Poultry disease prevention and control

Bio-security for your chicken’s health

Published: December 1, 2023

By: Dr. Greg Archer, Texas A&M University, Agrilife Extension. Reviewers: Dr. Bethany Baker, Auburn; Leonie Jacobs, Virginia Tech; Dr. Allison Pullin, NC State University.

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Bio-security is the cheapest, most effective means of disease prevention and control available. Proper bio-security will help to ensure the overall health and welfare of your flock.

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What is “Bio-security”?

Simply put it is protecting your birds from disease by minimizing their exposure to vectors or fomites.

What is a vector or a fomite?

A vector is something living and a fomite is something non-living that can transmit a disease. This can include things like rodents, other birds, insects, pets, shoes and other clothing, car tires, shared equipment, feed, water, dust, people, and even the air.

Vectors aid in the transmission of viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms that all can negatively impact your poultry’s health.

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What to do when you have mortality in your flock?

Even if you practice the best bio-security and best management in raising your birds properly everyone who has poultry will unfortunately experience the loss of birds. The first thing to determine is whether the mortality is “normal” or there is a more serious issue.

When should you worry about mortality?

If the mortality is a larger percentage of your flock or a larger percentage are sick/dying above typical levels.

Is the mortality related to something other than disease?

Is the mortality related to predators, weather, or some other external factor? If so, you will need to address these issues but you do not need to report it to animal health officials.

Keep records of when you see signs of illness

This will allow you to better track and possibly diagnose issue.

Report non-normal Illness or mortality to animal health officials in your state

Veterinarian, Cooperative Extension Office, State Veterinarian or Animal Health Office, State Diagnostic Lab, USDA are all possibilities.

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Example of a state’s (Texas) reportable poultry diseases*

Avian infectious laryngotracheitis - Orthomyxovirus, herpesvirus
Avian tuberculosis - Mycobacterium avium serovars 1,2
Duck virus hepatitis – Picornavirus
Fowl typhoid - Salmonella gallinarum
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (fowl plague) – Orthomyxovirus (type H5 or H7)
Infectious encephalomyelitis – Arbovirus
Ornithosis (psitticosis) - Chlamydia psittaci
Pullorum disease - Salmonella pullorum
Newcastle disease (VVND) - Paramyxovirus-1 (PMV-1)
Paramyxovirus infections (other than Newcastle disease) - PMV-2 to PMV-9
Example of a state’s (Texas) reportable poultry diseases*

*States may vary in what diseases they consider reportable