Scrapies

The Destruction of Scrapies

Scrapies, a serious and sometimes fatal degenerative disease attacks the central nervous system of sheeps and goats. First discovered in sheep in Western Europe 250 years ago, the disease wipes out masses of sheep and goat on farms as the disease is fatal after the animal is identified and incubating the disease genetically and after when the disease takes over, the goat or sheep perish. If a goat or sheep in the flock is identified at an early stage, the goat or sheep must be quarantined and cut off from transmitting the disease to others within the flock and must not breed with those who are not infected. Today, the National Scrapie Eradication Program tirelessly battles against the harmful effects of scrapies and today is working hard in order to find a more efficient way to identify scrapies at an early stage and eradicate the disease for good. 

Baby Animals

In the month of March 2018, baby goats and lambs were born. One baby lamb was rejected from their mother, so now we have to bottle feed her. Rejecting their lamb means the mother will not feed their child. To get rejected the lamb lacks the familiar odor that the mother is looking for. The baby could also be rejected if the mother does not have an adequate milk supply. The baby goats and lambs got ear tags and tails docked and they are living life to its fullest.

Docking

On March 29th, we went to the farm and began tail docking the lambs. It has many benefits which improve the health of lambs. Feces can collect on the tail. This bacteria can attract female flies and they lay eggs. Bacterial infections can occur as a result on the lamb's backend. It can be extremely painful for the sheep. Thus, tail docking minimizes the risk of obtaining these bacterial infections, which improves the overall safety of the sheep. Docking involves either rubber rings using a elastrator, a hot iron cautery, an emasculator, or removal with a knife. At the farm, we used the elastrator, which uses a rubber band to wrap around the tail. This prevents blood flow so the tail just falls off. They do experience minor pain for the first 10-20 minutes but then the tail goes numb. It is important to put the rubber band right below where the tail covers the backend at either of the three palpable joints. It should cover the vulva. Tail docking should take place six weeks after birth. It is important to dock the lambs to prevent bacterial infections.

Ear Tags

Ear Tags

We applied two different types of tags to the lamb and the the kids. One was an identification tag and the other was a Scrapies tag. The point of a Scrapies tag is when the specific animal is tested positive for Scrapies, then they can track the animal back to the originating farm in order to prevent outbreak. The identification tag tells the birthdate and how the farmer can locate other information about that animal. For the application of the identification tag, we take two parts of the ear tags and place them in the ear tag applicator. Then, being careful to avoid the arteries in the ears, you squeeze the handle until you hear the click, indicating that the tag has been properly inserted.

Hoof Trimming

On February 8, 2018 our class trimmed all of the goats hooves. We trimmed the hooves so they do not get overgrown. If they are overgrown, the animal is in pain and may lose an interest in eating and exercising. This is very bad for the health of the goat. They must be checked on a regular basis. 

Diagnosis of Worms in Goats

About 85% of the health related issues with goats revolves around worms. Goats are very prone to worms and will die if the deworming process is not completed. Some visible symptoms of goats having worms are sluggishness, loss of appetite and diarrhea. Worms invade the body and consume red blood cells, wound tissue, and excrete cancer-causing waste. The treatment process is as follows:
1. Use a chemical wormer to worm your goats.
2. To restore the natural balance to the digestive tract, provide a course of probiotics.
3. Begin giving an iron supplement to rebuild the red blood cell count.
4. Give 1 10cc sub-q injection of Bovi-Sera and Goat Serum. This will help strengthen the goat's compromised immune system.

Sheep Flipping

On Friday February 9th, we went to the farm and flipped the sheep. We did this because in March the sheep will be flipped for shearing. Once you flip the sheep, the sheep go into a trance and they are quite peaceful. This allows for more control. The wool of sheep can be used for clothing and accessories. It is important to shear the sheep because it is cleaner and prevents diseases from insects. Also, it is important to shear the sheep because they can go blind if the wool grows too long. To flip the sheep you put your left hand on the left horn and turn its head towards its stomach. Then, you take your right hand and put it under the sheep's stomach and pull the sheep up and back. While the sheep is flipped, you can trim the hooves, check for anemia in the eyes, and checking the teeth. However, it is most common to shear the sheep in this position.