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What’s a working dog worth? By Dr Clive Dalton Some folk say a good dog ‘s worth a good part of a shepherd’s wages. This is surely wrong. A working dog, if you really stop and think about, is worth much more. Think how many people you would need to muster a hill country farm, … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton Poultry origin and behaviour Senses Sight Smell Hearing Taste Touch Learning ability Social behaviour Vocal communication Body posture Pecking and peck order Dust bathing Preening and feather care Other comfort behaviours Roosting or perching Disclaimer This material is provided in good faith for information purposes only, and the author does not … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton The hunt for high fertile sheep The Ruapuke Ward flock We at Whatawhata heard about a Romney flock at Ruapuke near Raglan owned by the two Ward sisters (Olive and Jill), and I remember Graeme Hight visiting them to look at their sheep when we were starting up a small high … Read more
New Zealand farms have nearly all been cleared from native bush in our 150-year farming history, so there is always left-over timber around, either in old tree stumps, old fence posts, or timber buried in the ground. These timbers are a wonderful resource for woodworking crafts, especially woodturning and wood carving. These wood details are … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton PART 9 Getting the best from a ‘Dag-Free’ and ‘Worm-Free’ ram This is an outstanding Romney ram. He was named ‘The Colonel’. Every time he has been tested he has had zero FEC, and had a FCS of 1 (marbles). Consequently, he has always remained clean regardless of the feed he … Read more
By Clive Dalton In our “Daft Laddies” book, on this blog Don Clegg and I report the story about “Braxy Mutton” in which our great friend, the late Willie Robson gives details of the performance when he shepherded ootbye at Willow Bog, to prepare a concoction of pig dung and fresh milk to dose the … Read more
SHEEP BEHAVIOUR BASICS: PART 1 Origins: Senses: Social behaviour: FeedingBy Dr Clive Dalton Origins Uses for sheep: Modern sheep problemsWorld sheep populations tend to be on the decrease for a number of reasons such as: Sheep senses Sight Smell Hearing Social order Feeding
Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on. By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg An extract from the book – Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on (2003) By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg. If you would like a copy, contact donaldclegg@btopenworld.com The proportion of wet … Read more
By Geoffrey Dagg, Donald Clegg and Clive Dalton Falstone Today’s small village of Falstone at the top of the North Tyne valley and at the foot of the Kielder dam, was a much larger and busier place before the 1914-18 war than it is today. Photos of the local school before 1914 show over 50 pupils, … Read more
My final shots Why didn’t MAF check?Ask today’s sheep farmers My last call By Dr Clive Dalton My final shots It was not the threat of the exotic breed importation that drove the changes in New Zealand sheep from the 1970s and beyond. This is a standard old chestnut by those who lauded and still do, the exotic … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton A North Tyne laddie Born and reared in Bellingham in the Upper North Tyne valley, 11 miles from the Scottish Border on the English side, the Anglo-Scottish Border wars were part of our rearing. We knew that our valley and the next door Rede valley were major highways for the reivers … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton PART 6 Selecting male replacements from the A team nucleus Remember the aim: Docking ram lambs Drenching lambs at docking – the very worst thing you can do! Avoid this like the plague! Tag lambs at docking if you have enough helpers Weaning ram lambs Ram hoggets Dag and worm status … Read more
Importation of exotic sheep breeds Second MAF importation Quarantine station at Hopuhopu Veterinary inspection MAFQual veterinarian Peter Hoyle Dr Clive DaltonHopuhopu quarantine station Hamilton MAFQual veterinarian Peter Hoyle’s memories I was new boy on the block and had some experience in quarantine while working in the UK as a state veterinarian. So I got … Read more
Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on.By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg An extract from the book – Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on (2003) By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg. If you would like a copy, contact donaldclegg@btopenworld.com You wadn’t believe huw lang … Read more
Cattle, farming, husbandry, breeding, genetics, principles, normal distribution, genetics & environment, heritability, selection differential, generation interval, genetic gain By Dr Clive Dalton Some important basic geneticsUnderstanding the basic genetics behind what goes on in the cattle yards and paddock has always been difficult for many people to appreciate.The underlying mathematics seem to be the bit … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton PART 8 Life cycle of main species of sheep worms Faecal Egg Counting (FEC) Larvae being incubated in lab Limitations of a FEC FEC sampling tips Paddock (composite) samples Finger sampling Probe rectal sampling Faecal Consistency Score (FCS) When to do it? Scores used Photo 1: ‘Marbles’ Photo 2: ‘Hand grenades’ … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton Breed structure – the famous triangle I’ve drawn the traditional breed structure in the first triangle. The registered stud breeders with ‘pedigree’ sheep are in the apex, then in the middle tier are breeders who ‘multiply’ these ‘stud’ genes (both ewes and rams0 before being passed down the structur to the … Read more
ELECTRIC FENCING Amp: Unit of current. Watts divided by voltage.Current: The current and the duration and rate of its flow that causes the shock. Increasing voltage increases current. Current decreases as resistance increases.AC current: Alternating current as from the mains power supply.DC current: Direct current from batteries.Capacitance: Ability to store a charge of electricity.Capacitor: Stores electrical charges and pulse energy which … Read more
Research killed by bureaucracy By Clive Dalton New Zealand scientist Dr John Baker’s comments in a recent 2007 farming publication on “what’s happening to NZ science” was refreshing. Dr Baker led the team that developed the Cross Slot no-tillage drill at Massey and then by his own company. He lived like many of us through the … Read more
Sheep, farming, husbandry, animal health, disease, worms, internal parasites, refugia By Dr Clive Dalton What is ‘refugia’? The dilemma ! There’s always a dilemma. What’s good for refugia? What’s bad for refugia? Disclaimer This material is provided in good faith for information purposes only, and the author does not accept any liability to any person … Read more