Starting a farm requires rigorous planning, especially if your goal is to make a profit. In addition, instead of focusing more on making money, the top priority should be the well-being of the farm animals. If the animals are in good condition, it’s easier to maintain a sustainable farm.
If you observe the farm products you can buy at the supermarket, you can tell whether the farms these products came from are well-maintained or not. And if you want to provide the best quality products, here are some of the best practises you should implement to maintain healthy farm animals.
1. Proper Nutrition
With the proper diet and well-balanced meals, animals can be more productive. However, this step can be crucial, so if you don’t have a background in providing the right diet for farm animals, you should consult with professionals. From there, they can provide a comprehensive meal plan, including the best animal health solutions that provide the best farm animal products.
Aside from well-planned meals, proper nutrition also includes enough supply of clean water and supplements. Besides, you can still observe some irregularities if the farm animals are well-fed yet dehydrated. Additionally, supplements are needed just to make sure there are enough vitamins and minerals in their body.
2. Regular Veterinary Visit
Before starting your farm, looking for the best veterinarian in your area is essential. Nowadays, vet clinics are emerging, but you should also guarantee that they specialise in farm animals. Once you open your farm and you’ve established a good relationship with the right veterinarian, make sure that all of your farm animals are getting the right vaccines, treatments, and regular check-ups.
With all these regular veterinary routines, it’s easier to address potential health risks and the spreading of diseases. In addition, veterinarians can provide the proper tips to make sure that all farm animals are in good condition.
3. Comfortable Housing
Just like humans, farm animals need a clean and comfortable home. It’s not enough that there’s a roof above their heads. It should also be clean, well-ventilated, and liveable. If not, there’s a huge chance that the farm animals might be stressed and may produce the quality of products you’re aiming for.
For instance, if you’re planning on getting a standard of four litres a day of milk from one cow, a stressed one can just produce one to two litres. So as a farm owner, you should invest in the right tools and equipment to make sure that every animal on your farm is as comfortable as possible.
4. Biosecurity Measures
Another essential farm practise is implementing biosecurity measures. As you know, some diseases can be passed from animals to humans to animals, or from animals to animals. So even your caretakers should take care as they might be carrying diseases they’re not aware of.
On the other hand, in the case of transferring disease from one animal to another, this usually happens when new animals arrive on your farm. So just to be sure, create an area where newly arrived animals can quarantine, and make sure they’re clear from diseases.
5. Regular Exercise
If there’s enough space, farm animals won’t get stressed which may result in being more productive. For instance, in ruminant animals such as cows, exercise is essential to promote a better digestive system.
Aside from that, farm animals can easily recover from illnesses, increase life expectancy, and prevent diseases.
6. Monitoring and Record Updating
Regular monitoring and record-keeping help farm managers identify and prevent potential diseases. In addition, it’s important to thoroughly observe every farm animal to see if there are changes in their behaviour, which can be signs that they’re stressed.
Once you notice something unusual, you should contact your vet to check and address the needs of the animals.
7. Responsible Breeding Practises
Responsible breeding practises are vital to maintain a better overall health of farm animals. As a farm owner, if you’re not familiar with the breeding process of farm animals, you must hire experts with enough knowledge and experience.
In addition, make sure to invest in proper tools and equipment that can help monitor better breeding results.
8. Parasite Control
Parasites can significantly impact the health of farm animals. This is why implementing parasite control practises should be on your list. Make sure everyone on the farm knows the basic precautions, such as practising good hygiene, covering wounds when having contact with the animals, and being familiar with the symptoms of infestations.
Other precautions include having regular vaccinations, treating illnesses immediately, and avoiding spreading animal blood and other fluids throughout the farm to avoid the potential spreading of pests.
Final Thoughts
Implementing best practises is a way to maintain healthy farm animals. From giving proper nutrition to controlling infestation, you need to allot enough time, money, and effort to achieve successful farm management operations.