Animal Anatomy and Production Practices

Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the farm animal will allow the farmer to recognise when animals are not doing well. It must be remembered that the farmer who spends a lot of time with his animals will know their habits and appearance better and will be able to spot any unusual behaviour or anatomical differences, which could possibly indicate a sick animal. In a natural, undisturbed state, some animals will usually be eating, some will be lying and chewing their cud, some will be sleeping, but if one or more are lying in a corner of the field, kicking and struggling, you can be sure that they are in some sort of trouble. If a couple of goats lag behind, the rest of the group while herding them to a new camp, a closer look should be taken at the slower ones. It is important to know the big picture here because heavily pregnant animals have a tendency of lagging behind and that is normal.

• Compare the sick animal to the rest of the group – are the others in the same state as it or not. If one animal is in a poorer condition than the others, there may be a problem.
• Consider the conditions under which the animals are managed. What have they been eating? What season is it? How old are they? Are they pregnant? Are they nursing young?
• Animals are just as susceptible to external factors as humans.

There are some situations that lend themselves to the identification of a sick animal in your flock, e.g.

• Observing the flock in an undisturbed state
• While herding the animals
• During the regular inspections in the crush