small piece of old towel or sponge (for washing), one of Mum s old towels (for drying) and a soft brush (for grooming).

Transcription

1 If you are choosing a CALF,LAMB,GOAT,OR CHICKEN read these helpful hints. Spend time with your calf - brushing, feeding, playing with your calf and leading it around. The same with your lamb spend time playing, feeding, leading, and calling your lamb, this will ensure a responsive pet when it hears your voice and sees you. CALF Remember to avoid your calf getting scours, make sure everything is ultra clean. Also make sure that your calf s bedding (it may have sawdust on the floor of a pen) is always clean rake any soiling out of the bed regularly so your calf has a nice clean, dry place to rest. Remember to always wash your hands carefully after caring for your calf and before eating. TRAINING AND GROOMING Start with a few minutes training each day. You need to train your calf to do three things on the lead 1. TO WALK FORWARD, ALONGSIDE YOU. 2. TO TURN, WHEN REQUIRED. 3. TO STOP. TRAINING YOUR CALF happens at the same time as feeding so right from the first day, you need to spend time with your calf so it trusts you, and allows it to be held and lead. When the calf appears to accept the halter, you can begin teaching it to lead. GROOMING EACH DAY, remove your calf s cover and brush it all over remember you are brushing the hair, removing dirt and dust, not rubbing the skin so don t push too hard as your calf will move away from the pressure of the brush. Calves normally love this time, as the brush removes all the itches from its coat and also get to those hard to reach places that its hooves can t reach, or it can t scratch on posts or branches of trees. Calf covers serve two purposes they keep your calf warm and dry and also flatten and polish its coat preventing fading from the weather, and meaning your calf will have a shiny coat when it gets to calf club. The ideal cover should cover your calf from its shoulders to its rear. Be sure to watch for rubbing of hair or skin under the velcro straps. You will need some grooming equipment a bucket, some soap or animal shampoo, a small piece of old towel or sponge (for washing), one of Mum s old towels (for drying) and a soft brush (for grooming). Washing your Calf Your calf should not be washed within three days of Calf Club - this is so your calf's coat has its natural oils on the day of Calf Club. You may, however, choose to wash it when it is younger so it is used to the feeling of warm water and soap on its coat - but remember: Only wash your calf on a warm day and with plenty of sunlight so its coat dries before the day becomes dark and colder. Use a mild soap or shampoo; wet the coat thoroughly with warm water and rub in enough soap to get a good lather. Massage the coat and skin so you get all the dust, dirt and scales of skin out before you rinse it - preferably with a soft stream of warm water from the hose (if it is a warm day, the water in the hose will be a good temperature to rinse the calf's coat).be sure to rinse all the soap out of the coat because any residues of soap will limit the amount of shine you will get from the coat when it is dry. Scrape your calf's coat with the side of your hand to remove the surplus water, and then briskly rub it all over with the towel. Your calf's coat will still be damp, so you should brush it to lay the coat down flat, and leave the calf tied up in a warm, dry, clean place out of draught so its coat dries before you put its cover on. LAMB Right from the start you need to get your lamb used to being handled. When you go out to feed it, have a small bucket with warm, soapy water nearby and gently wipe around its face, ears and under its legs. Lambs don t need brushing because it can make their wool fluffy which you don t want. You must not wash your lamb. Sheep have natural oil in their wool which acts like weatherproofing a bit like your raincoat. It s called lanolin and washing with soap removes this so, if it rains, your lamb s wool will not act as it should, and the lamb will get cold and could get sick.

2 TRAINING OF YOUR LAMB starts with the first feed. Each time you go to feed your lamb, call its name and talk to it while it s feeding. You will soon find that the lamb begins to understand that you are its mother; it will run to you and follow you when you call. You can fit a collar when the lamb is a week or so old. The collar needs to be a nice comfortable one which will not chafe its skin. Ask Mum or Dad to check it for you. When you first put the collar on, the lamb may jump around and try to get it off this is normal. If you fit the collar before feeding, the lamb will soon forget the collar and get on with its dinner. If you ve been talking to your lamb, and it knows your voice, all you have to do to teach it to lead, is to attach a lead to its collar at least once every day and walk forward, with the lamb on your right, talking to it. Walk a few steps and then stop, give it some milk and make a fuss of it. The lamb soon learns that walking forward, on your right side, means food! CALLING Once your lamb knows your voice, ask Mum or Dad to come out with you before feeding to hold your lamb. Then go down the lawn or paddock and turn and call your lamb. It will run to you. Immediately feed it, and make a fuss of it. The bottle is the biggest help in training your lamb at the start but, as calf club approaches, you want to reduce the number of times you reward the lamb with the bottle, instead patting and cuddling it. How often, and how long, to train your lamb - Start with a few minutes training each day. After each session, praise and pat your lamb. GOAT It is important to remember that goats are not sheep and their needs are different but they can have similarities. Generally a kid will love human company and that makes them great family pets. FEEDING - New separated kids feed 3-4 times per day, it will drink mls then increase to the litre. If you are home and wish to feed three (3) times per day, do so. Your kid will need milk feeding for a minimum of weeks. Feed lamb replacer powders AnLamb or Denkavit or Ngahiwi calf milk powder. Be strong and resist over feeding. Kids will enjoy a cuddle and play as a substitute. Always feed luke warm milk as cold milk will give the kid a stomach ache. If the kid is thirsty when bigger give a drink of water. Kids probably won t drink water from a bucket when it is little. Use a litre bottle and make this your total volume. Remember- make 2 litres of milk the total amount given to your kid daily. Your kid is called a ruminant, which means it has 4 stomachs. Kid s milk goes straight to the 4th stomach. The grass and leaves they eat will travel through from No 1 to 4 stomachs. 10kgs is the body weight recommended before considering weaning. This will be at about weeks, but in smaller kids later. Weaning from the afternoon bottle can start at about 8 weeks - replace half of the milk for water until the feed is coloured water. Then start to reduce the milk in the morning feed. Kids will be nibbling and eating by now. Offer hay, pellets or lucerne chaff. Some trees are poisonous so look for these before your kids starts nibbling. Plants like camellia, oleander, rhododendron trees/shrubs, rhubarb and potato leaves and parsley. These will make the kid very sick and it may die. HOUSING - Your kid will need a warm and dry place to sleep. Their kennel, drum, shed should be kept clean and dry. Use straw or hay, but newspapers and old clothing can be used. When first home please remember that you have a brand new baby. Block off the kennel, house in the laundry or shed as the baby will wander looking for its mother. TYING UP - Your kid may need to be tied up while you are at school. Please use a chain and collar/choker. Rope is not so satisfactory, as it twists. Also don't have it too long. If you tie it near a fence make sure it can't jump over, it could get tangled. A runner wire should be on the ground so it can t tangle itself. Let the kid have a play when you get home. CHICKENS Red Shavers are a commercial hybrid, which have been developed for their outstanding egg production, which usually starts when the pullets are about 4 months of age. The chicks are vaccinated and sourced from a commercial hatchery and guaranteed to be hens. As chickens like to live in flocks, it is recommended that you take two chicks to ensure happy birds! Should you wish to raise some chicks for calf club competition but not keep them afterwards, you may return them to me and I will arrange for them to be re-homed.

3 CARE FOR YOUR CHICKS Handling Care must be taken when handling your new chicks. They are fragile, new born baby birds and must be treated with gentleness and kindness. Do not allow anyone to handle your chicks roughly and they need the warmth of their light bulb up to about 4 weeks of age. By following these guidelines you have a lovely, healthy, friendly bird that will look great at Calf Club! Housing Warmth is absolutely essential. The chicks must have a heat lamp or light bulb suspended over their box - the bulb will need to be raised as the chicks grow. The heat source should be at one end of the box so they can move away if they get too hot or under it if they are feeling cold. The heat must be provided 24 hours per day for approximately 4 weeks - until the chicks have developed feathers to maintain their own body heat. A cardboard box is suitable but it should have a wire netting lid to protect the chicks from other pets and to ensure they do not escape. The floor of the box should be covered with a good layer of newspaper that must be changed daily. After about a month, on a warm, sunny day they can be put in a secure, predator-proof pen outdoors, they must also have access to shade. Feeding The chicks eat chick feeder crumbs, which are available from RD1 and Fiskens. This diet will ensure the growing chick receives correct nutrition at this critical growth stage. A shallow dish for fresh, clean water should always be available; you will be surprised how much water they drink. They also like to walk through the water, so make sure the dish is not too deep, if they get too wet they will become chilled and die. When mature, hens enjoy all sorts of extra foods and scraps. WAIUKU COMBINED SCHOOLS CALF CLUB ASSN REVISED CONSTITUTION JULY 1989 REVISED CONSTITUTION JUNE 2002 REVISED CONSTITUTION - JUNE 2007 REVISED CONSTITUTION JUNE 2008 REVISED CONSTITUTION JULY The Name of the Assn shall be THE WAIUKU COMBINED SCHOOLS CALF CLUB ASSN. 2. The Assn shall be made up of Calf Clubs from the following schools: Aka Aka, Awhitu, Glenbrook, Otaua, Pukeoware, Sandspit Road, Waipipi 3. The Annual Meeting shall be held each year before the 1 st August. 4. Delegates to the meeting shall be two representatives from each school. 5. The Agenda shall be as follows: a. Apologies b. Minutes of the last A.G.M. c. Correspondence d. Financial Report. Duly Audited e. Presidents Report f. Election of Officers who take over immediately the election is completed. g. Any proposed changes to the constitution of which 14 days prior notice has been given to the Secretary. h. General Business 6. Officers to be elected are: President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Auditor, Announcer, - also elected are 7 Judges. Each school will appoint its own 3 stewards. 7. The Finances of the Assn shall be derived from donations and raffles. 8. An Annual Competition for Beef & Dairy Calves/Lambs/Goats shall be held on the Thursday before Labour weekend in October each year in Waiuku. a. Bull Calves must be steered or fully castrated 6 weeks prior to Group Day. (If castrated a vet certificate MUST be presented to the secretary showing date of castration). Any animal deemed to not be abiding by this rule would be disqualified from the rearing completion

4 b. Ram lambs must be wethered or fully castrated at least 2 weeks prior to Group Day (If castrated a vet certificate MUST be presented to the secretary showing date of castration). Any animal deemed to not be abiding by this rule would be disqualified from the rearing completion c. All animals entered must be hand reared by the child entering, using cafeteria, bucket or bottle from approximately 4 days of age. All calves are eligible for Leading & Rearing Classes. 9. The events at the annual competition shall be as follows: RING 1 CALVES LEADING Junior Leading Early Calves Junior Leading Late Calves RING 2 CALVES LEADING Senior Leading Early Calves Senior Leading Late Calves Beef Type - Early Beef Type Late Beef Type Championship RING 3 - CALF REARING Junior Early Heavy Breeds Junior Early Light Breeds Junior Early Beef Breeds Junior Late Heavy Breeds Junior Late Light Breeds Junior Late Beef Breeds Dairy Type - Heavy Breeds Early Dairy Type - Heavy Breeds Late RING 4 CALF REARING Senior Early Heavy Breeds Senior Early Light Breeds Senior Early Beef Breeds Senior Late Heavy Breeds Senior Late Light Breeds Senior Late Beef Breeds Dairy Type - Light Breeds Early Dairy Type - Light Breeds Late Dairy Type Championship BEST GROUP OF THREE CALVES (1 st place only) (Only 1 entry per school) RING 5- LAMBS Junior Leading Senior Leading Senior Rearing Early Senior Rearing Late RING 6 - LAMBS Senior Calling -Early Senior Calling - Late Junior Calling Early Junior Calling Late Junior Rearing Early Junior Rearing - Late BEST GROUP OF THREE LAMBS (1 st place only) (Only 1 entry per school) RING 7 GOATS Senior Leading Senior Leading Senior Rearing Early Senior Rearing Late Junior Rearing Early Junior Rearing Late Senior Calling Junior Calling BEST GROUP OF THREE GOATS (1 st place only) (Only 1 entry per school) Child Effort Championships are awarded by adding together points gained for Calves Leading/Rearing. Lambs/Goats Leading/Calling/Rearing. The child with the highest points is awarded the Championship. Second highest with Reserve Champion. If a dead heat occurs, highest leading points shall be the Champion or Reserve. In the event of equal leading points, it will be at the discretion of the 2 leading judges.

5 NOTE: Dairy type and beef type are not included in this event as it is an event on its own. Both the Winner and Runner up in Light and Heavy Breed classes are eligible for this event. In the Dairy Type class we divide both the Light and Heavy Breeds in Early and Late the four winners then be considered for Champion Calf. In the Beef Type class both winners and runner ups from Early and Late Beef Types are eligible for the Champion and Reserve Champion Beef Type. 10. Three ribbons (1 red, 1 blue, 1 yellow) shall be awarded to the winner, second and third place getters in each event. Two Sashes (1 purple, 1 mauve) shall be awarded to the winner and runner up in each Championship. The Shield Trophies are awarded to the winners of the Group of Three one red ribbon is awarded to the children (3) who win these events. 11. Conditions of Entry: a. Early calves are to be born between 1 st June and 15 th July. Late calves are to be born between 16 th July and 31 st August. Early lambs/goats are born between 1 st July and 12 th August. Late lambs/goats are to be born between 13 th August and 23 rd September. b. The calf/lamb/goat must have taken part in the Childs school competition and won a Ribbon. The following exemption is allowed: At a school where calf/lamb/goat numbers are less than six, the animals may represent their school without first holding a competition at school. Unless under special circumstances (see clause 15). c. Each child may enter only one animal. d. Calves MUST NOT be clipped, oiled or singed. Calves are not penalized if they have horns. The MAIN fleece of lambs/goats MUST NOT be washed or brushed but faces, ears feet and rear ends may be cleaned. Docking of lambs tails: All lamb tails MUST be docked. e. The animal must be led by the child who reared it except in the case of illness, then the Assn. President must approve a substitute of the same age. f. The competitor must be nominated by the CALF CLUB of an affiliated school. g. No calf shall lose points in Child Effort (rearing) if it has more than four teats h. Senior children are ages 10 years and over on the 1 st October (in the year of Competition). Junior children under 10 years. i. Castration dates for Calves and Lambs: any animal deemed to not be abiding by this rule would be disqualified from the rearing completion 12. Calf Rearing shall be judged on the following scale: Condition/Growth 35 points Skin/Bloom 35 points Calf Leading 30 points = Total Points Lamb/Goat Leading 35 points Calling 35 points Rearing 30 points = Total Points Calf - Dairy & Beef type classes NO points placings only as required. 15. Each competitor must have won a 1 st, 2 nd, or 3 rd Champion or Reserve placing at their school, to be eligible to enter. Unless the school has been unable to run the full categories as per programme of events at group day and events were combined, i.e. late/early, heavy/light, junior/senior etc. If that competitor was eligible to receive a 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd should those events have not been combined.

6 Also under special circumstances, at the discression of the secretary (or person receiving entries). Under consultation with President a child may enter group day. 16. All calves must meet legal requirements vendor declaration forms. No ear tags no competition. NO EXCEPTIONS. 17. Definitions: a. Condition Fitness rather than fatness, well covered with firm flesh, not too fat nor showing signs of wrong feeding methods. b. Leading - Carriage, movement, docility, and obedience to owner s directions. c. Growth - Well balanced development, length without legginess, wide, well sprung ribs. d. Bloom Eyes bright, coat soft and shiny, movement alert and brisk. e. Skin Soft, pliable and elastic. Definitions of Breed a. Light Breeds Jersey, Ayrshire and their crosses. b. Heavy Breeds Friesian, Shorthorn and their crosses. c. Beef Breeds Hereford, Angus, Simmental, etc and their crosses, and ALL STEER CALVES Light, heavy or beef breeds are determined by the shire. 18. The size of the judging rings has a minimum perimeter of 15m x 15m. 19. Should any point of interpretation arise before the next A.G.M. the emergency Committees decision shall be final. The Emergency Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President and the Secretary. 20. There will be NO late entries accepted.