Basic Steps to Building Herd/Flock Health: Part I and II

The term “Herd Health” means different things to different people: both producers and veterinarians. Many times producers equate a herd health program with a vaccination program. However, much more that goes into preventive herd health programs than just a good vaccination program. It is most cost effective to personalize each program. Many ranches don’t need every vaccine available, and in some cases recommendations don’t fit the business model of the ranch. I stress to producers that they should not use “cookbook” programs found on the internet. They should consult their veterinarian to tailor the program to their ranch. Good record keeping is extremely important. Herd records along with management changes and new information will allow the herd health program to be fine-tuned each year. A key point for producers to understand is that health problems are not usually from a primary disease issue. Management issues (nutrition, biosecurity, genetic selection, etc.) usually allow a disease to take hold. It is futile to chase a disease problem if the underlying management issues are not also addressed. Herd health programs can be divided into six parts: nutrition; parasite control; biosecurity; vaccinations; stress and genetics ...