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 & Donald Clegg. If you would like a copy, contact donaldclegg@btopenworld.com One of the first … Read more
Thirty years ago New Zealand sheep breeders were desperately trying to get more lambs out of their mainly Romney flocks, as the national lambing (docking) percentage stuck on 90%. The problem was low litter size measured by the number of lambs born for each ewe lambing (LB/EL). Farmers were well pleased if every ewe had a … Read more
Sheep, farming, husbandry, disease, animal health, worms, internal parasites, references, further readingBy Dr Clive Dalton Le Jambre, L.F. et. al. (2005).Proceedings of the 20th International conference of the world association for the advancement of veterinary parasitology, 16-20 October, 2005, Christchurch New Zealand. Abstract L98. Page 177. McEwan, J (1994).Breeders’ manual. WormFEC. Breeding sheep resistant to … Read more
Extensive glossary of technical and commonly used farming terms concerned with sheep farming, shearing and wool preparation, and preparation of sheep skins. By Dr Clive Dalton SHEEP Wool SHEEP SKINS
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
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
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
By Dr Clive Dalton What everybody knows The old solution What needs thinking about now? The solution – genetics What to do Disclaimer This material is provided in good faith for information purposes only, and the author does not accept any liability to any person for actions taken as a result of the information or advice … Read more
Making a horn headed shepherd’s crook By Dr Clive Dalton The bigger and more solid the horn, the more material you have to work with and hence the better the end result. See the Border Shepherd’s Stick Dressing Association website . British sheep breeds with heavy horns like the Scottish Blackface or Swaledale are ideal, … Read more
Scrapie suspected at Mana Island quarantine station Confirmation by international expert Dr J.T. Stamp Burning of carcases at Mana By Dr Clive Dalton Shock-horror at Mana Island. Scrapie A report in Surveillance Vol 5:4 1978 by MAF veterinarian Dave Collins reported that a clinical case of Scrapie was confirmed in an East Friesian ewe on … Read more
Finding sheep in UK and IrelandPurebred ewes on Somes By Dr Clive Dalton Finding sheep in UK and Ireland Without going back to the official MAF Research files (if anyone would know where to look), this is what Dr Neil Clarke, previously in Ruakura genetics remembers about the flocks he located that had sheep for … Read more
First MAF importation Selecting sheep for importation Organising the sheep before transport to New Zealand Summary of events By Dr Clive Dalton Summary of events Selecting sheep for importation Selecting individual sheep as a representative of a breed is never an easy task, as differences within breeds are always greater than differences between breeds. Sadly this is a much-ignored … Read more
East Friesian sheep importation from Sweden, 1992Transport problems from Sweden to New ZealandQuarantine on Somes IslandEast Friesian importation 1992 Information obtained from paper presented by Dr Jock Allison to NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management, December 2006 By Dr Clive Dalton From trials undertaken by MAF’s Research Division after the first importation of exotic sheep … Read more
Sheep, farming, husbandry, disease, animal health, worms, internal parasites, immunity, what helps & depresses immunity By Dr Clive Dalton What is immunity? What helps immunity? What harms immunity The periparturient rise Genetic improvement of immunity Do anthelmintics harm the immune system?This very important question was never asked in the past; we took it for granted … Read more
Sheep, farming, husbandry, disease, animal health, worms, internal parasites, By Dr Clive Dalton Answer this question – it’s compulsory!Are the worms in your sheep resistant to the chemicals in drenches currently being used? Key point 1: Key point 2: Fill in this form to assess where you are at, and which will help you have … Read more
Sheep, farming, husbandry, worms, internal parasites, health, definitions, genus & species, life cycles, signs of wormy sheep, effects of worms on sheep By Dr Clive DaltonWhat are ‘worms’?‘Worms’ is a general term used for internal parasites that affect sheep. Plenty of other terms are used such as: Worms in New Zealand Can you see them? … Read more
Increasing interest in organic farmingThere is an increasing interest in organic farming around the world as consumers become more concerned about food safety and with the over-use of chemicals in farming. Farming using “organic principles” is seen by an increasing number of people as a solution to these concerns. Below are some general principles General … Read more
By Dr Clive Dalton Change was inevitable My role in Sheeplan finished about 1979, and it was inevitable that with the phenomenal increase in the power of computers, that more sophisticated computations could be done faster, so more information could be provided for breeders – whether they needed it, or wanted it, or not. It’s always … Read more
Dr Clive Dalton Wool, Hides and Skins Cockle: Defect in a lamb or sheep pelt seen as nodules that have developed over the pelt surface. Can be prevented by appropriate dipping. Dressing skin: Woolly lamb skin, which is suitable for processing into leather after all wool has been removed. Fellmongery: Factory or department in abattoir or freezing works where wool … Read more