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July 7 (evening)
Garrett College
McHenry, Maryland
Contact: Willie Lantz at wlantz@garrettcollege.edu or Ann Sherrard at anns@umd.edu or (301) 334-6963

August 3 (twilight)
St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds
Leonardtown, Maryland
Contact: Ben Beale at (301) 475-4484 or or bbeale@umd.edu.

September 7 & 8 (evenings)
Washington County Ag Expo
Boonsboro, Maryland
Contact: Jeff Semler at (301) 791-1404 or jsemler@umd.edu

Additional workshops will be held in other counties and states. Contact the extension agent in your county if you're interested in attending a workshop in your county/region.

A New Device to Measure Tails

In 2005, the minimum standard for tail length for lambs shown in Maryland 4-H shows will be 0.7 inches. The tool which will establish whether a lamb meets the minimum standard is called a "DeTail Device." There are two lines on the barrel or trough of the device: 0.7 inches and 1.4 inches from the end of the barrel.

With the lamb standing, the DeTail Device is placed under the tail, with the tail contained in the trough. If the end of the tail at least meets the edge of the 0.7 inch recessed line closest to the lamb, it is deemed to have met the minimum standard. Enforcement of the 0.7 inch minimum standard will be done at the time of weigh-in at shows. Use of the Detail Device at initial weigh-in and/or at the start of the project can identify animals that might have problems meeting the 0.7 inch minimum standard at show time.     

It is recommended that exhibitors use the DeTail Device as they search for prospective show animals. Based on a five-state study, if a lamb measures 1.4 inches at "weaning," there is a 99 percent probability that the lamb will measure at least 0.7 inch at market (show). The device is not a guide for docking lambs. It is still advised to dock all lambs at the distal end of the caudal tail fold. In a five-state study involving 782 lambs, 99 percent of lambs docked at the distal end of the caudal tail fold measured 0.7 of an inch or longer at market, as measured by the DeTail Device.

Nutrition and Feeding Short Course to be held in Frederick

A Small Ruminant Nutrition and Feeding Short Course will be held on October 28, November 4, and November 18 (all Thursday evenings) at the Frederick County Extension Office. The short course will combine lectures with hands-on activities and will stress practical information that producers can use to feed and manage their flocks. Registration information will be available from Terry Poole, tel. (301) 694-1594 ext. 13577 or tepoole@umd.edu.

Willie Lantz is Garrett County’s New Agricultural County Agent

Willie Lantz has been hired as a Faculty Extension Assistant for Agriculture and Natural Resource Programs in Garrett County, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of long-time county agent Jim Simms. Willie was previously an instructor for the Alternative Agriculture Program at Garrett College, where he oversaw the college's 2-year agricultural education program, which included a meat goat herd. Willie currently provides leadership to the MPWV¹ Meat Goat Producers Association and serves as its vice president. Willie can be reached at the Garrett County Extension Office at (301) 334-6960 or by e-mail at wlantz@garrettcollege. edu.

¹Maryland-Pennsylvania-West Virginia

Maryland Cooperative Extension Receives SARE Marketing Grant

A grant proposal entitled, "The Mid-Atlantic Sheep & Goat Marketing Project" has received funding from Northeast SARE¹. The intent of the grant project is to build on the accomplishments of the Northeast Sheep & Goat Marketing Program (NESGMP) and extend its benefits further south into the Mid-Atlantic states: Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and North Carolina. The NESGMP was originally funded by a USDA grant received and administered by Cornell University.

The new grant will provide funding to revise and expand the Northeast Sheep & Goat Marketing Program’s web site --sheepgoatmarketing.org -- previously based at Cornell University. Funding will also be available for educational programs on marketing sheep and goats to the ethnic/religious markets.

¹Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program

Focus on Research

Applied Research Program Initiated in Western Maryland

Sixty-five (65) Boer x Spanish doelings arrived at the University of Maryland's Western Maryland Research and Education Center (WMREC) in Keedysville (9 miles south of Hagerstown) on May 3, marking the start of the applied small ruminant research program at the facility. This is the first time that sheep and/or goats have been at the 500-acre research facility. The goats will graze at the facility through the end of October and are being used in various internal parasite studies. Sheep will be incorporated into the research program in the future.

In addition to being a research facility, WMREC is the administrative home for the Western Region of Maryland Cooperative Extension. Six regional extension specialists are housed at WMREC. Their expertise covers such diverse topics as nutrient management, viticulture, fruit crops, forestry, and farm management, in addition to small ruminants. Numerous research projects are conducted at WMREC.

Of greatest interest to sheep and goat producers is the cool season grass variety trials being conducted by agricultural extension agents, Don Schwartz (Washington County) and Stan Fultz (Frederick County). The grass plots have been managed to simulate intensive grazing by livestock. Three years of yield and stand persistence data has been collected and are available to the public. The grass plots were replanted this year.

Editor’s note: Producers are encouraged to provide input as to the type of sheep and goat research they would like to see conducted at WMREC. Contact Susan with your ideas.

Probiotics in Meat Goats Diets

Dr. Niki Whitley
University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Giving beneficial microorganisms called probiotics (or direct-fed microbials) orally to animals has become quite popular in livestock production. Commercial probiotics are usually combinations of good microbes ("bugs") that are already present in the digestive tract (stomach and/or intestines) to some degree along with other microbes that are beneficial to the existing microbes. Examples of microbes (probiotics) commonly used in commercial probiotic mixtures are yeast and lactobacillus (acid-loving) species.

A couple of years ago, we began using probiotic paste to treat sick animals on the university farm and found that it cleared up diarrhea quickly. Then, we began using it as a preventative any time we knew animals would be stressed (weaning, moving, changing feeds) and bought some in the form of a feed additive to make it easier to administer. Because bottle babies commonly have stomach disruptions, we also began to put a dispersable powder form of probiotics in milk replacer as well. Since then, many commercial companies have realized how well probiotics work and have included them in their milk replacers already, so we do not have to add more.

Since probiotics have been found to increase feed efficiency and rate of gain in cattle and sheep, we conducted a study to see if it would do the same for goats in a feedlot. Forty-four female and castrated male crossbred meat goats approximately 135 days old and weighing approximately 50 lbs. were used. They had been weaned at an average of 80 days and placed on pasture until the study. All animals were fed the manufacturer suggested labeled dose for goats of probiotics (Fastrack, Conklin Co.) as part of our standard operating procedures until 21 days before the study began. Then, half the goats (22) had the labeled dose (.5 oz/head/day) of probiotics added to their diet while the other half was fed the same diet without probiotics (15% Meat Goat Ration, medicated; Southern States, Inc., Richmond, VA). There were 3-4 goats per pen with at least one female per pen and the study lasted 8 weeks. Goat body weight and feed intake (weighing uneaten portions of pre-weighed feed) was measured every 7 days. Feed efficiency was calculated as feed:gain (lb feed consumed/lb BW gain).

Overall body weight gain for the entire treatment period was higher for probiotic-treated animals than for untreated (control) animals, however, average daily gain (approximately 0.4 lb per day) and feed efficiency (approximately 5.8 lb feed/lb gain) were not influenced by probiotic treatment. The goats on this study were older than might normally be introduced into a feedlot situation. However, towards the end of the study, weights seemed to be diverging, with the probiotic group gaining faster than the control animals. In addition, standard operating procedures for this farm are to use probiotics when introducing animals to the feedlot, therefore, untreated animals had previously been treated with probiotics. If this had not been the case, the results may have been different. Therefore, more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of probiotics in meat goat feedlot diets.

Editor’s note: UMES will be conducting another studying utilizing probiotics. Both lambs and kids will be fed probiotics. Look for the results of the study in future issues of the newsletter.

Condensed Tannins Reduce Internal Parasitism in Goats

Researchers at Langston University (Oklahoma) studied the effect of short-term consumption of a forage containing condensed tannins (Sericea Lespedeza) on gastro-intestinal worms in goats. Groups of Spanish wethers (avg. wt. 47 kg) were utilized for the experiment. They grazed Sericea Lespedeza (46 g extractable condensed tannin per kg) for 15 days. The control diet was rye and crab grass (6 g extractable condensed tanning per kg). After 15 days, the groups of goats were switched to the alternative diet for another 15 days.

The mean fecal egg count and total fecal egg output was reduced in goats consuming Sericea Lespedeza compared to the goats grazing rye and crab grass: 2,500 vs. 750 eggs/gram and 173 vs. 45 x 104 eggs per day. The percentage of eggs developing to L-3 larvae was also reduced from 99 to 58.2 percent in the goats grazing Sericea Lespedeza.

The researchers concluded that the grazing of Sericea Lespedeza, a forage containing condensed tannins, reduced fecal egg output from gastro-intestinal worms and reduced hatching and development of larvae, which would reduce pasture contamination by infective larvae, thereby reducing the need for anthelmintics to control parasites.

Source: Small Ruminant Research. March 2004.

2002 Ag Census Released

Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the Census of Agriculture attempts to reach every agricultural operator in America through a mail survey. Follow-ups by telephone or personal interview are conducted for those who do not respond by mail. Data represent all agricultural operations, defined as any place which sold or normally would have sold more than $1,000 worth of agricultural products during the census year.

U.S. Sheep and Lamb Inventory

According to the census, the U.S. sheep and lamb inventory declined from 8,083,457 head in 1997 to 6,341,799 head in 2002. There were 77,112 sheep farms in 1997 compared to 73,814 in 2002. While sheep production continues to decrease in traditional sheep-raising areas such as the West and Midwest, sheep numbers increased in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and most of the southern states.

2002 Maryland Sheep/Lamb Inventory

The Maryland sheep population declined slightly over the five-year period from 23,552 head in 1997 to 22,707 head in 2002. The number of sheep operations in the state went from 685 to 655. The counties in Maryland which have the most sheep and lambs are Carroll, Frederick, and Harford.

U.S. Goat Inventory

According to the Ag Census, there were 2,530,466 goats in the United States in 2002, of which 1,938,924 were classified as meat or “other” goats. Texas has the most goats by far: 1,194,289. The second biggest state for goat production is Tennessee, which has 114,664 head of goats. States having more than 50,000 goats include Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Alabama, and California.

2002 Maryland Goat Inventory

Seventy (70) percent of the goats in Maryland were categorized as meat or other goats. The counties in Maryland which have the most goats are Carroll, Frederick, and Garrett.

Disease In-Depth

Meningeal Worm
Brain Worm - Deer Worm
Paralaphostrongylus tenius

What is it?
The meningeal worm is an internal parasite (nematode) of the white-tailed deer. It usually completes its life cycle in deer without causing noticeable problems. However, when unnatural hosts, such as sheep and goats, become infested with meningeal worm, the parasite moves into the brain and/or spinal cord and causes neurological problems and can be fatal. Llamas and alpacas are even more susceptible to meningeal worm infection than sheep or goats. Cattle and horses are not affected.

The life cycle of the meningeal worm requires terrestrial snails or slugs as intermediate hosts. White-tailed deer become infested with P. tenius by eating snails or slugs that contain the infective stage of the larvae which migrate through the deer’s gut and eventually move into the central nervous system where they mature into adults, produce eggs, and the life cycle begins again. However, when P. tenius-infected snails and slugs are ingested by aberrant hosts, the larvae migrate into the brain and/or spinal cord. They do not mature into adults, but rather the immature larvae wander through the central nervous system causing inflammation and swelling which damages sensitive nervous tissue producing a variety of neurologic symptoms. Experimental evidence suggests that it takes 10 to 14 days for the parasite to reach the brain and/or spinal cord after the animal eats the infected snail or slug.

Symptoms.
The neurologic signs observed in infected sheep and goats depend upon the number of larvae present in the nervous tissue and the portion of the brain or spinal cord that has been affected. A mild infection may produce a slight limp or weakness in one or more legs, while a more severe infection may cause an animal to be partially or completely paralyzed. When larvae migrate to the brain, they may cause blindness, a head tilt, circling, disinterest in or inability to eat, or other signs that mimic brain diseases. Affected animals may get progressively worse, remain static, or in some cases improve without therapeutic involvement. In most cases, infected animals remain alert and continue to eat and drink normally.

Click HERE to see QuickTime movie (1.9 mb) of a goat displaying symptoms of meningeal worm infection.

Diagnosis.
Meningeal worm infection cannot be diagnosed in the live animal. Sheep and goats are “dead end” hosts for the parasite, and since the larvae do not produce eggs or pass larvae into the feces, a fecal examination is not useful. The parasites cannot be detected by blood testing. The only way to confirm diagnosis is to find the parasite in the nervous system, which requires a necropsy examination. Testing the cerebrospinal fluid, which requires the animal to be tranquilized or anesthetized for extraction, may also help to support suspicions of brain worm infection.

Diagnosis in the live animal is based on symptoms and clinical history. Usually animals have been grazing for at least two months and there is a history of deer in the area. Diseases which look similar to meningeal worm infection include: listeriosis, CAE, scrapie, rabies, trauma, copper deficiency, vitamin E/selenium deficiency, spinal cord or brain abscess, or polioencephalomalacia.

Treatment.
Many different drugs including thiabendazole (TBZ), levamisole (Tramisol®), fenbendzole (SafeGuard®/Panacur®), albendazole (Valbazen®), and ivermectin (Ivomec®) have been used in an attempt to treat meningeal worm infection. It is believed that some anthelmintics can kill P. tenius larvae while they migrate from the stomach to the brain or spinal cord, but are unable to enter the central nervous system because of a structure called the blood-brain barrier. Other anthelmintics may be able to kill the larvae regardless of their location in the body.

To date, no controlled studies have confirmed or refuted the efficacy of different treatment recommendations. In addition, treatment does not repair nervous tissue. Further, some animals with mild clinical signs may recover without treatment.

Producers who suspect meningeal worm in their animals should consult a veterinarian for treatment recommendations.

Prevention.
Prevention is difficult, but the key to controlling meningeal worm infection. While reducing deer population is rarely effective since a single deer can shed several thousand eggs per gram of feces, and the larvae are highly resistant to environmental forces, small ruminants should not be grazed in areas receiving high deer utilization. Controlling livestock access to the intermediate hosts may prove to be the most effective means of preventing meningeal worm infection. Ponds and swamps should be fenced off so sheep and goats do not become exposed to snails and slugs. It may be helpful to limit sheep and goat pasturing to fields without contiguous woodlands and to pastures that are on high ground and well-drained.

When feasible, sheep and goats should be removed from pasture earlier in the grazing season before the weather turns wet and cool. Animals kept in pastures that have wetlands and white-tailed deer should be removed from these pastures in the late summer and until the first hard freeze. If this is not possible, strategic deworming is another approach by continuously providing an anthelmintic in the feed or mineral mix or by deworming with an injectable or oral product every 10 to 14 days starting in late summer and continuing in early to mid-winter, depending upon the severity of the freezing temperatures.

Meningeal worm is not a health concern to humans.

References: P. tenuis - The White-tailed Deer Parasite, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Goat Medicine (1994) by Smith and Sherman.

The "Male Effect"

The "male (ram or buck) effect" is when anestrus (non-cycling) females are stimulated to ovulate by the sudden introduction of males (or teasers¹). The male effect relies on females and males being totally isolated from each other for at least one month. Females must be sufficiently away from males so that there is no contact by either sight or smell. The introduction of a "novel"male can circumvent the need to isolate females.

The male effect works because rams or bucks produce chemical substances called pheromones, the smell of which changes the reproductive physiology of the female and stimulates her to begin cycling. The ram's scent glands are located in the suint of his wool, while the buck's scent glands are located behind the base of the horns.

The initial ovulation will be a non-detectable "silent heat,"at 3 to 4 days after the introduction of the ram. Two peaks of estrus activity follow this around days 18 and 25. Ewes that do not conceive may cycle again in 17 days. Sixty to 70 percent of ewes conceive at the first normal estrus. Sixty to 70 percent of the remainder conceive at the next cycle. In goats, ovulation occurs 2 to 10 days after introduction of the buck.

The great value of the male effect is in the synchronization of estrus activity. Large numbers of females ovulate, conceive, and subsequently lamb or kid over a short period of time. However, the response to the male effect can be quite variable. The male effect works best in breeds which are less seasonal and during the transitional breeding season (July-August) when most ewes have not yet begun to cycle, but are almost ready to. In seasonal breeds, the male effect may only be able to advance the breeding season by about six weeks. Nutrition and body condition play a role in female responsiveness to the male, especially during the postpartum period

In order for the male effect to work, sexually active males are a must and adequate ram/buck power is required. A teaser male can be used for the first several weeks, saving the ram/buck power for the fertile mating period. The use of a sterile male does not increase the response, but may shift the lambing period.

The male effect is easier and more economical than using exogenous hormones for synchronizing estrus and/or inducing non-cycling females to ovulate; however it may be used in conjunction with estrous synchronization programs to improve results.

¹A teaser is a sterile male that has been vasectomized or epididectomized.

Reference: Sheep Production Handbook, American Sheep Industry Association. 2002 Edition, Vol. 7.

Scrapie Found in Hair Sheep

The first confirmed case of scrapie was recently found in a commercial hair sheep, proving that hair sheep will develop scrapie if they are exposed to the infective agent. Previously, scrapie had never been found in a hair sheep, and some hair sheep producers argued that hair sheep should be excluded from scrapie eradication efforts.

The incidence of scrapie in the U.S. sheep flock was recently determined to be 1 in 500 sheep. The incidence in the U.S. Suffolk breed is estimated to be 1 in 100 Suffolk sheep. However, most sheep that are exposed to the scrapie agent are slaughtered before they are old enough (> 18 months) to develop scrapie.

The prevalence of scrapie in goats is unknown, but goats are included in the scrapie eradication regulations because they will develop scrapie if they are exposed to the infective agent.

Source: KHSI Spring 2004 Newsletter

New Lab for Scrapie Testing

On January 22, 2004, The Animal and Plant Inspection Service certified BioServe Biotechnologies, Ltd. as an official USDA sheep scrapie testing laboratory. BioServe has recently launched www.scrapietesting.com dedicated their scrapie testing services. Currently BioServe Biotechnologies, Ltd. provides three Scrapie Susceptibility Tests. The tests include Codon 171, Codon 154, and Codon 136. At this time, they are able to process 2 ml blood vials. Check out www.scrapietesting.com or www.bioserve.com/scrapie/ for more information about their services and pricing.

Source: Mike Seddon, BioServe Biotechnologies, Ltd.

Receive $18 Per Ewe Lamb

Sheep producers are eligible to receive up to $18 for each ewe lamb they purchase or retain from August 31, 2003, to July 31, 2004. Eligible ewe lambs must be kept in the flock for at least one lambing cycle. Producers are required to keep records to document the purchase or retention of ewe lambs in their flock. The purpose of the USDA Ewe Lamb Replacement Retention Program is to provide an incentive for producers to purchase or retain ewe lambs to help rebuild the national ewe flock. The $18 payment rate is subject to available program funds. Producers should contact their local FSA office for additional information or to make application. The deadline for application has not yet been announced by FSA.

"No-Kill"Lamb Carcass Contest

The 2004 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival held its first lamb carcass contest in which lambs were scanned using realtime ultrasound to determine back fat and rib eye measurements. Jim Pritchard from West Virginia University did the scanning. Seventeen (17) lambs competed. Lambs ranged in age from 3 to 12 months and represented the Texel, Suffolk, and Merino breeds as well as various crossbreeds.

The Champion Carcass Lamb was a 92-lb. Texel exhibited by Bev and Sherm Pearsall from Thurmont. The Pearsalls have won the lamb carcass contest at the Festival for the past six years. A 144-lb. Dorper ram lamb exhibited by Rainbow Meadow Farms from Snow Hill, NC, had the largest average rib eye (3.7 square inches) but was disqualified from the contest because it had insufficient fat cover (< 0.10 inches). The Reserve Champion Lamb was a 97-lb. Suffolk exhibited by Kelly Mansfield from West Virginia.

Ultrasound scanning gives producers the opportunity to get carcass data on their lambs without having to sacrifice them. Scanning is ideal for evaluating potential flock sires. Next year, ram evaluation will be incorporated into the contest. Contact Susan if you are interested in learning more about carcass evaluation at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

Featured Web Sites

Sheep 101.info

Sheep101.info is a new web site to teach students, teachers, 4-H and FFA members, and beginning shepherds about sheep and sheep raising. The web site contains images and easy-to-understand text. The web site attempts to answer such questions as . . .

• What's the difference between sheep and goats?
  
• When were the first sheep brought to America.
  
• Which U.S. President grazed sheep on the White House lawn?
  
• Why are some sheep black?
  
• Why do sheep follow each other?

American Lamb Board

The American Lamb Board has launched its newly designed web site at www.americanlambboard.org. This comprehensive site provides valuable information for multiple-interest levels from stakeholders to chefs. From board information, promotional and public relations efforts to recipes and nutritional data, it can all be located on this easy-to-navigate site.

www.americanlambboard.org

Calendar of Events

July 10
Ultrasound Workshop
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Info: Dr. Niki Whitley at (410) 651-6194 or nwhitley@mail.umes.edu.

July 17-23
World Sheep and Wool Congress
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Info: (418) 832-9922 or vbernier@worldsheep.com or http://www.worldsheep.com.

July 31
Ownership deadline for USDA ewe lamb retention program.
Info: local FSA offices.

August 7
Pennsylvania Performance Tested Ram and Buck Sale and Field Day
Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center, Furnace, PA
Info: (814) 238-2527

August 27
Maryland State Fair 4-H/FFA Meat Goat Show
Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, Maryland.
Info: Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu.

August 28
Virginia Performance Tested Ram Lamb Sale
Steeles Tavern, VA. Info: Scott Greiner at (540) 231-9163 or sgreiner@vt.edu.

October 28, November 4 & 18
Sheep and Goat Nutrition/Feeding Short Course
Frederick County Extension Office
Contact: Terry Poole at (301) 694-1594 ext. 13577 or tepoole@umd.edu

October 30
Sheep and Goat Genetics Conference
Western Maryland Research & Education Center
Keedysville, Maryland
Info: Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu

Links are provided as an information service. They do not constitute an endorsement of any non-affiliated organizations, businesses, products or content of these pages by Maryland Cooperative Extension or the University of Maryland. Mention of product names is for information purposes only. It is the policy of Maryland Cooperative Extension that no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, disability, age, religion or national origin.

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 for Sheep and Goats at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center. Contributors include Dr. Niki Whitley from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) tel. (410) 651-6194, e-mail: nwhitley@mail .umes.edu and Willie Lantz from Garrett County Extension, tel. (301) 334-6963, e-mail: wlantz@garrettcollege. edu. To receive the newsletter, contact Susan at the Western Maryland Research & Education Center, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756, (301) 432-2767 ext. 343, fax (301) 432-4089; e-mail: sschoen@umd.edu. The cost of receiving the newsletter by mail is $10 per year, payable to the University of Maryland. Internet access is FREE and 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.sheepandgoat.com/news/. Comments and suggestions regarding the newsletter are welcome. Articles may be reprinted with permission of the author.

 

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