Lifting a foot or leg: To lift the front foot of an animal like a cow, the animal must first be restrained. Tie its head so that it cannot move about. Then stand beside the animal facing backwards, reach down and lift the foot, and bend it at the knee. Be ready; the animal will probably lean its weight on you as the foot comes off the ground. Lifting the hind leg is difficult and should not be tried without a proper stock to confine and support it. To get an animal to lift its foot a little, e.g. if its foot is on a rope you are working with, exert upward pressure with your foot on the underside of the dew claw of the appropriate foot. This will usually cause the animal to lift its foot off of the ground and replace it. Frequently, it will put its foot down in its former position, so you must be alert and free your rope while the foot is in the air.
Holding: It is easiest to keep a standing sheep still by holding it against the pen side with your arms and knees. In an open area where there is no fence, the sheep can be straddled if it is not too large. Place one hand under the animal's chin, keep your back straight, and stand as far back as it is comfortable. A standing sheep can also be held in a neck yoke.
Lifting the animal: Many sheep farmers suffer "bad backs" each year from lifting sheep. Sheep are heavy, difficult to hold against your chest, likely to struggle, and cannot be gripped easily. All of these factors increase the risk of back injury. If possible, gates or ramps should be used instead of lifting. If, however, lifting is unavoidable,
- Do warm-up exercises
- Keep a straight back
- Bend your knees and legs to lift the weight
- Lift smoothly and continously
Once goats are caught, they can be restrained by a firm hold around the neck at the base of the skull. If a difficult procedure is to be carried out, a collar should be used. As previously mentioned, fibre-producing goats such as Angoras should not be restrained by holding their fleece as this will cause excessive bruising under the skin.
Shearing: Two types of goats are kept for their fibre. Angoras produce mohair, whilst a variety of long haired types produce soft under hair or down known as cash-mere. Long haired Angora goats are restrained for shearing in much the same way as sheep are restrained for foot trimming. Cashmere may be harvested by combing or shearing with the goat normally restrained in a standing position. Both types may suffer cold shock after shearing and therefore may need proper housing for at least a few days depeending on the weather and the time of the year.
Artificial insemination: The preferred method for restraining the female goat to be inseminated is to hold her up with her head facing back between the handler's legs. Her rear end is raised up by lifting the bent back position makes the inseminator's job of locating the cervix using an illuminated speculum much easier. The insemination "gun" is inserted into, but rarely through, the cervix.
Parturition: Dairy goats are prolific. Thus the chance of two or three kids being dropped is high. This increases the possibility of malpresentation and the problem of kids becoming mixed up. Handler assistance at the time of birth is therefore a must. A dramatic but often successful method of inducing breathing in a newborn kid to is to hold the kid by the hind legs and swing it backwards and forwards or over and over with the kid describing a circle. This forces fluid out of the lungs and is often enough to stimulate breathing. If newborn kids are too weak to suck their mother's teat, it will be necessary to feed colostrum via a stomach tube. Care should be exercised to ensure that the tube is in the oesophagus and not in the trachea. Insertion of the tube is facilitated by holding the kid's head up with the neck extended.
Turning up sheep: If sheep are to be controlled for a long time, they are turned up with bare hands. First, the handler should stand on the left side of the sheep and place his left hand under the sheep's jaw. He should keep his right hand free to place behind the animals buttocks should it try to run backwards. After steadying the animal in this position, the handler should pass his right hand over the back to the other side, as far under the belly as possible and grasp the wool. The sheep's forelegs should be raised off the ground with the left hand, and with right hand the animal should brough to a sitting position on its hind legs and supported against the handler's legs. Hornless sheep are held in this position by holding their forcannons, while horned sheep can be held by their horns.
