Animal Sciences Commons^™

How Much Food Should I Give My Dog?, F C. Wilkinson

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

THIS is a question which every veterinary surgeon has heard hundreds of times, and one that it is impossible to answer in general terms because dogs differ so much in their food requirements and because the nutrient values of various foodstuffs vary considerably.

The Care Of The Breeding Sow, P C. Beck

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

PIG-RAISING is a specialised field of animal production, which, to be profitable must incorporate both a scientific and a practical approach.

These two factors must be complementary, for without a sound practical approach, the value of the scientific principles involved, e.g., in breeding and compounding rations would accordingly be reduced.

Teaser (Vasectomised) Rams : A Management Advantage, W L. Mcgarry, I. K. Stott

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

WITH normal late spring-early summer matings (October-December) teaser rams, correctly used, will give a more concentrated lambing.

This has been shown under Western Australian conditions in trials conducted at the Wongan Hills Research Station.

In one experiment a group of 100 ewes which had one per cent, of teasers for 14 days before the fertile rams went in, dropped 42 lambs in the first two weeks of lambing, compared with 17 lambs from 100 ewes that were not teased.

The use of teasers in all Research Station flocks is now routine practice.

Rabbit Control In 1960, C Marshall

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

IN the year 1859, an enthusiastic sportsman in Victoria took delivery from the clipper "Lightning" of a small consignment of wild European rabbits which he joyfully released on his estate at Barwon Park, near Geelong, in order to assure himself of some rough shooting.

He was not the only rabbit importer on record—tame rabbits were brought into Australia before and after 1895 and doubtless there were other importations of the wild rabbit—but he is generally credited—or discredited—with having triggered off the rabbit plague.

Brucellosis Can Cause Contagious Abortion In Cattle And Undulant Fever In Man, F C. Wilkinson

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

WHEN the cow, shown in the accompanying photograph, was purchased it had a small fluid-filled lump on the left knee.

The swelling did not appear to be painful but gradually increased in size until it assumed the proportions shown in the picture.

It was a typical case of "big-knee," one of the less common manifestations of Brucellosis—the disease commonly known as contagious abortion—and a blood test of the animal confirmed the diagnosis.

Diseases Of Goats, J Shilkin

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

MANY of the diseases of goats are common to sheep and cattle, and, as in these species, correct feeding, hygiene and general care and management will assist in the avoidance of serious ailments.

In this article an attempt will be made to advise goat-owners on the diagnosis of the more common ailments, and suggestions as to treatment will be offered where possible.

It should be appreciated however that where veterinary assistance is obtainable it is preferable to first-aid treatment. A qualified veterinarian has access to newer and more efficient methods of treatment than are available to the layman.

Drought Feeding Of Sheep, Laurence C. Snook

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

WHEN this talk on drought feeding of sheep was suggested conditions were very serious over large tracts of pastoral country.

Many stations had not received a worthwhile rain for over 12 months and it appeared that grazing animals would have to be fed if they were to survive.

Requests have been received for advice on the cheapest way to keep sheep alive. Drought feeding in any form is a gamble. There is always the risk that the stock will eventually die despite the consumption of much costly feed.

It follows that if an effort is to be made to save …

Second West Australian Random Sample Egg Laying Tests : 1958-59, R H. Morris

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

4S 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.

There Is No Mystery About 1080, A R. Tomlinson

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

DESPITE the widespread publicity given to sodium fluoroacetate or "1080" and its general use throughout agricultural areas, there appear to be many misconceptions regarding the poison itself, its control, dangers and precautions and also the method of application. I will mention several of the questions often asked and give the answers.

Famous Sheep Breeds. 3. The Leicester, J A. Mallett

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

THE Leicester sheep, often referred to in Australia as the "English" Leicester to distinguish it from its relative, the Border Leicester, is the oldest of the improved British breeds.

Its development from the nondescript local sheep marked an advance in stockbreeding technique which did much to make Britain famous as the "stud-farm of the world."

Feeding Pickled Wheat To Pigs, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

INQUIRIES are frequently received from farmers asking whether it is safe to feed pickled wheat to pigs, and if so, the quantities which would be suggested.

Until very recently there was no experimental information on the safety or possible dangers of these wheat pickling agents, but feeding trials completed last year at the Animal Health and Nutrition Laboratory, Nedlands, have provided some of the answers to these questions.

Better Rations For Broiler Production, P Smetana

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

DURING 1959, trials were conducted at the Poultry Research Station, Herdsman Lake, with the object of developing a broiler-feeding ration that was better than the one at present recommended by the Department of Agriculture and commonly used by local broiler producers.

Free Feeding For The Control Of Rabbits, C Marshall

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

IN common with most other farm work, the control of rabbits calls for a high degree of skill, patience and perseverance.

There is no short cut to success, and if results are required we must be prepared to give of our best.

Failures of control works are experienced at various times, and the reasons can generally be traced back to something we have failed to do or some short cut we have tried to take.

However, we should not lose heart from one failure. During normal farming procedure, if a farmer's crop fails he does not give up planting in …

Vibriosis, F C. Wilkinson

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

AN all-too-common problem on dairy farms is the failure of cows to conceive at times which will ensure their calves being born at the desired season—when the cows can take full advantage of the flush of green feed or, in the case of wholemilk producers, at a time when the milk is most needed to maintain their quotas.

There are of course many causes of sterility in cattle but in a survey carried out by veterinarians D. Roberts and M. Sier in 1957, it was shown that vibriosis was the main cause in 75 per cent of the herds investigated.

A Survey Of The Incidence Of Lupinosis In Sheep In The Dandaragan District In 1959, H G. Neil, W. J. Toms, C. M. Ralph

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

FOLLOWING widespread losses of sheep grazing on dry lupins, a survey of flockowners' experience with the disease was made by the Department of Agriculture in one of the districts most affected.

The idea of a survey originated from discussions with the President, Mr. K. E. Jones, and several other members of the Dandaragan Pasture Improvement Group.

The information obtained from the survey has provided a valuable factual basis for the design of laboratory and field experiments.

Lamb Marking, I K. Stott

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

LAMB marking is the most severe of the various ordeals which sheep are called upon to endure during their lifetimes—yet it is an operation, or rather a series of operations, to which the average fiockowner gives but little care and thought.

Registered Stock Foods : Supplementary List, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

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

List of Registered Stock Feeds (Supplementry List

Insect Pests : Snails And Slugs, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

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

WHILE snails and slugs are not insects, they have been included in this series of articles, because the damage they cause is very similar to that caused by insect pests—and furthermore, the task of testing and recommending control measures is usually left to the entomologists.

Help Those Lambs To Live, C J. Spencer

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

IN almost all breeding flocks the most serious stage of sheep loss is from birth to three days of age with the majority of these losses occurring at birth or during the first day.

The number of lambs lost at this time is rarely known, but survey work shows that on most properties ten to twenty of every hundred lambs born are dead before three days of age.

The economic importance of such losses cannot be emphasised too much. Money has been expended for rams as sires, while the ewes have received extra feed and have had their wool production …

This Year's Export Lamb Carcass Competition, N Davenport

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

THE Export Lamb Competition will be conducted through the Royal Agricultural Society again this year.

Last year, due partly to the season, entries were well below those of previous years and if this competition is to continue, greater support from breeders is necessary.

I am sure you will agree that such a competition has undoubted value both for producers in recognising the type of lamb required, and also as an advertising medium for the sale of high quality Western Australian lamb on the English markets.

A Successful Campaign Against The Euro, E H M Ealey, T. M. Richardson

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

RESULTS from a five-year research programme carried out by the C.S.I.R.O. on the Abydos-Woodstock Pastoral Research Station indicated that euros could be controlled in a practical and economic way by the traditional method of water poisoning,

if it was continued for an extended period and carried out over a large area. Smallscale trials supported this claim, but no opportunity had occurred to assess the practicability of a large-scale poisoning operation.

Can Heifers Be Fed Too Well?, Laurence C. Snook

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

DURING recent years, emphasis has been given to the results of experiments conducted overseas, which appear to show that when heifers are generously fed, this reduces their ability to produce milk in later life.

As a result, some dairymen now believe that heifer calves should be kept lean rather than in prime condition.

It has become common to hear statements to the effect that generous feeding encourages calves to become "beefy," at the expense of the milk-producing attributes which are essential in a dairy cow.

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, 1928-1951, to be registered annually with the Department of Agriculture.

Rats And Mice And Their Control, C D. Gooding, J. L. Long

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

BEFORE colonisation by the white man, Australia contained over 50 species of rats and mice.

Although several of these native species have been known to breed to plague proportions they are normally slower breeders than the introduced species.

Once settlement had been established on our shores it was only a matter of time before the introduction of more of these pests, occurred probably from the British Isles.

Lupinosis In Sheep. 1. Laboratory Studies, M R. Gardiner, M. C. Nottle

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

IN earlier articles by Bennetts (1957, 1960), the clinical and pathological features of lupinosis, as seen in field outbreaks, were described.

The suggestion was made that the roughage portion of the lupin plants was responsible for the disease.

More recent observations suggest a relationship between parasitism and lupinosis.

Tetanus In Farm Animals, C R. Toop

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

THE disease tetanus occurs in practically all of the animals and man.

It is caused by the tetanus bacillus (Clostridium tetani) and results from contamination of wounds and raw surfaces with materials such as earth or dust containing these organisms.

Autumn V Spring Shearing, W L. Mcgarry, I. K. Stott

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

IN the agricultural areas of this State it is customary to shear in the late winter or spring, usually some time between July and September.

In an experiment conducted at Muresk Agricultural College during the past two years it has been shown that shearing in autumn (March) has resulted in more wool being produced with higher returns than when shearing at the conventional time.

The Success Of The Rabbit 'Killer' Trials, A R. Tomlinson

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

SUCCESS well beyond what was anticipated has been achieved in a two year trial of a modified version of the rabbit "killer" method.

In the "killer" method, trained officers are employed to kill rabbits instead of to inspect and supervise the activities of farmers and, in fact, these officers do all the actual work of destruction.

This system was advocated by the W.A. Royal Commission which reported on Vermin Control in this State in 1944, and it was used successfully in New Zealand.

These trials were applied only to poisoning and not to overall destruction measures. The main object was …

Zamia Palm Poisoning, F C. Wilkinson

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

THE Zamia palm (Macrozamia Reidlei) is a common plant in the jarrah and karri forest country and on the coastal plains and is one of the earliest recorded Australian poison plants.

Brucellosis And Its Control With Strain 19 Vaccine, C R. Toop

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

DAIRY farmers of a generation ago will not need to be reminded of the ravages of contagious abortion or of the need for the continued application of effective control measures.

Fifteen or 20 years ago this disease which we now call Brucellosis was rife throughout the dairying districts of the State and it exacted a heavy toll.

The "abortion storm" was a common occurrence and it was not unusual for 30 per cent., and sometimes considerably more, of the cows in a herd to lose their calves at about the sixth month of pregnancy.