Biosecurity Plan for Goats:
Biosecurity refers to management practices designed to prevent the introduction of illnesses and disease. Illnesses and disease will compromise the quality and quantity of the products produced by the farm.
Implementing a biosecurity plan is important to every producer and will prevent the loss of income, loss of production, loss of livestock, and loss of labor. By implementing a biosecurity plan, everyone will benefit.
The following are suggested steps for establishing a biosecure farm:
- Write a biosecurity plan taking into consideration the illnesses/diseases of greatest concern to you and their mode of transmission.
- Establish a biosecure area. This is a parameter around your barns and livestock, an area at which strict guidelines will have to be followed before visitors are allowed to proceed.
- Limit visitors to your farm. Biosecure signs, gates, or fences should be used to prevent uninvited visitors from gaining access to your livestock and barns while you are away.
- Visitors should wear boots or shoes that have sealed soles and sides, disinfect them prior to entering the farm by providing a foot bath. If sandals or inappropriate shoes are warn, provide bio-boot covers to be warn overtop of the shoes.
- Ask visitors to wear clean clothing that have not been warn around livestock of another farm. Provide disposable coveralls if clean clothing is not warn or ask that the visitors remain outside the biosecure parameter.
- Limit the number of vehicles inside of the biosecure parameter to those that are essential for the farms business. If it is a vehicle that visits other farms, disinfect the tires prior to entry.
- Control insect populations and the access of wildlife, rodents, birds, and domesticated animals.
- Ensure that feed is not contaminated by manure, urine, or rodent droppings.
- Never reuse needles and disinfect reusable equipment between animals.
- Frequently examine your herd for signs and symptoms of illness or disease.
- Vaccinate your herd for illnesses and diseases when vaccines are available.
- Enroll in the Federal Scrapie Program.
- Deworm & Delice on a regular basis and do fecal exams to ensure the success of your parasite control program.
- Treat animals returning from and exhibition as new arrivals by quarantining them in an area away from the rest of the herd.
- Keep accurate and up-to-date health records on all animals. Health records should include information such as the animals ID, animals age, vaccines or medications given, dates given, amounts given, and purpose for giving.
- Quarantine any new animals in an area away from the rest of the herd until you are confident that they are healthy. During this time, you should have little contact with the animal, always feed and water the quarantined animal last, dip shoes after feeding or wear a separate pair of shoes that are only to be warn in the quarantined animals pen, change and wash clothing and shower after being around the quarantined animal. During the quarantine period, this is a good time to trim the hooves, vaccinate and deworm the new animal. Use disposable equipment whenever possible and thoroughly disinfect equipment that is not disposable. Monitor the animal closely for any signs of illness/disease. Whenever possible, test new arrivals for various diseases such as: CAE (Caprine Arthritis), Johnes disease, TB, Chlamydiosis, Brucellosis, or any other test that your Veterinary recommends.
By following the above steps, you will be able to provide a sound and controlled environment for your livestock. You will greatly reduce the risks of illness and disease to your herd and you will ultimately reap the benefits of your precautionary measures