Biosecurity- Do you let people who have chickens in your barn?

[cluckcluck42]

I've been wondering about this, and since I have someone who wants to stop by just to view some birds, I am really thinking about it.

For biosecurity reasons, do you refuse to let people in who have chickens? Can humans really carry disease on them like that? Could someone walking in get my birds sick? I do not have a "barn" per say, but a shed coop and the birds free range. We can keep them in fencing if someone is coming by, could the person look at the birds outside the fencing or is that a no go since the birds will be free ranging where the people were standing? So many questions!!

I wish I had heard about biosecurity awhile ago, but it's never too late.

 

[zazouse]

I don't,
i have a designated area that i sell my chicks,guineas and ducks in, it is only used for that and it is not near my flocks.

I even wear a different pair of boots when i go to the feed store,never know what gets tracked in there either.

Better safe than sorry

 

[woodmort]

I don't allow any chickens from anyone else's flock into my chicken area, period. When I sell chickens and the buyer brings a carrier I have them leave it in their vehicle and I catch and bring the chickens to them. I won't allow anyone to wear clothes and shoes they have worn in their chicken yard into mine nor will I wear anything I've worn when visiting another chicken area into mine. I try to keep my chickens as disease free as possible. So far it has worked<knock on wood>.

 

[usschicago1]

Quote:

Me too, except a few people in my family that raises chickens.

 

[tcmstalcup]

I am not strict at all. I go with a very laid back approach. I am a several generation chicken girl and have never had a problem or heard of a problem from someone I really knew. Of course, I feed my chickens all kinds of scraps, allow them to freerange and all kinds of stuff people on this website think are risky. I like my chickens but they are chickens-not like my high dollar barrel horse.

 

[spish]

its pretty hard to isolate my main flock from people walking by..(they live in big open fields and free range 24/7 so its tough as we get walkers through the field)
we've just had a bad case of cocci here, killed an entire turkey flock and a lot of chickens

seems it came from the farm up the road, walkers walking by trod dirt from that farm down to ours..so now we put out low troughs of disinfectant and ask any walkers to 'walk' in the trough before crossing our land to try and clean their boots of muck


i cant think what else we could do?

all new chickens get quarantined for 8 weeks (is this long enough?)

 

[greyhorsewoman]

I agree with tcmstalcup... but everyone to their own. I've free ranged chickens and ducks around my barn for years. I also have a designated coop of 'layers.' I have numerous horsey friends, relatives and other folks who stop by to see the horses and farm. No way can I monitor who does or doesn't have chickens. I've bought chickens, taken free chickens, and sold chickens (and eggs). I've had broody hens hatch chicks and incubated my own. The only time I ever had a problem was with some purchased hatchery chicks, which the hatchery replaced after 3/4 of them died. Since they were still in brooders in the house, nobody else was infected.

I also feed my chickens ALL kinds of scraps. I've lost a few to foxes and hawks over the years, but mostly we keep them safe. If my chickens were part of a specific breeding program or for show, I'd probably be more concerned.

 

[cluckcluck42]

Spish I quarantine for a month. That being said I had an ugly little hen escape quarantine and we weren't able to catch her for two days. She was a crafty little devil. I ended up just forgetting about it and let her go with the flock, I know I shouldn't have but the damage was already done. No illness or problems but in the future any new birds are going to be quarantined at another property my family has. No more risks.

Thanks for all the replies, I let people with chickens tromp through my yard a few times and only realized recently that there is danger associated with that. Never even considered it!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

We don't let anyone in our breeder pens. Never had any problems with any type of outbreak or disease, but don't want to take any chances either. We do have customers come to the farm, a lot of people want to see the parent stock if they are buying chicks, but they are only allowed to look at the stock from outside the fence. I know some would consider even that as too close.

Most things to do with chickens are sort of common sense as far as I'm concerned.