How to Manage the Health of Animals in a Farm

Good animal husbandry starts with proper health care and management. Livestock production is greatly affected by diseases. Knowing these diseases is important in planning and organizing effective animal healthcare programs. So, every livestock farmer should note the following precautions to maintain the good health of their animals.

How to Keep Animals Healthy

• Prevent contact with infected livestock
• Avoid overcrowding in the house
• Keep the young animals separate from the adults
• Isolate sick animals
• Avoid equipment for sick animals being brought into the house
• Prevent unhygienic people from entering the pens
• Get accurate and early disease diagnosis by a qualified veterinarian
• Avoid unnecessary medication
• Eliminate ticks, lice, mites and control predatory animals.
• Consider droppings as a potential source of diseases
• Keep the pen clean and dry
• Keep the feed and water uncontaminated
• Feed must meet all the nutritional requirements of the animals
• Ensure periodic vaccination
• Maintain a record of the incidence of diseases and treatment administered

Since it has been known that diseases are one of the major factors that negatively influence the performance of farm animals, the following measures must be put in place to control diseases in farm animals:

How to Prevent and Control Diseases in Farm Animals

• Quarantine (separate) new stock of animals coming into the farm for some days before adding them to the old stock
• Cull (remove) chronically infected animals
• Isolate animals that are sick from the main flock
• Dispose of pen litter material properly
• Maintain personnel hygiene and sanitation
• Use of footbath
• Practice approved method of sanitation
• Change animal pastures periodically
• Vaccination of healthy animals (don’t ever vaccinate sick animals)
• Disinfect shed where sick animals were kept
• Use anti-serum in affected animals
• Slaughter, burn or bury 6ft deep with lime underground animals affected by a severe disease
• Treat timely animal stock and regularly check them for signs of diseases
• Give an immediate report of disease outbreak to the necessary Diseases Control authorities

Farmers have to take the health of their animals very importantly. These animals need to have good health for them to be productive and profitable in the farm.