Ever wondered what it takes to be a top-notch livestock handler? It’s all about understanding what’s normal, recognising common diseases, and taking preventive measures. Kenneth Malatji, animal health technician at Afrivet Technical and Training Services, breaks this down.
Livestock handlers spend the most time with the animals on the farm and are expected to have a close-knit relationship with them. Due to this relationship, it is imperative that livestock handlers have sufficient knowledge to perform their duties effectively when working with livestock.
There are three primary things that a livestock handler needs to be aware of. The first is what is normal, the second is the disease process for the most common diseases that occur on the farm, and thirdly, the specific actions they need to take to help prevent and manage the occurrence of these diseases effectively.
Healthy animals are a basic requirement for profitable production. Understanding the factors that keep animals healthy and the visible signs of health are essential tools in maximising livestock production. All the body systems need to be functioning at all times for the animal to be healthy and productive. If one system is not working, this is a sign of disease, and production will be affected.
Effective disease management
Diseases commonly seen on farms need to be identified, and their treatment and prevention strategies should be incorporated into a herd health and production plan. This can only be done if the livestock handler is trained accordingly.
Furthermore, your local veterinarian should be consulted on a seasonal basis to advise which diseases are likely to be an issue in the coming season. This will assist the livestock handler in knowing and identifying the signs of disease and the correct treatment protocol.
It is also critical to be able to describe the sick animal or disease accurately when seeking technical support from a veterinary professional. The first signs of disease are the best indication of what disease process is occurring and offer the best chance for the livestock handler to identify and treat the disease successfully.
Every disease results from an interaction between the animal, the environment, and the disease. Understanding the signs of what is occurring within these factors and what this tells us is vital to effective disease management.
Whenever an abnormality or sign of disease is observed (e.g., fever), it is a call to action, and something must be done about it immediately! The outcomes of all the above actions need to be recorded and reported when consulting veterinary professionals.
Without a structured approach and a record of what was observed, the cause of the disease, the treatment, and its outcome, the livestock handler cannot get meaningful technical support. The practical side of learning is critical in the development of the livestock handler, as only through experience can the subtle differences between diseases be identified and the correct treatments understood and properly administered.
Related stories
- Ask Afrivet: How to navigate tick management in livestock
- Ask Afrivet: Top tips on tick bite management in livestock
Knowledge is power
The concept of primary animal health care (PAHC) covers good management practices undertaken by the livestock handler. These practices are the minimum required to maintain the health and production of livestock.
Structured daily observation of animals is the single most important management action needed in the execution of PAHC because it assists livestock handlers in detecting early signs of diseases. The only resource available to the livestock handler for the early identification of the first signs of disease is their eyes. Most losses due to diseases occur because the first signs of diseases are ignored or the urgency of specific signs is not understood; therefore, no action is taken until it is too late.
Through structured observation for the first signs of disease, the animal handler can successfully identify, report, and prevent/treat the most common diseases causing death and loss of production. An understanding of the factors that maintain the health and productivity of animals can be established cost-effectively at all levels of livestock production.
In summary, the knowledge and capabilities of the livestock handlers play a pivotal role in productive farming systems. Knowledge is literally power and can save money and improve income if used correctly by all people involved in your farming system, especially in the day-to-day handling of animals by the livestock handler.
Focus on good PAHC management practices including:
- Structured daily observation
- Provision of water, grazing, and supplementation of nutritional shortages according to the season and the needs of the animals
- Ongoing treatment of parasite infestations (e.g. ticks)
- Prevention of priority diseases that cannot be treated effectively through vaccination (e.g. black quarter)
- Seasonal planning of management actions.
If you are interested in expanding the knowledge of your livestock handlers visit www.afrivetacademy.co.za.
READ NEXT: Ask Afrivet: How to navigate tick management in livestock
Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain.
