HERD HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND RECORD KEEPING FOR DAIRY SHEEP

Josef G. Regli, DVM

Canreg Farm
Finch, Ontario, Canada

Introduction
The sheep industry, especially larger commercial flocks, have been looking for more effi-
cient ways to fight against health problems for a long time. Traditional veterinary medicine with
healing, curing and treating of single animals or entire flocks has lost its importance and will more
and more be replaced by preventive measures and health management.
Reasons that are limitting the use of traditional veterinary medicine:
Quite a lot of infectious diseases in sheep have an epidemic course (e.g. Pasteurella pneumo-
nia, cocccidiosis) and are spreading very fast and aggressively (e.g. chlamydiosis,
pneumococcosis in lambs) within a flock. Also non-infectious problems (e.g. copper poison-
ing, white muscel disease) involve more often several animals or even the whole herd;
Some diseases in small ruminats (e.g. enterotoxemia, sudden death) cant be treated or cured;
Low income per animal unit and modest value of the animal itself ;
High animal numbers per farm are making conventional medical practice too expensive
(chlamydiosos) and too labour intensive (e.g. infectious footrot);
Lack of registered drugs for use in sheep;
Its well known that the percentage of bacteria and parasites (internal and external) with single
or multiple restistance against regular drugs is steadily growing. The more often and uncon-
trolled these drugs are used, the greater is the chance that resistance will grow.

Good herd health management helps to prevent the development and/or uncontrolled spread
of diseasis and reduces economical losses. It is even more important in a dairy sheep operation than
it already is in a common meat sheep flock.
Key reasons for the importance of herd health management in dairy sheep operations:
Health risks for humans
Milk and milk products are an extremely volatile food. Several infectious diseases (e.g. listerio-
sis, staphylococcosis) can be spread easily via milk or milk products to consumers. Health
risk can occur even when the milk was pasteurized (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus toxines).
Sheeps milk with its high protein and fat content is especially prone to hazardous problems.
Inefficient milk performance and economy of enterprise
Herd health problems have a direct (e.g. mastitis) or often an indirect (e.g. footrot, enzootic
pneumonia, OPP) impact on the milk performance and are, besides primary feeding failures,
the most common reasons for reduced milk performance and economical losses.
Increased suscebtibility to health problems
Dairy sheep are more susceptible to a variety of health problems than meat sheep (e.g. Pas-
teurella pneumonia in East Friesian sheep). Additional stress factors (such as early weaning of
lambs, milking procedure, performance stress, a.s.o.) have a negative effect on the immunity
system.
 In dairy flocks infectious diseases (e.g. OPP) often spread faster, evoke more severe clinical
signs and result in more excessive economical losses.
Milk withdrawal time
Most of the drugs that exist to cure and heal lactating dairy cows are not registered for use in
dairy sheep. This means that they either cant be used or they have a very long milk with-
drawal time, which results sometimes in big financial losses and additional labour, because
treated animals have to be milked seperately.

Health problems
This paper will not include a complete review of all herd health problems in dairy sheep. It
represents a selection of problems from the prospective of a dairy sheep producer and veterinarian.
The herd health depends on many different circumstances as geography, type of management sys-
tem (extensive, intensive), herd size, farm size, housing, feeding, a.s.o.

General problems
Problem Biosecurity
A really big threat to the health of every sheep flock is the [uncontrolled] traffic (e.g. pur-
chase, breeding, pasture contacts, shows, exhibitions) of sheep or related ruminants (especially
goats) and humans (e.g. farmer himself [sales barn visits], custom workers, visitors).

Problem management & animal environment

Many diseases and health problems that can occur in a flock are based on a faulty or incorrect:
Sheep environment (space, climate, bedding, light: keeping conditions)
Feeding
Handling
Care
Let us call these four subjects basic needs of sheep. When any defects in the accomplish-
ment of these basic needs exist over a long time period, then health problems will develop and
worsen the longer these defects will exist.
Table 1: Basic needs of sheep, which have to be satisfied by the management:
Basic needs Common failures Normal
Environmental conditions
Space Too tight, crowding Comply with codes
Climate:
. Air quality & movement Draft or sticky, with accummu-
lation of noxious gases better cold and dry, than
. Humidity Over 80 % for a longer time warm and too humid
. Temperature Too cold or too warm
Bedding & walk ways None, wet, dirty, foul, muddy Dry, clean, sufficient
Light Too dark (often in old barns) News-paper-test
 Table 1: Basic needs of sheep (continued)
Basic needs Common failures Normal
Feeding Not balanced and not according to Well-balanced and according to performance
performance: (3 phases: starting phase, producing phase,
- Energy and protein high pregnancy & preparation phase)
- Energy and protein
- Protein and energy
Not enough fiber in ration Always supply roughage, even during
summer
Too monotonous Variety of feed
Feeding time too short Long feeding times (over 6 hours)
Spoiled feed Clean, without mold, dust-free
Not enough minerals, trace Well balanced mineral salts and NaCl-salt-
minerals, vitamins [blocks], check intake, keep clean!
Not enough feed trough width for all Provide enough feed trough space
No or not enough water, bad quality Free accss to clean water, check & clean
waterers regularly
Handling No handling facilities: stress, injuries Well considered handling: no need of fancy
equipement and facilities
Care Neglecting foot trimming, shearing Foot trimming 1-2 x per year, shearing in
minimum once per year (East Friesian: 1-2 x)

= too much = not enough

Specific health problems

Infectious diseases:
a) Contagious diseases:
Of major interest are diseases which can be easily spread from flock to flock. A special concern for
every sheep enterprise are those contagious diseases that cant be cured (or rarely) and
where no sanitation is possible:
Table 2: Listing of some important contagious diseases:
Disease Treatment Sanitation Preventive Measuress
Footrot Possible Labour intensive, improved management Closed flock, vaccination
OPP (Maedi-Visna) Impossible Complex, artificial rearing of lambs Closed flock, test
Adenomatosis Impossible Unknown Closed flock
Scrapie (*) Impossible Culling Closed flock, test
Paratuberculosis Impossible Impossible or unknown Closed flock, test
Pseudotuberculosis * Impossible Complex, artificial rearing of lambs Closed flock, test, vaccination
Chronic mastitis * Possible Sometimes complex, improved management Closed flock, CMT
Chlamydiosis * (+-) possible Complex, vaccination Closed flock, test, vaccination
Ecthymia * Possible Labour intensive, vaccination Closed flock, vaccination
Pasteurella pneumonia Possible Improved management Closed flock
* Zoonoses (Diseases with a potential to affect both man and animals)
 b)Low (or not) contagious diseases:
Some infectious diseases can occur within a flock without having contact with other herds.
These diseases can have a great negative impact on the herd health, especially when there is
no treatment or cure possible, but in general they are easier to prevent.
Table 3: Listing of some unimportant or low contagious diseases:
Disease Treatment Sanitation Preventive Measuress
Enterotoxemia Impossible Improved management, vaccination Vaccination
Listeriosis* Impossible Improved management, vaccination Improved management
Tetanus Impossible Improved management, vaccination Vaccination, desinfection
* Zoonoses (Diseases with a potential to affect both man and animals)

Parasitic diseases
External and internal parasites can be administerd into a flock with the purchase or introducing of
other sheep into the flock. Under certain conditions wild animals can be involved. Some internal
parasites are very difficult to prevent, because they have hosts, where the parasite can pass the
winter (e.g. Moniezia expansa [sheep tape worm]).

Other diseases
Nutritional and Metabolic diseases (See Table 1 [feeding]):
Feeding disorders are quite common in dairy sheep. The lactation length (up to 300 days) and
performance stress are much longer and more intensive than in meat sheep, therefore, feeding
failures become especially problematic.
Table 4: Most common feeding disorders and their prevention:
Disease Cause Prevention
Pregnancy toxemia, ketosis Direct: Undernutrition (energy ), or Body scoring in early gestation,
overnutrition (energy ) feeding balanced and according to
Indirect: Multiple fetuses, indigestion, performance, grain regularly, good
rumen acidosis quality roughage, (fetus counting)
Milk fever Direct: Too much calcium during late Balanced mineral salt (specific for
pregnancy, (wrong mineral salt, sugar beets, sheep, not dairy cow salts), grassy hay
hay with lots of legumes, alfalfa?)
Indirect: Stress (handling), crowding Avoid stress in late pregnancy: enough
space, optimal handling, enough trough
width
Indigestion & Lack of fiber (roughage in ration), too Balanced rations (enough fiber),
Rumen acidosis much grain, too fast increasing of grain gradually increasing of quanities of
amount in late gestation grain (2-4 weeks), roughage feeding
before grain, grain and corn silage
distribution 3 or more times per day
Milk fat depression Supplementing of poor quality roughage Balanced rations, good hay quality,
with concentrate (to boost milk feeding of roughage always before grain
performance)
Enterotoxemia Sudden changes in diet (e.g. new pasture, Avoiding of rapid diet changes: Feeding
excessive grain feeding) of hay when grazing rich pastures
(spring, seedings), regular feeding of
grain (better often in small quantities)
 Management Practices
General Measures
A good herd health management should be based on two main principles:
I. Biosecurity
II. Fulfillment of basic needs of sheep
These two principles must always to be met without compromise.

I. Care about biosecurity !

There are at least three possible levels of biosecurity:
A) Minimal preventive measures:
Animal traffic is restricted: Replacement ewes, rams a.s.o. can be brought into the herd after a
quarantine of a minimum of 4 weeks. Only healthy animals will be accepted. Attending of
shows is possible.
This type of biosecurity is very controversial, because there is no guaranty that these measures can
protect a good health standard.
B) Closed flock management
The herd is periodically controlled by clinical check and/or laboratory testing (serology a.s.o). Any
animal traffic is strictly forbidden. No showing of sheep. A.I., E.T. Under certain circumstances
animals out of herds with the same sanitary status may enter the flock after an obligatory quar-
antine. Traffic of humans is also restricted: Access to farm only after changing of boots and
clothing (overall). The same precautions are necessary after visits of sales-barns, livestock ex-
hibitions and slaughter houses!
Dairy sheep operations should be managed as closed herds. With a modest amount of labour a high
level of security can be achieved.
C) Specific pathogen free flock (Hysterectomy, nucleus flock)
This is the most rigorous level of biosecurity. Theoretically all infectious diseases, (also in the
moment not known or detectable infectious agens) can be barred from a flock. Needs a very
good managment to keep and to control the sanitary status. The role of wildlife, birds, rodents
and insects in spreading certain diseases is at the moment not always known. In the hog indus-
try quite good experiences could be achieved, but hogs leave the barn environment just for the
slaughter house!?

II. Care about the basic needs each creature needs:

Enough space to move
Good climate
Dry and clean bedding & walk ways
Lots of natural illumination
Balanced feeding
Stress free handling
Good care
In herd health management it is of tremendous importance that the basic needs of each sheep
can be fulfilled as well as possible. Without the fulfillment of these basic needs any further
management measures will be futile. (See also Table 1)
 Feeding:
The most common feeding disorders with their preventive measures are listed in Table 4.
Some general remarks regarding feeding management: (See also Table 1)
Ruminants need over 18 hours for eating, ruminating, chewing!!!: Allow a minimum of 6
hours for eating;
Sheep are selective eaters, if they have the choice to do so. Grazing of a modest quality
pasture or feeding of an average quality hay can result in astonishingly good milk perfor-
mance;
Feeding of a variety of food boosts dry matter intake and results in higher performance;
Sheep feeding should be done according to three performance phases:
Starting phase (Parturition to end of 2nd month of lactation);
Producing phase (3rd month of lactation to 3rd month of gestation);
High gestation & preparation phase (4th and 5th month of gestation).
Each phase is characterized by specific conditions, that have different requirements.
Dairy sheep in lactation need free access to a water source of good quality.

III. Cull sheep with (repeated) health problems:

Not a main principle, but a quite important tool of herd health management is the culling of
sheep which have had (several times) serious health problems. For some health problems it is
adviseable not to use the offspring as replacement ewes or breeding rams, because suscepti-
bility to many dieases is heritable.

Specific Measures
Measures as described under general should be able to control most of the infectious diseases
normally. However some diseases need additional preventive measures:
(1) Infectious diseases:
For dairy sheep the following preventive measures sould be taken: (See also Table 2)
a) Birth, new born lambs:
Dry and clean bedding;
When help is needed: Only with clean, desinfected hands;
Navel desinfection with Iodine;
Check udder and make sure lambs get colostrom.

a) Vaccinations: Especially recommended for dairy sheep are:

Enterotoxemia;
Tetanus.
b) Mastitis: Mastitis problems are very frustrating and serious. Generally three types of mastitis
are known ( seeTable 5).
 Table 5: Types of mastitis
Type Clinical signs CMT Treatment
General Udder Milk

Acute Mastitis Fever, lameness, Swollen, hard Dramatically +++ Antibiotics in udder
sick Hot or cold reduced & systemic
Red or blue-black Altered: water- (Dry treatment)
Dolorous like, bloody, pus,
(Assymetric) frazzels
Chronic, No fever, no Sensitive Reduced +++ Antibiotics in udder
clinical M. sick, ev. slight (Assymetric) Slightly altered: Dry treatment
lameness water-like, frazzels
Chronic, Absolutely Nodes and/or Slightly reduced + to + + + Antibiotics in udder
sublinical M. normal slightly Not altered Dry treatment
assymetric

Chronic, subclinical mastitis is a major concern for the milk processing industry, because the
quality of the milk is reduced without being obviously altered, and affected sheep dont nor-
mally show any clinical signs. Some pathogen germs can even be a threat for human health
(e.g. Listeria species). Chronic mastits does not seldom develop to a herd problem, with several
sheep or nearly all affected. The only way to control chronic mastitis is an optimal udder health
(preventive) management:
Milking equipement: (Checks & maintainance)
Vacuum (level, fluctuations, leaks, drains)
Pulsation frequency
Pulsation rates (vacuum phase : rest phase)
Teat cup liners, hoses,valves
Milking techniques & hygiene:
Strip into premilk cup, check milk
Clean just really dirty udders with paper towels
Remove all milk from the udder, but dont overmilk
CMT a minimum of once per week
Teat dipping after (if necessary also before) milking
Tranquil handling
Parlour & environment:
Avoid muddy walk ways and pastures
Pre-milking waiting area with good drain, better roofed
Access to parlour over grid, slotted floor or hard gravel
Dry, clean bedding
Housing, feeding, handling a.s.o. (See under general preventive measures)

d) Listeriosis: Listeriosis needs some special remarks, because this disease can be quite dan-
gerous for humans. The main concern are sheep that are affected, but dont show signs of
sickness, but spread listeria bacteria in the milk and contamination of milk in dairies with an
unsatisfactory hygiene.
Preventive measures are:
Feeding of good fermented silage (corn and hay) only;
Remove left-overs of the previous silage feeding from the feed trough. Dont throw
these left-overs or other spoiled silage in the sheep pen (for bedding);
For silage feeding use mainly concrete or steel feeders;
No milking in the housing barn itself;
Good parlour hgygiene.

d) Disease Monitoring: For some accreditation programs it is necessary to montior certain

diseases (e.g. OPP, [Scrapie, Pseudotuberculosis, Paratuberculosis) with different labora-
tory test (e.g. blood serology)].
(2) Non-infectious diseases: Some remarks:
Selenium/Vitamin-E deficiency: White-muscle disease in lambs and preventive mea-
sures are mostly well known. Selenium/Vitamin-E deficiency might be even more com-
mon in a chronic, latent form in adult dairy sheep. Possible problems could be: Re-
duced fertility, negative influence on immunity system and milk performance.
Copper poisoning: Beware of commercial dairy concentrates! Check mineral salts on
copper contents.

(1) Parasitic diseases:

a) Ectoparasites
General preventive measures to control infestation with ectoparasites as mites, lice, keds, ticks
are:
Closed-flock management;
Periodic shearing (East Friesian sheep: if problems 2x);
Optimal keeping conditions. (See under general measures)

a) Endoparasites
- General:
Some of the many different types of endoparasites (e.g. Haemonchus) are a real threat to the
herd health. Preventive management is the only reasonable way to control these parasites, but is
very complex and depends on the individual existing circumstances of each farm (e.g. pasture
or confinement, numbers of pastures, a.s.o.). In dairy sheep there is the additional problem of
the availability of registered dewormers. Some dewormers are forbidden for lactating animals
and others have a prolonged withdrawal time.

General preventive measures:

All sheep (also goats) entering the herd (purchase, breeding) should be set under quarantine
for three weeks and dewormed at least two times;
Divide herd into age groups for grazing (adult ewes, weaned lambs): The older the sheep
are the less problems they will have with worms (certain immunity). Lambs and sheep in
the first grazing season are the most vulnerable. Therefore dont graze weaned lambs with
adult ewes;
 Deworm ewes before beginning milking: e.g. directly after lambing, when milk cant be
used for human consumption (colostrum) or as long as lambs suckle. Additional
dewormings if necessary could be done with organic dewormer (e.g. Diotomaceus
Earth, herbal dewormer), that have no milk withdrawal time;
Use the exact dosage of dewormer (or better too much than not enough: resistance), check
accuracy of used equipement, keep newly dewormed sheep inside or in yard for at least a
day;
After grazing a field let the grass regrow and cut it as hay or silage (hay - pasture rotation)
or graze this pasture with horses, cows, calves (not goats);
Fence off manure piles (also run-off areas) and muddy yards;
If possible monitor parasite infestation with faeces samples;

Record keeping
Record keeping is an important tool of the herd health management because it allows you to moni-
tor the health status. Data analysis helps to track for problems, to show up solutions and to make
necessary management decisions.
Besides regular milk performance and prolific data the following health records are essential to
observe the herd health status:
Table 6: Recorded data for dairy sheep enterprises:
Data Kind of data Reason

Health Kind of health problem, date Decision for culling, offspring,

preventive measures
Lambing Date, problems, lambs born Decision for culling, offspring,
preventive measures
Breeding Date(s) Information for feeding,
management
Vaccinations Date, drug used, milk/meat Information for booster, animal
withdrawal duration sales, decision for milk/meat use
Foot trimmings Date Control
Culling Date, reason Decision for offspring,
preventive measures
Deworming Date, drug, doses, milk/ meat Information for pasture
withdrawal time management, decision for milk/
meat use
 Table 6: Recorded data for dairy sheep enterprises (continued):
Data Kind of data Reason
Other treatments Date, drug, doses, milk/ meat Information for management
withdrawal time decisions, decision for milk/meat
use
Udder health Information for milk quality,
SSC (CMT and others) Date, results decision for milk use, dry-treat-
Bacterial analysis dito ment
Mastitis treatments dito
Milk: (besides Information for feeding and health
performance data)
Butter fat Date
Protein dito
Ammonia dito
Blood testing (serology) Date, test reason, kind of test Health monitoring, accredition
(e.g. OPP) programs, information for animal
sale
Other monitoring tests Date, test reason, kind of test Health monitoring, accredition
(e.g. Scrapie) programs information for
animal sale
Hay & silage quality:
Analysis Standard feed data Information for feeding
Self-estimation Stage, weather conditions
estimated value
Pasture Rotation date, Information for feeding
quality estimation
Computer programs:
Larger operations should do record keeping with a computer based program on a regular
schedule to avoid the loss of important data.
Two possible sources for programs are available:
Individually adapted or designed standard programs: e.g. Excel, MS-Acces
Available commercial programs:
- Different programs for goat dairies (e.g. Goat management software)
- Specific sheep management programs (e.g. Ewe Byte: Ontario)

Conclusion
Good herd health management is an essential factor for economical and profitable operat-
ing of a dairy sheep enterprise. Commercial sheep dairies should be managed as closed herds to
minimize disease problems. The fulfillment of all basic needs of the sheep (keeping conditions:
space, climate, bedding, light; feeding; handling; care) is very important for the general health and
the response of the immune system to diseases.
Record keeping is a significant tool of herd health management. Data analysis of these
records helps to track for problems, to show up solutions and to make necessary management
decisions.