Experimental farm

At  the beginning of the year we had to do practicals at the University's Experimental farm. It was for 6 days early morning before class.

The first day we went to the sheep where we did Famacha - check for wireworms (Haemoncus contortus) by lookingat the mucous membranes of their eyes.

"As Haemonchus are blood suckers, the effects of a heavy parasite burden in non-resilient animal will therefore be evident as a low ratio of red cells to plasma. This is seen in the mucous membranes of the eyes as a visible paleness generally known as anemia. By monitoring anemia, resilient and susceptible animals can be identified." http://www.scsrpc.org/SCSRPC/FAMACHA/famachainfoguide.htm

We also trimmed the hooves of some of the sheep.

Hoof trimming.

The following 3 days we helped in the milking parlour from 5-7 am. We learned how to follow the correct milking procedure and how the milking machine works.

Holstein cows of the Experimental farm.

After the cows we weighed some of the young goats, because it is necessary to keep record of their weight gain. It helps to see if one is ill or if something else is wrong - when it does not gain weight.

On the last day of the 6 we went to the Layer house where we collected the eggs and learned about the system.. 

I HATE the battery system. 

Farm practicals

During the December holidays of 2011 a friend and I went to 4 different farms to gain knowledge about the animals and the general management of them, because we have to write a report on all 4 for VKU 220 (Animal science) which is a subject in the second semester of 2012. 

We first went to a pig farm near our home (where my parents and two sisters still live and where I go during holidays :) ) in the Western Cape. We helped with newborn piglets, docked tails, clipped tusks, gave iron injections and dosed the piglets. We observed how AI was done and we saw how they mated. I did not like the piglet screams and how they are handled at all!

Sows being washed just after their piglets have been weaned.

The second farm was Fairview just outside Paarl where we worked with goats. They have Saanen, British Alpine and Toggenburg. We helped with milking, cutting abcesses, gave injections to the young goats, dosed them and weighed them.

A friendly Saanen doe.

Next we went to a dairy cow farm near Hartbeespoortdam in Gauteng. We helped with milking the cows (with machines), castrated some of the bull calves with castrate elastics, burned the horns so that it does not grow out and we just watched the daily activities of mixing feed, feeding them, how they act when they are in oestrus, AI and caring for the heifer calves before weaning. We also had the chance to do a rectal palpation to try and feel the cervix.

Jersey cows.

Lastly we went to a beef cattle farm near Bela-Bela. The farmer has Beefmaster, Brahman and some Bonsmara cattle. We watched how feed is mixed for the bulls in the feedlot, saw how oestrus is detected, how AI is done and we had the chance to go with the farmer to an auction.

A beefmaster bull.