Despite our strenuous prevention effort, notorious diseases create havoc in poultry industry. Time & again the dreaded virus have struck in poultry farms and threatened to collapse of poultry industry in affected areas.
There may be endless discussion on causative agent and mode of transmission of this lethal disease but one thing is for sure, there has definitely been a lacuna in Bio-security adherence.
This is high time for the poultry producers & others involved in this trade to strictly adhere to best bio-security measures at all cost and make it a priority for survival and growth of this promising industry.
Bio-security means doing everything you can to protect poultry from disease. As a poultry advisor or an owner, keeping your birds healthy is top priority.
Please remember "You are the best protection your birds have." If you follow the basic rules and make them your routine, you decrease the risk of disease entering your poultry flock and persisting in floor, pings and debris. Practicing Bio-security is an investment like premium in the health of your birds. Following steps are advised strictly to adhere:
01. MAKE SURE TO KEEP DISTANCE
- Restrict access to your poultry farm & premises.
- Allow only people who take care of birds to come into contact with them.
- Do not allow your caretakers to attend poultry exhibition & other farms.
- Maintain a record of visitors including purpose of visit, previous farm visited & next farms to be visited.
- Look for migratory birds/waterfowl & do not let them near farm at all.
02. PRACTICE "KEEP CLEAN"
- Keep a pair of shoes and a set of cloths to wear only in particular shed.
- Clean & disinfect shoes & launder cloth before work with the birds.
- Scrub shoes with long-handled scrub brush and disinfectant using Maxii-Guard - 4 QAC's (Lipophilic) & hyhilic compound -Glutarldehyde.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and disinfectant before entering.
- Trolley-car, Truck tires must be cleaned with disinfectant before entering.
- Keep cages, feeder water supply chain clean on daily basis.
03. CONTROL RODENT & PESTS
- Rodents are major vectors & reservoir of pathogenic bacteria & transmit the infection to other farms easily. So prevent their access to feed, water & shelter.
- Arrange prompt & secure disposal of dead birds & unused spilled feed.
- Inspect regularly for litter pests like "Lesser mealworm" or "Darkling beetles" (A.diaperinus).
- Arrange rodent baiting & trapping.
04. TREAT BEDDING/LITTER
- Use "Liiteron" while placement of new bedding materials.
- Do litter treatment at the interval of 40-50 days.
- Treated litter are better than fresh bedding materials which may be contaminated with bacteria, fungi & virus during handling, transportation & due to improper storage.
05. KNOW WARNING SIGNS
- Sudden increase in bird death of your flock.
- Sneezing, gasping for air, coughing and nasal discharge.
- Watery & green diarrhea.
- Lack of energy & poor appetite.
- Drop in egg production or soft or thin-shelled misshapen eggs.
- Swelling around the eyes, neck & head.
- Purple discoloration of the wattles, combs & legs.
- Tremors, ping wings, circling, twisting of the head & necks or lack of movement.
06. REPORT SICK BIRDS
- Call your local Veterinarians.
- Contact Regional Veterinary Laboratory for detail disease investigation.
- Early detection & reporting is the most important step in eradicating contagious disease outbreak.
- Be first to report suspected case to veterinary authorities.
07. PREVENT CROSS-CONTAMINATION
- Get correct disease diagnosis of any suspected bird of particular shed.
- Establish "High Risk Areas" of your poultry farms.
- Alter vehicle route & connection to prevent cross-contamination between farm sheds.
- Do misting or thermo-fogging (Terminal stage) with 1:1 solution of Maxii-Guard.
To make an effective bio-security program, one must follow the principal of on-farm HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points).
Good bio-security plan is like chain, linked properly with each other in good condition. If even one link is broken, the "CHAIN" would not work. Therefore, review of Bio-security measure taken at farm level should be done at regular interval & improvement done as & when required with proper maintenance of record documentation.
Please remember "Bio-security" is the cheapest & most effective mode of disease control available for various disease threats to poultry industry.