Herd health

Question 1

Health and productivity schemes - objectives (general)

Answer 1

Considers agent, host and environment factors - and includes drawing up a health plan containing details of procedures (diagnosis & treatment & prevention) to be followed during the year.

1. Identify disease and productivity constraints and problems on a farm;
2. Rate the problems in order of performance (technical and economic criteria)
3. Initiate suitable control and measure success (technical and economic)

Question 2

Health and productivity schemes - targets (general)

Answer 2

Usually defined as:

1. Measures of position (mean age); or
2. Upper/lower limits (maximum calving interval)

May be based on internal standards (using farm’s historical data) or external standards (data from similar herds).

Question 3

Health and productivity schemes - action level aka interference level

Answer 3

Level at which the recorded production variable ceases to be acceptable in relation to its target level. Identified by experience, based on financial criteria i.e. point at which there is unacceptable loss.

Question 4

Health and productivity schemes - dairy

Answer 4

Objective: improve welfare and productivity by maximizing health, milk yield and milk quality. Latter achieved by efficient reproduction, decreasing important diseases (mastitis and lameness) and optimum feeding (nutritionally and economically) Targets (reproductive and disease/production): mean calving to conception (85 days) overall culling rates (t reflect indiv variation), blood analysis

Question 5

Health and productivity schemes - pigs

Answer 5

Focus: repro in dry sow (DS), production of suckling sow (SS), performance of grower pigs (G), performance of boar (B) Targets: DS-farrowing rate (85%) DS-average age (24 months) SS-# piglets born dead (5%) SS-piglet mortality (by reason) G-mortality (2.5%) G-feed conversion from weaning B-average age (20 months) B-boar sow ratio (1:20)

Question 6

Health and productivity schemes - sheep

Answer 6

Focus: reproductive efficiency, losses due to disease, sub-optimal production Targets: Marking rate (100% for 2-cycle breeding period) Lambing rate(2 per ewe per breeding period) Perinatal mortality (<5%) Culling due to age (20%) Visits: condition scoring, examination of udders/feet/mouths, ram conformation, metabolic profiles based on butyrate examination

Question 7

Health and productivity schemes - beef

Answer 7

Targets: average cow age (5-6 y) 60 day pregnancy rate (>95%) BCS mid gestation (5) calving (5-6) dystocia adult (<15%) culling rate (15-20%)

Question 8

Health and productivity schemes (national)

Answer 8

Accreditation schemes often first component of eradication program. Incentives offered to increase particulation (e.g. milk bonuses for participating dairy herds). ENhances market potential of animals for national and international trade

Question 9

Links between herd health, productivity and economics (3)

Answer 9

1. Health issues such as lameness and mastitis can lead to productivity declines directly (e.g. decreased milk offtake, early dry-off) or indirectly (e.g. discarding milk collected during WHP).
2. This decrease in productivity affects profitability of enterprises - variable costs remain the same or increase relative to overall output (gross margin analysis, production function)
3. Partial farm budget can be useful when considering changes to management practices (A + B > C + D)

Question 10

Investigating unsatisfactory herd productivity

Answer 10

1. Herd/farm history: new animals, management practices (vaccination, drenching), supplementary feed
2. Review herd records (if available) - characterize nature of problem (animals affected, time, place)
3. Inspect animals - various degrees of pathology
4. Collect specimens and send to lab
5. Review lab findings
6. Design herd health scheme - including targets
7. Monitor