Flock health planning is worth the extra effort

But, when implemented correctly, a flock health plan can significantly reduce mortality levels or increase animal performance.

It does not need to be a very detailed document but the more thought and preparation you put into flock health planning, the more you are likely to get out of it.

For a percentage of flockowners participating in the Sheep Technology Adoption Programme (STAP), health planning, or task 4, is a mandatory requirement of STAP. These participants have to complete a flock health plan with their veterinary surgeon by the end of year one.

The plan must also be reviewed during the three years of the programme. Farmers outside of the STAP, or who are not undertaking task 4, can make use of the theory behind the task and use it to model their own flock health plan. The terms and conditions of the STAP include a template flock health plan for farmers and their vets to use at www.agriculture.gov.ie

Background information

Firstly, quantify the farming system practised and baseline performance data. Doing this will give some background detail and will help in determining the key time periods when health controls need to be implemented most and may also trigger health concerns where performance data is below par.

This includes collecting physical data such as the number of mature ewes/rams kept, the age status of the flock, the number of replacements retained or entering the flock, etc. Once this is collected the next step is assessing the breeding policy on your farm.

Facts like the breeding goals of the flock (for example, terminal or maternal rams used/ emphasis on easy lambing or targeting a high or low prolificacy rate), replacement policy (closed flock retaining ewe lambs or purchasing in) or quarantine protocol implemented should be assessed.

Breeding performance can also be analysed here or in conjunction with mortality rate analysis.

With breeding around the corner, it is also worth analysing the actual mating activity and recording if most ewes are mated within the first two weeks, three weeks or four weeks of mating.

Mortality levels

The ideal is where all cases of mortality occurring during the year and a known or probable cause are recorded. A good way of monitoring is to keep a record when sending animals to the knackery and recording details in your flock register. The most important area of concern is lamb mortality. Losses from mating to scanning will be characterised mainly in barren ewes.

Generally, this number will be small unless there are unnoticed ram fertility issues or abortion problems within the flock. Losses from scanning to lambing and during lambing will help identify health problems or flock management issues or nutrition. This is aided greatly by a breakdown or estimation of the causes of lamb mortality.

Routine health practice

Recording routine and required health practices will build up a good profile of the main health issues over time.

Areas such as treatment of internal or external parasites, vaccinations administered and incidence and frequency of lameness issues are the main routine health practices.

Required treatments can include antibiotic treatment of ewes or lambs pre or post lambing and incidence of mastitis, for example.

Develop action plan

Analysis of the information discussed above will help to identify risk areas on the farm and put a preventative plan in place.

Your vet will be best placed to aid with assessing and developing a flock health plan. This is especially the case where significant problems or potential risk areas have been uncovered.

Sitting down and working through a preventative plan is not common ground for most farmers. The ease of which it can be carried out will be influenced by the level of detail of information recorded.

The plan will require an investment but over time its cost should be more than recouped from improved flock performance.

Veterinary surgeons should view flock health planning as an area to expand their business and offer competitive rates for completion. Figure 1 is a simple example of a plan that could be developed covering now until the end of the year.