School Ag Days

Calves, lambs and kid goats need safe, well fenced areas to graze in. Grass should be fresh and long. Many decorative plants can be poisonous to your new pet, so make sure they don’t have access to the garden.

Make sure you have enough time to look after your calf, lamb or kid goat. You will need at least 30 minutes in the morning and in the evening, everyday.

Keep a close eye on your new pet, and if anything changes, get your parents to check it out. Make sure you keep all the gear and bedding clean and dry.

It is very important that you have good hygiene when working with your animal. There are diseases you can catch if you aren’t careful, so make sure you always wash your hands and wear protective clothing, especially if your animal is sick.

Talk to your vet about the best time to get your animal vaccinated and treated for parasites. If it’s a boy you’ll need to think about when to get him castrated as well.

It is common for lambs to have their tails shortened (docked) in order to prevent flystrike later in life. This should be done when the lamb is as young as possible (to keep pain to a minimum) using a rubber ring with a special applicator. The Code of Welfare has recently been updated (May 2021) and now states that lambs tails must kept long enough to cover the bottom of the vulva in girls and the equivalent length in boy lambs. 

Calf horn buds need to be removed (this is called disbudding) at about two weeks of age. Kid goats need to be disbudded even earlier than this so it is probably best to discuss this with the person you got your animal from, or your vet. 

All animals MUST be given effective pain relief at the time of disbudding, regardless how old it is. This means, at a minimum, local anaesthetic must be used, but it is also a good idea to provide longer acting pain relief (such as a long acting anti-inflammatory) to keep your pet comfortable. 

Talk to and pet your animal. The friendlier they are, the better they will perform for you at Ag Day.

Start off by fitting your animal with a halter or collar. Once they seem comfortable with this you can begin teaching them to walk with a lead. Your animal should be trained to walk on your right, with its head/shoulder level with you – you don’t want to be pulling them and you don’t want them to be pulling you!

Don’t let the lead drag on the ground, and never wrap it around your hand as you could get really hurt if they suddenly start running.

Stopping should be slow and smooth, without tugging sharply on the lead. Practice standing still, and only allowing the animal to move forward again when you are ready. This is important so that the judge has time to look at your animal when you go to Ag Day.

Once you are happily walking straight, start practising turning. You should lead on the outside of the curve, and the turn needs to be quite large, to begin with.

Training should be fun for both you and your animal. Make sure to train every day, but not for so long that either of you get bored or tired.

Remember you are on display as well, and judges will be looking for signs that you are comfortable with, and care for your animal.

A few days before calf club make sure your animal is looking clean and tidy. You can use a cover to help keep it clean. Don’t forget to keep training.

On the day, make sure you have all the gear you need:

• A water bucket so they can drink during the day. – This is very important!
• Something to feed your pet e.g. meal/pellets and a feeding container, bottle of milk
• A cloth and/or brush
• Clean halter and lead rope.