A mobile bathtub for sheep, the concept may seem surprising, it is the solution found by an association of Alpine breeders to treat parasites in flocks without injection and in a more effective way. In Gréoux-les-Bains, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, a breeder tested this device.
This Friday, June 7, the sheep of Mathieu Solda, breeder in Gréoux-les-Bains, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, tested a new activity, bathing. A medical toilet, since they were immersed in water with product treating mites carrying scabies.
A mobile bathtub
To be able to take a dip, the sheep first had to climb a ramp before being immersed.
A mobile device allows you to move directly to the farms.
•
© Nicolas Chaix-Bryan /FTV
The climb was rather timid. To be effective, the immersion must last at least 30 seconds. The breeders behind the concept who came to demonstrate were forced to push them a little to get them moving forward. They then enter a sort of corridor filled with water, in single file.
“They are well channeled, the only thing to adjust is the bridge, they have to put their heads under it, the first managed to apnea by herself, the others got in the way a little, that’s why we intervened”, details Sylvain Béhéty Designer of the bathtub.
“We have to be attentive, because we are still preserving their health,” adds the project designer.
First successful pass. The tank is one meter 60. The animals have no feet, but no problem because a sheep floats.
This device is a kind of aquatic center for sheep.
•
© Nicolas Chaix-Bryan /FTV
“We say to ourselves that with the wool, all soaked, they should sink, but the sheep is a ruminant, and a ruminant has a paunch, and the paunch is a fermentation vat, where it there is gas, methane and this methane makes the sheep float. The sheep, the cows, float. So it’s not a problem for them..
In water, a product helps eradicate mites carrying scabies, a scourge for herds.
“In sheep, it is also very contagious, and then the animals scratch themselves, so it is very unpleasant for animal welfare. They spend their time scratching, so they do not gain weight, and then it’s contagious from one herd to another. It’s really a problem for us in our transhumance system, since when a herd is affected, so are the neighbors.” precise Eric Belleau, veterinarian of the Health Defense Group 04-05.
After the drainer, slide down. But the breeder considers the slope too steep. The concept of a mobile bathtub is validated.
“Very often, it’s complicated to move the whole herd to treat it, but it’s simpler with the trailer that transports this bathtub, and to treat the herd on site, and also to avoid moving the disease,” notes Mathieu Solda, breeder.
The Breeders’ Health Defense Group, the “GDS”, invested 55,000 euros in this prototype. He will travel to the farms in Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on demand. Every year in our region, 630,000 sheep move.
