CARE OF FLOCKS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10306, 15 January 1927, Page 3

CARE OF FLOCKS

KEEPING SHEEP HEALTHY

THE VALUE OF HIPPING. Many farmers look on dipping as usually unnecessary and always an annoying and expensive part of tho yearly sheep farm operations, and when its annual plunge through liquid mud has keen given each sheep, breathe a sigh of satisfaction—hot necessarily because of work well done —but more in the spirit ol “thank goodness that dipping is done with for twelve months, says, “H.8.T.” in the N.Z. Herald. Such a point of view on the part ol a thinking stockman may be incomprehensible ; but nevertheless there are many who adopt this attitude and whose dipping, when done, is merely a waste of time, labour and money, if not even damaging to the wool and sheep. The writer lias freguently heard it asserted that both lice and ticks can be “fed off” sheep, 'i.e., that when sheep are in good condition the lice and ticks which are on them arc unable to penetrate the underlying skin, and consequently drop off' their host and die. This does not seem probable as, so far as my observations go, neither ticks nor lice ever penetrate even the skin, getting all they require from tlie blood vessels in that pigment. It is far more probable that the sheep, being rid of these parasites by reason ol unfavourable breeding conditions lor the ticks and lice, have thriven in their clean state. Hipping, properly carried out, repays cost in time, labour, and money many times over, and wise is the farmer who rather overdoes than neglects this paid of the farm ‘work. Hipping not only improves the condition of the sheep, but it stimulates a healthy action of the skin, and consequently promotes the flow of yolk, which in turn is largely responsible for healthy, rapid, and sound wool growth. Regarding the procedure 01 mixing and using the dip, this is usually fully covered in the directions accompanying the manufactured article, hut it may be said that generally powder dips require mixing into a paste at least 24 hours before using, to allow the ingredients to become satisfactorily dissolved. AYELL-EQUIRPED HIPS.

Each farm should he provided with a concrete or wood-lined dip and concrete draining pens of ample size for the flock to ho handled. In practical use, I have found the “walk-in’’ type of dip with a sixty-foot swim the most east to put the sheep through, providing the'race leading in has a slight curve, sufficient to prevent the sheep from seeing the swim until they are practically at the walk-in. In this ’ type of dip the depth should increase very gradually for the first four feet, and should then have an abrupt drop to the full depth if the dip. I have known old ewes, even those which have been through the same clip many times before, go faster than was desirable through such a-dip, while young sheep had centinuallv to be checked.

Where space or expense of construction is a consideration the tip platform dip with a square or round bath in which the sheep can be held fur the required minute is extremely Loud and thoroughly efficacious, if used conscientiously,' giving the sheep their full time in the bath. It is also extremely economical of dipping material, and tor this reason is popular on many small farms.

Sheep should he dipped at least twice a year, being careful always to keen tlie hath up to full strength by additions of water as required. The dip should he thoroughly drained and cleaned before each dipping, and where the water used is hard, common washing soda should he added in varying quantity as the softening of the water demands. ' Ewes and lambs should he dipped within a month of shearing, and within two weeks if the lambs are left unshorn. Lacking tlie protection cf the wool taken from tlie ewe, the ticks transfer themselves at once to the lambs, which, if not dipped, suffer in growth and condition from their attentions.

Another dipping, using a poisonous din of the pcAvder or paste variety, should he given the breeding ewes and grown sheen about a month after tlie first dipping, this disposing of the ticks hatched subsequent to the dipping with non-poisonous dip, and leaving the skin coated with a preparation which means death to young ticks hatched later on. The dry sheep excepting rams, should again he dipped in poisonous dip in the nutunni, choosing always a mild dry day, without cold winds or excessive sun. Ewes or rams not lie dipped within a month of the tupping season, but hoggets may, and should he dipped once or more well into the autumn as, of all stock, they are the most detrimentally affected in growth and condition by infestation with ticks and lice. In the event of no dip being available, the work can lie equally satisfactorily done in the ordinary race of a sheep yard. To do this, the sheep are packed fairly tightly in a race, and while one man opens the wool down the back of the sheep, the mate pours in, direct on the skin, from head to tail, about a third of a gallon of mixed dip, mixed slightly stronger than that recommended for use in the swim dip. The dip so poured in to the roots of the ‘ wool, works round, the whole body of tlie sheep, while their rubbing together in the pens after the dip is applied works it thoroughly through tlie whole fleece.

The essentials in dipping are to take the sheep as quietly and with as little knocking about as possible' through the process, to have the dip clean and kept well up to the prescribed strength throughout tlie whole time of dipping, to use soft water, or where that is unprocurable, to soften, same by the addition cf washing soda, and always to keep a close watch on the condition of the sheep, hoggets more especially, and dip whenever lice or ticks make their appearance.

Always dip sheep which have been purchased before allowing them on your country, for by so doing you can keep the sheep camps, in which ticks have been known to survive for long periods, free of these pests, and save yourself much worry and expense,; and your sheep much unnecessary handling. For your sheep to return the maximum profit, they must be kept ;free of parasites wi th iff -ami • withon t.:a nH - the latter condition depends entirely on the thoroughness of the diem'-mr, and the quality of the material used.