Animal Health
Disease control is an integral part of animal welfare – good welfare requires good health. Each turkey farm is required to have a Flock Health Plan as part of their animal care program. The plan is audited each year to ensure it adheres to the principles of the Canadian Code of Practice, the On-Farm Food Safety Program©, and the Flock Care Program©.
The plan contributes to bird well-being by providing strategies for disease prevention, rapid diagnosis and effective treatment. It includes strategies and protocols for:
- vaccination;
- dealing with internal and external parasites;
- how to observe all birds for injury or signs of disease;
- complete, accurate, and reliable record keeping;
- prevention, detection and treatment of disease or injury;
- how to measure incidences of disease and injuries;
- pest control (to keep disease out);
- training programs and protocols for handlers;
- managing sick and injured birds;
- on-farm biosecurity;
- and much more!
Management strategies are ultimately about enhancing health. From controlling the birds’ environment (temperature, humidity, air quality, lighting) to the feed (feeding birds specially formulated feed products by specialized livestock nutritionists) and water supply, to individualized Flock Health Plans for each farm, each of these strategies is designed to prevent, control and eliminate issues that may compromise animal welfare.
