What You Should Know About Buying Livestock
When buying livestock, there are several factors to consider before making the commitment to purchase. Here are a few things to take a closer look at.
Disease Risks
Even though a herd or flock looks healthy, they could potentially be carrying organisms that cause disease. If your current herd or flock has not been exposed to these diseases, you could very quickly have a disease outbreak that could make animals sick or even cause them to die. When animals are trucked to a new location, the travel and the new environment can cause them to become stressed. This stress can then manifest as disease in the new animals, or they may be more likely to shed the organisms that cause the disease at their new location.
Vaccination is a great way to prevent disease not only in the new animals, but also in your current herd or flock. Animals should be vaccinated when they are healthy, and at least several weeks before moving to a new location. Be sure to follow the same vaccination protocol for the existing herd or flock and for the new animals.
Biosecurity
There are a few other very simple things that livestock producers can do to prevent the spread of disease on their farm. Whenever a producer visits another barn, they should be careful not to bring diseases home. Change footwear and clothing before entering your own barn. And be sure to disinfect any footwear that was worn in another barn before wearing it in your own barn.
New animals should be isolated from their new herd or flockmates for 3 to 4 weeks after they arrive at their new location. Also, once new animals have arrived on your farm, be sure to feed them last so that caretakers don't spread disease to the existing herd or flock.
Clean Truck or Trailer
Always haul new animals in a clean truck or trailer. Disease organisms can live in the bedding of dirty trucks or trailers and can possibly infect new animals. For added insurance, disinfect the truck or trailer before hauling any other animals.
Pre-purchase Testing
Where possible, test newly purchased animals 2 to 4 weeks before transporting them to their new home. Known disease carriers can then be removed before transporting the animals and their disease to your farm.
Once the new animals arrive, a very important task is to spend 5 to 10 minutes each time you feed, just observing the animals. This will help identify disease problems quickly, before they spread to the rest of the newly acquired animals. Following these few simple tips can make purchasing new animals a good experience rather than a lasting nightmare.
