Sheep and Goat Science Commons^™

Dust Elimination From Outdoor Feedlots For Sheep, D J. Carter

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

The humble woodchip, widwly used as a soil mulch in Western Australian gardens, is set tto take a new role as a dust inhibito in assembly yards used to hold live sheep for export.

Research by the Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service Branch has shown that, of the materials tested, woodchips were the most effective in preventing dust being generated. Wind speeds had to approach a "near gale" before dust developedfrom the protected soil.

The use of woodchips, therefore, provides a practical alternative to stabalising the soil and preventing an environmental problem associated with one of the State's valuable …

Feeding Behaviour Of Live Sheep During Export, C L. Mcdonald

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

Live sheep exporters in Western Australia often hold as many as 00 000 sheep in assembly feedlots while the consignment is being purchased and assembled before shipment. During the assembly phase the sheep ane introduced to the pelleted rations used on board.

Industry reports have highlighted the wide variability in condidtions, facilities and procedures used, and showed that there was little evidence from which to make recommendations to the live sheep shipping indudtry. This article discusses ten experiments by the Department of Agriculture from 1981 to 1985 designed to investigate what influences the feeding behaviour of Merino wethers under conditions …

Seminar Proceedings: Goats And The Farming System. Bridgetown, August 14, 1986, L J.E Karlsson

Agriculture reports

Definition of goat fibre types - John Karlsson New breeding regulations for goats - Jim Maddams Requirements for keepign feral goats - David Rees Managing aspect of gaot farmining - John Karlsson Sheep and goat fibre market outlook - Peter Eckersley Review of the Australian goat meat industry - Larry King Goast establishment options and costs - Bruce Shields Economic comparison of mohair, cashmere and sheep - Garry Parlevliet Angora mohair breeders of Australia Litd - Graham Larke Australian cashmere industry - Tod Kirwan Worms in goats and their control - Joan Eggleston Selling cashmere through the ACMC - Lucinda …

Survey Of Parasite Control Practices In Sheep And Cattle, J R. Edwards, R V R Gwynn, R A. Love, Richard Thomas Norris, G Dalton-Morgan, Brown Besier

Technical Bulletins

Farms in the Albany, Esperance, Jerramungup and Katanning districts were surveyed to determine parasite control strategies currently used, to evaluate the adoption of recommended control practices and to detect areas of ineffective parasite control. For cattle, the number of drenches given in the low rainfall zone was higher than the number given in the high rainfall zone.

Phomopsis-Resistanct Lupins : Breakthrough Towards The Control Of Lupinosis, W A. Cowling, J. G. Allen, P Mcr. Wood, J. Hamblin

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

Attemots to control lupinosis in sheep have been thwarted by the unpredictable occurence of the disease in the field. The complex interaction of the toxin-producing fungus (Phomopsis leptostromiformis) with its host (the lupin plant), together with variable weather and paddock grazing conditions, have made it difficult to predict when stock are in danger of contracting the disease. The risk of lupinosis discourages many farmers from growing lupins, despite the many potential benefits of including them in crop rotations.

A team of Department of Agriculture plant breeders, plant pathologists, and animal scientists set out in the mid 1970s to find resistance …

Grazing And Management Of Saltland Shrubs, C V. Malcolm, J. E. Pol

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

areas of bare saltland on farms need not be unproductive etesores. Many Western Australian farmers are now successfully growing salt-tolerant or halophytic shrubs such as bluebush (Maireana brevifolia), saltbushes (Atriplex spp.) and samphires (Halosarcia spp.) on these areas.

Department of agriculture trials and farmers' experience indicate that if saltland is planted with recommended shrubs, it can provide two months' valuable grazing for sheep during autumn and early winter, a time when paddock feed is scarce. Research by the Department has also identified a range of salt-tolerant shrubs suited to the various types of saltland.

Grazing trials to …

Ovulation Rate Of Ewes : Role Of Energy And Protein, E Teleni, J. B. Rowe

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

Western Australia's sheep farmers are familiar with the low ovulation rate of Merino ewes and how this limits the lambing performance of ewe flocks.

One way in which ovulation rate and therefore lambing percentage may be increased is to feed seed of sweet lupin (Lupinus augustifolius) to ewes at mating. However, Department of Agriculture research has found that these increases do not show up consistently, and that there is considerable variability between farms.

If improved nutrition is to be a useful way to increasing ovulation rate, the mechanism by which nutrition affects ovulation rate must first be understood. This article …

Preventing Lupinosis With Phomopsis-Resistant Lupins, Jeremy G. Allen, W. A. Cowling

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

Lupinosis is one of the major livestock siseases in Western Australia. It is caused by stock eating toxins produced by the fungus Phomopsis leptostromiformis which colonises the stems of dead lupin plants.

In 975, the Department of Agriculture started a breeding programme to develop Phompsis-resistant lupins to overcome or control lupinosis. In the previous issue of this Journal the results of small plot evaluations of new lines of Phompsis-resistant lupins developed in this programme were reported. This article describes the first trial involving grazing of Phompsis-resistant lupins.

Supplementary Feeds For Sheep, J B. Rowe

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

No abstract provided.

Wool Staple Strength, I G. Ralph

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

The staple strength of western Australia's wool has come under scruitiny since additional wool measurements to those of yield, fibre diameter and vegetable matter began throughout the Australian 985-86 wool selling season.

In 1980, the Sale by Additional Measurement Trial conducted on the September-October wool sales at Fremantle showed a range in staple breaking forcesfrom 10 to 70 Newtons per kilotex, with an average breaking force of between 30 and 35 N/ktex, A third of the lots offered for sale had a staple breaking force of less than 26 N/ktex, a value which, according to the Australian Wool Testing Authority, …

Phomopsis Infection Of Lupin Seed, D S. Petterson, P. Mcr. Wood

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

Early reports of lupinosis in Western Australia implicated infected stems and leaves of the sandplain or W,A. blue lupin (Lupinus cosentinii) as the main source of toxicity.

After the introduction of low alkaloid varieties of L. augustifolius, lupinosis continued to oddur on stubbles but random testing of seeds showed only low levels of Phomopsis leptostromiformis infection.

However in 1976, scientists at the University of Western Australia who were evaluating the use of an all lupin seed ration for drought feeding sheep encounted lupinosis in one of their trials.Seven per cent of the seed used was found to be infected …

Control Strategies For Annual Ryegrass Toxicity, W J. Burdass

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

In 982-83, annual ryegrass tocicity (ARGT) was estimated to have cost Western Australian sheep farmers between $7 and $8 million in total economic losses.

The disease can severely disrupt farming operations. Sheep must be checked daily and if affected moved to a 'safe' paddock. The availability of paddock feed is reduced, as is stock carrying capacity. Worry about the possibility of dramatic stock losses, and uncertainty about what decisions to make, are all stressful.

Stock losses from ARGT can be minimised by the use of selective herbicides to control ryegrass in pastures and crops. This breaks the disease cycle - …

Annual Ryegrass Toxicity Research Update, A G P Brown, P. Vogal

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

Annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT) is a complex disease that kills sheep and cattle grazing pastures which contain infected ryegrass. The disease results when a nematode (Anguina agrostis) and a batcerium (Corynebacterium sp.) invade annual ryegrass and cause the seed heads to become toxic as the grass dries off.

The bacterium produces a complex toxin of 18 glycolipid compounds or corynetoxins which have been found to be virtually identical to the antibiotic tunicamycin.

Pregnancy Diagnosis Using Ultrasound, M A C Johns

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

Few Western Australian ewe flocks are diagnosed for pregnancy despite the precence of high numbers of barren ewes. Surveys of farm flocks in the early 1970s recorded that between 14 and 29 per cent of ewes failed to lamb each year.

Techniques for diagnosing pregnant ewes have been available for many years, but ultrasonic devices and computer technology have made it possible for skilled operators to determine whether ewes are pregnant and more importantly, whether they have one, two or more foetuses.

Once the number of pregnant ewes is known farmers can use labour more efficiently. They can minimise the …

Reproductive Wastage In Sheep, R W. Kelly

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

The average lambing performance of Western Australia's ewe flock fluctuates between 60 and 70 per cent. Although this level of performance and variation between years is important for the sheep industry, individual farmers are more concerned about performance of their own flocks.

Figure shows the range in lambing performances that exist between farms in this State in 1983-84. The seriously poor performance of many flocks is apparentm - 28 percent of farms had less than 60 per cent lambing. By contrast, 24 farms had performances better than 100 per cent. The reasons for the large differences between farms ( and …

Survey Of Post-Weaning Management, Growth And Mortality Of Merino Weaners, Richard Thomas Norris

Technical Bulletins

Flock owner's excessive use of supplementary feed, especially of hay, lack of knowledge of nutritional requirements of weaners and failure to follow recommended methods of internal parasite control were the main areas of inefficient management. Management of the weaners as observed in the first year, suggested that previous advice by the Department of Agriculture was not well accepted or had not reached some producers.

More Lambs From Feed And Chemical Treatments, K P. Croker

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

The ovulation rate, or the number of eggs shed per ovulating ewe, represents the upper limit of the capacity of a flock of ewes toproduce lambs. Several methods can be used to increase ovulation rates and lambing percentages of ewes, including selection for better breeding, feeding and the use of chemicals.

The potential for improving the reproductive performance of Western Australia's ewe flocks by the use of different approaches to breeding was discussed by L.G. Butler and R.P. Lewer in the Journal of Agriculture in 1983.

This article mainly discusses the research conducted by the Department of Agriculture's Sheep and …

Protein Enrichment Of Cereal Grains For Livestock, Andrew C. Dunlop, C. L. Mcdonald

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

Every year Western Australian farmers feed about 759,000 tonnes of cereal grain to livestock, mostly to sheep but also to dairy and beef cattle. These grains are fed as drought feeds, as supplements to augment poor quality or scarce paddock feed or in growth rations to attain higher levels of production. Many grains fed, however, have a low protien content and are therefore used inefficiently by animals.

Several methods of improving the low protien content of feed grains have been tested. They include the addition of lupin seed, spraying oats with urea and gassing oats with ammonia.

Feed For Autumn Lambing Ewes, B R. Beetson

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

Department of Agriculture feeding trials with grazing sheep have consistently shown that the level of supplementation should be set for survival and little more, because beyond that the additional costs of supplementary feeding usually outstrip the benefits from extra production.

Even sheep in the greatest need - autumn lambing ewes in late pregnancy and the early part of lactation before and during the break of season - can be fed less than was thought necessary to achieve acceptable production.

Bulletin No 4101 - Flystrike - A Manual For Its Prevention And Control, N Monzu Dr

Bulletins 4000 -

The sheep blowfly is still regarded as the Australian sheep industry's most­damaging pest. Estimates of the cost to the industry, through production losses and prevention and control measures, exceed $ I 00 million in a year. This bulletin comprises the most relevant information available on:

• Blowfly types and life cycles

• Conditions predisposing sheep to flystrike

• The mechanism of flystrike

• Methods of preventing and controlling strike.

• Current research - including the development of a forecasting system for body strike.

Footrot In Sheep And Goats, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock published reports

Reference to sheep in this pamphlet applies equally to goats.

Footrot is a contagious disease of sheep and goats caused by the bacterium Baueroides nodosus.

The bacterium can cause varying degrees of damage to the horn of the foot. The resulting infection can lead to lameness and serious loss of body condition.

A Survey Of Drench Resistance In Sheep Worms, J R. Edwards, R. Wroth, G. C. De Chaneet, R. B. Besier, J. Karlsson, P. W. Morcombe, D. Roberts, G. Dalton-Morgan

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

Sheep worms which are resistant to chemical drenches have been detected with increasing freuency is Western Australia's south-western farming areas between 977 and 1980. These worms have anthelmintic resistance and such genetis resistance puts essential internal parasite control practices at risk.

This prompted veterinarians in the Esperance, Albany, Bunbury, Geraldton and Northam areas to survey farms to determine the prevalence of resistance to drenches and to define those sheep management practices which encourage its development.

This article describes the survey which was conducted to assess the extent of drench resistance, what causes its build-up and how it can be controlled …

'Dermo' Fleece Rot And Body Strike On Sheep, S G. Gherardi, S. S. Sutherland, N. Monzu

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

Blowfly strike is one of the major problems confronting the sheep industry in Austrsalia, with an estimated totsalcost of control eceeding $100 million each year.

Sheep are susceptible to five types of strike: body, breach, poll, pizzle and wound. Body strike, is of greater economic importance because its sporadic occurence from year to year makes it difficult to predict and cintrol. Outbreaks of body strike after rain can affect large numbers of sheep and inflict severe production losses.

In eastern Australia fleece rot is generally considered to be the main predisposing factor to blowfly strike, but in Western Australia evidence …

Cashmere From Australia, T J. Johnson

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

Cashmere is the 'cream' of fibres in the garment industry, with processors paying up to $110 a kilogram for quality white cashmere. This highly sought after fibre is the soft superfine undercoat ofgoat hair produced by the secondary follicles of a certain type of goat. The undercoat normally grows during the cooler months of the year and moults in spring.

At least 30 per cent of the Australian feral goat population today could produce reasonable quantities of cashmere which, until now, was being shed and lost to the wild. Fibre processors and goat producers are working towards establishing a new …

The Economic Potential Of Cashmere Production, A T. Kelly

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

Although the cashmere industry has developed rapidly in eastern Australia, development in Western Australia has lagged behind because of local restrictions on the use of feral goats. However, recently the Agricultural Protection Board has eased these restrictions.

In Western Australia there are about 30 to 40 producers with commercial cashmere flocks, involving a total of 7,500 to 10,000 goeats. In most agricultural areas where sheep production occurs, cashmere production is also possible.

In the following article, A. T. Kelly, an adviser with the Marketing and Economics Branch, discusses the economic potential of cashmere production in this State and compares …

Facing A Drought, J A C Smith

Bulletins 4000 -

This booklet is aimed at helping you decide on strategies, in this and future droughts, in relation to money flow, animal management and cropping. It highlights the technical problems associated with different strategies and how to combat them.

The Bush Tick, R B. Besier

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

A newly discovered livestock parasite has focused attention on farms in the Walpole district in the south-west of Western Australia. Ticks submitted to the Department of Agriculture in December 983 were identified as the bush tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis. An intensive campaign to locate areas of infestation and to limit spread was started in January 1984.

The bush tick is a pest of livestock in some areas of New South Wales and Queensland. It is important in a narrow coastal strip from Sydney to Brisbane where total summer rainfall can exceed 1000 mm. In this area heavy tick infestation causes …

Protecting Off-Shears Sheep In Adverse Weather, T M. Ellis

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

In January 2982 in the Narrogin-Darkan area of Western Australia, about 14,500 sheep up to 40 days off-shears died after a 48-hour period of heavy soaking rain that followed a thunderstorm three days previously. An estimated 100,000 sheep died throughout the South-West at the time.

P. G. Buckman - at the time Department of Agriculture District Veterinary Officer, Narrogin - surveyed 17 properties in the area. He found that losses in unshedded sheep 0 to 40 days off-shears ranged from 0 to 84 per cent of sheep on the property with an overall average of 27.9 per cent. Rainfall in …

Dispelling Some Myths About 'Dermo', J R. Edwards

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

There are a lot of misconceptions and myths about dermatophilosis, a disease which can kill young lambs, affect wool quality, make shearing difficult and make sheep susceptible to fly strike.

One misconception is perpetuated by the incorrect use of the name mycotic dermatitis, which implies that a fungus causes the disease. This is not so.

The disease is caused by the bacteria Dermatophilus congolensis, which attacks the sheep's skin and eventually forms a lesion or scab in the wool, and so is better called dermatophilosis, 'dermo' or 'lumpy wool'.

Veterinary Epidemiologist at the Albany Regional Office, J.R. Edwards, discusses …

New Developments In Footrot Control, R B. Richards, L. J. Depiazzi, R. V. R. Gwynn

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

The eradication policy for footrot in sheep adopted by the Western Australian Department of Agriculture has produced an overall decline in the number of properties with the disease.

Our knowledge of the disease has improved substantially as a result of the research conducted at the Slabany Regional Veterinary Laboratory in recent years. Laboratory tests now sssist stock inspectors and veterinary officers to distinguish between different forms of footrot and to quarantine and eradicate accordingly.

The recent discovery of more effective foot-bathing solutions by officers of the Victorian Department of Agriculture will greatly assist further eradication procedures.

Western Australia's sheep industry …