Livestock suffer when pasture does not grow and lifestyle block farmers need to prepare now, SPCA Otago says.
Animal welfare director Helen Beattie said lifestyle farmers needed to prepare for the challenges of the extreme and variable El Nino climate pattern.
The preparations should include developing a plan to deal with the forecast dry and warm weather and review it as the season unfolds.
The plan should include a food budget for stock or reducing animal numbers, before "the pinch'' begins.
"The pressure is going to come, feed is going to be in short supply ... when there is a crisis, it's too late at the time because feed is too expensive or impossible to get hold of.''
Lifestyle farmers needed to set trigger dates for making decisions and monitor stock condition and feed supplies regularly.
Options were available but needed to be investigated, such as commercial farmers "absorbing'' some of the surplus stock until the tough times had lapsed.
If the dry weather continued, a commercial farmer was more at ease with sending stock for slaughter than a lifestyle farmer, who often named each individual animal, Dr Beattie said.
Lifestyle farmers being prepared would stop the "glut of issues'' that were often brought to the attention of SPCA Otago inspectors in about three months' time, she said.
If help was needed, lifestyle farmers could get advice from trusted advisers, such as veterinarians.
Preparing for the big dry
Prepare a food budget
• Decide how many animals will be kept on farm.
• Confirm feed needed and investigate feed available.
• Budget for summer, autumn and winter in case autumn pasture growth fails to happen.
Supplementary feed will be scarce
• Book baleage and hay now and get more than you believe you need.
• Livestock need about 2% of their body weight daily in an equivalent weight of meadow hay.
• If you can't afford as much as you need, reduce stocking rate.
• Store supplies of grain and concentrates carefully.
Destocking
• Determine appropriate stocking rates.
• Wean lambs early, if possible, to get them to the abattoir.
• Destock earlier rather than later.
Maintaining water supply
• Clean water troughs.
• Put a plank in each trough so if a small animal falls in, it can escape before drowning and causing disease and making the water unpalatable.
Prevent heat stress in hot weather
• Shear sheep and angora-type goats now.
• Provide shade.
• Don't cover horses or ponies.
