2011 PURDUE UNIVERSITY SHEEP AND GOAT WEBINAR SERIES

Learn more about Goat Production through a series of webinars sponsored by Purdue University Extension Service, Kentucky State University, and the University of Kentucky. 

This is a two hour long, two part series that will focus on kidding care and birthing in does and ewes, feeding, management, marketing and economic projection issues in raising goats.  Goat production numbers are rising in Indiana and Kentucky.  According to the USDA 45,000 goats are raised in Indiana and 87,000 in Kentucky. 

The webinars will be held on two consecutive Wednesday nights starting on November 30 from 7-9 P.M. EST. 

Session 1 on November 30, concerns Kidding and Kid Care and will feature  Dr. Kenneth Andries, Kentucky State University; and  Dealing with Difficult Births in Does and Ewes by Endre Fink, University of Kentucky.

Session 2 on December 7, features teaching about Feeding and Management Tips to Reduce Input Costs for Sheep & Goat Producers led by Dan Morrical, Extension Sheep Specialist, Iowa State University; and Marketing and Economic Projections for Sheep and Goat Producers for 2012 and Beyond by Erica Rosa-Sanko, Agriculture Economist, Livestock Marketing Information Center.

DETAILS

PRESS RELEASE

SHEEP, GOAT PROGRAM TO HELP CURRENT, NEW PRODUCERS

A Purdue Extension webinar will help sheep and goat producers be better managers of their operations and provide advice that those interested in entering the growing industry need to succeed.

The two-session Sheep and Goat Webinar Series can be viewed 7-9 p.m. (EST) on Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 at various Purdue University Extension offices.

“There are a lot of beginner sheep and goat producers in Indiana, and this webinar will give them information on what is needed to be successful in raising sheep and goats,” said Mark Kepler, webinar coordinator and Extension Educator.

Kepler said the webinar is a response to the requests from across the state for more information for beginning sheep and goat producers.

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USING SILAGE TO FINISH LAMBS

The market for lamb has changed to a leaner, more versatile lamb product with an emphasis on a heavier carcase weight. Heavy lambs are preferred for the export market and increasingly so for the domestic market. Producing heavier lambs requires older lambs, longer maintenance and practical finishing systems to ensure consistent year-round supply. Providing lambs with a mixed ration of grain and silage increases lamb growth rates and produces a high quality product, which meets market requirements.

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MYCOTOXIN CONCERNS IN SHEEP AND MEAT GOAT FEEDING

MICHAEL K. NEARY

During the 2009 Indiana corn harvest, livestock producers heard numerous reports of mycotoxin levels high enough to cause concern. The main mycotoxins in feed grains that sheep and meat goat producers need to be concerned with are deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN). Deoxynivalenol is also known as vomitoxin. Zearalenone arises from Gibberrella ear rot, or Gib ear rot. Both of these mycotoxins are produced by a Fusarium fungus. There is a limited amount of research and Extension information available on the effect of sheep performance when consuming feeds infected with DON and ZEN. There is less information for goats. This publication sums up our current knowledge and will give an overview of how sheep and goat producers can avoid problems with these mycotoxins.

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FAZD CENTER RELEASES BIOSECURITY GUIDELINES FOR SMALL RUMINANT PRODUCERS

JEFFREY HOFFELT

The National Center for Foreign Animal Disease Defense (FAZD Center)’s primary goal is to prevent disease outbreaks and their spread. Along with maintaining illness rates on livestock operations, the group works to help producers keep livestock illnesses from spreading to humans.

After estimating that more than half of all disease-causing germs found in people originate from animals, the FAZD Center created species-specific groups to spread advice on ways to minimize bacterial transfer. The groups are known as Species Specific Educational Resource Teams (SSERT).

Falling under the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence’s umbrella, the small ruminant SSERT is comprised of: Maria Lenira Leite-Browning, DVM, Alabama A&M University Cooperative Extension System; Richard Browning, Jr., Ph.D., associate professor at the Department of Agricultural Sciences at Tennessee State University; Cassandra Vaughn, DVM, associate professor at the School of Agriculture at Alcorn State University Cooperative Extension; Kenneth Andries, Ph.D., animal science specialist; and Marion Simon, Ph.D., small farm specialist at the Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension program.

While the beef and swine team’s focused primarily on animal-to-animal disease risks and prevention, the small ruminant task force pointed their efforts towards zoonosis. The term refers to disease that can be spread from animal to humans or vice versa. The task force emphasized that disease spread is possible regardless of operation size or producer experience.

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WOOL TAKES CASHMERE’S CROWN

The results are in, according to the Australia based Cooperative Research Center for Sheep Industry Innovation (Sheep CRC), and wool is the winner. Objective testing has shown ultrafine wool garments can outperform 100 percent cashmere and high quality cotton for comfort and softness.

Sheep CRC commissioned the manufacture of select ultrafine wool fabrics to provide a set of benchmarks for the measurement of next to skin comfort and handle.

“It is the first time that ultrafine wool knitwear has been shown, using objective testing, to be superior to other natural fibers in terms of functional qualities valued by consumers,” Sheep CRC chief executive officer professor James Rowe said. “Wools in the ultrafine micron category, used for the manufacture of these test garments, represent about two percent of the Australian wool clip and, therefore, constitute a very rare and valuable fiber resource.”

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FUTURE OF AMERICAN SHEEP INDUSTRY LIES IN HANDS OF PRODUCERS

KELLI FULKERSON

The American Sheep Industry is the second largest livestock industry within the U.S. agriculture sector. The foreseeable future for sheep producers is bright and blooming.

Lamb and wool prices are at a record level in U.S. dollars. Cull ewe pelt markets are also very lucrative. This trend began in the late fourth quarter of 2009, with a strong trend upward which has continued into 2011. The major driving force for better prices is a shortage of sheep numbers worldwide.

The decrease in sheep population is driven by several factors including, but not limited to, factors such as producer preferences, weather conditions, and more.

Australia, the world’s leading sheep producing country, has seen production fall 44 percent due to drought. New Zealand (third largest) has experienced a production drop of 29 percent, due to emphasis in other production areas such as dairy; with falls also evident in Argentina (-14 percent); Uruguay (-32 percent); and the United Kingdom (-44 percent).

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CONTAGIOUS ECTHYMA (SORE MOUTH)

NOLAN HARTWIG

Contagious ecthyma (CE), also known as sore mouth or orf, is an acute infectious disease of sheep characterized by the formation of vesicles, pustules, and finally thick scabs on the lips, nostrils, face, eyelids, teats, udders, feet, and occasionally inside the mouth. The disease is widespread in the sheep population and affects all breeds. Lambs are generally more susceptible than adults.

CE causes reduced gain and feed efficiency in feederlambs. It is most serious when nursing lambs contract the disease. Affected lambs refuse to nurse and may die from starvation. The infection may be transmitted to the teats and udders of ewes, causing pain and abandonment of lambs. Mastitis may also result.

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INDUCING KIDDING IN GOATS

WILLIAM BRAUN, JR., DVM

The elective induction of parturition (kidding) is easily accomplished in the goat. A functional corpus luteum (CL, or yellow body) is the sole source of progesterone needed to maintain pregnancy in the goat. Unlike many other species, the caprine placenta produces little or no progesterone. Anything that interferes with the function of the CL during gestation will result in the termination of that pregnancy either as induced abortion or induced parturition.

The main benefit of induced parturition is being able to accurately predict the time of kidding in the goat. Predicting the time of kidding allows the owner to prepare in advance for the event and be present when the kids are born. Attended kiddings are important to dairy goat producers who are interested in disease control and to some Pygmy breeders who wish to assist in potential cases of dystocia (difficult birth). Diseases, like CAE and mycoplasmosis that are primarily transmitted through colostrum or milk, may be controlled by removing the kids at birth and not allowing them to suckle their dams. Other indications for induced parturition would include late term injuries to the doe and impending or early cases of pregnancy toxemia.

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KETOSIS OR PREGNANCY TOXEMIA IN THE DOE

JACKIE NIX

Pregnancy toxemia, also known as ketosis, is a metabolic disease that occurs in late pregnancy. It is most prevalent in does carrying two or more kids or in very fat does. Ketosis is caused by a disturbance in carbohydrate usage in the doe. As a doe’s pregnancy progresses, the energy demands of her body increase. At the same time, the capacity of her rumen shrinks since growing kids take up more and more space inside, leaving less space for the rumen. This combination can result in the doe not receiving enough carbohydrates (energy) through her diet. As a result she will have to resort to breaking down her own fat to provide energy for her growing kids. If this occurs too quickly without adequate carbohydrates in the diet, ketone bodies (a toxic by-product of fat breakdown) are released into the bloodstream. When this occurs too rapidly the doe’s body cannot detoxify the ketones fast enough, thus, ketosis or pregnancy toxemia results. Ketosis can also occur when a doe is too fat since fat also takes up room inside of the doe resulting a less space for the rumen to hold feed. Additionally, conditions that interrupt feed intake, such as storms, transportation or other diseases, can also induce this metabolic disease. Ketosis or pregnancy toxemia is most common in the last two weeks of pregnancy.

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