Routine livestock farm operations

Objects of grooming are For cleanliness and appearance To massage and stimulate the cutaneous blood and lymph circulation To remove waste products viz. Skin secretions, Scurf , Loose hairs To prevent spread of skin infection.

Horses The process of grooming

Quartering: Consists in wiping the horse’s coat with a damp sponge or cloth to remove urine stains and brushing off pieces of dung etc., Dandy Brush: This is made on stiff whisk of fibre generally of the yellow variety. The neck, behind the ears is groomed first in the same direction as the flow of the hair. Body brush and curry comb: The curry-comb is used as a scrapper the body brush. The brush bound be scraped on the curry comb after, every three or four strikes on the horse’s coat and should be used with length strokes. Wisp: This is made up of straw or Hay. To make, a wisp, twist straw into a 8 or 10 feet long. If used properly the wisp puts fine gloss on to horse’s coat.

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Sweat scrapper: It is used to remove superfluous moisture from the body of a horse.

Water brush: They are meant for brushing the mane and tail and for washing the feet and legs. They are also sometimes used for the face.

Mane-comb: It is used on them by taking small strands and combing them out separately.

Stable rubbers: Are generally used to give the coat a final polish after the rest of grooming is completed.

Hoof pick: To remove the dung from the clefts of the frog, from the sole of the foot and from the fuller of the shoe.

In commercial and farm stables horses are groomed twice daily i.e once during early morning feed and again after return from work in the evening. In reaching stables the times for grooming vary.

Judging cleanliness after grooming

Inefficient grooming denotes, lines of grey left on the skin and grey scruff on the points of the fingers, when the points of the fingers run firmly against the set of the coat.

To assess the efficiency of grooming the following parts of the body should be examined carefully (1) poll region (2) inside the ears (3) bend of the knees and hocks (4) under the belly (5) and between the fore legs and thighs.

Cattle Grooming of cattle is not done elaborately as in the case of horses. In cattle,

sweat glands are not so well developed, they lick themselves and remove a good deal of dirt form the body.

A dandy brush is used in western countries. In our country coir glouse (kappai) made up of coir having enough space for holding (2) wisp made up of straw and (3) straw (paddy) bundles are used for grooming. The grooming of cows includes the washing of udders with warm water and drying with a damp cloth. Grooming should be done two hours before milking.

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Dogs

Grooming is necessary for longhaired breeds. A stiff dandy brush is used for rough-coated breeds and a soft brush for delicate types.

The coat is combed first to remove tangles and the brush being used to finish it off.

For rough haired dogs the coat is finished off by brushing backwards stripping consists of removing same long hairs either by comb or by blunt knife.

Cats

The cat’s hair which sheds more or less continuously requires removal by brushing. If unbrushed, the loose hairs are licked off and swallowed thus develop “hair balls” in the gastro-intestinal tract.

A stiff brush is used and the coat is brushed, a comb being used to remove the gathered hairs from the bristles of the brush.

Clipping

Horses

Horses are clipped about twice during the winter.

Automatic clipping machines or hand clippers can be used.

Hand clippers are used to hogg, the manes and to trim the fetlocks.

Clipping out: It is done for appearance sake or for dealing with skin affection.

Hunters clip: It protects the legs from cold and injuries.

Saddle patch: This prevents the feel of the cold saddle and also avoids

irritation by the short stumps of clipped hairs

Clipping trace high: Heavy and light draught horse working in towns are

clipped trace high.

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Hogging: Means clipping the mane.

Banged tail: The long hair of the tail is cut off level with the hocks

Fan tails: Are tails which have been docked and have had the hairs cut off or

“pulled” about 2 to 3” below the stump.

Rat tail clip: Is one in which the hairs growing on the lower half of the

undocked tail are cut off close to the skin.

Pulling: To trim a tail either a long one or a fan, tail, a few hairs at a time of a

small lock should be pulled from the lower surface with mane comb also any

long straggling hairs from the sides.

Singing: Is to burn off long hairs.

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Cows

The hair is removed for the region of the udder, the sides of the abdomen and from the tail and hind quarters.

Sheep clipping of sheep is know as shearing.

Fine wooled sheep are shorn short Coarse wooled breeds are shorn such that one inch wool is left in the skin for

protection. Sheep are shown twice a year Two methods of shearing are (1) along the sheep and (2) around the sheep.

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Dogs

May be clipped for dealing with cases of skin affections. Poodles and other breeds are clipped or trimmed for show purposes.

In eastern Countries dogs are clipped in hot weather except at the chest region. Plucking or stripping with a knife, is a better method to get rid of surplus hair.

Hand plucking is often preferred for dogs for show purposes. Daily use of dandy brush keeps the dog’s coat I good condition.

Washing

Horse Horses are not usually washed all over as it removes the natural oil from

the skin and predisposes to chills. Washing is done for the following reasons (1) for the cure of the skin diseases (2) to improve the appearance just before shows and sales. Cattle

Washing is done to remove the dirt and for clean milk productionWallowing

Buffaloes left to themselves seek water and remain almost totally submerged in it for long periods during the heat of the day. Such wallowing helps the buffaloes to regulate their body temperature by avoiding heat radiation effect from the sun. Pigs

In tropics, pig management in summer again, necessitates the construction of either wallows or provision of spray in devices to keep them comfortable and for good growth.

Wallowing

Dipping of sheep

Reasons

To remove waste materials and dung from the fleece, prior to shearing. To eradicate ectoparasites. To prevent spread of “sheep scab” To wart off attacks by blowflies resulting in maggots. Dipping is done usually

twice a year i.e once before shearing and a second time when the fleece has grown long.

Precautions before dipping

Do not dip ewes in advanced pregnancy to avoid inducing abortion. Always offer water before dipping so that sheep will not drink the dip Always rest sheep before dipping Do not dip sick animals Dip about a month after shearing when the there is sufficient dip Dipping should preferably be completed before noon Allow sheep in a draining pen for sometimes before turning them out on the

pastureChooses a day is possible when the weather is not too hot

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Methods of dipping

The hand bath used for small flocks. Each sheep is lifted into the bath and turned over on its back.

The swim bath: this is used for large flocks of sheep. The sheep are allowed to swim through and walk up the ramp into the drying pen.

Sheep dips: the active agents used are 1. Sulphur 2. Arsenic 3. D.D.T. and 4. Carbolic acid etc. The quantity of dip depends upon the length of the fleece.

Dipping-Swim bath method

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Pouring: means pouring a small quantity of dip into parts of the fleece along the back, sides and belly.

Smearing: An ointment with a basis of tar and grease is smeared over the skin of the sheep to destroy parasites.

Crutching: Means removing soiled and dung – stained wool by hand shears from the crutch of the sheep (perineal and inguinal regions).

Jetting: Is a method adopted in foreign countries in which the sheep are made to run through a race or “shedder” in which is fixed a pipe which plays a jet of water into the lower part of the abdomen and the crutch.

Spraying

Consists of spraying over the backs of the sheep packed fairly tightly together in a pen, a weak solution of fly-repelling dip. The spray should be in the form of a light mist, as fine as possible.

Dogs especially heavy coated ones requires washing about once a month and those with short coats less frequently. The dog should be kept warm after bath.

Farm operations calendar

The various practices to be carried out on the dairy farms routinely (daily or periodically) should be well planned and carrier out punctually, so to say.

Though minor changes in time of feeding, milking etc. may not be catastrophic but greater and long lasting changes are: the dairy cows being a creature of habit. Any changes contemplated in timing of any practice should be brought about gradually.

It is ideal to draw up a schedule of daily farm operations for each farm so that the person working on farms can carry out various operations at regular timings. This can be modified slightly by farmers/managers farming under different agro-climatic regions of the country to suit their local conditions