As a youth exhibitor, one of your most important jobs is to keep your animals safe – both at the fair and during transportation. Joel DeRouchey, a Kansas State University livestock specialist, is urging youth and others showing animals at county fairs to follow biosecurity practices.
If you are showing animals, DeRouchey says you should have basic biosecurity practices in place to prevent the spread of diseases between animals, and to contain the sickness when it occurs.
Pigs can spread disease quickly amongst themselves because of the social nature of pigs and the way pigs are housed and shown at the fair. He advises those showing swine to look for symptoms before, during and after fair season.
“If your pig begins to cough, has a loose stool or isn’t eating, it is important to consult a veterinarian on a treatment plan to help cure and prevent the spread of the sickness,” he says.
Although maintaining biosecurity at the fair can be hard with multiple showmen bringing hogs together, he encourages youth to consider using something solid -- such as a wood or plastic board inside of the pens -- to prevent the hogs from making nose to nose contact, which is one way disease is spread.
“If you’re bringing your livestock back home from the fair, you need to have in place a plan that you have set up with your vet,” DeRouchey adds.
He suggests isolation as an important way to prevent bringing sicknesses home to your (non-fair) animals.
“If you do not have a separate area to isolate your (fair animals), then separate the hogs that were at the fair in a separate part of the barn from the others,” DeRouchey recommends.
It’s also important to clean and disinfect equipment taken to the fair, or used frequently at the farm. DeRouchey points out that sickness can also be carried on clothes and shoes, so thoroughly cleaning shoes and changing clothing is crucial.
“If you do have a sick animal, it is important not to spread it to the other pigs,” he says.
He also encourages youth to become certified by YQCA, or Youth for the Quality Care of Animals. Learn more here.
