OVERSTOCKING
A two-hectare farm is really just an oversize urban backyard. Some new farmers believe they can fill the export beef quota to the US off their two hectares. Suddenly the farm is filled in summer with cattle, horses, sheep, goats, a few geese and some hens.
The overstocking in the summer is nothing to the problems created by winter when no pasture is growing.
It is imperative that you talk to the ‘old locals’ about anything you are contemplating. Consult the local Department of Agriculture office which has specialists in all branches of farming whether it be horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, bees, poultry or for pasture advice.
Don’t rush in — especially during the first twelve months.
See how the property copes with all seasons.
The quality of most small lots on the periphery of Sydney and Melbourne is poor and does not stand high stocking rates. Even for a fully arable two-hectare lot, a horse and a row and a few poultry are ample for all year round grazing.
Any more stock and food would have to be brought in during the winter. Overstocking leads to increased worm burden in stock, destruction of pasture and erosion of soil. The problem snowballs as time goes on.
REQUIREMENTS OF ANIMALS
Most problems on the farm arise because people are ignorant )1 the needs of the animals.
Feeding
All animals require an adequate and balanced diet. For most grazing animals (eg horses, cows, sheep and goats) adequate pasture is sufficient. However, if for any reason they show signs of starvation or malnutrition, such as losing weight or ‘cover’ over the bones — so the ribs show — then feed a supplement. This should be fed to the point where they recover the weight loss and maintain their condition.
Horses should be rugged in winter and this will save on food and keep the horses in better condition. In general terms horses of thoroughbred (racehorses) or standardbred (trotters) origin require some form of concentrates or they will fail to maintain weight.
When full rations are to be fed, it is best to buy one of the many available complete rations. This avoids the necessity of keeping various bags of different ingredients when only one or two horses are being fed.
Water:
Cool, clean, fresh water is of utmost importance. Each large animal should have at least forty to sixty litres available daily.
Shelter:
Shade and shelter are necessary to provide comfort in hot weather. A darkened stable is ideal for horses in the summer as the irritating bush-flies don’t like the darkness.
Fences:
Fences, or lack of them, probably pose the most serious problems to the health of the animals on small lots. Barbed wire, star-posts and pig-wire just do not go with horses.
They will inevitably stake themselves, or tear their hide — even if they are quiet. Horses should be confined in post and railed paddocks only.
Cattle and sheep are different — they do not suffer the injury that horses do on wire.
Buying livestock:
Whatever you do, avoid if possible the local saleyard for purchasing young stock. Most are disease-ridden and invariably the young ones get diarrhoea (scours) or respiratory problems. These may need expensive veterinary attention.
Horses should always be purchased privately to allow plenty of time to investigate your mount, rather than making the quick decisions necessary at an auction or sale. Always make the sale subject to a vet check, and get a vet who is recommended as being a horse vet.
The house cow should be purchased from a reputable local dealer and make sure she is tested to be free of tuberculosis and brucellosis (check with Department of Agriculture), before using the milk. This may make the cow slightly more expensive, but it will pay handsomely in the future.
CATTLE:
Beef cattle raising can be an attractive enterprise for owners of small parcels of land — mainly because they require less supervision. However, since 1974 beef prices have been very low and absolute returns are very small. Fencing for cattle must be first class or they will escape.
Vaccinations:
Cattle should be vaccinated against the same diseases as sheep and with the same 5 in 1 vaccine. The first inoculation should be given at marking, the second at weaning.
All cattle coming into the spring on improved pastures should be vaccinated against pulpy kidney every year and the cows in the last few weeks prior to calving. For safety, vaccinate cattle each six months.
Worming:
As for sheep — but different doses. (See Sheep.)
Common diseases of cattle
Disease
Bloat: Cattle often found dead and swelled up in the paddock. Otherwise there is a drum-like swelling on the left side
Pulpy Kidney: Cattle found dead in the paddock
Worms: Scouring and unthriftiness
Pink Eye: Inflammation of eyelid and ulceration of eyeball
Eye Cancer: Lesion on eyeball
Grass Tetany: Ranges from sudden death to less acute symptoms such as unusual alertness, muscle tremors and jerky gait
Footrot: Lameness
Foot Abscess:Lameness and swelling of the affected foot
Statutory obligations:
When you own livestock, there are a number of things that you must do. Firstly, before you can sell any of your cattle you must register a tail tag number.
Once this number is registered you receive a number of tail tags which must be placed round the tails of the cattle before selling. There are necessary forms to fill in for the registration of a tail tag number.
Fill in both the yellow form and the pink form available from Pastures Protection Board offices, and include a cheque made payable to whichever company you choose.
Plant Protection Products make a hard plastic tag which has a ratchet-type fastening. Paradar Pty Ltd make a pliable plastic tag which wraps around the tail and sticks on. Once ordered, the tags take three to four weeks to come, and they are sent direct to your address.
The branding of large stock (cattle and horses) is not compulsory but any brand must be registered. It is a Statewide scheme. Fire branding at present is the only legal method of stock identification.
All travelling stock, whether by droving, trucking or rail, must be accompanied by a permit issued by the Pastures Protection Board.
Under the Stock Diseases Act, 1923, the following diseases must be notified to the Department of Agriculture: anthrax, babesiosis, cattle tick infestation due to boophilus microplus, contagious pleuro-pneumonia, enzootic bovine leucosis, foot and mouth disease, rinderpest, screw-worm infestation, vesicular exanthema, vesicular stomatitis, warble fly infestation, brucellosis, Johne’s disease, tuberculosis.
House cows — it is illegal to sell the milk you produce. Dairy milk production is controlled by a quota system administered by State Dairy Marketing Authorities.
SHEEP
Sheep-raising is not recommended for small area farms because of high overhead costs. In general sheep-raising is unsatisfactory in coastal areas.
Sheep vaccination:
Sheep should be vaccinated against pulpy kidney, tetanus, black disease, blackleg and malignant oedema. This can be effected by using a 5 in 1 vaccine to cover all of these diseases. Always purchase vaccines from a refrigerated source and keep refrigerated in transit.
Vaccinate every lamb with a 5 in 1 vaccine at marking. A second vaccination four to six weeks later will provide a solid immunity. Newborn lambs are best protected through the colostrum of the ewe. This is achieved by vaccinating seven to fourteen days before lambing.
Worming:
There are a number of effective wormers on the market. For current preparations contact the district Pastures Protection Board. Sheep should be wormed at least in autumn and spring. Some wormers are Exhelm-E, Thiabendazole, Nilverm.
Common diseases of sheep:
Disease
Pulpy Kidney: sudden death
Blackleg: Sudden death
Malignant:
Oedema: Infection associated with wounds. Death
Tetanus: Head and neck held stiffly, tail slightly raised, legs stiff, muscles rigid and finally death
Black Disease: Sudden death
Footrot: Lameness
Foot Abscess: Lameness and swelling of the affected foot
Worms: Scours and unthriftiness
Plant Poisoning: Symptoms extremely variable depending on plant involved
Statutory obligations
Section 144(1) of the NSW Pastures Protection Act states: All sheep above the age of six months shall, if not already earmarked, be ear-marked by the owner’. A selection of earmarks are available from the Pastures Protection Board. Registration costs twenty dollars.
Under the NSW Stock Diseases Act, the Department of Agriculture must be notified of the following diseases: anthrax, bluetongue, foot and mouth disease, rabies, scrapie, sheep-pox, sheep scab, vesicular exanthema, vesicular stomatitis, sheep ked infestation, sheep lice infestation and footrot in some areas.
HORSES:
Horses are probably the most common livestock kept on small holdings. Prospective owners of horses should make themselves aware of their responsibilities for the proper care and management of horses. Horses require paddocks free of obstacles such as wire, tin, glass and so on and ideally should be kept in post and rail fences.
Wire fences with star posts will surely lead to danger. There are whole books written on horses — read about the basics. Many horses are run in conditions where the quality and quantity of paddock feed is sub-standard.
Ponies and hacks will do quite well on good quality pastures with perhaps some supplementation in winter. Horses with thoroughbred or standardbred blood in them require concentrates almost throughout the year or they fail to keep weight on.
Vaccination:
All horses should be vaccinated against strangles and tetanus. Young foals only days old should commence the course of needles and older horses be re-vaccinated annually to maintain full protection.
Worming:
Many diseases of horses, especially colic, can be prevented by adequate de-worming. Horses should be wormed each six weeks when in small areas of less than two hectares. Some wormers are Equiban, Telmin, Thiabendazole.
Disease/ Symptoms
Founder: Unwillingness to move, peculiar stance,
Larninitis: Hooves very hot, horse obviously in pain
Tetanus: Same symptoms as for sheep
Strangles: Discharge from nose and eyes, clear at first from nose then becoming thick and yellowish. Horse runs a high fever and abscesses may form and be felt in the chin groove
Worms: Weight loss, dull and lifeless coat. Rubbing of the tail on fences and posts is sometimes an indication of a heavy worm burden
Cold/Cough: Very similar symptoms as with the common cold in humans. Runny nose, temperature and cough
Colic: Horse will turn and look at its side regularly, and, as pain gets worse, will get up and down frequently and break out in a sweat. It can be fatal if veterinary help is not received
Azoturia: Unwillingness to move and muscle stiffness. If horse is forced to move, it may go down and be unable to get up. Veterinary assistance is required immediately. Disease is caused by over-feeding with grain and little exercise
Statutory obligations
There are no restrictions on the movement or on branding of horses. The notifiable diseases are: African horse sickness, anthrax, babesiosis, contagious equine metritis, dourine, epizootic lymphangitis, equine encephalomyelitis, equine influenza, equine viral abortion, equine viral arteritis, equine viral rhinopneumonitis, farcy, glanders, horse pox, surra, vesicular exanthema.
GOATS:
Keeping goats on small farms is very popular because they are easy to handle, will graze on roughage unsuitable for cows and will provide sufficient milk for a family. They are quiet and easy to manage for the newcomer to animal husbandry. One word of warning — they will eat anything. However, if necessary they do respond well to tethering and they are easy for children to manage.
Recently mohair production has come into vogue — but this is better suited to typical sheep country than bushland of the east coast, because of damage to the mohair.
Vaccination:
Enterotoxaemia plus tetanus — unless a problem with one or other diseases of the 5 in 1. (See Sheep)
Worming
As for sheep.
diseases of goats /Symptoms
Johne’s: Chronic weight loss, poor coat condition
Disease: incurable, leading to death. Usually only affects mature animals
Enterotoxaemia: Lethargy, poor coat, diarrhoea, death. May die suddenly
Anaemia: (due Unthriftiness, pale mucous membranes, poor to parasites) coat, thin, stunted
Arthritis: Hot, swollen knees, lameness, reluctance to walk
Statutory obligations
There is no legislation in New South Wales relating specifically to goat raising. However, local government authorities have powers to define the conditions under which goats may be kept. The production, handling and sale of goat’s milk must comply with the requirements of the Pure Food Act, 1908-1953. Premises need not be registered and there are no restrictions on distribution or price control of goat’s milk.
The notifiable diseases are goat pox, foot and mouth disease and Johne’s disease.
PIGS:
To the new farmer it would appear that the small farm is ideal to raise pigs. However, pig-raising today is like the poultry industry and is very intensive with small margins. Even if you want to keep a few pigs just for fun, you still need to see the local council to ensure that anti-pollution laws are being upheld.
Most councils require a minimum of half a hectare of land per sow and concrete runs. In all, pigs are not an ideal animal for the small landholder.
Vaccination:
Leptospirosis and erysipelas.
Worming:
Hygromix, safersan.
Common diseases of pigs
Disease/ Symptoms
Arthritis: Lameness, hot swollen joints
Erysipelas: Blotchy skin, arthritis
Dystocia: Difficulty giving birth
Scours:Diarrhoea, especially in piglets
- Nutritional Problems can be present in different forms depending on deficiency — feed a commercially prepared ration to overcome the problem
Pneumonia :Increased respiratory rate
Lice: Scratching, redness of skin
Statutory obligations
The notifiable pig diseases are: African swine fever, anthrax, foot and mouth disease, rabies, swine fever, swine vesicular disease, vesicular stomatitis, vesicular exanthema, swine influenza.
If keeping more than three pigs, application must be made for a brand from the Department of Agriculture. If you intend running fifty pigs or more, approval must be obtained from the State Pollution Control Commission. Less than fifty pigs requires local council approval of effluent disposal.
POULTRY:
Small flock owners should be able to provide good conditions for poultry and obtain satisfactory results for eight to ten months of the year. However, on an economic basis, competition with the commercial grower is impossible for the following reasons.
- Cost of chickens
- Cost of feed (can be twice the price in small quantities)
- Egg production — way down unless artificial lighting used
- Hen levy — over twenty layers, must register with NSW Egg Marketing Board at $1.00 per hen per year.
It is also advisable to check with local councils on their requirements
Vaccination:
- If poultry purchased from reputable hatchery, they will have been vaccinated.
- Fowl Pox
- Mareks
Worming
Lopitol Common diseases of poultry
Author:
Peter Roach
