Treat fly strike in the wether mob and prepare the yards

What is going on

Warm, wet weather has brought fly strike into the wether mob in paddock 4. Twelve head were treated yesterday and the Farm Manager wants the whole mob checked again tomorrow, any new cases treated and every treatment recorded with its withholding period. The ewes in the neighbouring paddock are lambing, so the muster must be quiet and the dogs kept under tight control. Lamb marking is a month away and the Farm Manager has asked you to inspect the race, drafting gates and marking cradle while the yards are in use and list the repairs needed.

Your brief

Muster and yard the wethers with low stress handling, identify and treat struck animals correctly, record every treatment and withholding period in the Livestock and Animal Health Register, and produce a yard repair list for lamb marking.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

• Read the Livestock Handling and Animal Health Treatment Procedure and the Farm and Site Biosecurity Policy, and note the welfare, treatment and recording rules that apply.
• Check the Livestock and Animal Health Register for the wether mob's treatment history and the product used yesterday, and confirm the dose by weight and the withholding and export slaughter intervals from the label.
• Plan a quiet muster from paddock 4 that avoids the lambing paddock, including how you will use the dogs and the vehicle, and check the yards, gates and race before stock arrive.
• Describe how you will identify struck animals in the race, treat them with the correct product, site and dose, and separate any animal too badly affected for treatment for the Farm Manager's decision.
• Enter every treatment in the Livestock and Animal Health Register on the day, with head treated, product, date and the withholding end date, and update the mob status.
• Inspect the race, drafting gates, cradle and loading ramp for lamb marking, photograph defects and write a repair list with priorities.
• Report any injury, near miss or welfare concern from the day on the Incident and Hazard Report Form and clean equipment for biosecurity.

What someone in this role would produce

• Muster and yarding plan
• Treatment records in the Livestock and Animal Health Register
• Yard repair list with photographs
• Incident or welfare report if required