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14 April 2003
Herd/Flock Health Plans
Tina Vernon BVSc MRCVS
Strathearn Farm & Equine Practice, Crieff,
Perthshire
Tel: 07889 044 169
E-mail: tina.vernon@tesco.net
www.land-care.org.uk
(Filed 14 April 2003)
Most farms require a health plan. The key to
any health plan is that it should be meaningful, accurate, easy
to up date & use. Ideally this should be formulated with your
regular vet, who will have good knowledge of the farm & local
disease conditions.
Below is a list of pointers of the type of information
required. Having these facts to hand will greatly assist in drawing
up the plan. Think also about the format you’d like for the
end product – in many cases a wall chart of month by month
summary tasks is the best working option, with a more detailed plan
kept on file/disk.
Background Information
Name, address & contact details for owner,
manager & regular stockmen.
CHP number
Breakdown of unit e.g. 100 breeding cows & 450 mule ewes. All
calves & half lambs sold as stores.
Any major changes in stocking planned.
Name & address of vet
Stock Details
For each livestock enterprise on farm:
e.g. Suckler Herd:
Number breeding cattle; Calving period; Bulls used & service
period; sourcing of replacement females, bulls & if relevant
twined on calves. Age at speaning; calves sold/finished; outlet
for calves; Heifers age at 1st service; replacement rate (and therefore
longevity in herd); information on assisted calvings; barren cow
rate.
Sheep Flock:
Number breeding females; lambing period; lambing inside/out; Tups
used & tupping period; Source of tups, replacement females &
foster lambs; Age at speaning; lambs sold as stores/finished. First
bred as hoggs/gimmers; replacement rate; eild ewe rate; lambing
percentage (ewes tupped to lambs speaned).
Calf finishing unit:
Age/weight entering unit; Housing period & weight gains expected;
grazing period & weight gains expected; age/weight at finishing;
carcass weights & gradings.
Basic Management
Brief outline of management of each group of stock
throughout the year.
Nutrition
For each livestock unit:
Including rations used for each class of stock at different times
of year; stocking rates at pasture & e.g. rotation, mixed grazing.
Home grown v brought in. Silage analysed?
Additives e.g. Vitamins & minerals, licks, blocks etc.
Health
Again for each livestock unit:
e.g. Management procedures
– e.g. care at calving/lambing; navel care; colostrum;
docking lambs; castrating lambs & calves; dehorning ( ages &
methods used for each); routine foot trimming/bathing; ear tagging;
Preventative health
care: Vaccines used & timings; worming regimes &
any monitoring e.g. faecal egg counts; Fluke control; ectoparasite
control.
Disease monitoring:
Membership of any health schemes e.g. Enzootic abortion, Maedi Visna,
BVD, Johnes, Leptospirosis, IBR . Other monitoring e.g. trace elements,
private bvd monitoring ; regular worm egg count monitoring. For
dairy cattle: mastitis, lameness & fertility data.
Plans for dealing with current on farm disease
issues.
Zoonosis: existing
conditions on the farm & other potential infections.
Quarantine facilities:
For brought in stock or those returning home. Where e.g. field,
building; treatment /screening whilst in isolation e.g. sheep: trim
feet & footbath weekly for 3 weeks; fluke dose; dose with avermectin
against resistant worms; scab & lice treatment. ?need for defra
approved facility on unit to avoid triggering standstill period.
Medicine use &
recording: Medicine record book; withdrawal periods; stock
rotation; list of “permitted” routine drugs from vet &
what to use when; disposal of out of date medicines & sharps;
familiarisation with current legislation;
Casualties:
emergency destruction arrangements for different classes of stock;
information to employees regarding what can/can’t be transported/treated;
disposal arrangements in line with current legislation including
display of phone numbers etc.
Vet details & phone number, & guidelines
of when to call
This is not designed to be a template plan, but
hopefully serves to give an indication of the sort of information
that is required. There is strong animal health & welfare emphasis
in all sections, and with this in mind, I personally feel the plan
should be drawn up with the aid of a veterinary surgeon.
Tina Vernon BVSc MRCVS
Strathearn Farm & Equine Practice
Crieff, PH7 3BH
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