Look At Dairying, Maurice C. Cullity

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FOR several years there has been a lot of gloomy forebodings about the future of the dairying industry.

It has been said that there is a drift from dairying; the industry is declining; or even that it is finished.

The Open Range System Of Pig Farming, S R. Dunstan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE are several satisfactory systems which can be employed in planning a piggery, but under West Australian conditions, the paddock system has much to commend it.

Grazing admits an animal to the healthy influences of sunlight and stimulates exercise. The digestive processes of the pig are also stimulated and this helps to bring about more efficient utilisation of the feed.

Incubation, R V. Vagg

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TH E artificial incubation of eggs is not a recent innovation. For many centuries, some species of birds—our mallee-hen being a typical example—have hatched out their eggs by the heat generated in mounds of decaying vegetation.Furthermore, they have shown considerable skill in maintaining the mounds at uniform temperatures throughout the hatching period.

A number of reptiles employ similar methods to hatch their eggs, although in these instances there does not seem to be the same need for carefully-controlled temperatures

An Improved Method Of Utilising Strychine In The Preparation Of Dingo And Fox Baits, L A. Harrison

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AT present dingo and fox baits are made from fat or other material attractive to the animal to be poisoned, into which is inserted either alkaloid or soluble strychnine.

Cheese : As I Know It, E W H Maslin

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IT is probable that cheese was made accidentally in the first instance, by the carrying of milk in the stomachs of animals, when the milk clotting enzymes of the stomach converted the liquid milk into a junket or a solid mass.

Fossils And Farmers. 2. The Ice Age, D Merrilees

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

What did the giant Australian marsupials of the "Ice Age" look like?

Fossil remains found by farmers could help reconstruct them, as well as giving some idea of conditions on the Australian continent at that time, says D. Merrilees, B.Sc, acting Curator of Palaeontology at the West Australian Museum.