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Flock Biosecurity

Solution name: Flock biosecurity – develop a health plan

Aim: To present best practise guide for flock biosecurity

Description:

  • Diseases (e.g. footrot, CODD, iceberg diseases, enzootic abortion) are highly infectious and can spread rapidly.
  • Purchased sheep (rams, ewes) are a risk of introducing disease, parasites or anthelmintic resistance to a flock.
  • A good flock biosecurity protocol is important for the overall improvement in health, welfare and productivity of animals, and will reduce the incidence of disease on farms.

How to implement:

Biosecurity protocol to be implemented in the flock health plan:

  • For lameness farmers should quarantine all purchased sheep for 4 weeks and observe for any issues
  • For internal parasites, purchased sheep should be
  • treated with an Amino Acetonitrile Derivative (group 4-AD) + either Levamisole (Group 2-LV) or Macrocyclic Lactone (Group 3-ML)
  • housed after dosing for 48 hours
  • turned out to contaminated pasture (i.e. pasture recently grazed by sheep)
  • Purchased sheep should be given a flukicide that targets immature fluke, grazed on dry paddocks for 6 weeks and followed up with another flukicide dose for immature fluke
  • For scab, lice, keds and tick control sheep must be plunge dipped using an approved sheep dip
  • Vaccinate purchased ewes against enzootic abortion and have a flock enzootic abortion vaccination programme if regularly buying in replacements
  • Vaccinate purchased sheep with Clostridial and Pasteurella vaccine
  • Effective boundary fences are an important factor for biosecurity to prevent contact with neighbouring or straying stock that may have disease
Infographic PDF- Click Here

Topic: Health

Production:  Dairy / Meat

Animal Category: Adult / Lamb / Replacement

Issue: Flock Health plan

Level of Solution: Knowledge, Practical

Country: Ireland

 

 

 

 

 

Expected benefits

Expected benefits: Reduce the introduction and spread of disease and anthelmintic resistance on farm, which negatively affects animal productivity.

Prerequisites and/or limits (knowledge, training, capabilities, cost, management, facilities, equipment, etc.)

  • Purchased stock need to have an area to quarantine before being introduced to the rest of the flock (housed for 48 hours after dosing)
  • Purchase rams at least 4 weeks before they are introduced to the flock
  • Good farm fencing is necessary
  • Commonage and hill grazing can present challenges to managing the spread of disease so good cooperation between shareholders is required and a common health plan

Cost Benefit analysis

Improving flock biosecurity reduces flock health issues and thus reduces medicine (antibiotic use), anthelminthic resistance and labour requirements. Improving flock biosecurity also increases animal performance and output, and thus profitability.

Sustainability analysis

An effective flock biosecurity protocol improves feed efficiency as the animals have an improved growth rate and are slaughtered earlier. Greenhouse gas emissions per kg of carcass is reduced due to improved animal performance. A reduction in medicine and anthelmintic use depends on the potential disease/parasites that have been avoided in the flock due to correct biosecurity protocol.
An effective biosecurity protocol improves animal welfare by avoiding health and parasite issues, this reduces physical labour, improves farm image and potentially leaves additional leisure time.

Tips & Tricks
Tips & Tricks Links
Benefit expected Increase productivity:
-less mortality

 

Expected Impact
Benefit
Benefit expected Increase productivity:
-less mortality
System
Is the solution suitable for various production systems Y
If no – for which system dairy & meat
Cost
What are the asset costs <100/lamb
What are the maintenance costs <50/lamb
Any limits to its applicability No
Work Load
Farmers Service provider/tech.-vet-others
How much time is required to prepare and implement the solution >=1week
How many people is needed to implement the solution? 1 person (the farmer)
Timing
How long it takes to get results? >=1week
How long it takes to see  an effect on sheep productivity? current production period
Equipment/Facility
Farmers Service provider/technicians-vet-others
What kind of equipment/tool are necessary? Lambing pens, UV bulbs, bedding materials
Skill/Knowledge-Training (farmer)
Does the solution need any specific skill/knowledge or training? Yes
How much time will be required for training 1 day training
Wider Environment
Is there any particular regulation link to the solution? NO
Does the solution need any particular structure or organisation? NO

 

Users' Evaluation
Country TURKEY, SPAIN
Solution No/Name 41. Designing proper sheds for lambing
Farmer/Service provider/technicians-vet-others Farmers
Why did you select this solution? To improve lamb health and increase survival rate
Was it easy to implement? Yes
If not say what are the identified drawbacks? –
Did you need to adapt it?  Yes
If yes, how? It is necessary to take into account the features of the facilities (square meters of the shed, bedding type and quality, separation by lambing type)
Were you happy with the outcome of the solution?  Yes
What were the outcomes?

98% of the ewes bonded with their lamb(s)

Lower numbers of orphan lambs

Less incidence of diarrhea
Score the solution Interesting and easy to implement
Will you continue to implement it? Yes
If not, for which reasons?  
Comments/Additions Recommend this easy application to everyone

 

Information Source / Usefull links

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