Nominations Being Accepted for Goat Pasture Test
 Nominations
are now being accepted for the 2006 Western Maryland Pasture-Based
Performance Test for Meat Goats. The location of the test is the
Western Maryland Research & Education Center (9 miles south
of Hagerstown). The test will run from June 10 until October 7.
Male goats of any breed or breed cross, born between December 15,
2006, and March 15, 2005 (inclusive) are eligible. There will be
a fee of $75 per head for the test. $20 is due at the time of nomination.
Producers may nominate up to 5 goats, for a maximum test group of
50 goats.
The test is open to producers in any state, but
Maryland producers will be given first option to fill half of the
test. Goats will be accepted to the test on a first-come, first
serve basis. Nominations will be accepted until May 20. Contact
Susan at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu
to receive a copy of the Guidelines and Protocol and a nomination
and release form. The guidelines and nomination form can also be
downloaded from the web at www.sheepandgoat.
com/programs/pasturetest.html.
www.sheepandgoat.com/programs/pasturetest.html
Guidelines and Protocol
and Nomination Form (PDF)
Guidelines and Protocol
and Nomination Form (Word)
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Fecal
Egg Counts: What Do They Tell Us?
by William
Shulaw, DVM
Extension Veterinarian
The Ohio State University
In our last
electronic newsletter article, I wrote about using several approaches
to monitor sheep and make some decisions for selective deworming.
One of these is the use of fecal egg counting techniques. What do
we mean by fecal egg counts (FECs)? Most techniques to examine feces
(manure) for parasite eggs involve mixing the sample with a concentrated
sugar or salt solution that has a relatively high specific gravity.
This lets the worm eggs float to the top of the liquid where they
are collected on a glass or plastic slide and then examined under
a microscope. The heavier material tends to sink more so one can
look for the eggs on the top of the liquid. However, as opposed
to a simple flotation procedure that only allows one to see the
different kinds of eggs present, FECs provide an estimate of the
number of eggs present in a specific quantity of manure. They are
usually expressed as the number of “eggs per gram” (epg)
of feces. Therefore, they are termed quantitative. Although simple
flotations can give us some information, the most valuable information
comes from quantitative egg counts.
The most common method of determining FECs for sheep and goats is
the McMaster technique. Although there are several variations of
how this is done, the basic method uses a weighed fecal sample,
a known dilution in the flotation solution, and a specialized counting
slide to count the eggs. (Pictures of the slides and technique are
in the ASI Sheep Production Handbook). After the slide’s chambers
have been filled with the manure suspension in flotation solution,
the eggs are counted under a grid that defines a known volume of
the suspension. Usually, the area under two grids is counted and
the results averaged and multiplied by a dilution factor. Because
the number of grams of feces and their dilution is known, the result
gives you an estimate of the number of eggs in a specific amount
of manure eggs per gram (epg) of feces. McMaster counts are not
harder to do than simple flotations, and the equipment is relatively
inexpensive and reusable. Many veterinarians in Ohio are trained
to do them, and some currently offer this service. Most methods
require at least two grams of manure, and usually four grams are
used as this amount provides a more accurate estimate. This means
you need to provide your veterinarian with about a tablespoonful
of manure for a proper exam. One pellet is not enough.
How many samples are enough?
Research and observations over the last 40-50 years consistently
show that egg counts, as well as worm burdens, from a group of individuals
are not distributed across a typical bell shaped curve. Usually,
only a few individuals have very high counts, and even when severe
parasitic disease is present in a group, there frequently are animals
in that group with very low FECs. For example, in a relatively recent
investigation of ivermectin resistance where lambs were actually
dying from parasitism, the average FEC for a group of 46 lambs was
3800 epg of feces. However, two animals had FECs of zero and the
lowest twenty one were each less than 1000 epg. The top five animals
had counts of 13,800; 20,050; 23,950; 25,000; and 29,250 epg. If
you wanted a reliable estimate of the average count for the group,
would samples from three animals, or even five, be enough? Not likely.
Generally speaking, you need samples from about 15 animals to get
a reliable estimate of the group average. For those of you reading
this that are statistically inclined, you are thinking “Yes,
but using a simple numeric average for populations like this is
flawed!” You are correct, however, for reasons I can’t
really get into in this article, a simple group average is the accepted
measure used by parasitologists the world over.
What can fecal egg counts tell us?
Like most measurements in biology, FECs are a snapshot in time.
They may remain rather stable over time, or they may explode to
very high levels in one to two weeks; especially during summer weather
conditions favorable to Haemonchus contortus.
On the farm I described in our last article, the weekly FECs performed
for the group of March-born lambs maintained continuously on pasture
averaged 0; 42; 89; 1,050; and 1,950 epg from May 14 through June
11. This dramatic change was the result of the lambs’ gradual
increase in consumption of infective larvae as they consumed more
forage; the buildup of worm larvae on the pasture as a result of
the prolific egg producer, Haemonchus, becoming the predominant
worm species; and the fact that the parasite life cycle from egg-to-egg
takes about 21 days for completion under ideal conditions. It is
also characteristic of what happens on many Ohio pastures in a typical
summer.
Therefore, a single egg count for a group of lambs or ewes taken
out of context with other information is not predictive of what
is going to happen nor is it a good measure of the worm burden the
animals are carrying. Nevertheless, FECs do give us some information
about what is happening at the time the samples are taken. The two
best uses for FECs are to monitor the rate of pasture contamination
and to determine whether drug resistance is present in the worms
on the farm.
Monitoring pasture contamination
Monitoring the rate of pasture contamination can be a tool the producer
can use in making decisions such as when to move animals from a
pasture to avoid a buildup that may lead to a dangerous situation,
or it might be used to assess how much contamination is occurring
in order to make decisions about future use of the pasture during
that grazing season. For example, if pastures used for lambing out
ewes in April and May have received a relatively heavy egg burden,
it may be wise not to graze them with lambs later in the summer.
They may be safe for dry ewes and could be used by an unrelated
species. Monitoring contamination rate can help make that decision.
Routine monitoring of FECs following the deworming of groups or
selected individuals can also provide information as to whether
deworming was successful. In our experience, if the average FEC
of a group is much above 100-150 epg 10-14 days following a deworming,
either the drug was not as effective as it should be or the egg
count was very high when the animals were treated. This should be
a red flag to signal that further information about dewormer effectiveness
is needed. If one were to see an average FEC of above 2000 epg on
samples collected thirty days after deworming a group of lambs,
it may indicate that the pasture they have been grazing is pretty
heavily contaminated. This is not an unusual observation when non-persistent
dewormers such as Valbazen®, Tramisol, or Ivomec® Sheep
Drench have been used and the lambs continue to graze a contaminated
pasture.
Determining whether drug resistance is present
The most readily available method to determine the effectiveness
of a dewormer is by using FECs. The most common approach used for
sheep and goats is to collect about 15 samples from animals at the
time they are treated, determine the group FEC, and then collect
samples again from those animals 10-14 days later and again determine
the FEC. If the drug is working as we would like it to, there should
be at least a 95% reduction in the average FEC for the post-treatment
samples. It is best to sample the same animals both times, but if
15-20 animals from the group are used, it may not always be necessary.
An alternate approach uses an untreated control group of animals.
In this approach, the test group of 15 or more animals is treated
with a dewormer, and then 10-14 days later, FECs are determined
on samples from the animals in the test group and for a similar
group of untreated animals. As in the other method, we are looking
for at least a 95% reduction in average FEC in the treated group
compared with the control animals. This method accounts for variation
in the groups that might not be attributable to the dewormer; such
as we described in the last newsletter. It also has the additional
advantage of requiring considerably fewer total samples if several
drugs are being tested at the same time because both pre- and post-treatment
egg counts are not required and several test groups can be compared
to the control group. You do have to know, or expect, that average
egg counts will be above at least 250 epg in the control group for
valid comparisons. Lambs or ewes can be used with either approach
but don’t mix the two in a test.
I am often asked when to perform resistance testing. This is a good
question, and there is no single correct answer I am sure. However,
I usually suggest to our producers that if resources are limited,
testing should be done in mid to late summer. My rationale for this
is: At the present time Haemonchus contortus is the most important
worm we have to deal with here in Ohio. Although there are several
common species of worms in sheep and goats which produce similar-looking
eggs that can’t be readily distinguished from Haemonchus
under the microscope, it is usually safe to assume that by July,
at least 90-95% of the eggs of this type will be Haemonchus. Therefore,
resistance testing here in Ohio in mid to late summer will give
us a good idea of what dewormers will do against this very important
worm species. Haemonchus season begins earlier in the year
in the South, and it may not be the most important worm in the more
arid regions of the West, so producers in these areas have to adjust
their approach to their conditions.
Most parasitologists today recommend conducting resistance testing
at least every two years, and testing for resistance does require
significant work and expense. However, not knowing whether the dewormer
you are using is effective can be more than expensive. It can be
disastrous.
This article was previously published in the September 2004
Sheep
Team Newsletter from Ohio State University. It is reprinted
with permission of the author.
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Research Update
Dipstick Spots Worms
Sheep farmers will welcome a quick and easy test for Barber’s
Pole Worm this spring thanks to research from the Australian Sheep
Industry Cooperative Research Centre. The test detects blood in
the sheep’s faeces to identify whether Barber's Pole Worms
are present and what level of damage they are causing.
The breakthrough came when Dr. Ian Colditz, a Senior Research
Scientist with CSIRO Livestock Industries in Armidale, asked, “Why
don't we just test for blood in the sheep's feces?” Drs. Colditz
and Le Jambre have since devised a method to do just that. Unlike
other sheep intestinal worms, infections with Barber's Pole Worm
can rise very rapidly resulting in deaths only weeks after a drench
due to massive blood loss from these blood-sucking worms.
Dr. Brown Besier, Principal Veterinary Parasitologist from DAWA
and Parasite Management Program Leader for the Sheep CRC said, “In
southern Australia this is a sporadic event happening in some years
when the combination of rain and temperature is just right. It often
catches farmers off-guard in early summer and late autumn, when
there can be considerable sheep losses.”
To do the test, farmers will collect fresh dung from the ground.
After mixing and diluting for about 3 minutes, they will dip a test
stick into the final mix and read its color in a further 60 seconds.
On the spot they’ll have an indicator of the infection in
that mob and can follow recommendations on whether to drench or
not.
The Sheep CRC are working with a commercial company to release the
test later this year through rural merchandisers.
Source: CSIRO Australia
Evaluating Doe Performance
Researchers at Tennessee State University are comparing the performance
of Boer (n=43), Kiko (n=38), and Spanish (n=47) does under southeastern
U.S. conditions. Does were exposed to bucks in single sire groups
(3 bucks per breed) using a complete three breed diallel1 mating
scheme. Diallel is a mating scheme that uses each parent as both
a male and female.
At spring kidding, 39 Boer, 38 Kiko, and 45 Spanish does produced
at least one kid. Dam weights at kidding were 94.4 lbs. for Spanish,
108.9 lbs. for Kiko, and 109.3 lbs. for Boer. Litter size was affected
by both sire and dam breed and was highest for Boer x Spanish matings,
2.32; and lowest for Spanish x Boer matings, 1.53. Birth weights
were similar among dam breeds, but heavier for Boer-sired kids,
7.7 lbs. than Kiko or Spanish-sire kids, 7.0 lbs.
By weaning at 3 months, 33 Boer, 38 Kiko, and 45 Spanish dams had
weaned at least one kid. Litter size was not affected by dam breed.
The ratio of litter weight to dam weight at weaning was greater
for Spanish than Boer does, 71 vs. 58. Kiko does were intermediate
at 66%. Kid attrition rate was higher for Boer dams (38%), compared
to Spanish and Kiko dams (8%).
Pre-weaning average daily gain (ADG) was lower for kids from Spanish
dams than kids from Boer and Kiko dams. As measures of whole herd
reproductive performance, percent kid crop and adjusted litter weaning
weight per doe exposed were lower for Boer dams (138%, 49.1 lbs.)
compared with Kiko (183%, 70.6 lbs.) and Spanish dams (191%, 60.5
lbs).
The preliminary results of this experiment indicate that breed affects
doe performance.
Doe Performance (at weaning)
| Doe
breed |
Percent
kid crop |
Adj.
litter wt. (lbs.) |
Efficiency |
| Boer |
138 |
49.1 |
58 |
| Kiko |
183 |
70.6 |
66 |
| Spanish |
191 |
60.4 |
71 |
Kid Performance
| Dam
breed |
Pre-weaning
ADG |
Adj.
weaning wt. |
%attrition |
| Boer |
0.387 |
35.1 |
38 |
| Kiko |
0.405 |
36.7 |
8 |
| Spanish |
0.355 |
32.6 |
8 |
Source:
2005 ASAS Southern Meeting Abstracts. Journal of Animal Science,
Vol. 83, Supplement 2
Lambing and Kidding Report from UMES
by Dr. Niki Whitley
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Kidding
Last year, I bought some Boer crossbred kids for research and
decided to keep the females to start a commercial meat goat herd.
I kept 8 back from our herd, and I also bought a few Spanish doe
kids. All but 5 of the 40 yearlings were exposed late for possible
June kidding to 2 different registered Kiko bucks (or the Spanish
to the Spanish buck). The 5 yearlings not bred to Kikos were bred
earlier to the fullblood “Eggs-Ryals Magnum” buck for
potential “show” kids. They are due any time now.
All the adult mature does bred at UMES were Boer, except one super-producing
Myotonic (Fainting Goat). This year, we kidded in January again
so that we could have the goats finished before we began lambing.
We had 19 adult does. Half the does were exposed to a fullblood
Boer buck with Eggs-Ryals Magnum and other ennobled bucks in his
pedigree while the other half were exposed to a purebred, unregistered
Kiko (except 2 which were bred by a fullblood Boer with Eggs Stoney
and Eggs Mark in his pedigree).
We had 3 singles and 40 total kids, all born live and all still
alive. That’s 2.1 live kids per doe exposed and kidding, weighing
an average of 9.1 lbs each at birth. One doe that had a stillborn
single last year and a ton of milk apparently had gotten mastitis,
because she did not have any milk this year. So, we have her 2 as
bottle babies and another that someone handled before the mother
had bonded with it and then she would not take it. She took the
other 2 and I guess she figured that was plenty. So we have 3 bottle
baby goats born at UMES.
We also have 9 commercial does and their kids and 4 other bottle
babies we bought in a package deal from a local producer selling
the majority of her stock. Since her original animals were purchased
from UMES, it was nice that we got a chance to buy some of them
back.
Last year, I kept the does and kids in the barn until weaning. This
year, I needed the barn space, so I had to put them out on pasture
when the kids were a few weeks of age. The mild winter resulted
in some maintained worm loads that could have slowed growth a bit,
though they all look good. We weighed the kids at 50 days old and
they were around 30 lbs., having gained around 0.39 lb/day. The
heaviest weighed a little over 37 lbs. This is a little less than
last year.
Many of the quality 2006 kids from UMES will be auctioned at the
Lower Shore Goat and Sheep Producers’ Association production
sale April 29, 2006 at the Princess Anne Fairgrounds/Civic Center
except a few replacements, some of which will also be shown at the
Somerset County Fair Open Livestock Show July 29 (come out and see
them) and possibly at the Washington County Open Livestock Show
July 23. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dr.
Niki Whitley at nwhitley@umes.edu or 410-651-6194.
Lambing
Well, the 2006 lambing season is over for UMES. The sires used again
this year were Suffolk, White Dorper, Texel or Katahdin in single-sire
groups with 3 different sires per breed. We lambed for 1 month and
the last ewe lambed the day before I left for Spring Break (to visit
my farm in GA), which made the farm workers who stayed behind happy.
If you remember, last year I mentioned that we had a few problems
with C-sections and ketosis and having to pull lambs. This year,
with 110 ewes, we had 3-4 cases of ketosis and had to pull a few,
but the biggest problem was bottle babies. We seemed to have more
this year than ever before. It just seemed that we were having triplets
all over the place. We didn’t really try to graft any this
year, so that probably made it worse.
We had another set of quads this year and 5 singles – the
rest were twins or triplets. The average born live this year was
2.58, compared to 2.25 born live last year. Not all the ewes exposed
lambed though (we did use 6 ram lambs, so I probably should not
have blamed it all on the ewes, but those that didn’t lamb
are gone). The total born was 250 with 10 stillbirths/deaths just
after birth so we have 240 live.
The average birth weight was 8.7 pounds per lamb (that’s almost
one pound less than last year). I fed less this year because we
had to pull so many last year and it worked – we pulled way
less this year (though the undergraduate working on the farm with
us, Shannon Uzelac, will say we still had to pull too many). No
one sire breed needed lambs pulled more than the others though I
will say that I only remember us pulling 1 set of Katahdins. The
average age of the ewes is 4 years with no first timers lambing
this year and only 3 ewes older than 5 (two 6 year olds and one
8 year old) and only 5 ewes younger than 3 (they are 2 year olds).
Well, that’s the update on lambing at UMES. I hope your lambing
and kidding season is going (or has gone) smoothly.
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Disease In-Depth
Coccidiosis: A Common Cause of Diarrhea
What is it?
Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease that affects cattle, sheep, goats,
swine, and poultry. The disease is caused by microscopic protozoan
organisms known as coccidia that inhabit the cells of the intestinal
lining.
Each class of livestock has a species-specific coccidia; there is
no cross-infection between species. In ruminants, coccidia are of
the genus Eimera. Not all coccidia species are pathogenic.
Coccidia are everywhere in the environment. It is nearly impossible
to find a sheep or goat without coccidia. They are a normal inhabitant
of the gut. Most sheep and goats tolerate a low level of coccidia
with no adverse effects. However, a high level of coccidia can result
in clinical disease.
How do they get it?
Lambs and kids are most susceptible to coccidiosis at approximately
1 to 4 months age, though younger animals may become infected. Stress
plays an important role in the development of coccidiosis. Clinical
signs of coccidiosis are most commonly observed shortly following
stress such as weather changes, weaning, overcrowding, long truck
rides, and unsanitary conditions.
Signs of clinical coccidiosis develop 17 days after infection with
pathogenic levels of coccidia oocysts. Pneumonia outbreaks sometimes
occur at the same time or following an outbreak of coccidiosis.
The disease spreads from one animal to another by contact with infected
feces. Fecal contamination of hay, grain, bedding, pasture, teats,
water troughs, creep feeders, etc. are all sources of infection.
Initial transmission of coccidiosis to the lamb and kid occurs via
the ewe and doe. Lambs and kids, once infected, then contaminate
each other. Animals which survive a coccidia outbreak usually develop
a good immunity to clinical disease. Clinical coccidiosis can occasionally
occur in adult animals, usually in response to stresses.
Clinical coccidiosis occurs more often in intensive management systems
than in extensive ones because of the concentrating effects on both
host and parasite. Feed lot conditions provide ideal circumstances
for an outbreak of coccidiosis.
Diagnosis
The primary sign of animals suffering from coccidiosis is diarrhea.
The diarrhea may be mild to severe, depending upon the level of
infection. The diarrhea is usually not bloody, but it can contain
blood or mucous and be very watery. Anoroexia (off feed), dehydration,
weakness, rough hair coat, and death may all occur as a result of
coccidiosis.
Scouring usually occurs 17 days after infection; however, coccidia
oocysts may not be evident in the fecal sample for another 5 days.
Fecal flotation may or may not be a useful diagnostic tool, because
while the presence of coccidia oocysts in the manure provides a
link to coccidiosis, the absence of coccidia oocysts in a manure
sample doesn’t mean coccidia are absent.
Sub-clinical coccidiosis (no symptoms) probably accounts for a significant
portion of production loss.
Treatment
The coccidia organism does not respond to any of the standard deworming
products. Medications used to treat clinical coccidiosis differ
from medications used for prevention.
Sick animals should be treated as soon as possible and isolated
from other animals. Unweaned and younger lambs and kids should be
treated individually. Older animals may be group treated with a
water medication. Treatment usually involves medication with either
sulfonamide preparations or oral preparations of Amprolium
(Corid). Treatment is usually for five days.
Many sulfonamide medications can be used to treat coccidiosis. Most
preparations are sold in packets or as gallons of liquid that can
be added to drinking water. Producers should consult their veterinarians
for products and doses appropriate for their given management schemes.
Amprolium is a thiamine antagonist. Though rare, polioencaphalomalacia
(caused by a thiamine deficiency to the brain) can be induced as
a side effect of amprolium treatment.
Preventative medications such as monensin
(trade name Rumensin®), lasolocid
(trade name Bovatec®), and decoquinate
(trade name Deccox®) are collectively referred to as coccidiostats,
meaning they slow down the shedding of coccidia into the environment.
They should be used for prevention of coccidiosis. They are only
effective at preventing disease if they are added to the feed before
the lambs/kids become exposed. Some of these medications have a
lag time (~21 days) between when you start feeding them and when
the oocysts stop being passed in the manure. Therefore, pregnant
ewes and does should be started on coccidiostats at least 21 days
prior to entering the lambing/kidding area.
Bovatec® and Deccox® are FDA-approved for use in sheep.
Rumensin® and Deccox® are FDA-approved for use in goats.
However, rumensin is extremely toxic to horses! Small amounts can
be fatal. Bovatec and Deccox are less of a problem, but should not
be fed to any equine species, including guardian donkeys. According
to reports from Iowa State University Diagnostic Lab, most dogs,
except beagles, are quite susceptible to lasalocid toxicosis.
Coccidiostats should only be fed during times of expected risk.
Year-round use of coccidiostats increases the potential for resistance.
Reference: Coccidiosis
in Lambs by J.S. Rook, DVM, Michigan State University.
Products
used to treat and/or prevent coccidiosis in Livestock
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Just for Youth
4-H/FFA Meat Goat Show
The 4-H/FFA Meat Goat Breeding Show at the Maryland State Fair
has been split into two shows: commercial and registered. The commercial
show will be for unregistered goats of any breed or breed cross.
The registered show will open to fullblood and percentage goats
of any recognized meat goat breed, e.g. Boer, Kiko, Tennessee Fainting
Goat, and Pygmy. In addition, the buck kid class has been split
into junior and senior age divisions.
For information about the meat goat show, contact Susan Schoenian
at sschoen@umd.edu or Willie
Lantz at wlantz@umd.edu.
www.bcpl.net/~mdstfair/
Sheep and Wool Skillathon
The registration deadline for the Sheep and Wool Skillathon at
the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is April 21. Send names and
ages of participants to Susan Schoenian.
The skillathon is open to individual and teams of youth between
the ages of 8 and 18. There will be junior (8-13) and senior (14-18)
age divisions.
The skillathon will be held Sunday, May 7 at the Howard County Fairgrounds.
www.sheepandwool.org/events/
skillathon.htm
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Featured Breed
St. Croix = Parasite Resistance
St. Croix sheep are the most parasite (worm) resistant breed of
sheep in the United States. They are unique to North America. They
originated in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean,
where they are called the Virgin Island White. They descend from
hair sheep from West Africa. Their exact origins are unknown, but
there is speculation that they may be a cross between the Wiltshire
Horn and the native Criollo.
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St.
Croix ewes at Virginia State University |
St. Croix sheep are usually white. A separate breed association
has been established for colored St. Croix. Both sexes are polled.
In the Caribbean, they are a small breed. Ewes and rams average
77 and 99 lbs., respectively. In the U.S., the breed is larger.
Ewes average 119 lbs.; rams, 163 lbs.
In 1975, twenty-five Virgin Island sheep were imported into the
U.S. by Utah State University. They form the basis for the breed
in the U.S. Previously, Michael Piel had imported the breed into
Maine to develop the Katahdin breed. More recently, the St. Croix
was used in the development of the Royal White® breed.
St. Croix are classified as a rare breed by the American Livestock
Breeds Conservancy. However, their popularity is increasing, along
with other hair sheep, due to their lack of need for shearing and
docking and their natural resistance to worms.
Reproductive Excellence
St. Croix sheep are known for their exceptional reproductive performance.
They are highly fertile, reach puberty at an early age, will breed
throughout the year, and are prolific. They are known for having
docile, calm dispositions.
Parasite Resistance
St. Croix sheep can withstand heat and humidity better than British
sheep breeds. What is most noteworthy about St. Croix sheep is their
resistance to internal parasites. Numerous studies have documented
their exceptional parasite resistance. Researchers at Virginia Tech
are studying the genome of St. Croix sheep to learn what makes them
so resistant to worms.
www.stcroixsheep.org
www.stcroixhairsheepbreeders.org
www.stthomashairsheepbreeders.org
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Animal
Health Requirements for Showing in Maryland
In order to exhibit/show livestock in Maryland, you must have an
approved copy of a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). Each
animal must be identified on the certificate. The CVI for Maryland
exhibitors must be filled out, completed, and signed by an accredited
veterinarian within 45 days of the first exhibition. Faxed certificates
will not be accepted. Incomplete forms will be returned.
Within 45 days of your first show, you should have your animals
inspected by an accredited veterinarian. After completing the CVI,
you should mail or hand carry it (along with a copy) to the Animal
Health Lab in Annapolis, the Frederick Lab, or the lab in Oakland.
All animals will be inspected for general health upon arrival to
the show. Those showing clinical signs of any contagious or infectious
disease will be removed from the show or fair. The State Veterinarian
reserves the right to the final determination. In such cases the
health certificate may be modified, suspended, or revoked.
Approval of all entries for the first showing in Maryland will extend
in 60-day increments through the show season, providing that the
status of the herd/flock or animal(s) does not change. The CVI must
be signed and dated on the reverse side by a MDA animal health official
at each event to extend the 60-day effective date.
The 2006 Fair-Show Requirements and CVI can be downloaded from the
MDA web site at
www.mda.state.md.us/animal_health/ (click on
fair-show requirements).
Scrapie requirements
All sheep and goats, regardless of age or sex, must be from flocks
registered in the scrapie control program and so identified by a)
USDA approved tags, b) a legible registration tattoo, or c) an approved
premise tattoo, before going to a Maryland fair or show.
TB and Brucellosis
Goats originating in Maryland from herds not under quarantine or
restriction, are not required to be tested for Brucellosis or Tuberculosis
for shows in Maryland.
Out-of-state exhibitors
All out-of-state entries must be accompanied by a valid interstate
Certificate of Veterinary Inspection. An approved copy of the certificate
must be forwarded by the State of Origin to the Animal Health Section.
The interstate (CVI) is only valid for 30 days from the date of
issue. |
Featured
Web Sites
Shepherd’s Notebook Blog
Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter)
that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption.
Shepherd’s Notebook is a blog, recently created by Susan Schoenian,
to provide up-to-date information to sheep and goat producers. The
url is http://mdsheepgoat.blogspot.com.
Anyone can create a blog. They are a free, easy way to create a
web presence. Visit www.blogspot.com
to create your own blog.
http://mdsheepgoat.blogspot.com
“Aussie” Worm Boss
WormBoss represents the Australian national knowledge on sheep
worms and their management. WormBoss was developed by the Australian
Sheep Industry Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and Australian
Wool Innovation. You can practice doing worm egg counts using the
site’s virtual worm counting graphic and/or subscribe to WormBoss
so that you’ll be notified when there are updates to the web
site.
www.wormboss.com.au
RVC/FAO Guide to Veterinary Diagnostic Parasitology
The RVC/FAO Guide to Veterinary Diagnostic Parasitology provides
step-by-step instruction on doing fecal examinations for ruminant
parasites – from collection of fecal samples to interpretation
of results.
FAO is the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
In addition to the parasitology guide, it provides numerous other
resources. Use the site’s search engine to find other information
pertaining to small ruminants.
www.fao.org/ag/againfo/resources/documents/Parasitology/Index/Index.htm |
Calendar
of Events
April 20 and 27
Sheep and Goat Enterprise Development 101
Frederick County Extension Office
Frederick, Maryland
Info: Terry Poole at (301) 694-1594 x13577 or tepoole@umd.edu
April 29
Goat and Sheep Auction
Somerset County Fairgrounds
Princess Anne, Maryland
Info: Dr. Niki Whitley at (410) 651-6194 or nwhitley@umes.edu.
April 29
Meat Goat Nutrition Workshop
Meat Animal Evaluation Center
Rock Springs, Pennsylvania (near State College and Penn State)
Info: Gene Schurman at (724) 465-3880 or exs10@psu.edu
May 6-7
Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival
Howard County Fairgrounds
West Friendship, Maryland
Info: www.sheepandwool.org
June 17
4th Annual Production Sale
Scott County Hair Sheep Association
The Home Place
Gate City, Virginia
Info: Pete Odle at (276) 452-2772 or jodle@vt.edu
June 21
Maryland-Delaware Wool Pool
Maryland State Fairgrounds
Timonium, Maryland
Info: Rich Barczewski at (302) 857-6410 or rbarczew@desu.edu
|
 The
Maryland Sheep & Goat Producer is published bi-monthly by University
of Maryland Cooperative Extension. It is written and edited by Susan
Schoenian, Area Agent, Sheep and Goat Specialist, at the Western
Maryland Research & Education Center. To receive the newsletter,
contact the Western Maryland Research & Education Center: 18330
Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756, (301) 432-2767 ext. 343
or 301, fax (301) 432-4089; or e-mail: sschoen@umd.edu
or cmason@umd.edu. The cost
of receiving the newsletter by mail is $10 per year payable to the
University of Maryland. The newsletter is free when accessed via
the Internet. You can be added to a list to receive an e-mail message
when a new newsletter has been posted to the web at http://www.
sheep andgoat.com/news. Comments and suggestions regarding the
newsletter are always welcome. Articles may be reprinted with permission
of the author(s). Article submissions are encouraged. |
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