September 9, 2004

HEALTH PROMOTION & BIO-SECURITY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POULTRY CONSERVATIONISTS

By Don Schrider, ALBC Communication Director

Avian Influenza has appeared in several flocks this year in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas. Other infectious diseases, like Exotic Newcastle Disease, have threatened flocks in previous years. Poultry raisers can protect their valuable flocks by establishing biosecurity procedures and promoting flock health. Here are some suggestions for keeping your poultry healthy and preventing the introduction of disease into your flock.

HEALTH PROMOTION

1. Observe your flock. Preventing disease starts by noticing a change in the behavior or health of your stock. Signs of ill health may include: watery eyes; nasal discharge; paleness of face, comb and wattles; swelling around eyes; odor; runny or off-colored manure; lack of normal activity; slowness of movement; walking backwards; shivering or hunchiness; irregular shape or color of iris; and loss of appetite and weight.

2. Provide an environment conducive to supporting the health of your poultry. Dust and ammonia from old manure can damage the health of lungs, making your poultry prone to infection. The rule of thumb is if you find the smell offensive or it burns your eyes, or the dust makes you sneeze, then it is past time to clean your facilities.

3. Encourage healthy levels of activity. Exercise is important for muscle tone, good circulation and health, particularly in active breeds. Providing your poultry room to move around, as well as an environment tailored to their needs (i.e. roosts, nest boxes or pools, etc.), will greatly increase their level of activity.

4. Provide adequate quality feed. Proper nutrition can support the health of your poultry and help stave off diseases. A bird that has been poorly fed is under stress and will be more prone to infection. Feed should be fresh, free of molds or fungi, unspoiled, and in sufficient quantities to satisfy the needs of your poultry.

5. Provide clean, fresh water. Water should be changed daily for optimum health, and the containers cleaned weekly or more often if necessary. Allowing a film to form on the water container exposes your poultry to small doses of toxins released from this algae-like material. While this exposure rarely affects healthy stock, individuals whose immune systems are already challenged may be at greater risk of becoming ill. Chicks who drink from water containers with slime buildup, and that have infrequent water changes, show a greater mortality to coccidious.

6. Prevent parasite infestations. Common infestations, like lice, mites, and worms, should be treated before they affect the health of your poultry. Parasites not only make poultry uncomfortable, but they also lower the health by robbing them of blood nutrients À leading to anemia, mal-nutrition and even death.

7. Reduce stress. Stress opens the doors to disease outbreak. While it is true that exposure to unclean environments can help develop an immune system, this type of exposure challenges the immune system at the same time, as do poor feeding habits, lack of fresh water, and lack of exercise. An already challenged immune system is less effective at warding off disease. This is why it is advisable to enhance your husbandry practices during times of disease outbreaks and potential exposure.

8. Vaccinate to help prevent disease. Vaccination is an excellent tool for protecting your flock. Vaccines cause the natural development of antibodies. The American Poultry Association has some excellent advice on which types of vaccines can be used. Visit their site at http://www.ampltya.com/vaccination_guide.htm. As an example, there is some evidence that Newcastle vaccine may provide at least partial immunity to Exotic Newcastle disease. It is always a good idea to vaccinate for diseases that are prevalent in your part of the country.

9. Build the health of your poultry by feeding them more than just the necessities. Supplements can be used to build the health of your poultry. Vitamin-mineral supplements, probiotics, greens such as kale, and even yogurt can be used to build the health of your poultry.

BIO-SECURITY PROTOCOLS

1. Stop spreading disease to your poultry. Bio-security is often overlooked for the prevention of disease. Use only a designated pair of boots when walking in your pens. Do not allow this pair of boots to be used off of the property. This simple step will greatly lower the possibility of tracking disease in from other flocks. Enhance this by designating a jacket or other clothing to be worn only when tending your stock.

2. Control visitation. Prevent disease introduction from offsite by controlling access to your poultry, especially during times of outbreaks. Visitors should, at the very least, wear boots that have not been worn at other poultry facilities. Disposable plastic covers for boots can be purchased economically from your local dairy supply. The soles of your visitor's boots can be disinfected by using a footbath, a disinfectant mat, or by spraying. Disinfectants can include: Oxine or Textrol administered from a proper misting sprayer, and household disinfectants such as Lysol, and chlorine bleach mixed with water (1 part bleach to 9 parts water).

3. Limit exposure of your flock to potentially infectious animals and infected material. Wild birds and rodents can spread disease. Sparrows and starlings will often make use of available food and water supplies, bringing with them any diseases they may be carrying. Positioning feeders and water containers where they are less likely to be soiled will help prevent direct contact with infected waste. Rodent control can also help prevent the introduction and spread of disease.

4. Quarantine new or returning poultry. Isolation is a good first step in preventing disease spread. Most contagious poultry diseases have an incubation period of less than three weeks. By penning poultry that have been off property away from the main flock for three or more weeks, disease transmission can be reduced and maybe avoided. If you show your poultry, have a separate facility away from the main flock specifically for quarantining returning poultry.

5. Isolate unhealthy poultry. Sick birds should be removed from the flock as soon as signs of disease are noticed. Transmission of disease to the entire flock can sometimes be prevented by isolating sick individual birds. For minor illnesses, recovery can be facilitated by using draft free, warm, quarantine facilities.

6. Handle healthy poultry first, quarantined poultry last. Feed and water sick or quarantined birds last. This will help prevent accidental exposure of possible disease to the rest of your flock.

7. Seek help. State diagnostic laboratories can help identify disease. Most states have diagnostic laboratories associated with their department of agriculture, which can be consulted to help determine the disease present in your flock. Keep in mind they will need a recently deceased or live specimen upon which to perform autopsy. While this may mean the loss of a few individuals, it can be of great benefit in saving the flock.

8. Report outbreaks. Sudden death may be an indicator of a potential problem. Diseases that cause multiple sudden deaths usually require reporting to the proper authorities (such as your Department of Agriculture). Cooperation with authorities may require depopulation of one flock to save many others. This is why rare breeds and bloodlines should be shared amongst many breeders in different geographic locations.

9. Know what to expect. Avian Influenza (AI) tests comes in two basic forms: blood sampling and cloacal swabs. Blood samples are usually the first level of testing, and are used to isolate antibodies. Antibodies are good indicators of exposure to disease, but are not indicators of live virus or transmissibility. Cloacal swabs gather live virus for isolation. This test will reveal actual presence of virus and will usually indicate the strain and pathology as well. In most cases, depopulation decisions should only be made based on actual presence of disease and not antibodies.

10. Do not bring birds from slaughter channels, especially live-bird markets, back to your farm. Auctions are often used to dispose of unwanted stock. Because stock from many locations are moving in and out of auctions, it is hard to know what they have been exposed to. In some cases the stock may have disease or other health problems. For the protection of your poultry, it is advisable to wear non-farm boots and clothes to the auctions, and to clean them thoroughly upon return. Quarantine any stock purchased from an auction for at least three weeks before integrating it with the rest of the flock. During times of disease outbreak it is advised to avoid auctions altogether.