BIOSECURITY – NEED OF PROGRESSIVE POUTRY FARMS

June 12, 2021

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BIOSECURITY – NEED OF PROGRESSIVE POUTRY FARMS

JAI PARKASH ( PhD , LUVAS, HISAR )

Bio-security is of immense help to reduce disease hazards and improve health and productivity of birds. Optimum and profitable poultry production can be achieved by reducing disease risk to minimum extent. Bio-security literally means safety to living things- “bio” refers to ‘life ‘and “security” means ‘protection’. It encompasses the practices or measures adopted to minimize the invasion of pathogens on the poultry shed. Biosecurity, vaccination programs, Reduces the risk of disease and Limits the spread of disease which Improves overall health of the flock, Reduces mortality losses and Improves profitability.

Objectives :

Prevention of the entry of pathogenic organism into poultry premises.
Reduction of microbial contamination of the surrounding area.
Total elimination of the pathogenic organisms present within the premises.

DEVELOPING A BIOSECURITY PLAN, CONSIDER THE FIVE W’S:

Who is on your farm?
What is brought on to your farm?
When are they there?
Where have they been?
Why are they there?

STEPS OF BIO-SECURITY: There are three steps of bio-security:

https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/basics-of-biosecurity-for-poultry/

Conceptual Bio-security
a) Location of farm in relation to concentration of poultry of same or different species.
b) Distance among farms, hatcheries, processing/packing units
c) Connectivity with roads and proximity of water supply.
Structural Bio-security
a) Fencing of farm to avert trespass and proper power supply.
b) Secure housing with suitable bird and rodent proofing, concrete floors ,correct positioning of exhaust fans to prevent air borne diseases ,proper ventilation and drainage facility.
c) Water supply to farm free from pathogens and chlorinated ( 2ppm)
d) Farm comprising of office, storage and change room shower facilities.
e) Installation of bins for pests free storage of bagged feed. Separate storage unit for feed, litter and equipment away from live flock.
f) Installation for disposal of dead birds
Operational Bio-security
a) Proper vaccination and Development of operational manuals for routine procedures in farms.
b) Decontamination and disinfection of units following depletion of flocks.
c) Adoption of specific procedures on entry of farm managers, supervisors, authorized visitors, employees or their exit.
d) Strict controls for prevention of contact with exotic and backyard poultry.

BIOSECURITY MEASURES:

Isolation and Security fencing
Farm sheds and Human traffic
Rodent and wild birds control and Restricting movement of vehicles
Equipments, Water, Feed and Health monitoring
Method of rearing, Cleaning and disinfection
Destruction of insects, lies, ice etc and Dispose off dead and sick birds
Personal hygiene of workers and Other management procedures

ISOLATION

Isolation of poultry farm from other poultry reduces the risk of infection
Cross infection between farms is reduced at least up to 50% if a barrier of 5km is there.(Practically, isolation is more difficult because of the cost of transportation, feed, egg, bird and supply labour).

SECURITY FENCING
- Fencing of farm is very important in restriction of entry of natural predators like jackel, ox, and wolf for security and to protect from theft.
- Footh bath at the point of entry into each poultry farm will help in disinfection.
- Showering in and showering out, that is staff, visitors and vehicles have no other entry to farm other than the shower system.

FARM AND SHED

Batch interval before introduction of new flock (15 days to 1 month)
Concrete floor for proper and easy cleaning.
Clean thoroughly disinfect with a suitable detergent and disinfectant.
Proper curtains to protect the flock from extreme climatic conditions and rain water entry with adequate ventilation.
Prevention of disease and to check bacterial load from microbiology laboratory
Plant trees not fruit trees and do not allow grasses or weeds to grow around shed put gravel in between sheds.
Distance between 2 different sheds of same type is 30 feet and different type is 100 ft and poultry house to hatchery is 500 feet.
Construct proper drainage system.

HUMAN TRAFFIC

Control of human traffic including regular workers, visiting service man particularly weekend veterinarian, who may visit several site in successive.
Do not allow any visitor except on special circumstances like veterinarian.
If possible the visitor should be covering all even boots ;supplied by the farm and disinfected after use.
Record of all visitors to site with name, date of visit, nature of business is must.
Human transportation of disease-causing organisms is one of the more serious threats to biosecurity.
Post signs at the entrance to the farm indicating that entry to the farm and facilities are restricted.
Owner should restrict visitors and make sure that any visitor to their farm has a good reason to be there. Visitors should never enter poultry houses unless approved by the farm personnel.
Traffic through poultry houses should always flow from younger to older birds.

RESTRICTING MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES

Transport vehicles enter various farms regularly and are at great risk of infections. So, allow vehicles only when necessary.
Avoid the entry of feed truck in premises by holding feed tank at the farm and then distribute to individual houses.
Use of detergent and disinfectant outside and inside the drivers’ compartment. Sanitizing the trucks as they enter the farm by disinfectants.

RODENT AND WILD BIRD CONTROL

Rats and rodents are great disease spreaders and have to be controlled and eradicated and make the shed rodent proof.
Wild birds have potential of carrying infectious organisms so restrict their entry.
Do not throw away organic material like dead birds, meat used food, feed etc around the shed which attracts crows etc.
No litter should be around the shed and should be transported away from shed.
Control movement of all animals in the farm including dogs.

EQUIPMENTS:

Entry of equipments from farm to farm only after they are disinfected.
Egg flats from farm to hatchery must be sanitized at hatchery.
Entry and exist of egg flats into the farm and outside farm must be restricted.
Disinfect the feeder and waterer.

WATER AND FEED

Water is a potent disease spreading and vector for bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, thus must be examined chemically as well as biologically for contamination at least twice a year.
Feed acts as a vector for micro-organisms so storage of excess feed must be avoided and Lumps in feeds must be discarded.
Store in feed room above the ground and away from walls.
Feed tanks must be swept every month, disinfected twice in month and fumigated at end of each crop of birds to reduce bacterial count and mold growth. Mould inhibitors can be used.
Check feed for toxins such as aflatoxins etc.Heat treatment is helpful as it does not affect the nutritional quality.

HEALTH MONITORING

Recognizing sick broilers

It is important to recognize sick birds. It is simple to check flock for dead birds but it requires skill to recognize sick birds. When walking through a flock, take time to scan the birds and spot individuals showing signs of illness, such as:

Lethargy, lack of energy, drooping wings
Loss of appetite
Swelling of the head, eyes, comb, wattles and hocks
Purple discoloration of the wattles, combs and legs
Nasal discharge
Coughing, wheezing, or sneezing
Lack of coordination or complete paralysis
Muscle tremors or twisted necks
Diarrhea
Sudden or excessive mortality without clinical signs
Decreased egg production, soft-shelled or misshapen eggs for broiler.
Abnormal respiratory sounds, of called a ‘snick’ can be heard. These sounds may have a variety of characteristics such as a high-pitched ‘squeak’, a sudden’ chuck’ sound, like a cough, or a gurgling or rattling sound.
Vaccination and maintain records
- Egg product
- Feed and water intake
- Mortality and Morbibity
- Entry and exist of outsiders
- Parasites external and internal
  - FLOCK MORTALITY RECORDS will alert the producer of a potential problem, which should trigger the appropriate response and the first of which will be to find the cause of the problem.
  - PRODUCTION RECORDS
- A producer keep daily feed and production record which helps to check for drop in egg production or feed consumption, or a rise or fall in water consumption and it aware the producer to a potential problem. A drop in feed or water consumption can be a sign of an infectious disease.
- A significant drop in consumption must be checked and specific diagnostic actions taken. It included investigations of the watering or feeding system to make sure that a failure in the supply has not resulted in the consumption drop. In absence of physical reason diagnostic procedures should be followed such as collection of feed and water samples.
- A drop in egg production or fertility may be an indication of infectious disease. Such drops should be investigated and diagnostic. Veterinarian advice is must.

METHOD OF REARING

All in all out system: Only one age group of birds on a farm and farm is populated at one single time.
Depopulating the farm reduces the major disease threat.

CLEANING, WASHING AND DISINFECTTION

Proper cleaning and washing along with use of disinfectant after removal of litter and organic debris works best.
Washing at pressure range of 300-600 psi.
No disinfectant should be applied in water above 50^oC
At each 3^oC drop in temperature below 17 ^oC effectiveness of disinfectant is halved.
Keep areas around houses and feed bins clean

DESTRUCTION OF INSECTS, FLIES, LICE ETC

Insects, flies, lice etcact as carrier of organisms.
Spraying insecticide should before all other cleaning functions.
Destroy flies with pesticides spraying or baiting, sprinkle bleaching powder for 5ft around the shed when there are flies. Pesticides (0.05% of sumicidin) for lice infestation.