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Flock Health Plans:

All flocks should have a Flock Health Plan, outlining the management, preventative measures and  treatments to be used to control the health and welfare of the sheep.

Whilst it is possible to write such a plan yourself, we believe that it is cost-effective to use us to draw up the plan for you. We will visit the flock and discuss all health matters, covering issues such as worming policy, vaccination policy, external parasite control and nutrition. At the end of the visit, we will produce a health plan that gives protocols for all of the areas of importance to your flock, for instance; lamb care, lameness, biosecurity and medicine use. This will be presented as a loose-leaf bound copy, which will also include a flock calendar for your farm and a certificate of compliance for all of the current farm assurance schemes, including that of the Soil Association for organic flocks if required. 

In addition to producing the basic flock health-plan, we can also offer whole flock advice on all veterinary and management matters. Common areas that we are asked to cover include:

• Examination of rams prior to tupping, with semen evaluation if required.

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• Blood testing of ewes in mid-pregnancy, to avoid conditions such as ‘sway back’ ‘white muscle disease’ and pregnancy toxaemia.

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• Investigation of abortions or infertility problems

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• Lambing management and prevention of neonatal diseases in lambs

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• Faecal egg counts to monitor worm burdens and inform worming policy

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• Anthelmintic resistance and the correct choice of wormer

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• Foot rot control and reducing lameness in the flock

Follow this link

to the Defra website

and read how one sheep

farmer has benefited

from flock health planning

Defra.gov.uk article

Last Updated : 29 January 2008                                                                                                      (C) Larkmead Veterinary Group