When new animals arrive on farm they can potentially bring some unwanted health issues with them. To minimise the risk, it’s important there is a quarantine procedure in place and on this week’s OviCast, Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep in Teagasc joins Ciarán Lynch to discuss this issue in more detail.

Michael starts by emphasising why this is an important consideration for any flock owner. He discusses the importance of inspecting the sheep at purchase and asking some basic questions of the seller about the health status of their flock.

Some preparation is needed to correctly quarantine animals on arrival and Michael highlights the need to house these animals for 48 hours and correctly treat them for foot issues, internal and external parasites and Michael and Ciarán discuss the treatment options that are currently available.

They move on to discuss turnout post treatment and why it’s a good idea to keep these animals separate from the main flocks for a number of weeks after purchase.

Finally, Michael highlights the need to enrol these sheep in the flock’s health plan for the farm ensuring they receive the appropriate vaccinations.

For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast