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WINTER 2013/2014
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
6
SHEEP AND GOATS
‘We deliberately chose an automatic milking
machine with a wash cycle that also cleans
the teats. This has reduced the incidence
of bacterial scours, and freed up time.
‘The plan is to expand by another 70 goats
and it would be great if we could find
someone to contract-rear the kids for us, like
dairy farmers do with their heifers.’
Problem diseases
The biggest health problem in the kidding
shed has been pneumonia. The main cause
has been the building design and the
Yeomans have made changes to improve
its ventilation.
‘Cryptosporidium is another risk factor here,’
says Matt. ‘It's treatable, but for goats the
drugs have a narrow safety margin, so it's
better to look at how to reduce risks. The
infection originates from adults and that's
another reason why I'd like to see kids
removed from the kidding bay sooner.
‘It can be tempting to relax hygiene
precautions at the end of lambing and
kidding seasons. But it's probably even
more important then, as there will be a
bigger build-up of disease pressure.’
Matt concludes: ‘To maximise the numbers
of lambs or kids reared on any farm, it's all
about mitigating risks. A focus is needed on
managing the nutrition - of both the mothers
and the newborn, as well as ensuring good
hygiene practices and reducing the exposure
of young animals to disease challenge.’
Matthew Pugh and Gary Yeomans in kid shed
Matt sets off a smoke bomb to check the
ventilation in the kid shed
Kid shed with improved ventilation