ON THE ROAD & In the Public Eye

JASON DUGGIN, BEEF EXTNESION SPECIALIST UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA DEPT.

OF ANIMAL & DAIRY SCIENCE

Once a load of lambs or ewes hits the roadways, our operations become very public. We are in the public eye. Although no one ever leaves the house expecting to be the focal point of first responders, it does happen more often than any of us would like to think. It may be an accident, truck fire, or maybe someone just left the gate open. This is also when the public will often see livestock up close for the first time. Public perception most certainly matters. It affects all our meat animal industries. This article will overview 4 main topics to consider for transporting sheep and other livestock. Then we will overview what to do in case the worst, unfortunately, does happen.

#1 Trailer Bodies and Flooring

During a discussion with a stockyard owner, I asked what they thought was the major issue they had to deal with every week. Without much hesitation their answer was trailers with bad flooring, slick flooring and homemade trailers held together by straps to name a few. It may be funny for a moment but not when we have livestock in a bad situation, and not to mention asking first responders to deal with these issues for which they are not often trained. Although it is not pleasant to discuss, livestock have arrived at markets and other destinations missing hooves or worse. This is something we must avoid as an industry. It starts on our own operations and when possible, when we can have a positive influence on others, encouraging them to make livestock trailers and transportation a bigger priority.

#2 Trucks

Overloading is a real issue that can cost a producer both time and money, but it’s much bigger than that. If a truck stalls on a significant grade or when seconds count, those make for some scary situations that can risk the lives of those in the trucks and others on the roadways, not to mention the sheep. Find those maximum load numbers for your truck and trailer and have them handy for reference.

#3 Tires and Components

Sometimes trucks have mechanical issues and at other times trailers do. Trailer issues dealing with flat tires and wheel bearings with a load of sheep can be stressful on the animals and the humans. Checking tire tread and making sure the tires are of good quality is a great start. Unfortunately, I’ve changed too many tires on the side of the interstate. Most of those instances where due to insufficient tires for the job (someone wanted the cheapest tires). Once we got heavier ply tires, my trips have been largely uneventful.

#4 Roadway Checklist

In addition to those things mentioned above, the following list is an abbreviated version of things to think about before hauling your sheep or any other livestock.

1. Making sure brakes and lights are in good working order is a no-brainer for many, but it’s always good to get those reminders.

2.Look for animal nest or fuel line leaks under the hood, particularly for those rarely driven pickups to prevent firs. This happens quite often.

6. Plan the trip: Check for potential traffic delays; Look at the weather forecast for potential storms, extreme heat or significant windchill.

9. Make sure the trailer doors and gates are shut and latched before driving. It does happen.

10. Load with as little stress and excitement as possible.

3. Shiney, new aluminum floors need bedding.

4.Have health papers from a veterinarian for interstate travel

5. Driver’s License and Insurance

7. Have a chain with a lock ready when stopping at public areas to deter anyone that might want to intentionally let your sheep out. It may not be ideal to always keep it on in case of an accident or fire.

8. Make sure the trailer is correctly hitched before loading. Always double check.

11.

Livestock cannot be hauled longer than 28 hours unless water and space to lay down is provided.

12.

Biosecurity: when hauling newly acquired sheep or lending trailers, wash trailers with soap. Use disinfectant.

Finally, let’s look at what needs to happen if the worst occurs. If a roadway emergency occurs with sheep, here are the things first responders will need to consider. These steps are for large You may be the key person to answer questions and give advice.

1. Containment-if a livestock trailer has wrecked or even rolled over, prepare an animal containment area before letting sheep or other animals out of the trailer.

Panels and barricades – Obviously, sheep panels that are flush to the ground are the best option. Containment for sheep can be quickly set up using portable panels. There are lots of options, but an inverted cattle panel and plenty of rope may be the easiest thing to source in an emergency (Figure 1). Dimensions are typically 10 to 12 foot in length by approximately 4 foot tall (excluding feet).

Figure 1: Inverted Cattle Panel for Temporary Containment

2. Livestock Handlers & Trailers for animal relocation-Contact people with livestock handling experience and cattle trailers that can relocate animals to a local sale barn or other facility with good containment, water and hay.

3. Scene Security-Traffic control in areas where there may be loose livestock.

4. Provide information for scene access -all responders. Livestock people bringing aid and trailers may need an escort to enter the scene.

5. Often, the state’s Department of Agriculture will need to be notified to observe biosecurity protocols are followed and expired animals are properly disposed.

6. Vet on site if possible - The attending veterinarian will need a proper method of euthanasia. A 22 magnum or larger is needed for most mature livestock to be humanly euthanized. Analgesics or sedatives such as xylazine may be needed. Drug delivery poles may be necessary for delivery, but both are often very hard to find. Firing weapons in trailers should be avoided.

7. Dead Animal Disposal/Roll-off Dumpsters - or other Animals found dead at the accident scene will need to be discreetly transported to a landfill.

8.Relocation of Animals - Stockyard or other location.

IN LARGE INCIDENTS, FIRST RESPONDERS IN CHARGE OF HANDLING THE SCENE WILL NEED TO ALSO DO THE FOLLOWING:

9. Get insurance information for carrier - contact early as possible; verify payment of resources used.

10. - Track resources that are used for scene

11. - Incident Debrief

Hauling is a necessary part of the sheep and livestock business. Whether we haul our own or hire it done, let’s make safety for the humans and the livestock the top priority.

Managing nutrition during breeding season is critical for improving lambing rates, but it can often be a challenge. When breeding for spring-born lambs, forages are declining in nutritional value while nutrient requirements for sheep are increasing. Fall lambing requires breeding when heat can challenge conception. Regardless of the time of year, it’s important to keep ewes and rams in mind before, during and after breeding season. Prior to and throughout breeding, many producers utilize flushing to increase ovulation rates. During the breeding season, rams are working hard to service ewes in heat while attempting to meet their own nutritional needs. Increasing the flock’s plane of nutrition continues to play an important role in ewes by reducing early embryonic death and helping rams recover after breeding.

Ewe Management

Success of breeding is largely dependent on nutrition. Simple management techniques, such as flushing or managing ewe lambs that are still growing separately can boost breeding success. Simply put, flushing means increasing your flock’s plane of nutrition at least two to three weeks before and after breeding. Flushing helps to initiate estrus, improve ovulation and increase conception rates by promoting the ewe’s body to signal to the reproductive tract that she is ready to support herself plus a growing fetus or fetuses. Additionally, flushing improves embryonic attachment to the uterine wall, hence reducing the number of early embryonic deaths, which most commonly occur within the first 30 days of conception. Ensuring that ewes are bred within that first 21 days (the first heat cycle) can help shorten your lambing window. High-energy feeds, such as corn, are commonly used for flushing at approximately one pound per head daily. Moving ewes to a higher-quality pasture or cover crop can also elicit a similar response to flushing. Ovulation and weaning rates are positively influenced when ewes can consume greater amounts of quality forage.