SOMEHOW this year, for most of us, spring has moved to autumn with summer evaporating somewhere in the middle. The summer of 2008 will always be remembered as the one that did not happen.

Autumn brings with it a multitude of potential problems and hazards for livestock keepers which range from feeding problems to the sometimes devastating effects of fireworks.

I have no problem with the appropriate use of fireworks in organised displays where they can be anticipated and protection provided, where appropriate, to pets and livestock. However, I do have a problem with indiscriminate use of fireworks and the inevitable fireworks bombardment we have during November. There is no longer a Guy Fawkes' Night, it has transcended that and become fireworks month or in some places fireworks season which starts around the end of October and continues through to New Year's Eve!

In our ever crowded country where even the most rural of places is now being invaded by town escapees who simply do not seem able to embrace the "peace and tranquillity of the countryside" scenario, our animals are at greater risk than ever before from the threat of fireworks. There are also a lot more urban and suburban livestock keepers now which means the risks are getting greater all the time. A simply equation of when two worlds collide.

For the benefit of this article, I am going to use goats as my sensitive species, but let's be honest all of our animals fall into that category.

SIGHT AND SOUND
With hearing at least 100 times as powerful as our own and not having the benefit of a sense of reasoning that humans have, they are locked into the "here and now" of any situation and cannot envisage anything different from what is happening now. So, when a cacophony of fireworks explode for even five or ten minutes, to that animal this is how it is going to be for ever and panic ensues. The results of this panic can be manyfold, but often end in injury or in some cases death. Goats, like most herd/flock animals, have an instinct to run.

The effects of this hardly need to be explained and in a field scenario can lead to break out and serious injury.

There is also the risk of road accidents if that escape leads on to a lane, road or worse still a motorway. In a confined space a goat may literally "climb the walls."

Visually, some animals may not necessarily respond adversely to fireworks but some will and do. The combination of both can be a disaster.

CONDITIONING
It is possible to condition animals to adverse sights and sounds and this is clearly demonstrated in city police horses, who undertake long and carefully orchestrated training in order to fit them for the job of noise, riot control, physical and mental attack. This can take several years and even then there will be a drop out of unsuitable candidates. So like humans, each animal is an individual and can react differently to the same scenario.

In the case of most domestic livestock, time to "train" to this level is not an option and so we must deal with this perennial nightmare as best we can.

GOATS AND FIREWORKS
If your goats are normally free range night and day, it is a good idea to house them in the hours of darkness during high-risk periods of firework disturbance. Depending on which part of the country you are in and the various cultures that are around you, this could just mean fireworks week or it could extend from October to January. You will know how this affects you.

Make sure they have plenty to eat and warm comfortable beds, a radio playing gentle music such as Classic FM, which will also be interspersed with human voices is helpful and a light left on in the goat house is a good idea too. Visit them regularly throughout the evening until midnight by which time most fireworks have to end, but it is a good idea to check with your local authority as to what local byelaws are in place for the use of late night fireworks.

If you have a particularly nervous goat, then stuffing its ears with cotton wool can also be helpful (it won't hear the dulcet tones of Grieg and Mozart, but it won't hear too much of the fireworks either!) Try this well in advance of the event to see if your goat is fazed by having its earplugs in. If there are any major bursts of fireworks, then spend time with the animals and talk them through.

Having animals sedated is not a terribly good idea as some sedatives can have a reverse effect and in any case, as already discussed, this could go on for several weeks. Remember, if you do opt for any kind of medication it must be entered in your Veterinary Medicine Record Book and also you will have to observe possible milk retention periods.

Personally, I usually "camp out" with my goats/sheep/horses during high periods of firework activity and groom them, talk to them and generally make a nuisance of myself to distract them from what is going on outside.

By the time you have a "seasoned" goat who has seen/heard it all before for a few years, her lack of fear will calm the others who might be scared so it is usually an improving situation . . . a "conditioning" you will usually find that it's just a few of the fireworks that give rise to fear, often the screaming ones or multiple bangs. My own stock are most fearful of that one people seem to like to use at the end of a display . . . you know the one that makes you think that world War III is about to start.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?
Well, there is a lot you can do. Write to your parish or town council and complain. Complain if you think there is an unreasonable use of fireworks or that they are being used irresponsibly. Your local council has a duty of care to it's residents (firework lovers or haters) but the Animal Welfare Act also exists to protect exactly that - animal welfare. Ask your neighbours if they intend to have fireworks and kindly ask them to reconsider and go to an organised display instead? Failing that, find out what time/day they are intending to have their display so that you can act appropriately with your livestock.

Last year, in my local town, (which is a mile away but seems nearer because we live in such steep terrain in North Cornwall) a recently opened Indian restaurant decided to celebrate Devali with a fairly sizeable fireworks display. This was unexpected and caused great distress to my livestock. I emailed the owner who actually had no idea that fireworks and livestock really don't mix. As it turned out they scared the living daylights out of the residents of the adjacent sheltered accommodation so they had more apologies to make than they expected. I anticipated that this would not occur this year, but the Gods played a hand in it and the restaurant closed earlier this year! So we were saved . . . until the next time. The point I am making is that not everyone realises the problems they are causing so "softly, kindly" is probably your first line of action . . . just like all living things!

LONG TERM EFFECTS
Well, generally speaking there are none but you may notice your goat's milk yield drop sharply for a couple of days if she has been very frightened but it will usually return to where it should be. I think the long term affects can actually be worse for us humans as we will anticipate problems with every autumn of not so mellow reds, greens, blues and purples. Remain calm around your animals when the potential of fear threatens as they will pick up your fear and react accordingly.

So occupational therapy for them and us seems to be the key. Even sitting in the goat house quietly reading a book can be a presence that will inspire confidence and calm. amongst your animals.