Thursday November 14, 2013

Day Twenty..

A workshop start to the day - which consisted of removing a tractor wheel, fixing a puncture and replacing the wheel, ok, so we actually removed a wheel and put that one back on and then fixed some punctures on the 'dummy' poorly tyres - but we got the gist! When jacking up a tractor assess the potential dangers; ensure the ground is flat and even, ensure the handbrake is on and put the tractor in a low gear. Put wooden blocks round the wheels keeping contact on the ground and put a supporting jack or block in place - to catch the tractor should the jack fail. If the jack is metal and the tractor surface is metal place a wooden block between the two surfaces to reduce the risk of it slipping. Lift the wheel so that it just clears the ground. Once off, you need to remove the tyre from the rim, but make sure the tyre is deflated fully first. We then unseated the wheel beads from the rim using two metal tools with lips at each end that hook under or over as required. We then added air back into the tyre to help locate the puncture and marked it/them with a chalk cross. The air was let back out and the puncture repair kit used to fuse a new rubber layer on top. With the tyre still flat it is worked back inside the wheel - starting at the valve end, and the bead then put back in place on the rim - carefully with the two lever tools. The tyre was then lifted upright ready for the air to be pumped back in - checking the manual for the correct PSI - in this case 20 was sufficient. When the wheel is ready to be put back on the tractor it is useful to use a torque wrench as this will only move to the desired Nm (Newton Metres) which is selected on the lever. carefully lower the tractor back down, remove blocks and job done.

This afternoon, we started by discussing the various issues that can affect breeding in sheep, including Barreners - those who do not get in lamb, Dystocia - those that sustain problem lambing, Prolapse - when the cervix is pushed out, Agalactia - the lack of milk to feed young, Twin Lamb Disease (pregnancy toxaemia) - where the ewes energy requirements exceed their energy intake, Abortion - Enzootic abortion is highly contagious, and 99% of infection at its highest at lambing time, and, generally a Poor Mother - where the ewe is totally disinterested in the young. It is very important therefore to follow a good management programme with your ewes, because if a ewe is not able to reproduce, then it is not worth anything more than slaughter value! We continued our livestock lecture discussing more diseases that affect farm animals, their systems and where there is a cure - what to do! * Good note * where a farm animal needs rehydrating, following a bout of diarrhea for example, you can provide them with a home made drink consisting of 1 Pint of warm water; 1 Tablespoon of Glucose (or ordinary sugar) and 1 Teaspoon of Salt - this is a great pick me up and can be given to calves 2 to 3 times a day for a couple of days while antibiotics get to work!!!