The Identification of Risk Factors for Mortality and Respiratory Disease in Lambs: An Evaluation of Risk Factor Based Health Management Strategies

Nash, Marilyn Louise

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Description

Title

The Identification of Risk Factors for Mortality and Respiratory Disease in Lambs: An Evaluation of Risk Factor Based Health Management Strategies

Author(s)

Nash, Marilyn Louise

Issue Date

1999

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Laura Hungerford

Department of Study

Veterinary Clinical Medicine

Discipline

Veterinary Clinical Medicine

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

Agriculture, Animal Pathology

Language

eng

Abstract

The production simulation model evaluated two regression based strategies: decreased prevalence of poor milking ability (MLK) to <1% via culling over three years, and decreased prevalence of low birth weights (BWT) to 10% by improved gestational feeding. The comparison flock (BASE) had 15% poor milking ability and 25% low birth weight lambs. MLK strategy decreased POST and RM compared to BASE (0.4% and 0.8% respectively), but early years retained more replacement ewe lambs, lowered the number of market lambs, and initially decreased annual profits. Over ten years, average profits increased 0.7% under MLK, until the last seven years when poor milk prevalence was <1% and profits were 2.7% higher. The BWT strategy lowered PERI, POST, and RM (1%, 0.6%, 0.5% respectively). BWT increased profits by 12.6% over BASE, primarily due to the 2.9% increase in market lamb revenues, and was affected to a lesser extent by the 1% cost reduction associated with the lower mortality.

Graduation Semester

1999

Type of Resource

text

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