How to Maintain Good Bio-Security on Your Poultry Farm

Bio-Security is one of the most misunderstood yet crucial ingredients for successful poultry production. The maintenance thereof will prevent unnecessary losses and help you run your poultry business profitably.

The key to successful poultry production lies in maintaining good Bio-security. The emphasis in poultry production must always be placed upon the prevention of problems, rather than correcting them after they occur.

What is Bio-security?

The term Bio-security encompasses the methods used to protect poultry from disease. If you follow some basic rules and make them part of your daily routine, you can decrease the risk of disease entering your poultry flock. Bio-security can be maintained by doing the following:

 Keep a distance

Re strict access to your poultry farm and premises by implementing access control points. Allow only people who take care of your birds to come into contact with them. Do not allow your caretakers to attend poultry exhibitions or visit other poultry farms as this can lead to the spreading of disease.

Practice good hygiene

Clean and disinfect shoes and clothes thoroughly before you enter the poultry house to work with the birds. Wash your hands with disinfectant and constantly keep all cages, feeders and water supplies clean. Maintaining good hygiene will prevent disease and save you lots of money in the long run.

Control rodents and pests

Rodents carry pathogenic bacteria and can transmit disease to other farms easily. Prevent their access to feed, water and shelter by making your facilities rodent-proof. Arrange prompt and secure disposal of dead birds and unused spilled feed. Set traps and baiting devices to catch rodents and dispose of them properly.

Treat your bedding

Use a bedding treatment chemical to treat your bedding before you place it in the poultry house. Do bedding treatments at least every 40-50 days. Treated bedding is better than fresh bedding materials which may be contaminated with bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Look for warning signs

If there is a breach in your Bio-security the warning signs will include the following: A sudden increase in bird deaths, birds sneezing, gasping for air, coughing and nasal discharge, watery and green diarrhea, lack of energy and poor appetite, a drop in egg production, soft or thin-shelled misshapen eggs and swelling around the eyes, neck and head. Be sure to check for all these signs and take the necessary corrective actions.

Prevention of cross-contamination

Get correct disease diagnosis of any suspected bird or particular poultry house. Establish "High Risk Areas" of your poultry farm and do misting or thermo-fogging regularly in these areas to prevent disease outbreaks. To make an effective Bio-security program, one must follow the principals of on-farm HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points).

A good Bio-security plan is critical in preventing unnecessary losses of your flock. Bio-security checks should be done at regular intervals and improvements must be made when required. Remember that “Bio-security” is the cheapest and most effective mode of disease control available. Prevention is always better than cure!

Surehatch can give you all the information you need to start and run your own successful poultry business. Contact us on Tel: +27 (0)72 231 5498 or e-mail sales@surehatch.co.za