Incorporating new animals into your flock is always exciting. Typically, new animals can mean an increase in production, new genetic variation and improvements in physical characteristics. However, no matter how exciting it might be, a biosecurity plan must be in place and used to keep your existing flock or herd healthy and productive but also to ensure the longevity of its new members.

Although biosecurity and biocontainment sound similar they have their differences. Having a good understanding of both biosecurity and biocontainment programs and how they complement each other is critical. Biocontainment solely focuses on the mitigation and control of disease agents that are already present on your operation.Biosecurity is a series of management practices designed to prevent the introduction, delivery and spread of pathogens from newly introduced livestock.

Biosecurity and biocontainment in all livestock enterprises encompass various integrated management strategies designed to help protect the current herd/flock and new livestock from risk and spread of infectious diseases and pathogens. As we all know, disease can spread quickly, so having a proactive plan in place can help mitigate that risk of productivity loss or significant financial loss through illness and death. Both shouldn’t only be taken seriously if you bring in many new animals or large-scale operations; it’s critical for all operation sizes. It just takes one sheep or goat to introduce new diseases, and a single farm can trigger an outbreak. Healthy animals are the pinnacle of a successful livestock enterprise, which is why producers must prioritize an effective, practical biosecurity plan.

Risk Assessment

Before implementing biosecurity and biocontainment strategies and plans, a producer must work with their veterinarian to first identify where vulnerabilities lie within their operation. Risk assessment is the process of evaluating potential pathways for disease entry or spread within a farm, ranking those risks based on likelihood and impact, and then using that information to guide decision-making.

Some questions to ask yourself would be:

1. What diseases are/have already infiltrated your livestock?
2. What diseases are you willing to live with and what diseases would be detrimental to your operation?
3. What are your sources of income from your livestock and what diseases would impact that source of income the most? Examples include:
   1. Are you selling milk or milk products? What diseases impact milk production the most heavily?
   2. If you are selling lambs for slaughter, which disease is known for reducing conception rate or high abortion rates?
4. How much money are you willing to dedicate to testing and screening new animals?
5. Are your current facilities suitable for a proper biosecurity plan?
6. Are you willing to carry out the plan that you make?

Disease History and Testing

Before purchasing a new set of livestock, find out the disease history of the source herd. Disease histories should include vaccinations, as well as what diseases are present, absent and tested for. Whether you’re buying young animals, breeding/replacement stock or just some to have, only buy from herds that are enrolled into the Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program. Although scrapie typically affects sheep and not goats, goats have a risk of infection if exposed to a scrapie-positive sheep. If you buy goats or sheep from an operation that also has cattle, make sure that the cattle herd is up-to-date on vaccinations and in good general health. The official scrapie website will provide the necessary information for which goats should have an official ear tag and other forms of identification. For each new animal purchased, you should review all records pertaining to animal health including, but not limited to, vaccinations, herd health protocol, illnesses treated and mortality occurrences. Although it might be a long, tiring process, taking the time to review health records and verify disease status on purchases or your current herd/flock is essential for long-term success.

Isolation and Quarantine

Even after screening and reviewing health records of your new purchase, it still important to keep those new animals in isolation for a period on your farm. The ideal duration of quarantine is 60 days, but a study showed that most farms only quarantine for roughly 21 days. Many diseases have a long incubation period, so the longer that you can keep those separated from the rest of the animals, the lower the risk of introducing a new infection. So, what should a quarantine or isolation facility look like? To begin with, it needs to be at a safe physical distance from your existing flock or herd. There should be no fence line contact, potential for aerosol transmission, manure runoff or opportunity for interaction through pests or other organisms. Ideally, if space allows, isolation/quarantine areas should be in separate buildings, pastures or dry lots from the rest of your herd or flock. If space doesn’t allow for a separate area or paddock, there should be a buffer zone of at least 5 feet to help mitigate contact between the new flock and the nucleus herd. The goal is to not share air space or fence lines. Quarantined animals should be observed daily for any signs of illness and, like always, be provided with plenty of space, water, quiet handling and access to shade.