By Dr Clive Dalton Docking lambs’ tailsRemoving lambs’ tails has been a standard part of sheep husbandry from early times, mainly to prevent the formation of soiled wool or ‘dags’ sticking to the wool of sheep eating lush pasture. Removing soiled wool or dagging has always been one of the least popular jobs on a … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton Refugia – what’s it all about?The word ‘refugia’ seemed to appear out of the blue about 5-6 years ago, and was used by veterinarians and parasitologists when talking to farmers about worms (internal parasites) in sheep and in cattle. Finding out about the bad news We should have known! Refugia arose … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton (Photos by Des Williams) Shearing a sheep using hand shears. A blade shearing method. There are may methods used around the world to shear a sheep using hand shears or blades. The method shown below is used in the north of England and in Scotland. In parts of Wales the sheep … Read more
By Dr Clive DaltonCastrating lambs with rubber ringsUsing rubber rings is the best way to castrate lambs in both large and small flocks. It is bloodless and research has shown that the intense pain only lasts a short time. Lambs should be castrated using rings before they are 6 weeks old – the younger the … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton The fungus Pithoymyces chartarum is found in pastures mainly in the Northern parts of New Zealand, and in autumn after a summer dry period when a lot of dead litter has accumulated in the pasture base, rain and dew can provide ideal conditions for the fungus to produce spores in large … Read more