Biosecurity

Biosecurity is the practice of preventing the introduction of disease into a system. For any person raising animals, this is a very important part of management. No biosecurity program is perfect, but reasonable efforts should be made the the responsible animal breeder to try to keep disease out of their animals. This is for animal welfare, but also especially important if those animals are going to be shared with new homes. Dairy goats are no exception to this, and a good producer will work constantly to improve their biosecurity and knowledge to the best of their ability. This is something we pride ourselves on at Sandhill Oaks Farm, and plans are ongoing to meet the increasingly stringent goals we set for ourselves.

It is important to note that Sandhill Oaks is not a closed herd. A truly closed herd is one where no outside animals are introduced, and replacements are raised from within the herd itself, primarily to prevent the spread of disease. This practice requires strict biosecurity measures, including managing human access (no visitors without precautions such as hand-washing, foot covers, clothing covers, etc), preventing interaction with other animals (including neighboring herds or wild animals), limiting movement of animals off-site (meaning they do not show their animals), and often using artificial insemination for breeding to maintain the herd's disease-free status. Reading this definition, you will find that many herds that may advertise to be a closed herd, are actually not. This is not pointed out to disparage them, but just to explain what a "closed herd" is and that searching for a truly closed herd will be a challenge. If they do not follow the above practices, then they are not a closed herd.

The information below details some of what we do to keep our animals healthy

1. Careful sourcing of breeding stock: We do not attempt to source animals from closed herds either, because we want to show! Our animals do come from disease tested herds that have a reputation for producing healthy animals. We buy doelings from breeders who 100% bottle raise pasteurized milk, and we utilize artificial insemination.

2. Strict show biosecurity protocol: If we house in pens where other sheep or goats have likely been recently, the pen is cleaned prior to introducing our animals using Virkon S. Tarps are placed at on the sides of the pen, and often on the ground, to additionally limit exposure to pen surfaces. We bring our own feeders and watering buckets and do not share. We attempt to keep tack stalls between our animals and surrounding animals, or house or animals next to herds we know also practice good biosecurity. After showing, the goats have their feet cleaned and scrubbed with soapy water and then sprayed with chlorhexidine spray before returning them to the pen. This keeps the bedding clean where the goats bed down and prevents them from bringing pathogens home on their feet.

3. Vaccination: Our animals are vaccinated for clostridial diseases, tetanus, and rabies. In addition, they receive Nasalgen-3 PMH to protect them against infectious causes of pneumonia.

4. Policy of no return: This is a decision we struggled with, but in the end the good of our herd and future owners of a Sandhill Oaks Nubian won out. Once an animal leaves our property for its new home, we will not accept that animal back onto our property. As we are incredibly picky on the animals we will bring in for our program, expecting our buyers to meet these standards so we could feel comfortable with an animal return is not reasonable. This website is so detailed and specific so that buyers can feel comfortable with their purchase to hopefully prevent a circumstance where one of our animals would lose its new home.

5. Farm Visitor Policy: For goats being sold by local pick-up, visitors are not allowed into the pasture or barn area. We are lucky to have an entry to our property where the herd can be viewed and individual animals can be examined with minimal risk of visitors unintentionally bringing disease in on their shoes. Hand sanitizer and treats are provided!