Healthy Farms - Healthy Agriculture
Deer can also introduce disease onto a farm. Deer can carry Bovine Tuberculosis, Johne's Disease, and Chronic Wasting Disease. Pastures and water sources shared between deer and livestock should be avoided.
To evaluate your farm and decrease the risk of your livestock contracting diseases from deer, do the following:
- Look for droppings, deer beds, and signs of deer around the perimeter of the farm and pastures.
- Evaluate the water sources on the farm to ensure that deer cannot contaminate the herd's drinking water (e.g., brooks, streams, etc., that pass through grazing pastures).
- Prevent the herd from drinking out of these types of water sources.
- Secure fences along the perimeter of pastures.
- Wind socks may be used on fence posts to deter deer from coming close to the fence where transfer of disease or bacteria would occur.
Last modified October 06 2010 09:19 PM