[vetsinag] Farm Tip Tuesday: Keeping Your Sheep and Goats Healthy

[Robyn Metzger]

Today's Farm Tip (or tips) comes from NCAT Livestock Specialist Linda Coffey, who has been raising sheep and goats for more than 30 years. Following is an excerpt from Linda's blog post "Healthy Animals, Happy Farm," which will be posted later this week. We'll share the link when the blog goes live.
Keeping Your Animals Healthy

Just as in human health issues, it’s much better to PREVENT the problem than to try to fix it.  So, how do you keep animals healthy?  Following are some tried-and-true ways.

Consider the source

Many of us pay good money for our problems with animal health. If we purchase animals from a sale barn, we may be bringing home footrot or soremouth along with our animals. Of course, you may also get diseases included when you purchase from a farm. But at least you have the chance to inspect premises, look at the whole flock or herd, and ask questions of the farmer. For best results, only buy from a herd or flock that appears to be healthy and that is managed the same way you intend to, because there will be less transition shock. Also, purchasing animals that are raised in your own area means they will be familiar with the plants on your farm, and will likely know to avoid toxic plants.

Provide good nutrition

Healthy animals will stay healthy if their immune systems are strong, and having enough of the right kind of feed is vital. For ruminants, this means forage, and plenty of it, to keep the rumen microbes healthy. Of particular importance when we think about nutrition: energy, protein, water, and minerals, including zinc and copper for immune system function. See the links below to learn more about nutrition for sheep and goats.

Avoid too many disease organisms

An animal with a good functioning immune system can be overwhelmed if they are exposed to too many pathogens, such as internal parasite larvae. So it is important for managers to pay attention to sanitation, grazing management, and avoiding overcrowding. This means we have to move animals off the pasture and let it rest. We have to respect the carrying capacity of the land in order to both provide good nutrition and avoid exposing our animals to too many internal parasite larvae. The great news is that providing a healthier situation for the grazing animals also is helpful to the “animals” in the soil. By not overgrazing, we give the soil life an edge. Win-win!

On the other hand, overgrazing subjects the grazing animals to more parasite larvae, because most parasite larvae are on the lower part of the grass blade, close to the soil. Overgrazing also exposes the soil to erosion and direct sunlight. Bare soil loses moisture, reducing the plants’ ability to regrow, and harming the capacity of the pasture to support the flock or herd. The result is devastating to production and to health, as animals are undernourished and also overexposed to parasite larvae. Lose-lose!

Focus on Grazing Management

I’ve already said it, but this is so important it deserves its own point. Learn all you can about grazing management. The Managed Grazing Tutorial is a free resource that will teach you eight important lessons about grazing, beginning with goals and ending with monitoring. In addition to that, see the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture blog on Adaptive Grazing and the ATTRA publications under “Pasture and Grazing” and “Animal Health and Nutrition.” Knowledge is power! Check out On Pasture<https://onpasture.com/>, the online magazine about grazing. See also the Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) webinars<https://foodanimalconcernstrust.org/webinars> for a series by Sarah Flack and some from NCAT’s own Lee Rinehart and Dave Scott. And check out the work of Understanding Ag<https://understandingag.com/>, who work in regenerative agriculture and have a number of inspiring resources on their website.

Stop Selecting Sissy Sheep

That’s a quote from Dr. Gareth Bath of South Africa, who is a member of the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control<https://www.wormx.info/> (ACSRPC) and has a gift for education. It’s a valid point for all livestock. When we keep the strong genetics in our flock, and send away the weak ones, over time we can greatly improve the strength of our flock. This is vital if you want to enjoy your animals instead of feeling anxious and worried. See the ATTTA publications about animal selection and see the Best Management Practices tipsheets at wormx.info<https://www.wormx.info/> to tie together these concepts.

Work With a Veterinarian

Yes, that will cost money. But a veterinarian can help with your education, and you can help with hers by giving her the opportunity to work as a partner with you. See below for resources that can help them learn more about sheep or goats, since they may not have had a lot of experience with those animals. Still, their background and training mean they have tools that can help sort out problems. It’s disheartening to lose animals, but if you learn something each time, soon you should not be having many losses.

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Please contact Linda or one of NCAT's other sustainable agriculture specialists if you have questions about sheep or goat care. Email askanag at ncat.org or call 800-346-9140. You can find many other sheep and goat resources on the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture website<https://attra.ncat.org/>.

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Our thoughts are with all those affected by wildfires in the West and those in the path of Hurricane Sally.


With best regards,
Robyn


Robyn Metzger

Program Specialist/Armed to Farm Coordinator

National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)

www.ncat.org/armedtofarm<http://www.ncat.org/armedtofarm>

www.attra.ncat.org<http://www.attra.ncat.org>

479-442-9824
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