#61
THE KIDDING PEN
Feb. 2012
A PUBLICATION OF WSU-KLICKITAT COUNTY EXTENSION
S
March 31
Lambing School, Lamont, WA.
Marcia Parrish, wssp@gmx.com or 509-888-3003.
April 7
Lambing School, Lamont, WA.
Marcia Parrish, wssp@gmx.com or 509-888-3003.
April 21
Southwest WA Lambing School,
Puget Island, WA. More info in future issue.
May 19
2nd Annual Goat Academy, Centerville, WA. Contact Reneé Kreinbring at
renee.kreinbring@gmail.com or 509-225-0371.
More info in future issue.
crapie, Scrapie, Scrapie. This issue contains
a LOT of info about Scrapie! Why is this topic
so important? First of all, Scrapie is a contagious and fatal disease of sheep and goats; anyone
who cares about sheep and goats will want to do
anything they can to eliminate this deadly disease.
Secondly, to meet the goal of becoming Scrapiefree by 2017, the U.S. needs the cooperation of
educated and motivated producers. Scrapie-free
certification will ensure the health, quality and export status of the U.S. sheep and goat herds,
boosting the value of all animals. There is a great
deal of free support for Scrapie program compliance as the articles that follow will show.
The
Kidding
Pen
is
available
at
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/wasco/smallfarms/
Kidding%20Pen/kiddingpen.php in English and
Spanish. We welcome input from producers! Send
your announcements, comments, suggestions,
recipes and educational articles to:
Dr. Susan R. Kerr
228 W. Main St, MS-CH-12
Goldendale, WA 98620
kerrs@wsu.edu, 509-773-5817; 509-773-5707 (fax)
THE LURE OF GOING ON-LINE
by Susan Kerr, WSU Extension Educator - Klickitat Co.
http://vetmed.iastate.edu/HumaneEuthanasia. Excellent source of info for humane euthanasia of
sick, injured or debilitated livestock. Enter the site,
download the brochure; goat info on page 6.
www.sheepgoatmarketing.info/news/HumaneSlaug
hter.pdf. One page, step-by-step description with
photos of halal slaughter.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1
1
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ar7D-GARhI. Video of
trimming sheep hooves.
Save These Dates!
The Lure of Going On-Line
Scrapie Program Update: How Producers Can Help
Scrapie ID Requirement Presentations Available
FACT Has Money for You!
WSDA Sheep and Goat Info Day
Winter Webinar Series Continues
Rogue Farm Corps Internships
Hydatid Disease: Are You at Risk?
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/Items/8398.aspx.
Photos and signs of illness associated with 30 poisonous plants in California.
www.sheepandgoat.com/recordings.html. Archived
webinars from Univ. of Maryland on a variety of
small ruminant topics including parasites, management of pregnancy, vaccination, weaning, nutrition and much more.
SAVE THESE DATES!
Feb. 18
Lambing School, Mabton, WA.
Marcia Parrish, wssp@gmx.com or 509-888-3003.
Feb. 25
OSU Small Farms Conference, Corvallis, OR. Contact Chrissy Lucas at 541-766-3556
or Chrissy.Lucas@oregonstate.edu or go to
http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/2012SFC.
Feb. 25
NW OR Dairy Goat Association Annual Conf., Oregon City, OR (article last issue)
March 15
Agri-Lite deadline (article last issue)
March 17
WSDA Sheep & Goat Info Day,
Moses Lake. See article.
www.farmhack.net. National Young Farmers’ Coalition site for new farmers to share info.
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Extension programs and policies are consistent with Federal
and state laws & regulations on non-discrimination regarding
race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, and
sexual orientation. Evidence of non-compliance may be reported through your local Extension Office. The information
herein is supplied for educational or reference purposes only,
and with the understanding that no discrimination is intended.
Listing of commercial products implies no endorsement by
WSU Extension. Criticism of products or equipment not listed
is neither implied nor intended.
records for at least five years. Record keeping examples and optional formats are available to producers.
SCRAPIE PROGRAM UPDATE:
HOW GOAT PRODUCERS CAN HELP
by Millie Chopic, WSDA Scrapie Program Coordinator
On Farm Goat Samples Needed
USDA is asking for owners of goat herds to
submit the heads of animals that have died or are
slaughtered on your farm for Scrapie testing. The
submission of heads by producers is an easy process:
1. Call or email Millie Chopic at (360) 864-6320 or
millie.m.chopic@aphis.usda.gov to obtain free
shipping boxes that include a pre-paid air bill, ice
packs, plastic bags, ties and submission worksheets. Detailed instructions and further guidance
will also be provided.
2. Remove the head from the dead sheep/goat
(an instructional video is available) or have the
slaughter facility/truck save and return the head
to you. A short instructional video is online at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5CGt6v5KTM.
3. Keep all Scrapie tags, other ear tags and tattoos with/on the ears of the animal.
4. Fill out the easy submission worksheet and
package the head according to the instructions in
the box.
5. Ship overnight using the enclosed pre-paid air
bill to the USDA Veterinary Services Remington
Facility.
Thanks to the partnership between producers,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and
states, tremendous progress has been made eradicating Scrapie in sheep and goats.. Washington
State is collecting Scrapie slaughter surveillance
samples and on-farm samples. During 2011, 445
sheep samples and 21 goat samples were collected that had Washington Scrapie tags. No
Scrapie cases were discovered in Washington in
2011.
In 2006, Washington had a positive Scrapie
goat case, so the state is required to submit 241
goat samples in 2013 and beyond. Last year, only
21 goats with WA Scrapie tags were sampled. Producer assistance is needed to meet Washington’s
goat surveillance sampling goal and the goal of
eradicating Scrapie in the U. S. by 2017.
Surveillance in Goats
In 2011, for the first time there were more
Scrapie field cases in goats than in sheep. In 2008
and 2011, two significant Scrapie outbreaks occurred involving 18 positive goats. The initial case
in each outbreak was discovered through owner
submission of a suspect animal. In one outbreak,
although sheep had resided on the farm years earlier, none of the positive goats had contact with the
sheep. In the other outbreak, the positive goats no
longer resided with sheep. This indicates that to
eradicate Scrapie from the U. S. it will be necessary
to conduct higher levels of slaughter surveillance in
goats similar to what is being done for sheep. Current goat identification rules are inadequate to allow
for effective slaughter surveillance in goats. To address this situation, USDA is planning to publish a
proposed rule that will consider making the identification requirements for goats similar to those currently in place for sheep.
How goat producers can help
1. Recognize signs of Scrapie. Infected sheep
and goats usually show signs of Scrapie from 2-5
years of age or older, caused by damage to the
nerve cells in the brain. Early signs include behavioral changes, tremors (especially of head and
neck), scratching and rubbing against fixed objects,
loss of coordination, weakness, weight loss despite
retention of appetite, biting of feet and limbs, lip
smacking, gait abnormalities, including high stepping of the forelegs, hopping like a rabbit, and
swaying of the back end. Videos of sheep and
goats showing clinical signs of classical Scrapie
can
be
viewed
at
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_di
seases/Scrapie/. Have a veterinarian evaluate
sheep/goats showing these clinical signs or call the
Washington State Veterinarian’s office (360) 9021878 or USDA Veterinary Services office (360)
753-9430 to report Scrapie suspects.
2. Keep a closed flock/herd. Select replacement
does from kids born in your flock. This eliminates
the risk of purchasing a doe unknowingly infected
with Scrapie. Scrapie is usually transmitted by females during lambing/kidding.
3. Obtain replacement does from Scrapie Flock
Certification Program certified flocks and herds
which have taken measures to lower the risk for
Scrapie infection.
Importance of Identification & Record Keeping
Producers can help prevent Scrapie by ensuring goats are Scrapie tagged/identified before being
moved from farms, sold at a livestock market, sold
by private treaty, exhibited, or slaughtered. Call
Millie Chopic at 360-864-6320 to obtain FREE
Scrapie ear tags and pliers and receive specific
requirements for the identification of sheep and
goats, including use of tattoos for goats. Livestock markets request all goats be tagged.
It is important for producers to keep good records of sales and purchases. This year, two
Scrapie positive sheep could not be traced due to
poor records. Because the incubation period for
Scrapie is typically three to five years, it is critical
that producers keep tagging, purchase and sales
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4. Keep confined kidding areas as clean as
possible by discarding placenta, birth fluids, and
contaminated bedding. Use household bleach (6 ¼
cup bleach in 9 ¾ cups water) to disinfect clean,
dry, solid surfaces and equipment.
5. When at fairs prevent direct, prolonged
physical contact especially with any female sheep
or goats that have a vaginal discharge, have recently lambed/kidded or aborted. Separate by a
vacant pen, barn alley, or solid barrier.
6. Make sure goats have Scrapie ear tags before leaving the farm. Call 1-866-USDA Tag (1866-873-2824) or Millie Chopic directly at 360-8646320 to obtain free Scrapie ear tags and pliers and
obtain specific goat ID requirements.
7. Participate in Scrapie surveillance by submitting samples from goats that have died or
been slaughtered on your farm. Categories of on
farm goats to sample include:
A. Dead goats 2 – 5 years of age or older.
B. Any goat that show clinical signs of Scrapie.
FACT HAS MONEY FOR YOU!
The Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) has
an initiative to help farm animals and farmers alike.
FACT’s Healthy & Humane Farm Funds Project will
provide grants of up to $1500 to qualifying humane
farmers who need assistance in improving the welfare of their farm animals. We will award grants for
projects that help farms transition to pasture-based
systems; improve the marketing of their humane
products; or more generally enrich the conditions in
which farm animals are raised.
FACT's Healthy & Humane Farm Funds Project
empowers farmers to positively impact farm animal
welfare. Farmers often want to make changes to
give their animals a better life, but sometimes need
financial assistance to make it happen. We recognize that farmers have the technical expertise to
make farms more humane, and can effectively use
small grants to make these changes.
The application and application guidelines can
be found at www.humanefarmfunds.org. The deadline for applying for grant funds is April 1, 2012. For
more info, contact Lisa Isenhart at 773-525-4952 or
lisenhart@foodanimalconcerns.org.
Assistance by the goat industry toward
Scrapie eradication is vital and greatly appreciated. Please call or email Millie Chopic with
USDA Veterinary Services at (360) 864-6320 or
millie.m.chopic@aphis.usda.gov to ask questions, obtain free shipping boxes to submit
sheep and goat heads for Scrapie surveillance
or to order free Scrapie tags.
WSDA SHEEP & GOAT INFO DAY
On March 17, the Washington State Department of Agriculture will sponsor a Sheep and Goat
Information Day at Big Bend Community College
ATEC in Moses Lake, WA. Registration for this free
event will be from 8 to 9 AM. The program will begin at 9 AM and conclude at 4:30 PM. Lunch will be
provided at no charge.
Presentation topics will include Scrapie requirements and updates; rumen basics; ultrasounding techniques; basic veterinary care; new parasite
control considerations; CAE, CL, and other small
ruminant diseases; and an “Ask the Experts Anything” roundtable discussion.
Those interested in attending should contact
Sarah Smith at smithsm@wsu.edu or 509-7542011, Ext. 413 or 800-572-0119 by March 9 to
guarantee lunch.
[Editor’s note: The National Scrapie Flock Certification
Program is being revised. The new program will have an
option for sheep and goat producers who want to certify
their flocks Scrapie-free and another option with fewer
requirements for participants who want to reduce the
likelihood of the introduction of Scrapie into their flocks
but do not wish to become certified Scrapie-free].
GOAT/SHEEP SCRAPIE IDENTIFICATION
REQUIREMENTS PRESENTATIONS AVAILABLE
from the Eradicate Scrapie! Information Initiative
Two presentations, "Goat Identification: Visual
& Electronic" and "Identification Requirements of
the National Scrapie Eradication Program for
Sheep" have been combined into one CD by the
USDA National Scrapie Education Program (NSEP)
with support from the National Institute for Animal
Agriculture.
The presentations cover basic information regarding which goats/sheep must be identified. The
presentations are available in PDF format at
www.eradicatescrapie.org for printing or downloading to a CD. An order form to request a free copy of
the presentation is also available.
WINTER WEBINAR SERIES CONTINUES
The winter webinar series sponsored by the
University of Maryland continues. The Feb. 9 program will focus on ration balancing and Feb. 16 on
nutritional disorders. Webinars run from 7:30 to
8:30 PM EST. The first 100 people who log onto
https://connect.moo.umd.edu/sschoen/ will be able
to participate. Past webinars are available at
www.sheepandgoat.com/recordings.html.
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2012 ROGUE FARM CORPS INTERNSHIPS
Rogue Farm Corps Farms Next internship program provides beginning farmers and ranchers entry-level training in sustainable agriculture. Through
an innovative cooperative education program,
Farms Next combines hands-on training, classroom
learning and farm-based education on a diverse
network of commercial family farms in Southern
Oregon's Rogue Valley.
Farms Next internship program offers opportunity for work experience in:
• Raising livestock, including cattle, goats, bison,
poultry, sheep, and pigs.
• Organic vegetable, herb, seed and flower production at various scales.
• Marketing techniques, including direct marketing
through farmers markets, restaurant sales and
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.
• Farm-based education and agri-tourism opportunities.
For more info about the program, contact
Megan Fehrman at 503-622-0161 or go to
www.roguefarmcorps.org.
Fig. 1. Graphic adapted from http://dpd.cdc.gov.
Hydatid disease happens when immature tapeworms encyst in human organs including the brain,
eyes, spleen, kidneys, heart, bone, central nervous
system, and particularly lungs and liver. These
cysts can grow very slowly, taking years to become
large enough to cause any discomfort. Due to their
contact with both sheep and dogs, most cases of
Hydatid Disease occur in sheep producers.
Prevention and control measures:
• Prevent dogs from feeding on the carcasses of
infected intermediate hosts (dead sheep, goats, elk,
etc.) The practice of feeding raw livestock offal
(lungs and other discarded organs) to farm dogs is
a major factor in the perpetuation of this disease on
a premise. Any livestock producer who partakes of
this practice should cease doing so immediately.
• Control stray dog populations
• Restrict areas of home slaughter of sheep and
other livestock; do not give farm dogs or wild
canines access to these areas
• Properly dispose of offal by effective composting,
deep burial, landfill or other legal means that will
prevent canine access
• Do not consume food or water that may be
contaminated by canine fecal matter
• Wash hands with soap and water after handling
dogs and before handling food
• Do not encourage wild animals to come close to
your home or keep them as pets
• Wear protective gloves when dressing any
carcass or handling canine feces
• Cook meat to 165°F before eating
• Do not harvest or consume sick animals
• Regularly deworm at-risk dogs with effective
tapeworm medications.
For more information:
www.cdc.gov/parasites/echinococcosis
www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/docs/ParasiteFlyer.pdf.
HYDATID DISEASE: ARE YOU AT RISK?
by Dr. Susan Kerr, WSU-Klickitat Co. Extension Director
If you have dogs and goats, the answer is YES.
Echinococcus granulosus is a tapeworm that infects members of the canine family. The life cycle
of the domestic biotype (Fig. 1) involves dogs as
definitive host and domestic grazing livestock
(sheep, goats, cattle) as intermediate hosts. The
northern (sylvatic) biotype involves canines (dogs,
wolves, foxes, coyotes) and wild ungulates (elk,
deer, moose, etc.).
The adult tapeworms are ~1/4” long and attach
to the host’s small intestine lining; they discharge
eggs into the environment. After eggs are ingested
by the intermediate host, the parasite migrates and
encysts in lung, liver and other tissues. When these
animals die and their infected tissues are eaten by
canine scavengers, the life cycle is completed.
Domestic dogs can be a bridge between this
disease in wildlife/domestic livestock and humans.
Dogs can become infected if they scavenge infected carcasses. Their fur can become contaminated with infective eggs from their own feces or by
their rolling in infected wolf, coyote or fox feces.
Humans can enter the scene if they ingest E.
granulosus eggs. One means of transmission is by
failing to practice effective handwashing practices
after contact with the contaminated fur of domestic
dogs. Accidental ingestion can also happen if a
human swallows contaminated food, water or soil.
The eggs can persist for many months given favorable environmental conditions.
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