Animal Welfare
As a working farm, our animals mean the world to us, and as such providing excellent animal welfare is one of our core values. We aim to deliver quality, integrity and respect for the animals.
The center of our approach is ensuring we meet or exceed all appropriate state and federal animal regulations, guidelines and codes of practice.
We aim for the highest standards of animal health and welfare. Providing paddocks and enclosures that allow animals to demonstrate natural behaviours and to feel safe at all times.
Our practice is to uphold four pillars; deliver a nutritionally balanced feeding schedule, practice evidence based animal husbandry, apply individual care plans for each of our animals and be a part of the National Livestock Identification System.
Animal Feeding
We know our visitors want to be involved with animal feeding and similar farms around the world satisfy this in different ways.
Our solution to provide this is to tour the farm with an employee who manages the feed quantities based on veterinary advice. The farm employee gives customers the correct amount of feed, as well as instruction on where to put it and how to feed safely. In this way we achieve public participation without compromising feed quality.
Our desire to provide quality animal welfare is also why our animals are on grassy paddocks and not sand, why our feeding times are set and diets are managed and why people cannot enter all paddocks at all times.
Animal Husbandry
We ascribe to an evidence based approach to animal husbandry. Working with the Murdoch Veterinary School, technicians and students on so much more than simply sick animals. They advise on total herd health, diets, and preventative strategies.
We also work with other members of the agricultural community including farmers, the Donkey Society and reputable breeders for expert support. When we adopt an animal management strategy it is supported by evidence and advice from professionals in the field.
Individualised Care
Our animals undergo fortnightly condition and famacha scoring and parasite checks completed by trained staff. Each animal then has their own profile, to record timely and accurate information about an animals health and any professional advice provided.
Any animal treatment from shearing to medications are recorded, as well as the results of health checks, so that any trends of animal conditions can be tracked over time. This system allows us to print out a report on any animal at any time, which can then be shared with vets or potential new owners in the event of animals sales.
This system also helps us to easily communicate updates with all staff to ensure all animals requirements are met.
NLIS
The National Livestock Identification System is Australia’s national system of identifying and tracking livestock movements. The system is a critical component of our national animal welfare approach and is vital in the event of any production animal contagion or outbreak. Landsdale Farm is fully compliant with these regulations and each animal on the properly recorded and tracked in the NLIS.
There is a lot going on at Landsdale Farm that may not be visible to the casual visitor. However, one thing is certain the results of our efforts, happy and healthy animals is undeniable to anyone who comes here.