A SPECIAL PRODUCERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ® C A L I F O R N I A Dairy & Livestock ®
Sheep graze in Solano County. Veterinarians and farm advisors say the animals provide subtle indicators when they’re getting sick. Noticing the early signs can prevent significant losses in farm income.
A keen eye is needed to detect illness in sheep, goats ByBob Johnson
signs of trouble such as poor appetite or failure to drink enough water or put on weight. “We miss more by not looking than by not knowing,” she cautioned. “It is important to look at your animals often.” The health seminar was part of a series that is to include a pasture lambing field day in early March, a guardian dog field day to learn about choosing a puppy and helping them bond with sheep or goats they will protect, and a sheep husbandry field day to learn about foot health, vaccinations and ewe nutrition. It can be particularly difficult to notice signs of trouble with sheep, saidDanMacon, a UCCE livestock and natural resources advisor who raises sheep in the foothills outside Auburn. “Sheep are so stoic you may not notice something is wrong unless you are really watching them,” Macon said. Busch said she believes goat and lamb health involves a complex interaction among the pathogens, whether the animals are susceptible or resistant to those pathogens, and the environment. “All these things work together, so it’s important to take a step back,” she said. “We can focus on disease prevention, control or eradication.”
California farmers raise a half million sheep and 140,000 goats. They are valued for their wool, meat and milk, and they also help manage fires by managing range- land weeds. Sheep alone bring in $5.3 million in farmgate earnings and produce 2.4 million pounds of wool. Evenminor sicknesses for the animals can be costly in lost revenue. But safeguarding sheep and goat health is a persistent challenge. It often comes down to subtle indicators that take a concerted effort to detect, according to University of California Cooperative Extension veterinarians and farm advisors. These animals tend to be raised in small flocks of sheep and trips of goats in the interface between forests and pasture or cropland. Their health issues can cause loss of performance in weight gain, milk production or fertility, even when the animals do not appear to be sick. “We are really concerned about disease when we find animals that are dead or really sick,” said UCCE veterinarian Rosie Busch during an online seminar on sheep and goat health last month. “But the problem can be that they just don’t perform very well.” There is no substitute, according to Busch, for keeping a close eye out for changes in the animals’ behavior or performance. Even if a farmer cannot diagnose ailments, Busch said it is essential to monitor
See ANIMALS, Page 16
February 23, 2022 Ag Alert 15
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