FENCING
Know the basics of good fences
Every smallholding needs fences for a variety of reasons, and not only to fulfil the adage“ good fences make good neighbours. If you keep livestock, you ' ll need fences to keep them in, to manage your grazing pasture and to keep unwanted animals out. Various veld types can be partitioned to form camps where grazing can be utilised optimally and rested periodically according to seasonal requirements. If you ' re running a horticultural operation or planning to turn your entire property into an animal free zone you ' ll still need to maintain boundary fencing to keep any wandering stock out. Like any investment in your
plot, fencing must be utilised thoughtfully. How well or how badly you plan and erect those fences will lead to either improvement or deterioration of your lands and stock. If you are new to the world
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DISEASE
From page 41
confused with other conditions which also cause a loss of condition, including worm infestation, coccidiosis or malnutrition. In cattle the disease can be confused with chronic fascioliasis and paramphistomiasis. Johne ' s disease is a controlled disease in terms of the Animal Disease Act( Act 35 of 1984). The occurrence or suspicion of the disease thus has to be reported to the State Veterinary Services. There is a vaccine for sheep and goats, namely Gudair Vaccine, made by Virbac. The vaccine may only be purchased subject to a prescription obtained from a state veterinarian. It may only be used in infected herds under the direct supervision of a state veterinarian. Vaccinated sheep and goats have to be permanently identified to the satisfaction of the state veterinarian, usually by an ear tag. If you are running a small flock as lawn mowers on your land, you probably will not want to go to the expense of having your sheep tested. However, if you are running a serious breeding programme it would be advisable to do so. There is a Vendor Declaration Form available, which one can use when buying and selling sheep and goats. A copy of it is to be found on the Gauteng Smallholder website.
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