Best practice to control footrot
and scald in sheep
Separation and culling
Footrot is an infectious condition and therefore diseased animals are a source of infection for the rest of the flock. Moving diseased animals to a separate treatment group may help to reduce spread of footrot and scald within the flock. These animals can then be treated and monitored more easily. Animals that recover can be returned to the main flock, while those that do not recover or are treated repeatedly can be identified for culling. Separating at key times in the flock calendar can help minimise problems with footrot in the subsequent weeks, for example separating lame ewes before housing can help to reduce spread of footrot during the housing period. For many farmers, using separation as a control measure and only culling animals that do not cure may be more achievable than culling any animal that has been lame twice or more in a season.