TRADITIONAL SHEEP KEEPING on Estonian and Finnish Coast and Islands TRADITIONAL SHEEP KEEPING KEEPING SHEEP TRADITIONAL
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TRADITIONAL SHEEP KEEPING On Estonian and Finnish coast and islands TRADITIONAL SHEEP KEEPING A publication of the Knowsheep-project Tallinn 2013 TRADITIONAL SHEEP KEEPING On Estonian and Finnish coast and islands Studies carried out by Interreg IVA KNOWSHEEP Tallinn 2013 S K Ä R GÅRDSSTADE N SAARISTOKAUPUNK I The Knowsheep-project is financed by European Union, European Regional Development Fund, Central Baltic Interreg IV A Programme 2007-2013, Archipelago and Islands Sub-programme. This publication reflects the authors’ views and the Managing Authority can- - not be held liable for the information published by the project partners. Authors carry all the responsibility for the use of illustrative materials in their articles. Editor: Veiko Kastanje Technical editor: Svea Aavik Translator: Luisa Translation Bureau Printed in Estonia by Rebellis Front cover photo: Annika Michelson Back cover photo: Veiko Kastanje © Estonian Crop Research Institute ISBN 978-9949-9504-5-4 Contents Introduction 4 1. T. Järvis Sheep parasites and their control 7 2. T. Järvis, E. Mägi Parasitological situation of sheep farms on the Baltic Sea islands 30 3. K. Kabun Wool: structure and properties 52 4. A. Michelson Experiences of free-ranging Estonian native sheep. Case: Kiltsi Meadow 60 5. T. Otstavel Large carnivore and eagle damage prevention measures in Estonian and Finnish Baltic islands and coastal areas 95 6. R. Räikkönen, S. Kurppa Knowsheep-project on the resources and development needs of the sheep industry in Finnish and Estonian coastal and island regions 139 7. U. Tamm, L. Kütt Sheep feeds and feeding characteristics in the Baltic Sea region 188 3 Introduction This collection contains articles on the results of research and devel- opment activities carried out from 2011–2013 within the scope of the KNOWSHEEP project. The articles discuss ways of feeding sheep, grazing sheep on semi-natural grasslands, the security of sheep pas- tures, the spread of sheep parasites and the characteristics and uses of wool. There is also an analytical overview of the resources, needs and potential development opportunities of sheep farming on Estonian and Finnish islands and in coastal areas. KNOWSHEEP is an acronym formed from the name ‘Developing a knowledge-based sheep industry on the Baltic Sea islands’; the project was carried out under the Archipelago and Islands Sub-Programme of the European Union’s Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme. The project lasted for three years. KNOWSHEEP aimed to popularise sheep farming, raise awareness among sheep farmers and find solutions to known problems in tradi- tional sheep farming on the islands and in the coastal areas of Estonia and Finland. The project was carried out by researchers from the Estonian Re- search Institute of Agriculture (now the Estonian Crop Research In- stitute) in cooperation with specialists from the Institute of Veteri- nary Medicine and Animal Sciences of the Estonian University of Life Sciences, Turku University (Finland), HAMK University of Applied Sciences (Finland), MTT Agrifood Research (Finland), the non-profit associations Saaremaa Vill and Hiiu Veis ja Lammas, and the town of Pargas (Finland). Many sheep farmers from Estonian and Finnish islands and coastal areas also participated in the project as partners. The project was structured in five work packages: WP1 – project management and coordination; WP2 – resource analysis and strategic planning; WP3 – research and development; WP4 – establishment of sheep information centres; and WP5 – training and information dissemination. The research and development package comprised five subjects: 1. Feeding sheep; 2. Grazing sheep on semi-natural grass- lands; 3. Security of sheep pastures – problems related to wolves and 5 Traditional sheep keeping eagles; 4. Study of the spread of sheep parasites on sheep farms on the West-Estonian islands; and 5. Study of the characteristics and uses of wool and related product development. This book represents one form of output of studying the above re- search subjects. As a research and development coordinator and a participant in the research and development activities of the KNOWSHEEP project I hope that this publication will contribute to an overall increase in the awareness of sheep farmers and, ultimately, to traditional sheep farm- ing becoming more popular in Estonia and Finland. Veiko Kastanje KNOWSHEEP coordinator, Estonian Crop Research Institute 6 Sheep parasites and their control T. Järvis Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 62, 51014 Tartu, Estonia; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract. Sheep parasitic diseases affecting feed ingestion, feed digestibility and variety of physiological processes can be manifest in many ways. These include a decrease in the yield and value of animals and their products at slaughter, reduced live-weight gain a.o. It is important to underline that sub- clinical parasitic diseases can result higher cost to farmers then clinical dis- ease. There are lot of sheep infecting parasites, including gastrointestinal nem- atodes, lungworms, tapeworms, liver flukes, unicellular parasites, mites, lice and flies. Firstly the review on most important sheep parasites and the epidemiolo- gy of gastrointestinal nematodes is presented in this paper. Secondly the con- trol of sheep parasites is dealt, including prophylactic measures, anthelmintic drugs, their correct use and measures of control to prevent anthelmintic re- sistance. Key words: Sheep parasites, gastrointestinal nematodes, epidemiology, control of parasites, anthelmintic drugs, anthelmintic resistance. INTRODUCTION Sheep breeding, besides cattle and pig breeding, is the supplementary branch of animal breeding in Estonia. In addition to sheep meat the wool and skin are important products. Sheep breeding is useful also from the point of environmental protection. During recent years sheep breeders have begun to expand the main 7 Traditional sheep keeping herd and the number of breeders has increased. In turn of the year 2011/2012 the number of sheep in Estonia was 78200. The number of organically kept sheep is increased as well. In the year 2008 their per- centage was 42.5% from the total number of sheep in Estonia. Sheep meat as wool production is arising. Sheep meat, especially valuable dietetic quality lamb meat is very much sought after on the market. Additionally, sheep export has been started in recent years. The most important infectious diseases of sheep what can lead to high economical losses are considered to be parasitic infections. Parasitic infections can affect feed ingestion, feed digestibility and variety of physiological processes, which can be manifested in many ways. These include premature death, a change in the value of animals and their products at slaughter, reduced live-weight gain, reduced yield and quality of products, altered feed conversation efficiency a.o. These in turn have effects on herd productivity, on the capacity to maintain and improve a herd, on human nutrition a.o. In case of moderate infection of parasites and in good feeding and keeping conditions of sheep the course of parasitic diseases is often asymptomatic. Although far less dramatic, the insidious losses to sub- clinical infections involve large numbers of sheep for prolonged peri- ods of time and result much higher cost to the farmers then clinical disease. Control of subclinical parasitism has the potential to improve ewe body weight by up to 6 kg, to increase the number of foetuses by >12 foetuses per 100 ewes and to increase weight of twin lambs weaned by >2 kg (West et al., 2009). In contrast to microbial infections, where replication of organisms occurs entirely within host, the important nematode parasites of live- stock have an obligatory free-living stage on pasture. Thus pastures provide the link between the free-living and parasitic phases of gas- trointestinal parasites of grazing livestock and every nematode para- site present within the host has been separately acquired by the inges- tion of an infective larval stage from pasture. Another important contrast between microbial and metazoan par- asite infections is the time required for the completion of the within host phase of the life cycle – a matter of hours for bacteria and viruses, but several weeks for nematodes. A minimum or threshold level of an- 8 Sheep parasites and their control tigenic information must be produced by nematode parasite burdens before immunological reaction and mobilization of host responses af- fecting nematode survival in the host occurs. As a consequence, mi- crobial infections characteristically induce prompt and aggressive im- mune reactions by the host, whereas nematodes induce varying forms of immunological tolerance to permit their longer survival. Immunity generally develops slowly, is dependent upon a good nutritional state and is abrogated by any form of stress experienced by the animal. Consequently, parasites are ubiquitous where ever grazing livestock are kept and pose a constant and often high infectious pressure on animals. Parasite infections in grazing livestock are almost always a mixture of species. All have deleterious effects and collectively they lead to chronic illthrift. Due to severe parasitic infection weakness, oedema under the jaw, paleness (anaemia) and abomasitis in sheep was registered (Manninen & Oksanen, 2010). Economic evaluations consistently show that the major losses due to parasites are of animal production, rather than