Cattle farmers have been asked to control pests and diseases in their new animals before they introduce them to existing herds.
Speaking on Tuesday in his office, the Kiambu Sub-County veterinary officer Mr Samuel Njuguna noted that many farmers have a tendency of introducing new animals to the existing herd when they have not controlled diseases or pests.
He noted that, pests such as ticks in cows, keds in sheep and goats can be passed on from one animal to another and in the process cause infections to the whole herd.
This, he said, leads to huge loses as controlling the diseases becomes expensive and requires a lot of time.
Njuguna advised farmers to have some background information on the farm they buy livestock from and keep records on disease and pest control of the animal.
“Ticks and lice are pests that multiply rapidly during warm weathers. If farmers are not keen on them they can accumulate on an animal’s body, suck blood from the animal making them anemic,” said Njuguna.
He advised farmers to be keen on their health as it reduces the animal’s production.
Morris Kinyua a resident in Githunguri who practices livestock husbandry said he used to introduce his new animals to the herd without checking on their health but stopped when a new cow infected his herd with ticks.
“I ended spending more money than I had spent when purchasing the cow. I felt bad and regretted my actions,” he said.