Topic of the Week - Biosecurity, Quarantine and Infectious Disease Management

[Folly's place]

Glad you avoided that avian flu episode! So far we've been okay here. Mary

 

[supersymmetry]

@sumi and everyone else who has contributed! I'm really glad this was a topic of the week. It's really good to get everyone's opinion about what their practices are and why. I imagine for most people, it's something they will only worry about, "if and when it happens". Hopefully this thread encourages some people to get educated about developing their own best practices. For me, it's about making smart and practical decisions when thinking about risks and rewards. The more one knows, the better informed decisions one will make.

 

[supersymmetry]

I wasn't sure if I should make a new thread or tag along with this one... Perhaps this is a good place so we can continue the discussion.

I've included the links and pulled abstracts that I thought were pertinent.

Brief:

Highly pathogenic H7 avian influenza (HPAI) of North American wild bird lineage in a commercial chicken breeder flock in Lincoln County, Tennessee

Initial outbreak was detected on March 3rd. This means that the virus was active and in incubation well before the increased mortality. The last outbreak of this HPAI bird flu was in January 2016. It's high mortality rate might actually help stop the spread of this flu, but seems to be incredibly contagious.

1) https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/18b5193#.WLx73MI3usY.facebook
Abstract: Samples from the affected flock, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at Tennessee’s Kord Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa.

2) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-birdflu-usa-idUSKBN16C0XL
Abstract: The facility in Tennessee's Lincoln County has been placed under quarantine, along with approximately 30 other poultry farms within a 6.2-mile (10 km) radius of the site
HPAI bird flu was last found in a commercial turkey flock in Indiana in January 2016.
Tyson said precautions being taken include disinfecting all vehicles entering farms and banning all nonessential visitor access to contract farms. Tyson, the USDA and the state did not name the facility involved. Tyson said that it did not expect disruptions to its chicken business.

3) http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/...lu-detected-lincoln-county-chickens/98778246/
Abstract: Report any sudden increases in the number of sick or dead birds to the state veterinarian’s office at 615-837-5120 or the USDA at 1-866-536-7593. State vet: Dr. Charles Hatcher.

4)http://www.elkvalleytimes.com/usda-confirms-high-path-h7-avian-influenza-in-local-chicken-flock/
Abstract: This version of H7 HPAI is confirmed as a North American wild bird lineage.

5) http://abcnews.go.com/Health/bird-flu-found-tennessee-chicken-farm-virus-surges/story?id=45938138
Abstract: Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert stated: "The virus is unlikely to spread widely among people in the U.S. due to the nature of the virus and the fact that people rarely interact with live poultry. People who live extremely close to poultry as they do in parts of China, are at increased risk for large exposure to the virus. Fortunately, picking up that genetic material happens very rarely."

 

[KittyKat3756]

In UK, we've got the H5N8 strain going around. See https://www.gov.uk/government/news/avian-influenza-bird-flu-in-winter-2016-to-2017 for more information.

I went to a talk by a vet earlier this evening and apparently it's spread through bird poo (often via water) more than any other way, so washing shoes and not letting other people who keep birds near your coops is high on the list of things that will help reduce the risk of transmission. Supposedly the flu will clear up by itself come summer as it doesn't tolerate warmth that well.

 

[supersymmetry]

If this continues like this, I will make a new thread highlighting the news... It's important that people are at least aware of what is happening.

Milder strain of bird flu found at Jennie-O farm in Wisconsin


http://www.startribune.com/milder-strain-of-bird-flu-found-at-jennie-o-farm-in-wisconsin/415614634/

Abstract: Detected 03/04/17 Reported 03/07/17 Responders have quarantined the operation and the birds will be euthanized, said the USDA report.

 

[casportpony]

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/17f3c54

 

[casportpony]

https://www.usda.gov/topics/animals/one-health/avian-influenza

 

[dvcrztb]

Human visitors do not get past the fence to the back yard. I do have plastic overshoes if someone needs to go in there. I have special shoes and boots that I wear in by the chickens. I also have a jacket specifically for going to the chickens and working in the run.

I do not reuse egg cartons.

New chickens are kept seperate for a month and then the run is divided in half using chicken wire. They can see each other, but not interact. After a few weeks of that, both groups are allowed in the yard together under supervision. When they are mingling without hassles, the divider in the run comes down and we are back to 1 flock.

 

[SkyAJK]

Litter management: I recommend deep litter in the coop. Not deep shavings that don't get cleaned out. But, deep composting litter made of naturally decomposing, mixed materials, including: dry leaves, grass clippings, chipped trees, garden debris. The bird droppings mix into this material and, if it's managed correctly it becomes a working compost pile where the feces feed the microbes in the bedding, there is no ammonia build up, and the bedding continually decomposes into a healthy compost. This is much more easy to manage in a coop that has a natural soil floor.

If your chicken run has bare soil, it is an unhealthy run. In a natural setting, soil is NEVER left bare. It is either covered by growing plant material, or decomposing plant material. I do my best to emulate God's plan for the soil in all of my yard. Particularly, in the run, I am constantly adding compostable material, with the goal of having a 6" layer of deep composting material. I have yet to achieve this, no matter how much material I add, because it simply melts into the soil. No stinky mud pits or dry dust bowls in my run. Also, by providing composting litter in the coop and run, it feeds the chickens! Both by providing healthy microbes and fungi for their guts/immunity, as well as beneficial insects in the run. It also puts the beneficial organisms in control so disease pathogens can not get a foot hold.

I have a question for deep litter method..I am been quite unsure about this one because of conflicting information I received online, I hope you could clear it for me thanks.

Previously I used deep littler method in the chicken run, I put out sugar cane mulch and I was bitten all over whenever I entered the chicken runs and my flock was busy with lice/mite...they were not like this before the deep littler method in their run..

What I did was add more sugar cane mulch and mix it around.
So due to the excessive bite from lice/mite on me and me chickens, I stopped the deep litter method.

For a period of time they also have worms and I read online that to remove their poops so that they do not get reinfected from eating stuff on the ground which infected with worm eggs. So I remove chicken poops a few times a day and bin them.

I found that my chickens have less worm issues and no lice and mites. They still have worm here and there, but not often and manageable.

I read that many people use deep litter method with great success so I am thinking I must had fail to do something that is why my deep litter method fail.

My chickens run has soil, cutting from trees, plants, all the garden trimming and sugar cane mulch, all natural materials. Their poops are remove several times a day.

 

[Pigeony]

- (How) do you quarantine new birds before adding them to the flock?

I don't add actual birds, I hatch from my own flock mostly and occasionally from other flocks (but I am cautious about it), so only hatching eggs enter my property.

- (How) do you manage show birds and showing?

I don't.

- Do you take precautions when having (human) visitors to your poultry-yard?

I don't let people visit, really.

- How do you handle sick/diseased birds in your flock?

I've been lucky to have mostly injuries and non-serious/contagious illnesses in my flock, but when I do encounter something more serious I treat according to the disease and quarantine if it's transmissible.

- What is the best way to handle outbreaks of serious disease(s) such as Mareks and prevent the spread and recurring cases on your property?

Prevention is key; prevent it from happening in the first place through proper biosecurity and careful selection of source animals, then quarantine when serious diseases are present.