The objective of this work was to develop, use and present a detailed questionnaire for the evaluation of health management in dairy small ruminants; it includes 442 questions organised in seven sections: general, infrastructure, animals, production characteristics, health management, nutrition, human resources. Consistency of replies was evaluated in 27 farmers, interviewed twice. Inconsistent replies were given by all farmers to 30 different questions (Cronbach's coefficient alpha: 0.987). Then, interviews were performed in 444 farms around Greece. Mean duration of an interview was 63.6 min. Clarifications were requested by 273 farmers to 22 different questions (maximum per farmer: 8). The experience of the investigator, the primary language of farmers and asking clarifications by the farmers affected the duration of the interview. The questionnaire can be used for research work in the field, to record details in the farms under study. In accord with the needs of a particular study, it can be modified, by adding more specific questions or omitting others deemed of less importance. Moreover, it can also be used for routine monitoring purposes, as a useful means to record and maintain details of farms during clinical work. To the best of our knowledge, the questionnaire is the most extensive and detailed one available internationally for dairy small ruminants.
Keywords: epidemiology; field study; health management; infrastructure; nutrition; production characteristics; questionnaire; survey.