STARTING A HERD
OF SHEEP OR GOATS
Small scale farming with sheep or goats can be a rewarding
experience for some and a dismal failure for others depending on how you go
about it. Putting a few animals into a field and letting them get on with it
will soon leave you with no animals at all as ticks, worms and disease take
their toll. Your first step, before you even purchase your starter pack is to
have adequate warm and dry quarters for the amount of animals you wish to
keep.* The next step is to purchase a good breeding ram and a few quality ewes.
You don’t want to economize here, the quality of your ram and first few ewes
will determined the overall fertility and disease resistance of your flock or
herd, and although costly to purchase, will save you money down the line. Upon
arrival of your first animals your top priority is to treat them for worms and
ticks*, this ritual will have to be repeated every 3 months. Following this a
round of vaccinations to protect them against the most common diseases is in
order*, these will be repeated annually. It is a good idea to have a few
medicines on hand to treat minor ailments and wounds to which livestock are
prone.* Although your animals can survive adequately on pasture in summer, you
may have to supplement their diet during the harshest months of winter and
early spring to maintain condition and milk production of moms with offspring*.
First time moms should also be vaccinated against enzootic abortion before
falling pregnant to ensure survival of the lambs or kids, this will take place
only once in the ewe’s lifetime.* You may wish to expand your herd or flock, in
which case you can retain the ewes that are born and sell the rams to subsidise
the rest. Livestock breeding is equivalent to compound interest you get from
savings in the bank with last years babies having babies this year and so on
and before you know it you can have a sizable herd, provided you pay attention
to the basics.
To Continue:
* Overcrowding in holding pens leads to fighting amongst animals who will all want to defend their space, as well as the trampling of babies which often leads to fatalities, so make sure there is enough room for the amount of animals you wish to keep.
Avoid concrete flooring as urine is bound to pool and cause discomfort and disease should you animals be forced to lay in it. Dry veld grass makes excellent bedding which insulates against the cold ground and absorbs the urine. Do not remove built up droppings but rather cover with a layer of veld grass which will eventually form a solid layer through which the urine will drain, leaving the surface dry.
*Vaccinations. . Applied annually, vaccinations are a must, without them you could lose your entire herd in one blow.. There are several which cover the whole spectrum of contagious diseases in a single shot, and are available at your local co op. Also remember to vaccinate against pulpy kidney 2 weeks before deworming, as the removal of worms will leave all the nutrients for pulpy kidney to flourish.
* It is a good idea to keep a bottle of bloatguard on hand as this condition can kill an animal in a short period of time. Caused mainly by overeating or grazing on wet pasture and although deadly it is easy to cure if you have a bottle of bloatguard ready. You will recognize the condition by the bloated appearance of the animal and it's cries of pain.A bottle of wound oil or a can of wound spray is also a good idea for the treatment of minor cuts and abrations.
Winter supplement feeding of goats can be an expensive project, to alleviate this cost it is a good idea to cut edible leaves such as privots to feed them, in the worst months ie August/September even bluegum leaves will do.
* The vaccine for enzootic abortion is very expensive, so if you have a small herd it would pay you to partner up with somebody who also has a small herd and do all on the same day, thus sharing the cost
Every time a baby is born you must check that the mother has milk, if not you.will have to bottle feed.The first milk a mother gives is thick and yellow like condensed milk, and is vital for the babies survival and it contains all the antibodies it needs to develop an immune system, if a mother has no milk at all you should take some from another mother and feed it to the infant. Babies can be bottle fed on cow's milk mixed with (only) the yellow of an egg, 1 egg to a liter of milk and must be fed every 4 hours.
Readers are welcome to comment or ask questions regarding this and other posts.
