WeCAHN Smallholders Network

Animal health and surveillance information for smallholder/small-scale producers of poultry, swine, cattle, sheep and goats, and their veterinarians

WeCAHN Smallholder Animal Health and Surveillance Information

Smallholder or "backyard" producers face unique challenges in maintaining and promoting the health of their animals. The WeCAHN smallholders network is made up of producers, veterinarians, researchers and extension workers sharing information and experiences to improve the health and welfare of smallholder animal production in western Canada.

WeCAHN supports smallholder producers, and the veterinarians who serve them, in a variety of ways: updates on emerging issues, timely infographics and reports on important topics, and podcasts, for both producers and veterinarians. For full access to these materials, please join us.

Veterinarians are also invited to subscribe to WeCAHN listservs in which the questions of non-specialist veterinarians serving smallholder clients are answered by swine and poultry experts. To subscribe, please contact us

Smallholder Webinar Series - Fall 2026

The Smallholder Webinar Series is a six-week, six-session educational series designed for Canadian smallholders and producers working with small ruminants, swine, and poultry/small flocks. Each species is covered through two practical sessions: the first focuses on disease prevention and risk reduction, while the second addresses disease detection, response, containment, and recovery. Topics include recognizing signs of illness, animal movement, biosecurity, wildlife and pest risks, outbreak response, humane euthanasia and carcass disposal, zoonotic risks, and continuity planning.

The free online sessions run from October 7 to November 18, 2026, with 1.5 hours of RACE-approved continuing education credits available for each webinar, 9 hours of RACE credits for the entire series.

This series is organized by WeCAHN and CAHSS. Register below!

Small Ruminant Session 1: Disease Prevention and Risk Reduction with Dr. Paula Menzies

Session one of the two part webinar series on Small Ruminants is designed for Canadian smallholders and producers. This session will focus on practical ways to recognize signs of illness in the flock, manage the risks associated with animal movement and new purchases, prevent disease spread through people, equipment and other mechanical sources, control pests, and reduce contact and disease transmission between small ruminants and wildlife. This Session has been approved for 1.5 RACE credits.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 4:00 - 5:30pm PT / 5:00 - 6:30pm MT / 6:00 - 7:30pm CT

 

 

Small Ruminant Session 2: Disease Detection, Response and Containment with Dr. Paula Menzies

Session two of the two-part webinar series on Small Ruminants is designed for Canadian smallholders and producers. This session will focus on recognizing important diseases and know actions to take when disease occurs in your flock. It will also cover humane euthanasia and safe carcass disposal, consider zoonotic and public health risks, and plan for continuity and recovery following an animal health event. This Session has been approved for 1.5 RACE credits.

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 4:00 - 5:30pm PT / 5:00 - 6:30pm MT / 6:00 - 7:30pm CT

 

 

Swine Session 1: Disease Prevention & Risk Reduction with Dr. Suzanne Burlatschenko

Session one of the two-part webinar series on Swine is designed for Canadian smallholders and producers. This session will focus on practical ways to recognize signs of illness in pigs, manage the risks associated with animal movement and new purchases, prevent disease spread through people, equipment and other mechanical sources, control pests, and reduce contact and disease transmission between domestic pigs and wildlife, including wild pigs. This Session has been approved for 1.5 RACE credits.

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 4:00 - 5:30pm PT / 5:00 - 6:30pm MT / 6:00 - 7:30pm CT

 

 

Swine Session 2: Disease Detection, Response & Containment with Dr. Suzanne Burlatschenko

Session two of the two-part webinar series on Swine is designed for Canadian smallholders and producers. This session will focus on practical ways to recognize signs of disease in pigs and know when to take action, respond to suspected disease or outbreaks, manage humane euthanasia and safe carcass disposal, consider zoonotic and public health risks, and plan for continuity and recovery following an animal health event. This Session has been approved for 1.5 RACE credits.

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 4:00 - 5:30pm PT / 5:00 - 6:30pm MT / 6:00 - 7:30pm CT

 

 

Poultry Session 1: Disease Prevention and Risk Reduction with Dr. Gigi Lin

Session one of the two-part webinar series on Poultry and Small Flocks is designed for Canadian smallholders and producers. This session will focus on practical ways to recognize signs of illness in poultry, manage the risks associated with bird movement and new additions, prevent disease spread through people, equipment and other mechanical sources, control pests, and reduce contact and disease transmission between domestic poultry and wild birds or other wildlife. This Session has been approved for 1.5 RACE credits.

Wednesday, November 4, 2026 4:00 - 5:30pm PT / 5:00 - 6:30pm MT / 6:00 - 7:30pm CT

 

 

Poultry Session 2: Disease Detection, Response and Containment with Dr. Gigi Lin

Session two of the two-part webinar series on Poultry and Small Flocks is designed for Canadian smallholders and producers. This session will focus on practical ways to recognize signs of disease in poultry and know when to take action, respond to suspected disease or outbreaks, manage humane euthanasia and safe carcass disposal, consider zoonotic and public health risks, and plan for continuity and recovery following an animal health event. This Session has been approved for 1.5 RACE credits.

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 4:00 - 5:30pm PT / 5:00 - 6:30pm MT / 6:00 - 7:30pm CT

 

 

Upcoming events

Multiple species

Saskatchewan Open Farm Days, August 8 and 9, 2026. LINK for more information

Alberta Open Farm Days, August 16 and 16, 2026. LINK for more information

Manitoba Ag Days, January 19-21, 2027. LINK for more information

Small flock poultry

The British Columbia (BC) Poultry Health Network has many upcoming events in person and online! Registration is required, and the links to register are on the Coming Events page of the website.

  • July 25th, 2026 Cobble Hill Euthanasia Training. Register here
  • July 26th, 2026 Merville Euthanasia Training. Register here
Small herd swine

University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine Allen D. Leman Swine Conference September 19 to 22, 2026 in St. Paul, Minnesota. LINK

Banff Pork Seminar, Banff, AB, January 5-7, 2027. LINK

Western veterinary practitioners accepting small scale producer clients


Name: Dr. Christina Lyn
Email: christina@greenbeltvet.com
Phone:
Address: Greenbelt, Kamloops
Province: British Columbia
Name: Dr. Andrea Lo
Email: info@royalvethospital.com
Phone: 403-452-9444
Address: Royal Veterinary Hospital, 108-500 Royal Oak Dr. NW, Calgary
Province: Alberta
Name: Dr. Carling Matejka
Email: carling@fenvet.com
Phone: (587) 602-4442
Address: Fen Vet, Airdrie
Province: Alberta
Name: Dr. Michelle Woodruff
Email: drmichelle@woodruffvetservices.com
Phone: (780) 339-2131
Address: Woodruff Veterinary Services Ltd, Tomahawk
Province: Alberta
Name: Dr. Nicole Desautels
Email: drnicole@animalcarecentre.ca
Phone: (403) 901-1800
Address: Animal Care Centre, Strathmore
Province: Alberta
Name: Dr. Karen Liljebjelke
Email: karenkatdok@gmail.com
Phone: 403-797-4267
Address: Cremona Veterinary Clinic, 4342 Township Rd 301A, Cremona, AB T0M 0R0
Province: Alberta
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  • Swine
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  • British Columbia
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
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Subsidized testing programs available to smallholder flocks and herds

There are selected testing available to small flock and small herd veterinarians and producers in the western provinces. Some programs require a Premise ID. Select the snapshot of the table above to download the summary table or go to the WeCAHN Information Library.

Premises identification is important

The identification of premises consists of providing information about a specific location (i.e. contact information, location, type of agricultural and agri-food operation on the site, and animal species kept). Once the information has been received and validated by the provincial or territorial government where the premises is located, a unique identification number is provided for this specific location. This premises identification number is then used when reporting the receipt or departure of animals from this premises. Premises identification is a way of linking livestock and poultry to land locations and is critical to support disease control activities and for managing animal health emergencies.

For more information, or to register your farm, following are the provincial premises ID websites:

British Columbia

Alberta

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

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Small scale swine resources

Information on small scale swine production
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Small scale poultry resources

Infographics and reports on small scale poultry production and animal health
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Small scale small ruminant resources

Small ruminants infographics and reports
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Small Scale Animal Health Podcasts

Updates on current topics in smallholder production and animal health