Grazing maize – a real champion in winter for ruminants

Whole maize is an excellent proposition as winter grazing for the sheep and cattle farmer. Weaner lambs can be raised on maize, currently with good economic benefits; Use #maize for grazing as a “low cost feedlot”.  It can also be utilized successfully for over-wintering of ewes with lambs.  Maize fills the winter gap effectively in a fodder flow...

Wool processing info

Scouring The first industrial process wool is subjected to is the scouring process.  The wool is scoured with a detergent in hot water by slowly propelling it through a series of large bowls to remove sand, dust and wool grease (or unpurified lanolin).  After scouring the wool is squeezed to remove excess water and then dried in a...

Premier Fiber!

The oldest wool textile, found in Denmark, dates from 1500 BC, and the oldest wool carpet, from Siberia, from 500 BC. Limited supply and exceptional characteristics have made wool the world's premier textile fibre The world's leading animal fibre, wool is produced in about 100 countries on half a million farms. Major producers are Australia, Argentina, China, India,...

Inspiration - Lessons from nature

Human beings are inclined to be selfish, fearing to part with any of their possessions, fearing they may not be able to replace them. Nature, on the other hand, is constantly on the giving side. The trees do not fear giving up their leaves in the fall, because they might not return in the spring. Have you ever...

Natural Pastures - fine wool

It is possible to produce finer wool effectively under natural pastures. It is, however, important that traits such as body weight, wool production and reproduction must be included in the selection objectives in order to improve or maintain these traits. Livestock depend on natural pastures for their diets, and rainfall is the most important factor determining the quantity...

Natural Lambing - #Colostrum - supplemental tip

The first few hours of a lamb's life are the most critical. If the lamb does not nurse shortly after birth, it will weaken rapidly. The lamb should only receive assistance to nurse if it is necessary. Best results are obtained if the lamb is allowed to nurse naturally, without assistance. Colostrum, the first milk produced by the...

#Reproductive Efficiency info.

Sheep have the potential for multiple births, especially in farm flocks. Therefore, select twins for replacements when possible. With good management, mortality of twins should not be much higher than that of singles. Measures of reproductive efficiency include age at puberty, fertility, lambing rate, and length of breeding season. #Reproduction in sheep is strongly influenced by environment. By...

Sheep Synchronisation Tips

A high ovulation rate (O/R) is the obvious first step in achieving a high lambing percentage. Effect of ewe live weight Live weight has two effects: (1)  The static (live weight) effect ·         Heavy ewes have higher ovulation rates (and more lambs) than light ewes. ·         Twinning (percentage of twin births to total births) increases by about 6%...

Sheep - Selection tips for Increased Fertility

Select for Increased Fertility •           Identify lambs that were born as twins or triplets and select replacement lambs from this group. #Twin lambs from young ewes have a greater potential for twinning than do twins from older ewes. •          If additional replacements are required, select single ewe lambs from young ewes. •           Select #rams that...

Vitamin A and E for cattle and sheep

 Vitamin A is an important nutrient for cattle and sheep. Cattle uses 8 parts of carotene to develop 1 part vitamin A whereas sheep only need 6 parts of carotene to develop one part of vitamin A. Vitamin A itself does not occur in plants, but the substance carotene in green plant material is converted by animals with an enzyme in the wall...

Unravelling Staple Strength

A wool staple is an independent natural cluster of fibres not a single fibre. Very many staples together form a fleece. Staple length, a property of staple fibres, is a term referring to the average length of a group of fibres of any composition. Staple length depends on the origin of the fibres.  Natural fibres (such as cotton...