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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Have your say in our short survey and tell us what you feel are the key issues facing your land in the Central Tablelands.
Your feedback is really valuable and it helps inform planning our services and project delivery.
Click for more info and to take the survey
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LIVESTOCK DISEASE REPORT
A few recent issues to be aware of...
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Copper toxicity in sheep
Cases of primary copper toxicity have been diagnosed in sheep across the Central Tablelands in the last few months.
Two types of copper toxicity are seen in sheep, primary and secondary - with secondary being more common.
Primary copper toxicity occurs when sheep ingest toxic levels of copper such as in plants or pellets, while secondary is seen when the liver, where copper is stored, is damaged, resulting in a mass release of copper into the blood.
Copper causes red blood cells to rupture releasing haemoglobin, the breakdown products of which cause kidney damage leading to sickness and death. All cases diagnosed have been grazing clover dominant pastures for many months.
Secondary copper toxicity is often seen in fat ewes grazing clover over spring and summer. These sheep often have previous liver insults, mostly from pyrazolidine alkaloid toxicity, but primary copper toxicity on clover is not readily reported.
It is suspected that recent La Nina conditions have allowed clover to persist and be grazed for many months leading to a sustained low dose intake of copper eventually building to toxic levels.
Sheep with copper toxicity are either dull and sick, or dead. Postmortem results reveal bright yellow fat, swollen black kidneys and dark coloured urine. A diagnosis of copper toxicity is confirmed by analysing kidney and liver for copper levels.
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Copper toxicity - Postmortem results reveal bright yellow fat
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Red gut in sheep
Red gut, also known as intestinal torsion, is a sudden death syndrome seen in sheep grazing lush pasture, particularly lucerne, clovers and other legumes.
When lush, highly digestible fodder moves rapidly through the intestines it leads to increased and rapid intestinal motility. These types of pastures also produce large amounts of gas as they ferment in the large intestine.
Increased intestinal motility coupled with increase size of the hindgut and caecum can allow abnormal positioning of the intestines, which in some cases, can cause one of the large blood vessels that supplies the small and large intestine to torse and become occluded. This obstruction compromises the blood supply to a large section of the small and large intestine which rapidly dies.
Affected animals show brief signs of abdominal discomfort followed by death. Most cases of red gut are reported as sudden death.
Treatment of affected animals is not recommended however, prevention by supplementing animals grazing high risk pastures with roughage, such as ad lib hay, helps to slow the transit of digesta through the gastrointestinal tract and reduce hindgut bloating both of which help prevent displacement of the intestines.
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Red gut, also known as intestinal torsion, is a sudden death syndrome seen in sheep grazing lush pasture, particularly lucerne, clovers and other legumes.
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Calf diphtheria
Calf Diphtheria is an infectious disease of the larynx, pharynx and mouth of calves caused by the bacterium fusobacterium necrophorum.
Fusobacterium necrophorum is a normal part oral and intestinal flora of calves and is also commonly found in the environment.
Calf diphtheria is usually seen in dairy calves and is rare in beef calves. However, in 2020 we saw cases in 2-3-month-old beef calves on several properties.
It is a most distressing condition, causing calves to struggle to breathe as their larynx becomes progressively obstructed by the infection.
It can be treated with antibiotics but often the damage is so severe that calves may die despite treatment.
We presume that this increased prevalence is due to seasonal factors in 2020 but we can’t explain it at this stage.
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Larynx of a calf that died of calf diphtheria
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LIVESTOCK DISEASE ALERT
To look out for in the weeks ahead...
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Weaning calves
Spring 2020 calves will be weaned in the next couple of months. From previous research we know that calves are susceptible to internal parasites in the 5-6 months after weaning.
A drench combined with weaning onto prepared, low risk pastures gives good early worm control.
Weaning is also an appropriate time to give a clostridial 5:1 booster (the first having been given at marking). We recommend 7:1, which also covers against leptospirosis, for replacement heifers if feral pigs are a problem.
If you are in a selenium deficient area, weaning is also a suitable time to supplement calves with long-acting selenium. Some producers will also vaccinate against respiratory disease at this time.
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Second summer drench
The aim of summer drenching is to reduce pasture contamination in the following autumn and winter. We recommend the first summer drench in late spring or early summer and a second summer drench in March-April.
To determine if a second summer drench is necessary, we recommend that you conduct a worm egg count and discuss the results with your animal health advisor.
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Time to check your bulls and rams
Brett Littler - Senior Land Services Officer, Livestock
brett.littler@lls.nsw.gov.au
0427 007 398
With autumn joining fast approaching for sheep and cattle, it is a timely reminder to check your rams and bulls.
Before putting your bulls/rams out, it is always a good idea to get them into the yards and give them a good go over, starting from their head and work your way through to their back feet.
Click to read Brett's tips on what you should be checking for.
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Now is a good time to check your rams and bulls
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Purchased PTIC heifers?
Brett Littler - Senior Land Services Officer, Livestock
brett.littler@lls.nsw.gov.au
0427 007 398
Over the last 6-12 months there have been lots of PTIC (preg tested, in calf) heifers for sale and lots of “heifer bulls” purchased as well. This means that there are a lot of heifers in calf and expected to calve this autumn or spring. After looking at mobs on some properties and some of the sale lots online recently, I think it is important to talk about the management of these heifers to minimise any potential issues.
Click to read about the importance of sound selection and nutrition.
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This bull is lame in the back leg and is not able to work.
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This short survey for producers and advisors will help identify the key weeds for a new NSW DPI research project which aims to develop an autonomous robot capable of finding and then selectively spraying the target weed in a pasture.
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Got mice? Get help
Landholders should be vigilant for mice activity and be conducting through checks of crops, paddocks, sheds and machinery for signs of mice damage.
In particular areas across the region, mice have become a more persistent problem with base populations carrying over from one year to the next, so year-round vigilance is key to staying on top of the population.
No rodent control products are restricted, so you are able to purchase these control products from rural supply retailers.
The GRDC has a wealth of information about mice control, which can be found on their website.
MouseAlert is a free resource, an can help you to notify producers in your region about changes in mouse activity.
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Contact a district vet
Your District Veterinarian is a valuable resource for local and independent advice on biosecurity and animal health issues. They can investigate herd and flock problems to help maintain a productive and secure local livestock industry.
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Kate Peffer, Molong
0409 496 908
Nigel Gillan, Orange
0438 700 398
Bruce Watt, Bathurst
0428 935 559
Amy Masters, Orange
0428 710 002
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Lucienne Downs, Orange
0417 043 966
Jess Bourke, Mudgee
0417 803 685
Emilee Johnstone, Cowra
0419 334 077
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Contact the ag team
The agriculture advisory team supports you in managing your livestock and landscapes by providing support services, pasture and livestock advice and industry training to increase productivity and profitability.
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Phil Cranney, Orange
Pastures
0458 745 478
Clare Edwards, Mudgee
Pastures
0428 435 615
Peter Evans, Lithgow
Sustainable Agriculture
0438 496 851
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Brett Littler, Mudgee
Livestock
0427 007 398
Karen O'Malley, Cowra
Horticulture
0428 103 665
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Report any suspicion or outbreak of an emergency animal disease
Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline - 1800 675 888
Emergency animal diseases are likely to have severe consequences for livestock productivity, trade or possibly even human health. By remaining vigilant and acting quickly if you suspect an emergency animal disease, you may be able to prevent these consequences.
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If you know or suspect of a plant pest or disease, call the
Exotic Plant Pest Hotline - 1800 084 881
or use the online notification form
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