Be Nice to the Bugs!

     Three major livestock projects are ruminant species: cattle, sheep and goats. A ruminant animal has a unique digestive system where instead of a stomach like we have there are four compartments. The largest compartment is the rumen and why they are called ruminant animals.

     The rumen does not actually do any digestion but acts as an environment for some special little critters to do some digestion for the animal. Living in the rumen are trillions and trillions of micro-organisms we lovingly refer to as “bugs”. They include bacteria, fungi and protozoa who like to digest the grass, hay and grain the cattle, sheep or goat eats. In just 1 ounces of fluid from the rumen there are over 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000) micro-organisms living and digesting food.

     The rumen provides a perfect environment for these bugs. Inside the rumen it is warm (near or above 100 degrees), it is dark (sunlight can’t get inside an animal), moist (the rumen is full of water), free of oxygen (the air they breath should be in the lungs) and has a proper pH level (slightly acidic is best). And most importantly, there is food to eat! When a ruminant animal takes a bite of grass, hay or grain, it travels down the esophagus and to the rumen. The bugs in the rumen start breaking down these items into simpler nutrients the animal can absorb and use.

     Since these little critters are helping to provide nutrients to your livestock you need to be nice to them. First, they are picky eaters and like certain foods. Some may like parts of grass and hay, others like to eat parts of grain. The more of a specific food they get, the larger the population of those type of bugs are in the rumen. If what the animal eats changes rapidly, the bugs may not be ready.

     Let’s say you go take your animal from grazing on grass and start them on a grain diet. In the rumen, the grass eating bugs begin to starve and die out, and there are not enough bugs present to digest all the grain they now have to eat. Your animal then gets some digestive troubles. They may go off feed, bloat or get the scours because they do not have the micro-organisms in the rumen to digest the food they are eating. Not Good! To be good to these bugs, feed changes should be made slowly. Going from grass and/or hay to grain should be done over 10 to 20 days by slowly feeding a little bit more grain every day and taking away a little of the hay or grass. You can also help to introduce a new population of bugs by giving your animal probiotics.

     Another common problem I see is animals not getting enough water. The bugs in the rumen need water to do their digestive work. Some like to be on the surface of the rumen fluid and others down below. If an animal becomes dehydrated, some of the bugs can begin to die, again leading to more troubles. Be sure animals have access to good, clean water at all times.

     The last thing to remember is be consistent in your feeding. The bugs do not have long lives and cannot wait long periods to be fed. And they cannot handle a sudden increase in feed either. You need to be consistent in your feedings. Feed the correct amount of feed twice daily at intervals that are 8 to 12 hours apart. If you run out of feed and miss a feeding, do not double up on the next one. It can create the same problems as a sudden change in feed. If you need to be gone, do not feed too quickly between feedings. Try and find someone to feed for you at your normal time. They may need the same help in the future, so you can trade this chore out.

Remember, take care of those bugs who are taking care of your animals.

Scott Stinnett
Extension Agent
Kit Carson County
Golden Plains Area
Colorado State University Extension  

Sock'em

     If you have been to a sheep or goat show, you have seen those animals wearing various forms of coverings. They are called socks, tubes, blankets, sheets, and slinkys. Each of these different type of coverings can serve a different purpose or can be used together.

     So why do we use them? The main reason is because with market lambs and goats, we shear their wool or hair off. This removes the natural layer of warmth and protection they have to better show off their muscling. And since we remove the wool and hair, we need to replace it with layers to help protect them.

     Starting with the lightest, we can use a sheet on hot days to protect their skin from sunburn, biting insects and if we are getting ready to go into the show ring, keep them clean.

Photo Credit: Sullivan Supply

     Tubes are used to help maintain body heat. For sheep, even on a warm day a tube is used to help them maintain some basic heat since they are missing their wool or hair.

Photo Credit: Sullivan Supply

     Blankets are usually made out of heavy canvas or nylon. They are used to provide warmth and protection from things that might tear or rip a tube. Blankets that cover the whole body of lambs and goats help prevent wool fungus and ringworm transfer as well. Due to removing lanolin from sheep, and goats being prone to getting fungus, full blankets can help reduce the exposure to these at shows and other times lambs and goats are exposed to new facilities and animals. 

Photo Credit: Sullivan Supply

     Layering of these coverings is not uncommon. If you are going to a winter jackpot, your sheep or goat may go in and out of various temperature ranges during the day. Think about a winter jackpot show day. In the morning you load them into a drafty trailer and go down the road for an hour or more in below freezing temperatures. To keep them warm you put on two tubes and a blanket. Once you get to the show, they get to be stalled in an indoor facility that is around 60 degrees, so they wear just the blanket to stay warm and clean. When it is time to head home in the afternoon, it is above freezing, but they still ride in the drafty trailer. A tube and a blanket go on for the ride home. One day and multiple needs for different layerings of tubes and blankets.

     Two more things to remember about coverings. First, sheep and goats grow and tubes, blankets and sheets need to fit properly. Most blankets are made to fit an animal of a certain weight and species. Sheep tend to be longer backed than goats. Goats tend to be deeper chested than sheep. A tube meant to fit a 50-75 lbs. sheep will be too long and pretty tight around the chest of a goat. A covering that does not fit properly can cause problems. I have seen animals get their legs caught in the straps of blankets that were too big. Ones that are too small usually leave the animal's rump exposed. It would be like sleeping on a cold night without a big enough blanket. Even though part of your body is covered, you will be cold because not all of you is covered.

     Second thing to remember is although a sheep or goat can only wear a couple of layers at once, they do get dirty. Have multiple tubes and blankets available. When you take off a dirty one, immediately put on a clean one. Most tubes, blankets and sheets can be cleaned in a washing machine with mild detergent.

I hope this helps you sort out the uses for the various coverings for sheep and goats.

Thanks to J.D. Sexton, 4-H Livestock and Agriculture Agent in Logan County, Colorado for his input on this post.


Scott Stinnett
Extension Associate
Kit Carson County
Golden Plains Area
Colorado State University Extension

From the Ground Up

     When it comes to the ability of livestock to move and function, structure starts on the ground with the hooves. Taking care of the hooves is as important as taking care of any other part of the body. Each species has its own individual needs for hoof care, but there are some universals to all species.

     To properly care for a hoof it is important to understand what a hoof is. Cattle, sheep, goats, and horses travel on their hooves which are made of a substance called keratin. It is same stuff that makes up our human finger and toe nails, but is thick enough to bare the weight of the animal.

     The hoof is a living tissue and continually grows. It needs proper nutrition to grow.  Proper nutrition starts with a balanced ration. A ration with proper amounts of protein, energy, vitamins and minerals will keep the hoof growing.

     Hooves also need proper maintenance. Being a living tissue, the growing hoof needs to be trimmed like human nails. A hoof that has grown too long can cause the animal to have problems walking, create lameness or give a place for infections to occur. Livestock that live in pastures with very sandy or rocky areas can keep their hooves trimmed just by walking. The sand and rocks will naturally grind and sand the hooves down to a proper length. Livestock kept on other types of pastures, in pens or stalls will need to have their hooves trimmed.

     Sheep and goats can be easily trimmed by the owner. A little education and a sharp pair of hoof trimmers is all that is needed to keep hooves the proper length. Trimming away the excess hoof wall is the main focus. Excess hoof wall can either roll under the hoof or turn out. Rolled under hoof wall can hold dirt and manure, making a great place for an infection or hoof rot to start. Turned out hoof walls tend to split. These splits can continue up the hoof and become cracks in the hoof wall, and another place for infections to enter the foot. Trimming is the easiest way to prevent having these problems.

    Horse hooves can be trimmed by the owner, if they are knowledgeable, or by a professional farrier. Trimming horse hooves requires a few more tools than sheep and goats. The hooves must be trimmed correctly so the weight of the horse is distributed across the whole hoof. Trimming can be used to help correct minor problems of structure due to unevenness of the hoof as well. This should be done by a professional farrier. Many horses also receive horse shoes. Shoes do many things for a horse's hoof and foot. It provides protection from unnatural surfaces like concrete and asphalt, it helps to distribute extra weight of a rider, and helps give the horse better traction for moving and stopping.

     Cattle hooves are usually the most difficult to trim. Most beef cattle never have their feet trimmed, but when they do, it requires the use of a hoof trimming table. The hoof trimming table is like a squeeze chute mounted on a giant hinge. Cattle walk into the table, have their neck and side secured and then the table is tilted laying the animal gently on its side. This allows a professional hoof trimmer to trim their feet easily. Dairy cattle may need their hooves trimmed often due to being kept in pens or on concrete.

Photo Credit: Berkelmans Welding



      No matter the species, keeping hooves in good condition requires some observation. Hooves need to maintain a certain amount of moisture. Dry hooves tend to split or crack. Using hoof conditioners and dressings can help to maintain moisture. On the other hand, wet hooves become very soft. Wet hooves are usually caused by animals standing in wet or muddy conditions for several hours a day. Providing a dry place for them to stand and let their hooves dry is the best practice.

     The main point is you need to take care of their hooves. All their weight is being carried on these sensitive structures. Any damage or injury can cause them pain, lameness and limit their desire to travel.


Here are some additional resources:

Basic Horse Hoof Care - eXtension.org
Goat Basic Hoof Care - eXtension.org



Scott Stinnett
Extension Associate
Kit Carson County
Golden Plains Area
Colorado State University Extension

Biosecurity at Home

     We have all heard the term Biosecurity. Simply put, it is how you keep animals safe from outside diseases. The most biosecure farms have what are called closed herds or flocks, meaning they own all the breeding stock and animals are sold off the farm, but no new animals are usually brought onto the farm. They may even require trucks, trailers and people to be washed before they enter the farm or a barn. This level of precaution may be a little overboard for a 4-H or FFA project, but there are some simple things you can do to provide some biosecurity of your own.

     Every year we do things that are not the best for biosecurity. We buy and bring in new project animals from different locations. It might be just one or two animals from your favorite breeder or multiple animals from many different breeders or livestock sales. You may not even bring an animal home, but you go to a farm and look at ones to buy, or go to a sale to see people and what animals are selling for. You may like going to jackpot shows. It is a good place for you to work on your showmanship and get your animals adjusted to a show ring, but you are also mixing with a lot of other animals.

     All these practices could be bad for your biosecurity. How? There are micro-organisms that cause diseases called pathogens. They include bacteria, viruses and fungi. (We will make it easy and refer to them as germs.) Your job is to try and prevent these germs from making it on to your place and to your animals. Here are some tips to improve your biosecurity.
    

At Home Biosecurity

     Clothing

• Wear work/chore clothes and shoes that have never left home and wash them often, too. These clothes will only have the germs that are on your farm on them.
• Change clothes immediately after visiting another farm or livestock sale before heading out to see your animals or do chores. You may have brought back new germs from these places.
• Wash all clothing that has gone to a another farm, sale or to a show. This includes cleaning shoes. You may not know it, but germs and things like a little urine and manure from that other place may have hitched a ride home.
• Have visitors to your place wear plastic disposable booties over shoes or walk through a disinfecting foot bath. Shoes can hide nasty germs in the dirt, bedding or manure that gets stuck on the bottom of a shoe.

     Pens, Equipment and Tack

• Clean pens at least daily. Remove all manure and any soiled bedding. If animals are on concrete, rinse the urine off as well. Germs love to hide in urine and manure.
• Clean feeders and water sources often or when they appear dirty. Old feed and unclean water can be a great place for germs to grow.
• Clean up spilled feed to prevent birds and rodents from being attracted. They can bring in some nasty germs.
• Clean and disinfect pens after a project animals has left for good and before a new animal is introduced to the pen. There could be some nasty germs waiting to greet you new animals. 
• Clean and disinfect any tack or equipment that has left your place. Nasty germs may be hiding on it waiting to get on your animals.
• Clean out, wash out with soap and disinfect a trailer after going to a sale or show.

     Animals

• Quarantine animals who are new or have been to a show until time has passed and they do not show signs of illness before putting with other animals.
• Wash animals immediately after a show (especially lambs and goats which could have picked up wool fungus or ringworm) before putting them into their home pens.
• Have individual feeders and water sources. Sharing of germs is not caring.
• If you suspect you have a sick animal, contact your vet (the one you have a relationship with) ASAP for their professional opinion.

     Biosecurity is the responsibility of the livestock owner. You are in charge of setting up a line of defense to prevent these unwanted germs from bringing disease to your animals. If you find you are having trouble keeping animals healthy, remember your best resource is your veterinarian. They have the expert training and knowledge in animal health.

Thanks to Phillips County Colorado 4-H Agent Kindra Plumb, Yuma County Colorado 4-H Agent JoLynn Midcap and Morgan County Colorado Livestock Agent JD Sexton for their input on this post.


Scott Stinnett
Extension Associate
Kit Carson County
Golden Plains Area
Colorado State University Extension