A Veterinary Doctor, Mutiu Oladele-Bukola, has advised farmers to keep their new fowls and animals in quarantine for some weeks to protect them from diseases.
Oladele-Bukola, a veterinary doctor at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, gave the advice in Ibadan on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
He said that separating new livestock brought to the farm from others in the farm for two or three weeks would help in curbing the spread of diseases.
“These new animals should be put in pens far away from others, if the new ones happen to have diseases.
“The symptoms of the disease(s) will show before the end of the three weeks,’’ he said.
The veterinary doctor suggested that farm animals should be vaccinated at the right time to help impart an acquired immunity in them.
“With the immunity, the animals will be able to combat the invasion of the pathogenic organisms.
“Diseases are caused by the entry of pathogenic organisms into farm animals through contaminated feeds, water, faeces or close contact with animal carriers.
“To prevent diseases, one has to prevent the pathogenic organisms from entering the body of farm animals, ‘’ he said.
He also emphasised that good hygiene or sanitary measures must be taken for animals on range and those in confinement.
“Animals that are properly fed are resistant to disease attacks.
“Protein, vitamins and minerals and carbohydrates fed into animals in the right proportions prevent malnutrition diseases and give protection against parasites.
“Also, disease resistant stock should be maintained on farms, rotational grazing should be practiced so that the build up of ticks, internal parasites will be avoided.
“The infective stages of parasites should have died by the time the animals come back to where they first grazed, ‘’ he said.
According to him, sick animals should be separated from healthy ones to pens where they would be treated, to prevent the entire flock from contacting the disease.
He further explained that upon outbreak of any disease, a veterinary doctor should be contacted and be furnished with information that would enable him to diagnose the disease.
Oladele-Bukola noted that livestock diseases such as tuberculosis, a cough followed by loss of condition with discharge from nose and eyes could be transmitted to humans through milk and meat.
“There is need for us to take care of animals because when they are healthy, they will be able to produce enough protein, other resources for consumers in and outside the country.’’
