Quarantining New Animals - What, When, and How

Any new animals entering your property have the ability to bring on new disease. This may be in the form of bacterial infections (such as infected reproductive tracts in chickens), viral infections (like scabby mouth in sheep and goats), internal parasites (like gut worms) and external parasites (such as lice and mites). Some diseases can establish indefinitely on your land, and will be impossible to eradicate once present, otherwise may be transient but can spread like wildfire and cause havoc on the health of your animals.

Needless to say, keeping new diseases OUT is a key element of biosecurity. If no new animals ever enter your farm from the outside, this is called a “closed system” and can keep things safe and predictable. But this can be very difficult to do, especially if you’re deliberately breeding and trying to encourage fresh genetics into the group. The next best thing? Quarantine.

Regardless of whether you are bringing in a new breeding ram in, or just adding a few new chooks to the flock, keeping these new incomers in quarantine for a defined period of time is a must. How long to keep them in quarantine depends on the likelihood of certain diseases and how long it may take for those diseases to manifest in the newcomer. But in general we are usually talking about 2-3 weeks. This is generally long enough for most infectious diseases to make their appearance, and is long enough to clear out any internal and external parasites. If you’d like a little more surety, then have a competent vet, knowledgeable in your species, do a thorough check over of each animal can give you even more peace of mind. Blood tests may even be recommended to really cross the t’s and dot the i’s.

Keep in mind there are, unfortunately, some diseases that can be very difficult to identify from the outside and even on blood tests, such as cheesy gland in sheep and goats, and BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhoea) in cattle. These diseases can sit silently in young animals, but establish in the group and be very difficult to eradicate again. To feel confident, check with the seller if their flock/herd has been checked and certified free of the disease. Ask your vet for more advice.

What to do during the quarantine period

Wipe out external parasites

Check the skin of your animals to know what you’re dealing with. You may notice lice, mites or ticks; all tiny parasites that feed off your animal. It doesn’t take many to harbour a population capable of reinfesting the flock, so it’s always best to treat with a drug to wipe these out. There is some resistance developing in some of our drugs, so check what your local vet clinic suggests for your area, but these usually come as spot on products or occasionally injectable products. Most will need to be repeated 7-10 days later to kill any newly hatched parasites and break the lifecycle. By the end of a 14-day quarantine period, they should be clear.

Clear out internal parasites

Internal gut parasites (such as worms and coccida) are everywhere. The concern, however, is that some of these worms are developing a genetic resistance to the drugs we have available to kill them. Once you have these “super worms” on your property things get a LOT harder to manage. If they don’t yet reside on your property, the last thing you want to do is bring them on.

A good quarantine drench should include a multi-action drench that includes one of the newer drugs, usually “monepantel” or “derquantel”. Gut worm drenches will take 7-10 days to clear out the worms they’re currently carrying, so drench a couple of weeks before the end of the quarantine period.

It is highly recommended to run a Fecal Egg Count (FEC) through your vet 10 days after drenching. At this point, the test should come back at ZERO, to confirm all worms have been eradicated. This is called a “Drench Test”. If worms have survived, then you may already be dealing with a resistance issue. You will need to enlist your vet at this point. Alternatively, you may suggest to the seller that they could be held in quarantine on their side until a clear drench test comes back, to avoid bringing the issue onto your land at all. The seller may well have no idea they are harbouring resistant animals at all.

Coccidia are another form of internal parasite, of which there are multiple species. While animals do generally develop immunity against coccidia as they become mature, if a new species is brought onto the land, we can see even adults being affected. This is especially true to poultry, so be sure to treat with a coccidiocide during quarantine- this is an oral liquid added to the water or given into the mouth.

Disinfect the feet

The feet, especially of sheep and goats, can carry bacteria that contribute to hoof scald and hoof rot- two painful diseases of the foot. But not every animal will develop an infection. Therefore, regardless of whether it looks like they’re affected by the condition, it is best practice to disinfect all feet before moving onto the pasture.

Use a shallow, non-slip tub, or hoof mat (purchased from an agricultural store), and fill with a zinc oxide solution (1 part ZnO to 9 parts water, to make a 10% solution). Hose off any serious mud before standing the animals in the solution for 20 minutes. Let them out, spray with a disinfectant spray such as iodine, or a foot rot spray, then stand to let their feet dry on the concrete before letting on to the pasture.

In the case of chickens, we tend to be more worried about the Scaley Leg Mite, which hides under the scales of the feet and legs, and can be difficult to eradicate with internal drugs. Therefore with chooks, aim to suffocate these mites from the outside. Coat feet and legs in vaseline or oil and scrub well up under any lifted scales with an old toothbrush. This suffocates mites. If showing signs of the mites, be sure to hold them in quarantine until new, smooth scales have grown in, to ensure the disease is cleared.

Vet check for disease

Have a vet perform a thorough clinical exam on each animal. This is especially important in chickens who require a skilled vet to do a gentle internal palpation to check for any sign of salpingitis (an infected, pus-filled uterus). This disease will spread to the other chooks through the nesting box. Salpingitis, once established, is difficult to cure without surgery, so affected hens are usually culled before entering the flock, and any others that have been sharing the nesting box may need to be covered with an antibiotic to stop disease in its tracks.

Blood tests may be recommended to help inform about silent disease such as CAE, Johnes or Cheesy Gland. Note these diseases can be difficult to rule out altogether, even with blood tests, so only accept animals from a reputable source and take advice from your vet.

Monitor closely for changes in behaviour

Often the earliest sign of disease in our farm animals is a simple change in behaviour. A new animal in new surroundings should be very bright-eyed and alert, very aware of your movements (you are the predator!). Note any lethargy or dull behaviour, and any changes in behaviour over the quarantine period, as this may herald signs of disease.

Disinfecting and biosecurity

As they say, “what happens in quarantine, stays in quarantine". Once your animals move out and integrate onto your land, be sure to clean the quarantine area thoroughly with disinfectant. Scrubbing any hard surfaces (e.g. concrete) with hot, soapy water is important in the case of pigs, where gut worms lay sticky eggs in the environment. If the pig will allow it, give her belly and teats a good warm wash as well, as these sticky eggs like to reside here, waiting for unsuspecting piglets to suckle.

Keep biosecurity front of mind when dealing with your quarantined animals. Have a spare set of clothes and boots dedicated to the quarantine area, or be sure to change clothes and give boots a good scrub and disinfect before mingling with the rest of the flock. Avoid sharing equipment (eg calfeterias and hoof trimming shears) between the new and existing animals, as these may harbour disease and nullify your efforts.

Keep good records

Be sure to keep good records of who arrived when, and what drugs were given on what dates. This is a great help to your vet, should anything arise down the line.

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