According to Dr. Dan Shaw, DVM, Veterinary Pathologist at the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab University of Missouri; the practice of biosecurity means isolating flocks as much as possible to prevent exposure to disease-causing organisms.
“Biosecurity is one of the most critical components to a profitable poultry business both for growers and the poultry companies they contract with,” said Susan Watkins, professor and Arkansas Poultry Federation Chair of Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service and Center of Excellence for Poultry Science.
The Ozarks region is a big poultry producing area. “With so many different types of birds in a relatively small area, the chance of a disease outbreak is greatly increased,” Watkins said. “Tracking even a tiny amount of infected manure onto a farm is enough to start a disease problem. In addition, the U.S. poultry industry exports products to other states and countries and when certain diseases are diagnosed in an area, these important markets can and will ban shipment of poultry products into their areas resulting in an economic hardship for both the companies and the farmers.”
An outbreak of a disease on a farm can cause loss of animals and poultry for sale, production losses, and extra expenses from veterinary services, quarantine, market loss, and/or costs of sanitation and disinfection, said Dr. F.D. Clark, DVM, associate center director of extension and extension veterinarian for the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas.
Clark added that these measures should be a part of the daily management routine and in essence are part of the best management practices designed to enhance farm profitability.
“Poultry farmers need to be diligent in limiting what or who comes on their farm and certainly who comes in contact with their birds,” Watkins said. “We should prevent human visitors, particularly other poultry growers.”
Outer clothing should be changed if there is use of labor from other farms. It is preferred to allow a “down” time of 24 to 48 hours if laborers from other farms are employed, Shaw added.
Prevention also must be included by preventing the intruders that aren’t as obvious, such as flies or darkling beetles, coming from fields where litter has been spread.
Facilities should be washed and disinfected between flocks to reduce or eliminate carryover of organisms from flock to flock, Shaw said. “Time and temperatures above freezing are detrimental to survival of many types of microorganisms and external parasites.”
Bird moving equipment should be thoroughly cleaned after use, especially if it is rented from other sources.
“Depending on the size and purpose of the flock there are vaccines available that can be administered to prevent or reduce the severity of several diseases that can adversely affect production and survival,” Shaw said. “Watering systems should be sanitized regularly. Feed should be wholesome and feeders kept clean.”
Watkins concluded, “No matter how good we do raising our birds, if we let the fox in the hen house – or let disease walk right into our flocks – we can undo even the best management efforts.”
