On Farm

Hygiene & Bio-security

Dr. Stephen Graham

Introduction

What is Bio-security?

A pro-active approach to reduce the risk of

disease entering a farm, site or being spread

further afield

Disease challenges

• Newcastle

disease

• Gumboro

• Avian Influenza

• E.coli

• Salmonella

• Mycoplasma

•Campylobacter

• Aspergillosis

• Mould

• Mycotoxins

• Coccidiosis

• Intestinal worms

• Lice & Mites

Disease spread

How disease is spread:

• People

• Vehicles

• Equipment

• Carrier animals (wild birds, mice/rats or foxes)

• Faecal materials

• Body discharges

• Contaminated feed and water

Bio-security principles

The three principle elements of bio-security are:

Segregation

• Physical or virtual barriers to help limit the spread of infection.

Cleaning

• Cleaning will remove most of the organic matter and reduce the overall

environmental bio-burden to enable chemical disinfectants to work

effectively.

Disinfection

• Properly applied, instant acting disinfection will inactivate any micro-

organisms that are still present after the cleaning process.

Retailer

Processor/packer Hatchery

Farm

Grandparent Flock

Parent Flock

Consumer

Bio-security

measures should be

practiced

continually at every step

of the supply chain

to limit the spread of

disease within our industry.

Benefits of bio-security

Good Bio-security will help to:

• Prevent the entry of disease onto your farm

• Prevent disease entry into your birds

• Prevent disease spread within your farm

• Limit the spread of disease between farms in the area

Benefits of Bio-security

• Improve profitability of a flock

• Can’t eliminate all diseases but can significantly

minimise and reduce risk

Its in your interest. Sick birds don’t lay and

will not perform to their maximum potential

What can I do?

What can I do?

•Keep doors locked

• Prevent entry to site and house unless essential

• Check where visitor has been and how long ago, as

this could to put your birds at risk

If in doubt ask your vet, processor or packer

What can I do?

• Be familiar with DARD local risk assessment

• Provide visitors with protective clothing

• Avoid contact with back yard flocks

• Keep a visitors book and complete

before allowing access to site, not after visit is

over!!

Preparing for a new flock

After bird removal:

• Blow down house from top to bottom and remove

litter/manure

• Wash house and all equipment using recommended detergent

at recommended dosage (Use Manufactures PPE for all

procedures)

• Disinfect house, drinking lines, feed system and perches using

approved disinfectant at recommended dosage

Preparing for a new flock

• Wash and disinfect all slats, perches and any other removable

equipment

• Fumigate house, using approved fumigant at recommended

dosage following manufactures H&S instructions

• Swab internal surfaces and prepare house for new flock

Arrival on site

Outside site:

•Contact farmer/owner

•Do not proceed without approval/permission

•Always be aware of possible risk you may bring to

a farm

If in any doubt do not proceed

When entering site

Entering site:

•Only allow essential vehicles – Fields person, chick

lorries, feed lorries and catching/egg collection lorries

onto the bio-secure area

•Spray wheels and wheel arches, close gate/barrier

behind you and only drive on to site if it is necessary

•When getting out of vehicle put on PPE immediately

Personal Protective Equipment

PPE required:

• Disposable overshoes

• Disposable boiler suit with

hood

• Face mask

• Second set of overshoes or house specific

wellingtons for inside house

PPE

Entering house

Entering poultry house: (Minimum specs)

• Dip feet outside house door

•Wash hands then sanitise with alcohol gel

• Put second set of overshoes on when entering clean

area over the barrier systems (which is now part of ACP

standard)

• Dip feet again before entering poultry flock

Foot dip management

Foot dip management:

• Needs managed properly

• Use approved instant acting disinfectant at proper

concentration as specified on label and not diluted

by rainwater

Foot dip management

Foot dip management:

• Need to change weekly or more frequently as foot

dip gets a lot of use and becomes increasingly dirty

• Don't dip grossly contaminated boots (can’t

disinfect dirt)

Foot dip with cover

Keep foot-dip full

• Looks nice and

clean but will

not help keep

disease out!!

30cm barrier

Wash and sanitise hands

Exiting house

Exiting poultry house:

• Knock off litter/manure on feet and dip feet coming out of

flock

• Remove second set of overshoes and step over barrier

• Wash hands then sanitise with alcohol gel

• Remove remaining PPE and leave on site

• Leave site

Double barrier design

Double barrier design:

• All PPE on outside and dip feet outside house door

• Red area: Entrance of house- Visitors including tech staff put a 2nd

pair of over shoes on in this area as the sit on first barrier

• In "AMBER" zone farmer/visitors must wash their hands.

• Sit on second barrier and farmer puts on house specific

wellingtons/shoes which are located in "GREEN" area.

•This footwear never leaves the green area. Visitors put a 3rd pair of

overshoes on entering green area.

• Farmer puts on dust coat and cap in green area and sanitises his

hands with alcohol sanitizer before entering bird area. Visitors also

sanitize hands.

•Dead bird are collected in bucket which always stays in green area -

birds are tipped over high barrier into receptacle which always stays

in the red area and is emptied into fallen stock bin.

•When exiting house visitors remove each layer of overshoes as they

leave each area disposing in the bin which is located in amber area.

Double barrier system

Rodents

Rodent protection:

• Rodent site plan

• Can carry:- Salmonella, pasteurella and E. coli

• Keep vegetation cut, enclosed bait boxes, keep bait boxes in

place and check regularly

• Independent facilitator or trained person to maintain

•Clean up feed spills/leaks immediately and maintain feed bins

as this can cause contamination

Wild birds/hobby flocks

Prevent and control by:

• Clearing up feed spillages

• Maintaining range free from standing water

• Don’t encourage wild birds onto range

• Discourage keeping back yard poultry when

working with commercial poultry

• IB, Mg, APV, ILT

Mortality

Mortality:

• Remove dead birds and culls daily

• Remove from poultry house in bucket

• Remove from house to fallen stock bin

• Bin must be covered and locked

Water Bio-security

Water: • Many Bacteria such as E. Coli, Campylobacter, Pseudomonas,

Salmonella, as well as Enterococci and Clostridium perfringens

can survive in water so care should be taken to provide a clean

fresh source.

• Bacteria will hide in bio-film and if allowed will multiply

Bio-film

• How is it formed:

– Organic particles (in water, through nipples)

– Closed systems (low flow, low turbulence)

– High temperature

– Added products (sugar carriers)

Bio-film –What can you do?

Remove the bio-film:

• Can use a Hydrogen Peroxide product

• Make sure product states that it removes bio-film

• Fill the whole drinking system

• Don’t forget the tanks!

• Leave for 24h

• Flush the system out

Thank you