"biosecurity" and chicken coop tour

[MadAngler]

Madison Wisconsin has a fairly active backyard chicken group ("backyard" with small B because i don't think they are associated with BYC.com). The group is MadCityChickens.com

The group is a having a coop tour.
http://madcitychickens.com/images/coop_tour2014.jpg

The tour sounds like great fun and should be very educational for a total newby like me.

But folks talk about biosecuity and protecting your flock from strange bugs from other flocks.

- Are the folks on the tour taking a large risk by associating their flocks to lots of strangers walking through the area?
- Am I taking a risk for my 6 hens by exposing myself to many other flocks and bringing their bugs home?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There is a large risk.
We have a huge chicken meetup group and have regular coop tours.

We have shoe/boot washing stations, brushes and disinfectant placed at the entrance of each property.
I make people wear disposable plastic booties, (which I provide and get cheaply on e-bay)
We recommend people wear shoes they don't wear when working their flocks.
Washing hands between visits is important too.

ETA

Congratulations on Mad City Chickens past successes. I'm well aware of your struggles.

We work with our myriad of cities in the area to get chickens legalized.

 

[amenfarm]

There is a large risk.
We have a huge chicken meetup group and have regular coop tours.

We have shoe/boot washing stations, brushes and disinfectant placed at the entrance of each property.
I make people wear disposable plastic booties, (which I provide and get cheaply on e-bay)
We recommend people wear shoes they don't wear when working their flocks.
Washing hands between visits is important too.

ETA

Congratulations on Mad City Chickens past successes. I'm well aware of your struggles.

We work with our myriad of cities in the area to get chickens legalized.

I agree, and would change my clothes, throw them into wash and shower before being around my girls. I never wear my farm shoes anywhere, and wash and spray off my shoes at the gate to the drive, after going to anyplace with animals, feed store, park(ducks there.), animal swaps etc...

 

[Laughing Raven]

I'm ecstatic that I actually found this thread.!

lol

I was thinking of starting one to ask opinions about these Coop Tours. My biggest question was the safety of everyone's flocks on the tour as well as that of the tour member's own flocks.

This helped a lot. I don't know if I would go on one of these tours but, I think the pictures would be great to see. I guess I will just be very paranoid of my flock once I've it it started. I don't have little children that would be traumatized by the death of a flock member, but, I know I would be devastated by any losses since I consider my animals like kids to me.

Thanks for the thread, it helped a lot.

Sincerely,
Jodi

 

[amenfarm]

LR, there is a thread on here, somewhere, that has a very good list of bio-security measures... the one I most forget, if it's not visibly dirty? you have to clean it before you can disinfect it.