Poultry Houses - Biosecurity

- [Announcer] Biosecurity measures are implemented on poultry farms to protect against the introduction and spread of harmful organisms.

Disease vectors, such as service technicians, farm visitors, wild animals, and pets, as well as fomites, like feed delivery trucks and other equipment, present opportunities to introduce and spread diseases.

This video will demonstrate how to properly enter a poultry farm, taking steps to minimize the introduction and spread of diseases.

Poultry farm visitors should be aware that biosecurity is practiced.

A biosecurity checkpoint when entering the premises is ideal.

All visitors should stop here prior to entering poultry houses.

Proper signage identifying the premises as a disease prevention area helps visitors understand that a biosecurity plan is in place.

It may be necessary for visitors to drive onto the farm.

In other situations, visitors may park at the biosecurity checkpoint, don their personal protective equipment, known as PPE, and walk onto the premises.

An important step in preventing disease spread is minimizing contact between the visitor and their attire and the premises.

This may be achieved by requiring boot covers to be donned before visitors exit their vehicle.

Disposable boot covers are a simple approach to protect the poultry farm from potentially harmful organisms attached to the visitor's shoes.

These boot covers can also protect the visitor from carrying away potentially harmful organisms that their shoes may have contacted within the poultry house.

If the visitor is driving onto the farm, the tires of the vehicle should be a point of focus for controlling disease introduction.

Therefore, a broad spectrum disinfectant should be applied to the tires.

It is important that the disinfectant is applied to the tread of the tires that will be in contact with the ground.

Other courteous gestures to minimize disease introduction could include driving through a carwash prior to visiting a poultry farm.

Now that the tires of the vehicle have been sprayed, the vehicle may enter the premises.

If the tires are very dirty or muddy, it would be more appropriate that the vehicle remained parked at the biosecurity checkpoint, and the visitor enter the premises by foot.

A dirty surface can not be disinfected, ultimately increasing the risk of disease introduction.

Regardless of driving or walking onto the premises, it is important that PPE be utilized to protect both the visitor and the poultry on the farm.

Disposable PPE are common and effective tools for farm visitors.

Appropriate PPE includes boot covers, coveralls free of rips and tears, and a hairnet.

Other PPE that may be used to minimize disease introduction when risks are elevated include gloves and dust masks.

Many poultry farms have gravel driveways, and the gravel may puncture disposable boot covers that were donned prior to exiting the vehicle.

Out of an abundance of caution, it is highly recommended to bring a second pair of boot covers to be worn in the poultry barn.

Immediately prior to entering the poultry barn, the second pair of boot covers should be placed over the first pair.

The visitor should then enter the control room by stepping over the entry threshold, making sure not to step back outside.

Upon entry, the visitor should step through the foot pan containing powdered or liquid disinfecting agents.

Powder disinfectants are common because they do not need to be diluted with water and do not freeze in the winter.

Some poultry farms will place a second foot pan with disinfecting chemicals in the entryway to the house.

Visitors should pass through the foot pan to further minimize the opportunity for disease introduction.

The visitor is now ready to step into the poultry house.

The visitor has now taken necessary precautions to minimize disease introduction and spread.

Ultimately, keeping the poultry safe.

When visitors are leaving the poultry house, their disposable PPE should be doffed and placed in a garbage bag or receptacle.

Immediate disposal minimizes the risk of visitors carrying potentially harmful organisms off the farm.

A summary of the main points for biosecurity at poultry farms include, biosecurity starts before stepping foot on the premises.

PPE protects both visitors and poultry on the farm from potentially harmful organisms.

Visitors should focus on surfaces that contact the premises, which is why donning a second pair of boot covers before entering the poultry house is encouraged.

Visitors should properly dispose of PPE before leaving the farm.

Practicing biosecurity at each and every farm helps protect the commercial poultry industry from catastrophic losses due to disease outbreaks.