Created: 3/16/2004
Updated: 3/16/2004
©2004, A.B.A.
American Bantam Association Recommended At-Home Biosecurity Measures for all Fanciers and Backyard (non-commercial) Flocks
Introduction
BIOSECURITY as practiced in the commercial poultry industry is a means to keep poultry operations as free from contaminants as possible. Viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi (mold), can be kept to a minimum and sometimes be eliminated through the practice of biosecurity. As a poultry Fancier, there are ways that you can also protect your valuable show birds, breeding operation, or simple backyard flock from the diseases and parasites that can rob your birds of their good health and sometimes life. As non-commercial poultry enthusiasts, practicing a biosecurity program is also a way that we can illustrate our commitment to preventing the spread of disease from our non-commercial flocks to the commercial industry as a whole.
In the commercial industry, it's not uncommon for
someone visiting a poultry house to be required to take a full shower and put
on protective clothing that you would normally see in a hospital surgical room.
And this is required even before they're allowed to enter the building.
There's usually a footbath containing a disinfectant to walk through as well.
Even feed delivery trucks sometimes have their tires sprayed down with
disinfectant before they come up the drive, and the drivers are discouraged
from leaving the vehicle.
The types of things that can be carried in can be
devastating to a commercial grower. Entire flocks sometimes have to be
destroyed to be sure that a contaminant has been fully removed from a facility
and does not pose a threat to a neighboring facility or a geographic region as
a whole. Once an outbreak of disease occurs, a massive disinfection process has
to take place with testing before a new flock is brought in.
But for the average poultry hobbyist, practicing
many of these biosecurity activities to prevent the spread of disease are not
realistic. The ABA recognizes that you are probably not going to go through the
extreme measures of a commercial grower. However, we believe that there are
some things that you can do that are both reasonable and relatively
inexpensive. So for those Fanciers who wish to do their part as a responsible
member of the poultry community, the ABA now offers some simple suggestions for
a biosecurity program for the average Fancier.
At-Home Biosecurity Measures for Fanciers and
Backyard (non-commercial) Flocks
1) Precautions a fancier could take to minimize his flock's exposure, without creating a lot of work and expense:
a)
Set mousetraps. Mice can range from the tiniest deer mouse on
up to the Norway rat. Telltale signs are tiny black dropping in the feed cups.
Rodents transfer disease and bacteria via their feet from cage to cage, and
from the wild population to your coop. Salmonella enteritis is an example of
something that can be avoided when the poultry’s feed and water is clear of
rodent droppings.
b) When people come to visit your coop, ask them if you can mist the bottom of their shoes with disinfectant. Tek-Trol at four times stronger than normal dilution or a normal dilution of Oxine would be effective - be cautious with Oxine - it could have a bleaching effect on fabric or leather. Other broad-spectrum disinfectants are effective as well, to varying degrees. If they're Fanciers, you'll be eliminating anything they could carry in on their shoes from their coop to yours. Since almost all soil samples contain Cocci, even a non-fancier could bring a different strain of Cocci into your coop than your birds have been exposed to.
c) If you have birds that free- range, keep them separated from your confined birds. Always work in the free-range pen last, after you've tended to all other pens and cages.
d) When you move from pen to pen or cage-to-cage to clean out water bowls and the like, use paper towels and throw them out after each use. C-folds you can buy by the case for industrial use are inexpensive, as well as plain paper towels purchased by the 8-roll pack from your local discount store such as Wal-Mart. Caged birds should have their own water and feed cups that are never used for anyone else.
e) Don't expose your birds to wild birds or wild waterfowl. This is especially true for waterfowl. Wild waterfowl carry DVE, which is highly contagious. Gray Calls and Pintails seem to have a natural resistance, as well as the Mallard - but the Mallard is thought to be a natural carrier. It's most common in the Muscovy Duck. DVE outbreaks have occurred in Mute Swans, White Pekins, Khaki Campbells, Indian Runners, and Wood Ducks, but Blue-Winged Teal and Canadian Geese are the most susceptible to lethal infection. Although it's a risk everywhere, DVE is more prevalent on the East Coast.
f) Don't expose your own birds to the backyard bird feeder. And don't allow wild birds to nest in your coop. We could not possibly list everything they can carry to your flock.
g) Keep your young birds (this year’s hatch) separate from your older birds (yearlings and above). About 6 months old is a good age to begin mixing them – at the very youngest. Natural immunities develop by then that will somewhat protect them against possible 'carriers' in your adult flock.
h) Keep the airborne viruses, bacteria, and fungi in check by fogging or spraying your coop once a week with a product suitable for this purpose. It’s best to fog your coop with a product approved for use while the birds are present. Most products cannot be used this way and you must be sure before you begin, whether your birds need to be removed. Your goal should be to disinfect hard surfaces and to knock any airborne pathogens out of the air (and kill them in the process).
i) If you don’t already have one, begin a vaccination program to protect your flock from general and region-specific diseases. Check with your State’s agricultural dept. before proceeding to ensure that you are following their guidelines for your specific area. Also be sure not to vaccinate your birds with live or modified live vaccines that have the potential to set up a carrier state in your birds if you plan to show them. Vaccination programs can be a complicated subject and one that you must research before beginning. For example, once vaccinated with the CEO version of the ILT (Laryngo) vaccine, your birds will become carriers and can risk an entire poultry show. However, the TCO vaccine is not believed to set up a carrier state but can protect your birds from catching Laryngo from another exhibitor’s birds.
2) Action to be taken once you’ve identified an illness in your coop:
a) Quarantine sick birds in a different facility and take care of them last. Even if they're in a separate cage, many viruses are airborne and some travel on feather dander, such as Mareks, which can be transferred by rodents. As indicated above, there are many other things that can be passed from cage to cage by rodents, including parasites. Any treatment program should be designed around the specific disease the bird is suffering from and research should be done to identify the disease. Broad-spectrum antibiotic use before diagnosis can lead to antibiotic resistance in the future and in some cases, antibiotic treatment when a fungal infection is present can actually make the bird worse.
b) If a sick bird dies, have it necropsied by a State and/or University Poultry Laboratory or a Veterinarian qualified to perform the necessary testing to determine the cause of death. This is valuable information and will help you manage your flock for the future. Most University labs charge a very small fee in comparison to the volume of tests they are willing to run to provide you with this information.
If you have further questions, please contact Lou Horton at lehorton85@ameritech.net or info@acornhollowbantams.com.