Ask the expert: Why goats produce bloody droppings

Why goats produce bloody droppings
What could be the reason for bloody droppings? Some goats in my herd have had this problem. I noticed the problem when cleaning their pen about a week ago. The situation may be becoming worse because I find blood in more droppings. Some animals are no longer as active as they used to be.

Masha Jude
Kilifi

Diseases in goats are caused by several factors not limited to the environment, nutrition and infectious agents. Similarly, different diseases and conditions present in varied signs and symptoms, for example, sometimes droppings may contain blood or mucous and be smelly, strain in passing the droppings/manure.

In this case, you best need immediate on-site intervention, that is, attention from a qualified vet or animal health practitioner to assess the condition or if more symptoms are manifested.

Preventive measures for common health issues in farms include observing regular deworming, vaccination, proper nutrition and routine veterinary care or check-up.

Felix Akatch Opinya, Livestock Production adviser

How to stop rotting of the jackfruit
My fenesi half an acre-farm has become unproductive, with the fruits rotting as soon as they reach the size of an adult fist. What could be the problem? I’m thinking of abandoning jackfruit farming.

Don Kiti, Busia.

Thank you Don for your question. Rotting of jackfruit can be due to:

i) Fruit flies lay eggs under the skin of the fruits. The eggs hatch after five to six days into larva. The larvae make their way into the fruit, causing it to rot and fall off.
The larvae then come out of the fruit and fall to the ground to pupate. A fruit fly lays about 100 eggs.
Control can be by covering the fruits with cement bags/jute sacks or by using pheromone traps to attract the flies.

ii) Rhizopus rot is a fungal disease characterised by soft, watery, brown spots on the flowers and fruits.
Afterwards, a mass of black spores and white fungal mycelia cover the fruit surface.
The fungus results in black, rotten, shrunken and at times mummified fruits. The disease is favoured by warm, humid, rainy conditions.
Wind, rain and insects dislodge and spread the fungal spores. The pest can survive in decaying plant debris and in the soil.
Control is by pruning the trees to encourage ventilation and reduce relative humidity, remove and destroy diseased fruits from the tree and on the ground, remove any decayed organic debris around the trees, avoid water stagnating at the root zone of the trees, control weeds in young trees, and under severe infestation copper fungicides or any other fungicide registered for use in jackfruits can be sprayed.

One should apply several Management practices.
Weeding should be around the basin of the tree after every three months.
Fruit-bearing trees should be fertilised at the beginning of the rainy season. Apply half to 2kg of NPK fertiliser and 200-300g muriate of potash per tree. Thereafter, apply NPK at a rate of half to three kilos per tree.

Pruning involves removal of unproductive, diseased or pest-damaged branches. Remove unwanted branches to give more light to the developing fruits.
Prune the main stem above the graft or bud union to stimulate production of multiple branches close to the ground.

Carol Mutua
Crop Production Specialist

The best plants for making manure
What are the best plants for manure when growing maize and beans? I understand not all plants make good manure. How do I make the manure? I have no animals, with plants being the only option.

Musa Githaiga, Nyeri.

There are two types of organic manure that can be prepared using plants. These are green and compost manure.

Green manure is prepared from green plants. The plants are grown for the purpose of incorporating them into the soil.

Leguminous crops like cowpeas, beans, lucerne, clovers, groundnuts and sunflowers are preferred as they fix nitrogen into the soil.

The crop for green manure is planted and allowed to grow to the flowering stage, after which it is incorporated into the soil by ploughing.

It is then left for two weeks to decompose. The field is then prepared for planting the major crop. Green manure provides nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur but the nutrients may vary, depending on the crop used for the manure.

It is ideal for growing of cereals like maize which need a lot of nitrogen.
Compost manure is prepared from organic materials like animal waste, plant remains, kitchen refuse and left overs.

There are two methods of preparing – pit and heap. Pit method is used in dry areas and involves digging a pit 1.2m long, 1.2m wide and 1.2m deep and as you dig separate top soil from sub soil and heap it on one side because you will need it later.

Arrange the materials from the bottom of the pit, starting with fibrous materials like maize stalks to act as the foundation. Put a layer of grass, leaves or refuse materials.

The best plant leaves to use are those of tithonia, leucaena, sesbania, crotolaria and lantana as they contain nitrogen.

Add a layer of well-rotten manure to provide nutrients to the living organisms. A thin layer of wood ash is then added to improve the level of phosphorous and potassium in the resulting manure.

This is followed by addition of top soil to introduce micro-organisms necessary for decomposition of organic materials.

Follow the above procedure is to fill the pit. A layer of soil is added to cover the pit and some dry leaves are placed on top.

During the dry season, the material is kept moist by adding water. The heap method is used in high rainfall areas and is just the same as described in the pit method. The only difference is that there is no pit but the materials are heaped in layers.

The heap should also be 1.2m long, 1.2 m wide and 1.2 m high. Check temperature and moisture by inserting a stick in the pit or heap. Regular turning of the pit or heap is recommended for even decomposition.

Carol Mutua
Crop Production Specialist