Do you want to know how The Five Point Plan can reduce lameness in your flock? Read on.
Vaccinate animals to stimulate immunity.
Vaccination forms part of a whole-flock approach to disease control, as raising flock immunity helps increase the success of the other four points in the plan.
Vaccination can be used in 2 ways; as a treatment and as prevention, when administered before the risk period.
Avoid spreading infection at gathering and handling.
Consider:
– appropriateness/practicality of foot bathing
– investing in a mobile handling unit, if appropriate
– improving cleanliness and drainage of handling area
– placing gravel on the entrance to the handling facility to help prevent poaching
– putting lime around water troughs
– shutting gates between fields: graze one field, then the next
Treat clinical cases early
Treating within 3 days should be the foundation of any protocol to reduce infectious lameness, both for welfare and infection control. Discuss with your vet the appropriate treatment options. Affected animals should be isolated for monitoring and to reduce disease spread.
Quarantine incoming animals
Have good procedures in place to separate bought-in stock for at least 4 weeks after purchase.
– if possible, run the bought-in stock through a footbath and monitor lameness
– buy from a source that has a strict lameness protocol
Cull badly or repeatedly affected animals
If a ewe has footrot more than once in a season, she should be given a cull tag or mark to help prevent the cycle of infection – culling may be high in the first year but will reduce dramatically as you progress.
Take a look at the lameness control planner below for more information.
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