DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION

Photo taken 24.12.2007

AFTER RAIN

Photo taken 26.11.2010

SHEEP DROUGHT LOTS EXPERIENCES AT “TARANDI”

INTRODUCTION

• “TARANDI” 1488 Ha

• MIXED FARM IN HAREFIELD NORTH / EAST OF WAGGA • CROPPING ON AVE APPROX 600 HA INCLUDING GRAZING WHEAT, CANOLA, NARROW LEAF

LUPINS AND PASTURE WITH OR WITHOUT A COVER CROP EACH YEAR. • PASTURE SOWN INCLUDES 2 X PHALARIS, LUCERNE, VARIOUS CLOVERS AND CHICORY

• CURRENTLY RUNNING JUST OVER 3,700 CROSS BRED EWES JOINED TO A DORSET RAM FOR

6 WEEKS TO START LAMBING LAST WEEK IN JULY.

• PURCHASE APPROX 1,000 CROSS BRED EWE LAMBS EACH YEAR. ANY EWE NOT JOINED SELL ON HOPEFULLY STILL WITH LAMBS TEETH.

• 2013 WEANED 4,550 LAMBS

• THE GRAZING CROPS ALSO ALLOW US TO TAKE ON APPROX 600 HEAD STEER’S OR HEIFERS ON A WEIGHT GAIN BASIS.

INTRO CONTINUED

• Livestock important to Tarandi’s makeup, Pastures most important.

• Aim to maximise mm of rainfall in saleable kilograms per ha of various commodities. Egg Lamb, Wool, Beef, or Grain .

• Hence Drought lots

• Pastures costly to establish, must be looked after at critical times such as droughts , or simply when ground cover limits are reached.

• Various terms used to describe drought lots

– Containment, or sacrifice area.

• DROUGHT LOTS refers to maintenance feeding of sheep at high stocking rates in confined areas, where all feed and water supplied. Primarily to minimise pasture and soil degradation.

DROUGHT LOTS

• When establishing drought lot area

• KEEP IT SIMPLE – LOCATION, TYPE OF FENCE, COSTS, SPACE REQUIREMMENTS, MOB SIZES, TROUGHS,

WATER .

• Number of publications available listing above points

• End of the day you have to be – Practical, realistic and decision making is limited to what you have available.

• Tarandi’s drought lots are – SIMPLE ,

– COST ARE KEPT DOWN,

– THEY WORK.

ADVANTAGES OF DROUGHT LOTS

• Pasture density and composition is preserved

• Rapid regrowth post drought

• Soil & nutrient loss minimised

• Prevent sheep chasing green pick and expending energy after a rain event

• Full ration feeding is little more compared to paddock feeding. BUT kept adequate ground cover ready to respond to the break.

• Sheep adapt to life in drought lots better than imagined – Mental battle penning sheep up in these confined areas

– In Windy conditions sheep seem to sit down bum into wind eyes closed and chew their cud.

– First lots no shade, put their head under the ewe in front .

DISADVANTAGES OF DROUGHT LOTS

• Need to remove sheep from pens if rain occurs

• Need clean water in each pen (I think 7lit water/sheep/day in summer.

• Grain poisoning.

– Building up the ration to a full feed

– Rain

FENCE AND PEN DESIGN

• Hinge joint commonly used

– Extra expense/time not necessary

• One article adult dry ewe minimum space required is 2-5 square metres.

1ST DROUGHT LOTS

• NO SHADE

• CLOSE TO YARDS TO DO HUSBANDARY

•FINE DUST INFILTRATE EVERYTHING

CONSTRUCTION OF DROUGHT LOTS • STEEL POSTS 4M APART

• FLEXI BELL ELECTRIC FENCE WIRE

•EASY TO USE

• GRIPPLE’S FAST & SIMPLE

•CAN RE TENSION WIRES

100mm

180mm

150mm ELECTRIFY EITHER WIRE

150mm

140mm

150mm

GROUND LEVEL

• ELECTRIC WIRE BIGGER GAP, IF SHEEP WANTS TO CHALLENGE THE FENCE THATS WERE I WANT HER TO TRY.

• TO DATE NONE BOXED

• PENS 100M X 20M •2.9sq m

• THIS SIZE URINE USEFUL IN HELPING TO SETTLE DUST.

• PENS HAD AROUND 700 SHEEP IN THEM.

• PENS SHOULD BE 22M WIDE AS EASIER TO TURN UTE AROUND IN.

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUED • VARIOUS TROUGH DESIGN

• BEST BLUE PLASTIC 44

•LESS WATER WASTAGE WHEN CLEAN OUT ONCE A WEEK COMPARED TO BLACK TROUGH BOTTOM RIGHT.

• SPECIAL ORDER FLOATS LONGER STRAIGHT THREAD TO SCREW A BEND ONTO.

• IMPROVEMENTS

• PUT A COVER OVER FITTINGS TO SAVE FROM ULTRAVIOLETS.

•WELDED A GUARD OVER FLOAT SO THIRSTY DOGS CAN’T JUMP IN FOR SWIM AND A DRINK, AS THEY BREAK

• APPROX 700 SHEEP PER PEN ADEQUATE WATER AS ALL DON’T DRINK AT THE SAME TIME.

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUED

WING

• WING TO AID IN GETTING SHEEP INTO DROUGHT LOTS

• ONLY USE TOP GATES TO LOAD SHEEP INTO DROUGHT LOTS

• DON’T GO FROM PEN TO PEN AS SHEEP WILL GET BOXED.

• GOING TO ADD A FENCE OUT THE FRONT, ANY GROWTH OUT SIDE OF DROUGHT LOTS SHEEP WILL RUSH OUT TO EAT

FEEDING • SOME PUBLICATION FEED TROUGHS NECESSARY TO PREVENT FEED WASTAGE.

• 15-20CM FEED SPACE RECOMMENDED.

•700 SHEEP NEED 105-140M PER PEN

•IMPRACTICAL

• KEEP IT SIMPLE FEED ON THE GROUND AS HAVE ALL DAY TO CLEAN UP.

• LENGTH OF TRAIL IMPORTANT AS SOME SHEEP WILL GET TWO GOES.

• ALL SHEEP CAN GET ON TRAIL

• TREE GAURDS ARE NECESSARY OTHER WISE RINGBARK THE TREE.

• JOINING IN DROUGHT LOTS

FEEDING • TWO BINS, CAN FEED TWO GRAINS. e.g. WHEAT, LUPINS.

•INCREASE PROTEIN

• GUARDS ON TRAILER VERY NECESSARY AS HUNGRY SHEEP DON’T THINK

• RUBBER SPOUT BOTTOM OF FEEDER GIVES A NICE NEAT TRAIL.

• LYNAX ELECTRIC RAM CONTROLLED FROM INSIDE THE UTE CAB

•DEPEND ON STAGE OF RATION VARIOUS SETTINGS

• 200g/hd @ 1.6kg/sec

•700g/hd @ 7.5kg/sec

• SETTING INFLUENCES LENGTH OF TRAIL VERY IMPORTANT

FEEDING CONTINUED • HAY/STRAW FEED MON, WED, FRI

• GRAIN FEED TUE, THUR, SAT

• SUNDAY SHEEP HAVE DAY TO CLEAN UP

•EACH MOB IS FEED A WHOLE BALE AS AVE BALE WEIGHT IS KNOWN

• GRAIN RATION IS WORKED OUT ACCORDING TO MOB SIZE.

• STRAW IS BETTER THAN HAY AT PREVENTING GRAIN POISONING AS LESS DIGESTIBLE, SHEEP SPEND MORE TIME CHEWING THEIR CUD.

• SALIVA CONTAINS BICARBONATE WHICH IS A GOOD BUFFER

LANE WAYS • VARIOUS LANEWAY SYSTEMS

• LANEWAYS CONNECTING ONE END OF PROPERTY TO THE OTHER

• ALL FEED INTO WOOLSHED

• MOVING SHEEP AROUND ONE MAN OPERATION

• TWO PEOPLE CAN MOVE TWO SEPARATE MOBS AROUND LANEWAYS AT THE SAME TIME.

• A MUST FOR RAPID STOCK EVAC FROM DROUGHT LOTS IF RAINS

• EVAC FROM DROUGHT LOTS TIME CONSUMING.

• IF VERY STRONG CHANCE OF RAIN FORCASTED GET ORGANISED BEFORE THE EVENT

• TRY TO HAVE HAY FEED TO STOCK IN PADDOCK BEFORE RAIN, AS VERY LITTLE TO EAT IN PADDOCK.

• RAIN - TIME OF CONFUSION, FULL DROUGHT RATION GRAIN POSIONING A PROBLEM

RAIN

• SHEEP STILL NEED TO BE FEED IF EVAC FROM DROUGHTLOTS.

• ON GRAIN DAYS REDUCE AMOUNT FED, DUE TO HIGH RISK OF GRAIN POISONING

• CHANCE IT RAINS ON GRAIN ONCE FEED OUT, STOCK DO NOT CLEAN UP AS WELL, POTENTIALLY SMALL NUMBER OF EWE’S COME BACK TO FEED TRAIL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN GRAIN POISONING.

• EVAC FROM DROUGHT LOTS SO NOT IN MUD AS HIGH RISK OF FOOT ABSCESS

CONCLUSION

• PERMANENT FIXTURE USED SPORADICALLY

• EXCELLENT INVESTMENT

• KEEP IT SIMPLE

• ABILITY TO KEEP GROUND COVER

• RAPID PASTURE GROWTH ONCE RAINS BIG ADVANTAGE

• LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FULL DROUGHT FEEDING AND PADDOCK FEEDING.