Feb 11
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What is An Ostrich Farming Veterinary Health Plan?
An Ostrich Farming Veterinary Health Plan (VHP) is a requirement of most Farm Assurance Schemes and retailers “codes of practice”. It is a document agreed between the farm’s vet and the farm management working in partnership. A VHP is a living document under continual review to improve and update with experience and forms a sound basis for good management practices.
VHPs need to address a number of areas to achieve those objectives. The flowing is a list of some objectives and often strategies are interrelated to more than one topic.
Flock Security
The ability to supply markets on a consistent basis is paramount to success of any business. The most influential management area that controls consistent supply in livestock production is the control of disease. The role of the VHP is to help identify weaknesses in farm production that influence the ability to limit the impact of disease.
Basic Performance Parameters
These will be the key performance assumptions used in the business plan.
Monitoring Body Condition
Currently there are very few references on how to establish optimal body condition of ostrich. The comparative photos of the two hens here illustrates extremes.
General Ostrich Welfare
At the most basic level, this covers the internationally recognized five freedoms. These basic freedoms are:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst
- Freedom from discomfort
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease
- Freedom to express normal behavior
- Freedom from fear and distress
Basic Disease Control Programs
Strategies, procedures and the recording of general policies fall into this category. The written plan describing these policies forms part of the VHP.
Recording, Monitoring and Controlling disease on farm
Good records are the key to not only monitoring disease issues but also performance trends as the two are closely linked. A drop in production is a sign of possible disease problems. Another cause for a drop in production, and/or more serious health problems, can be a feed problem. Feed problems can be such things as a bad ingredient, sudden change of ingredient, poor mixing or insufficient water intake. The movement records of any animals moved onto the farm or off the farm are also of importance in monitoring and controlling disease.
The Use of Medicines, Vaccines, their Safety and their Recording
This section covers the recording of all medicines used in the unit. The VHP should follow the legal requirements of the country in which the business is operating and include any additional requirements imposed by country the unit is exporting or buyer.
The ostrich farming VHP provides a great management tool outlining key management areas and defining the management procedures.
