Beating the Rainy Season: Our PPR Vaccination Strategy
Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) remains one of the biggest killers of sheep and goats in Kenya, particularly during the rainy season when stress, mixing of animals, and humidity all combine to create ideal conditions for outbreaks. Here's the vaccination calendar and biosecurity measures that have kept our flock clean for six consecutive years.
Understanding the Risk
PPR spreads rapidly through close contact, shared water points, and contaminated equipment. Mortality in unvaccinated flocks can exceed 50% during a serious outbreak, with young and pregnant animals at greatest risk. Given our farm's proximity to several other livestock operations, we treat PPR prevention as a non-negotiable part of our annual health calendar.
Our Vaccination Calendar
- Lambs vaccinated at 4 months, after maternal antibody protection has waned
- Annual booster for the entire flock, timed six weeks before the long rains begin
- New arrivals quarantined for 21 days and vaccinated before joining the main flock
- Cold chain checked and logged for every vaccine batch on arrival
Biosecurity Beyond the Needle
Vaccination alone isn't enough. We restrict visitor access to lambing areas, require footbaths at paddock entry points during high-risk months, and avoid sharing equipment with neighbouring farms. Any animal showing fever, nasal discharge, or mouth lesions is isolated immediately and our resident vet is called the same day.
Working With Your Vet
We maintain a standing relationship with a local veterinarian who reviews our vaccination records quarterly and adjusts the calendar based on regional disease alerts from the Kenya Veterinary Board. This proactive relationship rather than only calling a vet during an emergency has been the single biggest factor in our clean health record.
What We'd Tell a New Farmer
Don't wait for an outbreak in your area before vaccinating. By the time PPR is confirmed nearby, it has often already been circulating quietly for weeks. Budget for vaccination as a fixed annual cost, the same way you budget for feed.