Mary Allen
The range of poultry diseases is large. Most are transmitted from animal to animal or from keeper to chicken. Good hygiene can reduce the risk.
They are called Newcastle disease, Marek, Gumboro, or infectious laryngotracheitis: There are many diseases that can affect domestic chickens. Not only can they kill the individual animal, but they can also mean the end of a breeder’s entire stock.
When it comes to Newcastle disease, which is also known as avian influenza, or infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT), for example, the Swiss state shows no mercy, we have a zero-tolerance policy: while in Germany chickens are vaccinated against Newcastle and ILT, the opposite is the case in Switzerland. Vaccination is prohibited – affected stocks must be destroyed. Therefore, both diseases are considered notifiable diseases.
In order to prevent such drastic events, it is necessary to implement certain hygiene principles consistently. The most important ones are described in the “Poultry Farming” teaching aid from the Aviforum for commercial poultry breeders. Not all measures can be implemented immediately in hobby keeping, but the teaching material shows how thoroughly the risk of infection is reduced in commercial poultry breeders.
The Stable Clothes Stay in the Stable
It starts with the driveway to the barn. According to Aviforum, it should consist of a solid base. This enables clean access at any time of the year and in any weather condition. A sign on each barn door draws attention to the hygiene zone of the poultry house. The anteroom to the barn is the hygiene barrier and reduces the risk of introducing pathogens via people or materials.
This area is divided into two parts, the outdoor area, and the hygiene area. Outside, street shoes are deposited on the disinfection mat and street clothes are hung on a hook. In the hygiene area, the stable boots and stable overcoats are in their place. These stable clothes do not leave the stable, which reduces the risk of transmission.
Washing hands is another ritual that is part of both entering and leaving the stable. In addition, the equipment is regularly treated with disinfectant. This hygiene barrier applies not only to the stable but also to the chicken yard. Furthermore, care must be taken to ensure that wild animals and birds are denied access to the barn and the outside area as far as possible in order to prevent the introduction of unwanted germs. In the case of commercial poultry farmers, only a few visitors are allowed access to the barn. They are provided with protective clothing and disposable plastic overboots are also used to ensure hygiene for the shoes.
The teaching aid also points out that special care must be taken when visiting other poultry farms on the same day. Exactly this could happen more often with pedigree poultry farmers. You meet with a breeder colleague, look at the animals together at the pre-assessment or visit a chicken exhibition. Although the hygiene area is missing for most hobby keepers, some of the teaching material for commercial poultry farms can be implemented: After a visit to the exhibition, for example, the first thing to do is change clothes and shoes. It is also best to get used to wearing stable shoes to prevent transmission with street shoes.
Everything Is – Everything Out
Not only the keeper can bring diseases into the coop, but also newly bought chickens or those that have returned from exhibitions. The control, therefore, begins with the transport crates and the stabling. If animals are added to an existing flock of chickens, it is best to organize a quarantine for all newcomers if possible. And even after an exhibition, it is advisable not to immediately join the chickens with the flock, but to keep them in quarantine in a separate house for a few days.
Animal access is handled much more strictly in commercial poultry farming. All animals are delivered at once and after that, no more animals are taken into the herd. All animals leave the farm together at the same time so that the stable can be cleaned thoroughly afterward. The stable is built with smooth surfaces so that the floor, walls, and ceiling can be pressure washed and disinfected. With wet cleaning, over 95 percent of germs can be washed away. A large proportion of the other germs are killed by disinfectants.
The “everything-in-and-everything-out” practice reduces a large risk area, but cannot be implemented in breeds poultry. Participation in exhibitions and a comparison with the breeding status of other breeders would not be possible. Although only healthy animals should participate in shows, caution is advised. It is advisable for event organizers to carry out an entrance inspection of the animals for their state of health.