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This article was published in 1966
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INSTITUTE OF INSPECTORS OF STOCK OF N.S.W. YEAR BOOK.
The Recent Drought
P. S. GREEN, B.V.Sc., Veterinary Inspector, Dubbo
History
It might be as well to give a short history of the recent drought as it applied to the Dubbo area, as this had some influence on subsequent events.
The early Spring of 1964 was very good and a near record harvest was experienced. As a result of this we entered the drought in what would seem to have been a strong position. Farm silos were full of oats and the sheds were full of hay. Trefoil burr was thick on the ground and the stubble and dry standing feed were of good quality as they had not been leached by rain.
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
This could well apply to many owners. Sheep were allowed to lose too much condition before supplementary feeding was adopted. In general, owners knew little of the feed requirements of sheep under drought conditions and some fed only token rations. This resulted in further loss of condition and some deaths. The moral would seem to be to start feeding whilst the sheep are still in strong condition and to feed adequate amounts.
FEED AND FEED SUPPLEMENTS
Much of the feed purchased was not bought on a cost per food unit basis. Lucerne hay at inflated values was often used for maintenance rations when grain, at a fraction of the cost, would have been better.
OATS
This was practically the only grain stored by stock owners. It proved its worth as a very good and safe feed, even in the hands of inexperienced people. We can expect to see much greater quantities stored for future droughts.
WHEAT
This came into prominence when supplies of oats were exhausted. There is no doubt that wheat is usually the most economical feed to purchase for drought feeding and some very good results were obtained from its use. On the debit side I feel that it caused the deaths of thousands of sheep. Even when introduced to sheep gradually it can kill greedy feeders.
PELLETS
A fair proportion of feed was fed in the form of pellets. These proved to be at least as dangerous as wheat if care was not taken. Some were not as palatable as wheat and greedy feeders had access to greater quantities. As mill offal became scarce, most pellets were composed mainly of ground wheat. Some brands had linseed meal and others had urea to build up the protein content. Even when sheep were consuming large quantities of pellets, care had to be taken when changing to another brand or even to a different batch of the same pellets. Many sheep were lost from sudden changes.
LUCERNE
Lucerne has consolidated its reputation as being one of the best feeds available. Grazing lucerne provided valuable feed well into the drought. In the form of hay the main difficulty was in storing sufficient quantities due to its bulky nature. As supplies became limited it was not an economic proposition to purchase lucerne hay other than for special purposes.
SILAGE
Few owners used this type of feed, but the general impression is that it is adequate for dry sheep when they have become accustomed to it. With the use of modern machinery for putting down silage and its subsequent removal, it may be more economical to store surplus feed as silage, rather than as hay.
SCRUB
The use of chainsaws has made the cutting of scrub somewhat less onerous, but it is still very time consuming. Dry sheep can exist for extended periods on scrub alone, but little seems to be known of the feed value of scrub. Losses were attributed to poisoning by Rosewood and Kurrajong pods.
UREA
Whilst not strictly a feed, urea came into great prominence during the drought. In the absence of controls its value is difficult to assess but it appears to have played a significant role. Sheep provided with blocks containing about 20 per cent urea, certainly seemed to eat roughage, which they would have left in ordinary circumstances. Where homemade licks containing urea were used, there were often cases of urea poisoning. This happened when they were started on 15 per cent urea instead of the recommended 5 per cent with a steady build-up. It was always found desirable to satisfy the initial salt hunger of the sheep before introducing urea.
VITAMIN A
No obvious signs of Vitamin A deficiency were noted until well into the drought. Departmental recommendations seemed to be satisfactory. Weaners and ewes close to lambing appeared to be most in need of added Vitamin A.
CALCIUM
Most grain was trailed on the ground and not fed in troughs so it is likely that most of the ground limestone added was wasted. Where ground limestone was fed separately, it was a long time before sheep made use of it, even when it was mixed with molasses.
DISEASES
PREGNANCY TOXAEMIA
It soon became apparent that ewes in late pregnancy, fed solely on grain, could not eat sufficient grain to satisfy their requirements. The end result was Pregnancy Toxaemia and many ewes were lost from this condition. Good results were obtained by adding lucerne hay to the grain ration.
ENTERO-TOXAEMIA
As might be expected, several cases of this disease were noted in sheep on heavy grain rations. Some owners were hard to convince that this disease could occur in times of drought. Vaccination checked the losses.
INTERNAL PARASITES
As sheep declined in condition, worms tended to get the upper hand in some cases and drenching was well repaid. Worm burdens were not as seasonal as we have come to expect. Coccidiosis was noted in some early-weaned lambs.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT
As a result of the run of good seasons, most owners entered the drought relatively overstocked. Some of the older and wiser members and others who made lucky guesses, sold surplus stock at reasonable prices. It was amazing how sheep maintained condition under light stocking conditions, even without supplementary feeding. The relative absence of rabbits no doubt played a big part in these and other cases.
Departmental recommendations as to feeding once or twice weekly were found to be sound. Perhaps twice weekly feeding got better results. Pregnant ewes required daily feeding.
Many lambs were lost through desertion and mismothering. Desertion was mainly brought about by the ewes not having sufficient feed and having little or no milk as a result of this. Mismothering often occurred when ewes rushed the vehicle, which was spreading the feed. Some owners overcome this by feeding at night.
Early weaning of lambs was not widely carried out but it can pay dividends as it is often better to feed the lamb direct instead of channeling feed through the ewe. Lambs weighing more than 16 to 20 lb. are big enough for early weaning. Feeding on lucerne hay and grain got good results. An alternative is cereal hay, grain and linseed meal.
WATER
As the drought lengthened, it soon became apparent that water was a limiting factor. Many of the ground tanks in my area could be classed as "pot holes" at the start of the drought and some of these contained more silt than water. This has since been rectified in many cases.
The wisdom of sinking deep tanks to lessen evaporation was well demonstrated. Underground water supplies proved to be of great value for stock water and irrigation. I feel that (it) would be of great value if a survey were made to determine the boundaries and extent of our underground water resources.