Bio-security

[Irishhenman]

What do people do to keep bio secure around your birds. I have a basin full of disinfectant and water outside my chicken shed and every time I or anyone else goes in I ask them to dip their feet in. If I am handling birds I use hand sanitizer between birds. The houses and cages are disinfected once a week with dettol or Milton depending on what I have. All birds that are brought in are put in quarantine for three weeks at the other side of the garden before they go anywhere near the main pens.

On a slightly related matter, all the houses and cages are "painted" with a mixture of mite powder and water and bi-monthly I use a sprayer and use a more concentrated mixture to get into every nook and cranny. All of the birds are wormed with flubenvent twice a year and if I ever see signs of an infestation.

What do others do, and am I the only one that does so much to prevent disease.

 

[Folly's place]

I have had a farm flock for over twenty years now. I NEVER bring in adult birds, only chicks from known sources. I necropsy every bird that dies from illness or?, and have any visitors wash and wear shoes not from their barn areas. If I attend a bird-realted event, everything gets washed immediately. So far so good! My flock free ranges if possible, but no near neighbors have chickens. Wild house finches abound, but haven't (YET!) introduced any nasty diseases. Mary

 

[Mrs. K]

way beyond me.

You must have a very large, very expensive flock? Perhaps a long term commercial facility? Closely confined birds have a higher risk of diseases and pest problems. Smaller flocks with sufficient room should not, in my opinion, need that much chemical intervention.

If your birds are all together in a flock, there would be no need to use hand sanitizer between handling birds in a flock. Any germ on them, would be exchanged with daily living together. If you have separate flocks, living a great distance apart, it would be appropriate to wash between handling the flocks.

If I was worried about bio security and my flock, I just would not let people near my flock. I knew a man that kept a large flock and he just told people that strangers upset his birds, and didn't let anyone in there.

I would assume that you are having an ongoing problem with mites?

I really do none of the procedures that you do. Once or twice a month, I clean out the bedding, and fresh hay to the floor and that is it. I have never used disinfectant around my birds. They get clean water and feed once a day. I just dump out the old, I don't wash them either too often.

Mrs K

 

[sdm111]

Other than quaranteed incoming birds nothing. I believe in letting them grow strong by not disinfecting everything all the time so whatever they may get they can fight off naturally. I believe if doing all that , that one illness getting in could have catastrophic results in less resistant birds.

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

My bio-security measures are quite simple, sprinkled with common sense.

Don't over handle the birds.

Keep a separate pair of shoes for the flock coop and pen only.
Wear a completely separate pair of shoes for errands to town.

Refuse to bring in new birds from swaps etc.

Keep a closed flock.

Don't allow strangers into the coop or pens.

Feed non-medicated feeds, to allow the birds to be healthy on their own without added medications.