Biosecurity are practices that minimize the introduction and spread of diseases on a farm and should be a priority for anyone involved in poultry farming.
To be effective, biosecurity procedures must be both hard to avoid and easy to comply with ie each task should be possible, practical and sustainable. Controlling a disease in a flock can be done by easily locating and identifying the disease, and taking measures to stop the spread of the disease. To stop the spread of the disease in the long run, bio security should be carried out at a macro level ie controls on livestock movement, and enforcement of stricter boarder controls.
Biosecurity options
No one biosecurity measure effectively controls entry and spread of the disease in all situations however there are general steps to follow to achieve bio security.
Creating a physical barrier to the entry of people and objects, providing clean water and feed sources, and having poultry houses that are wild birds and rodents‘ proof.
Use of all in- all out management practices, ban bird keeping by poultry workers and changing outer clothes and foot wear when entering/ exiting a poultry pen.
Quarantining newly introduces birds, implement compartmentalization and zoning, cleaning and disinfecting thoroughly.
Biosecurity fundamentals
Ensure that the poultry farms and homesteads are rightly isolated from sources of infection.
Control the traffic flow in and out of susceptible areas. This limits exposure to illness.
Sanitation ie cleaning equipment and housing and maintaining personal hygiene. Biosecurity is not always 100% perfect but it needs not to be perfect to effectively control disease.
