B240
Flock/Herd Health Program

Introduction: Developing a written, consistent flock/herd health program is essential to operating a successful and profitable operation. No one program can fit all operations. Each program must be simple and specific to the climate, region, breed of animal, and size of the operation. There are seven major areas that need to be addressed when developing a health program:

1. Nutrition - Proper nutrition is essential for disease prevention, reproduction, and weight gain. Adequate nutrition can make or break an operation. Following is a list of common questions that should be asked concerning nutrition in a herd or flock:
   Questions:
   1. Is there adequate feed available for each animal during the various stages of life (growth, pregnancy, lactation)?
   2. Does the feed provide sufficient protein, energy (TDN, NE), vitamins, and minerals for each animal?
   3. Are forage samples collected and tested?
   4. What is the stocking capacity of the forage areas?
   5. Should the flock/herd be broken into smaller groups to ensure that the right animals are being fed the right diet?
   6. What is the average body condition score (BCS) for each animal at various times during the year (see page C85 for additional help on BCS)?
      
      
   * For specific nutrition information, refer to page B575.
   
   Recommendations:
   1. Forages should be analyzed prior to feeding to determine the nutritional value. See page B577 for additional help.
   2. A general rule about stocking rates is that approximately half of the available forage should be left for the next year’s growth. Items such as troughs, mineral blocks, and fencing should be placed to allow equal grazing pressure to all areas (see page B288).
   3. Adults and yearling animals should be separated due to the high energy demands of the growing yearlings. Adult animals also tend to push the younger animals away. High milking animals and those with twins may need to be separated in order to receive adequate nutrition.
   4. Body condition scores (BCS) should be carefully monitored. Animals should score a 3 (on a 1-5 scale) just prior to giving birth. Animals that are too thin when they give birth will have weak offspring, not cycle properly, and take longer to breed back. Animals that are too fat at this time are at an increased risk of having a difficult delivery (dystocia) or developing fatty liver disease. Approximately 4-6 weeks prior to lambing/kidding, mothers should be sorted by body condition. This will allow additional feed or supplements to be fed to those ewes/does scoring less than a (3) three. Depending on the year and the cost of feed, the animals that are moderate to heavy can be allowed to drop a score or two without compromising reproduction. Refer to page C85 for additional information.
      
      
2. Reproduction - Attention should be given to the common diseases and problems associated with reproduction. The following are questions that should be considered:
   Questions:
   1. At what age/weight should ewes and does be bred?
   2. How long is the breeding season? When does the breeding season start and end?
   3. Should the mothers be bred A.I. (artificially inseminated) or naturally?
   4. If rams/bucks are used, how many females per male should there be (ewe to ram ratio)?
   5. Is a breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) performed on each new breeding male?
   6. What criteria determines if a breeding animal will be kept for an additional breeding season?
   7. What reproductive vaccines are, or should be, in use? This question is answered in more detail in the infectious disease prevention discussion. See the vaccination recommendations on page B905.
   
   Recommendations:
   1. Ewes/does should be at least 65% of their mature body weight at first breeding. This means that the typical ewe should weigh between 100-125 pounds and does should weigh between 55-115 pounds at their first breeding.
   2. Breeding seasons should be kept as short as possible (45-80 days).
      This allows the newborns and mothers to be uniform in their nutritional needs. This also reduces management time and the chance of spreading reproductive diseases.
   3. A.I. breeding will help shorten the lambing/kidding interval and reduce the chance of spreading disease, but greatly increases management time. The use of A.I. will also allow for enhanced genetic selection and flock/herd variation.
   4. The following is a common ratio of ewes per ram or does per buck:
      • Ram lambs and buck kids (approx. 8-10 months of age):
        • 15 to 30 ewes or does per 1 ram lamb or buck kid.
      • Yearlings (approx. 12-16 months of age):
        • 25 to 50 ewes or does per 1 yearling ram or buck.
      • Mature rams and bucks:
        • a general rule is 100 ewes or does per 2.5 to 3 rams or bucks.
   5. All breeding males and all new potential breeders should have a breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) performed. See B710 for additional information on breeding soundness exams.
   6. Reasons for keeping a ewe/doe are based on age, past production history (any dystocia, offspring sizes, etc.), general health, and temperament.
   
   * See page B710 for additional reproductive information.
   
   
3. Replacements - This includes yearling animals, rams, bucks, ewes, and does.
   Questions:
   1. Where do replacement animals come from (raised, sale barn, anywhere)?
   2. Is this a closed or open flock/herd? This may involve issues such as how good are the fences and is there access to any open range?
   3. Are the new animals quarantined before they are introduced to the rest
      of the flock/herd?
   4. What type of offspring will a replacement ram/buck sire (consider lambing/kidding ease, size, etc.)?
   5. When will older animals be culled?
   
   Recommendations:
   1. To prevent new diseases from entering a flock/herd, maintaining a closed flock/herd is highly recommended. A closed flock/herd is one that does not receive any replacement animals from an outside source, and replacement ewes, does, rams, and bucks are raised.
   2. If replacement animals are bought from an outside source, they should be purchased before they reach sexual maturity. Some experts recommend that any new animals should be isolated from the rest of the flock/herd for one full breeding season.
      
      
4. Management of Newborn Animals:
   Questions:
   1. Does each newborn receive adequate colostrum in a timely manner?
   2. Are navels dipped?
   3. Is each newborn identified at birth?
   4. When and how are newborns vaccinated and processed?
   5. At what age are the kids/lambs weaned?
   
   Recommendations:
   1. Each lamb/kid should have its first suckle within 30 minutes post-partum, and no later than 12 hours post-partum. The newborn should consume at least 25 mLs of colostrum per pound of body weight at three different times in the first day of life. The wax plug must be stripped from the teat to allow the newborn to drink the colostrum. This is accomplished by forcing a small stream of milk out of each teat. Additional colostrum management suggestions are found on page B520.
   2. Each newborn should have the navel clipped (torn) and dipped (with 7% tincture of iodine) immediately after birth. The phrase "clip, dip, and strip," should be remembered with every newborn.
   3. All newborns should be identified with an ear tag and/or tattoo.
   4. For vaccination recommendations, refer to page B905. For processing information, refer to the specific procedure in Section C.
   5. Animals that are to be sold should be weaned, allowed 2-3 weeks to adjust, and then shipped. Most animals are weaned at 4-12 weeks.
      
      
5. Infectious Disease Prevention:
   Questions:
   1. What are the prominent diseases found in the area (viruses, bacteria,
      and parasites)?
   2. Are there specific infectious problems in the flock/herd?
   3. What vaccination and de-worming program is being used?
      1. This should include identifying what products are used, how they are administered, and how often they are given.
   4. Is there any disease monitoring program in effect?
      1. This may require that blood and fecal samples be collected on a routine basis from random or suspect animals.
   5. What facilities and handling equipment are available to process the animals as safely and stress-free as possible?
   
   Recommendations: 
   For suggestions on the use of vaccines and developing a vaccination program, refer to page B900. For information on vaccination and de-worming schedules, refer to page B905 and page B620. Page D135 contains information on collecting blood and fecal samples for testing. See page B300 for information on handling facilities.
   
   
6. Record Keeping and Identifying Animals:
   Questions:
   1. Are records kept on each animal in the flock/herd?
   2. Are all animals individually identified at birth or when a new animal is introduced into the flock/herd?
   
   Recommendations:
   1. These records do not need to be extensive and time consuming to maintain; however, they do need to be accurate and current. Age, lineage, problems encountered (diseases, prolapses, etc.), and reproductive history (size of offspring, abortions, dystocias) are some of the information that would be essential to keep.
   2. Identifying individual animals can be as simple as an ear tag identifying the newborn and mother. Whatever method of identification is chosen, it should remain with that animal throughout its life and be used as an identifier for that animal in all records.
      
      
7. Handling Problems and Emergencies - There are many problems that arise on a daily basis on any operation. These problems can include birthing difficulties (dystocia), scours, respiratory disease, injuries, a prolapsed uterus, pinkeye, reproductive problems, parasite infections, plus many others. A detailed written protocol to handle each one of the above situations should be designed before these problems arise; then if a problem occurs, a standard protocol can be followed, no matter who on the farm is treating the problem. The pages in this manual that address the above situations can be used as a guide, and additional modifications or procedures specific to each farm should be added to these pages.

• All animals are placed in isolation for at least 3 weeks.
• Check for contagious footrot, ulcerative dermatosis (lip and leg), bluetongue, and skin problems (photosensitivity).
• Vaccinate for campylobacteriosis (vibrio), enzootic abortion, and leptospirosis (lepto). Consider vaccination for contagious ecthyma (soremouth).