Biosecurity

 

Biosecurity at the poultry farm: a basic tool to ensure poultry health and welfare

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Biosecurity is a key management issue for poultry production. The goal of biosecurity is to develop plans and implement measures that protect domestic poultry flocks by preventing unwanted organisms from entering them. Developing and reviewing some basic biosecurity plans for poultry operations is a prudent business decision.

This is especially timely due to the impact of recent cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza from around the world. The virus has proliferated to diverse areas around the world as well as wild and domestic birds. Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have important consequences for many aspects of the economy, health, and welfare of birds.

Why is chicken biosecurity important?

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Now, we must recognize that biosecurity is essential. It's important that everybody in the egg and poultry sector understands why they should comply with biosecurity.

1. Economic reasons: Pathogens influence the health, welfare and technical performance of poultry.

2. Public health reasons: producers have to ensure their eggs and poultry meat are safe for human consumption.

3. Legal reasons: making sure that regulatory requirements at national, regional and/or local levels are adhered to.

After what seems like identifying the many potential routes for infection start, I'm going to talk about challenges people face trying to carry out a biosecurity in the poultry sector. This exercise just helps people to consider the risks, and create sound biosecurity strategies in poultry. The main routes for spread of the pathogens are:

• Airborne transmission
• Transmission by contaminated feed or drinking water
• Transmission by contact:
• Direct contact: between infected birds and healthy birds in close contact
• Indirect contact can happen through equipment, materials, and vehicles. It can also occur via live vectors like animals. This includes wild birds, livestock, pets, rodents, and insects. People can also be vectors, such as farm workers, maintenance staff, and visitors.

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Structural biosecurity

This idea includes all the elements of facilities and equipment. Farmers should build poultry farms to maintain biosecurity, which helps to exclude unauthorized persons from production areas. It also denies access from other animals, whether domestic or wild.

Some of the most salient things to consider are:

• All construction materials should be selected to allow for maximum cleaning and disinfection capabilities.
• The perimeter will have a fence with 1 access gate that is always closed. We will display "No trespassing" signs that only certain persons can disregard.
• A fumigation station for vehicles coming into the farm will be set in place, and preferably an automatic activated disinfection arch that includes a disinfection basin. Only essential traffic should be permitted onto the farm.
• Any other vehicles should be parked outside of the biosecurity area. The feed storage silos should be built alongside the perimeter fence line so that a trailer by-pass can fill the silo from the outside, thus eliminating risks introduced via feed transport vehicles.
• Sheds should have a 1 or 2-meter strip of concrete, gravel, or cut grass completely surrounding them. This area must always be kept clear of waste, weeds, rubbish and equipment that are not in use.
• Having this area around the house maintained well can provide less places for pests to hide. Limiting wild birds from nesting will also prevent rodents from harboring in proximity to the house. 
• Farmers need to build farmer buildings which keep birds and rodents out. They need to ensure to seal entrances or to chicken wire them. 
• Areas of the house where animals could enter should be checked regularly and maintained. Particular attention needs to be given to high-risk areas like air inlet openings, extractors, egg conveyors, litter pits, creeper pits, or drains.
• Maintaining an adequate drainage system in order to not restrict water build-up that could lead to problematic, migratory birds.

Operational biosecurity

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This idea includes all normal practices on a farm. Things to consider are the entry of personnel, entry and disinfection of vehicles, pest control and disposal of waste, all defined in the farm operating procedures manual clearly as normal practices.

• Farmers need to dispose of all farm waste safely, by methods such as incineration, composting or removal by specialized waste companies, all methods of disposal need be compliant with local environmental practices. It is best if dead birds are placed in a freezer or sealed container until it can be removed or disposed of properly. 
• The quality of drinking water and water provided for any cooling system, including foggers and evaporative panels of good sanitary quality. An effective water treatment process can assist the safety of water. Closed water tanks can stop wild birds from contaminating the water with harmful microorganisms.
• Pathogens can be transferred through feed due to the feed's own ingredients, cross contamination after it is produces, or during transit. Feed mills should always comply with good manufacturing practices. Good manufacturing practices, along with chemical and thermal treatments will help lessen the risk of disease present in feed. Keeping the silo closed at all times, as well as cleaning up any spilled feed, can avoid contamination by rodents or wild birds. 
• a control program must target rodents and wild birds, as well as nuisance pests like flies, mites, and darkling beetles (Alphitobius). Bait stations should be installed in a line along the house walls, as well as in high rodent activity locations. Bait stations should be checked at least weekly and bait should be replaced when consumed, or at least every two months. Detailed records should be kept on which bait stations were located where, along with which ones were used, what chemicals were used at each station, and how many weeks between each bait replacement.
• Sharing equipment and moving equipment around may put a farm at risk of sharing disease. Each farm should have its own mobile equipment, e.g., scales to weigh birds. If sharing equipment or materials is necessary, protocols for cleaning and disinfecting must be done every time. Equipment previously not used on the farm which is not kept in the feed or storage room, should remain there until needed. Only essential equipment should remain in the feed room and storage room. Make efforts to keep these rooms clean and organized to limit the number of hiding locations for rodents.

Staff and visitors

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People who come to your farm are the greatest carriers of disease. This could include farm personnel, veterinarians, truck drivers, immunization teams and maintenance workers. First, limit visits to only those that are essential, and second, make sure to not allow unauthorized personnel anywhere on the farm.

• Ideally, there should only be one access point per farm, or per house, and each access point should be a single, well-planned change area. There needs to be a physical barrier which distinctly separates the dirty area from the clean area.
• The dirty area should have a rack or enclosure to hang clothes and an area for outside clothing. If an actual shower is available, that would be ideal. If not, a sink with bactericidal soap for washing hands is required.
• The clean area should provide a closet for clean clothing, which should have clean coveralls and disposable caps. The clean area must also provide clean footwear for farm use only. A footbath with disinfectant should be readily available.
• Poor footbath management can be a cause of spread contamination. Footbaths should be cleaned daily and made fresh with fresh disinfectant. Sunlight, rainwater and dirt can all limit, or damage disinfection capabilities. Refuse can also be carried on shoe soles, so any dirt and soil should be brushed away before using the footbath, and shoe soles should be cleaned after every visit.
• Farm staff should avoid contact with other poultry or wild birds. They need to follow protocols regarding designated clothing and footwear in the clean area. Washing and disinfecting hands is important before work starts, after breaks, after using the bathroom, and anytime hands are dirty.
• Dusting hands, hair, and clothing containing microorganisms can carry diseases from farm to farm. The order in which birds of various ages and health are visited on the farm should always begin with the youngest, healthiest flocks, and continue on to older flocks or flocks where biosecurity is less restrictive.
• Change rooms will include mandatory showers for all visitors. Farm employees should take a shower before entering the farm. The shower is mandatory; there are risks inherent in an employee's exposure to older or sick flocks. Do not allow entry to anyone who poses any risk to the health of the birds, reschedule the visit until risk can be minimized.
• Before entering the farm, all visitors and service personnel should complete and sign a visitor log prior to entering the farm. Keeping a detailed, thorough record of foot traffic in the farm is important to trace back to the source of adverse health events. It also allows for the farm owner to notify recent visitors if a disease is confirmed on the farm - you want to warn or offer caution to recent guests before turning them loose to mingle in other poultry settings.

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Cleaning and disinfection

After each flock, it is essential to clean and disinfect thoroughly to remove any pathogens and health risks before re-stocking! This important biosecurity step should include the poultry house, storage areas, equipment, and the surrounding premises. Disinfection can only be successful if all organic material is first completely removed! 

In any cleaning and disinfection program, the processes to be performed should be established a priori and each step of the process should be clear. Very generally, the different steps of the program can be outlined in a flow diagram as follows:

• Removal of waste: live animals, dead animals, feed remnants, poultry manure, litter, feathers. Dismantling of equipment. This is also a time to use chemical products against insects or mites (while the house is warm) and place lots of rodent bait. 
• Preparation: flushing of the drinking water circuit, then refilling with a detergent solution and a descaling solution. Soaking all surfaces with detergent solutions. Vacuuming, and manual cleaning of those areas that cannot be wetted. Visual check of the cleaning process.
• The pressure washing of the buildings, using preferably hot water and detergent, with not only the internal surfaces but also the accesses, in a logical succession: from ceilings to walls to floors, and always from the inside to the outside . Washing of every equipment and dismountable material . 
• The mounting of equipment in the shed when dry 
• Disinfecting: spraying all the surfaces of the building and equipment already washed with a disinfecting solution. Cleaning of water tanks and plumbing to remove biofilm. New disinfestation. 
• Visually checking cleaning and disinfection effectiveness 
• Final fumigation 

Lastly, we emphasise that, as to establish a biosecurity programme that is successful and effective, every measure must be simple and unambiguous in meaning, accepted by all involved and regularly reviewed. A biosecurity plan is like a chain - it is a low cost strategy to keep your birds well but every link has to be strong.