FARMING NOTES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5497, 6 November 1929, Page 4

FARMING NOTES.

LOSS OF LAMBS. PRECAUTIONARY STEPS. The loss of lambao under careless operators at marketing is very considerable, and almost wholly avoidable. It is the germ of tetanus which is most to be feared, and old yards should be thoroughly raked and swept, and all debris burned. If considerable losses have occurred in such yards previously a new site should be chosen. The hands, knife, and parts should be dressed with a good disinfectant. One of the best preparations is lysol,. in strength of from two to five per cent., for instruments, better the latter strength for cleansing the knife, which should not be allowed to touch the earth or clothes or fence after* disinfecting. One per cent, lysol is strong enough for dressing the purse after the operation, which is an important point. Some flock owners swam the wound with strong bluestone solution, which disinfects it and keeps off flies. The solution should be kept out of the purse by squeezing it with thumb and finger. Lambs should not be castrated while hot from over-driving. Operations should cease early in the afternoon, especially in frosty weather. The combined operations of tail-cutting and castration are a shock to the system, and this is aggravated in very cold weather. Shelter should be provided, such as straw stacks, sheds, etc. The usual method employed in castration is to cut off the end of the scrotum, which permits of free drainage. Many owners of small flocks prefer to perform this operation without mustering the sheep. The method adopted is to treat the lambs when a few days old. They can usually be caught easily in the paddock, and at that age the testicles are so small that they can be removed by making a small slit in the purse. There is no risk of lambs being separated from their dams, and there is practically no check to the lambs from the operation.