A portable bathtub for sheep. The concept may seem surprising, but it is the solution that the Alpine Breeders Association has come up with to treat parasites in flocks without injections and in a more effective way. In Gréoux-les-Bains, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, a breeder tested this device.
On Friday, June 7, Mathieu Solda, a sheep farmer in Gréoux-les-Bains, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region, tested a new activity: bathing. A medical toilet where they are immersed in water with a product that treats the mites that carry scabies.
Portable bathtub
In order to swim, the sheep first had to climb a cliff before they could be submerged.
The climb was fairly timid. To be effective, immersion must last for at least 30 seconds. The educators behind the concept who came to demonstrate had to give them a little push to get them going. Then they enter what looks like a corridor filled with water, in a single row.
“They are going well, the only thing that has to be adjusted is the bridge, and they have to put their heads under it. The first one managed to stop breathing on her own, while the others got in the way a little bit, so that's why we intervened.” S detailsElvan Beheti bathtub designer.
“We have to be careful, because we are still preserving their health,” adds the project designer.
First successful pass The tank is 1 meter long and 60 metres. The animals do not have feet, but that is not a problem because the sheep floats.
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“We tell ourselves that with the wool fully soaked, it should sink, but the sheep is a ruminant, and the ruminant has a rumen, and the rumen is a fermentation vessel, where there is gas and methane and that methane makes the sheep and cows float, so it's not a problem for them..
In water, the product helps eliminate mites that carry mange, a pest of flocks.
“In sheep, the disease is also very contagious, and then the animals scratch themselves, so it's very unpleasant for the welfare of the animals. They spend their time scratching, so they don't gain weight, and then it's contagious from one flock to another. It's really a problem for us in “Our pastoral transport system, because when the herd is affected, the neighbors are also affected.” specific Eric Bello, Health Defense Group Veterinarian 04-05.
After drying, scroll down. But the breeder considers the slope too steep. The mobile bathtub concept has been validated.
“Often, it is difficult to transport the entire herd to treat it, but it is easier with the trailer transporting this trough, treating the herd on site, and also to avoid transmitting the disease.” Notes Matteo Solda, educator.
Educators Health Advocacy Group, “global distribution system”, I invested 55,000 euros in this prototype. He will travel to farms in the Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence upon request. Every year in our region, 630 thousand sheep are transported.
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