|
|
|
|
News
|
|
|
|
Oregon observes Bird Health Awareness Week
|
|
|
10/27/2010
|
|
Article Content ODA offers disease prevention tips to backyard bird owners
Having a few chickens in the backyard seems harmless enough. But backyard bird owners are counted on to play a key role in preventing and detecting poultry diseases in Oregon because their flocks are relatively more susceptible than commercial birds. November 1-7 marks Bird Health Awareness Week across the country and continues an outreach effort that picked up steam when concern heightened over avian influenza a few years ago.
"Our commercial poultry industry does a very good job dealing with bird health issues," says Dr. Bruce Mueller, state field veterinarian with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. "It's essential for them to do a good job with biosecurity 52 weeks a year, not just a special week. Backyard bird owners are generally not quite as aware of disease issues and steps they can take to protect their poultry."
The special week is a product of the US Department of Agriculture's Biosecurity for Birds Campaign, launched in 2004 as a response to Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) in California and other western states in the nation's largest animal disease outbreak in three decades. Oregon was not part of that outbreak but became extremely vigilant given its proximity to California. END is a highly contagious virus that causes respiratory symptoms, diarrhea, paralysis, drop in egg production, and death in birds. It is spread by contact with infected birds or materials contaminated with the virus. The mortality rate among affected birds is very high. Many of the affected birds in the outbreak came from backyard flocks. With the added threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Asia, it was clear that a targeted awareness campaign was needed for non-commercial poultry owners and pet bird owners.
The most important message is about disease prevention.
"If you don't prevent the disease in the first place, you often end up with a bunch of chickens that are either non-productive or dead," says Mueller. "Vaccination is an option in some cases, but more often it is a matter of taking basic biosecurity measures."
Some backyard bird owners buy new birds at auctions and bring them back home to join the existing flock. It doesn't take much for a diseased bird to spread it to the others.
ODA is about ready to unveil its 2011 Poultry Calendar- filled with bird pictures submitted by the public and helpful biosecurity hints for all bird owners from animal disease experts. This is the second year of the popular calendar. Last year, about 20,000 were distributed through feed stores around the state. All messages in the calendar include a Spanish translation.
"It's somewhat of a challenge to reach backyard bird owners with these key messages, but the calendar helps," says Mueller.
The poultry calendar's basic messages center on protection and detection:
-
Look for signs of disease in your birds including a sudden increase in the number of deaths; sneezing, gasping for air or coughing; watery and green diarrhea; lack of energy and poor appetite; and a drop in egg production or soft, misshapen eggs.
-
Report sick birds to your veterinarian or to the ODA Animal Health Division (503-986-4680) as soon as you notice severe illness or unexplained death in your flock. ODA may be able to test the sick birds or arrange for a necropsy to be done.
-
Keep your birds isolated from other poultry and practice all-in, all-out management. That includes following simple hygiene steps such as keeping cages and equipment clean, and not sharing supplies with other poultry owners.
Enhanced biosecurity practices include restricting human access to birds. Backyard bird owners are instructed to allow only people who take care of the birds to come in contact with them. Caretakers should not be in contact with other flocks prior to arrival. They should first wash up, change into clean clothes, and clean their shoes. Efforts should be made to protect flocks from having contact with wild birds and migratory waterfowl. Keeping backyard flocks in a screened area is a good way to help prevent contact with wild birds, especially with any possibility of avian influenza being introduced.
While Oregon thankfully has yet to see the headline bird diseases of END and high-path avian influenza, surveillance remains critically important. Mueller heads the Avian Influenza Surveillance and Response Committee. ODA also conducts training exercises to prepare for a massive bird disease.
Mueller says there are a number of infectious diseases of backyard birds common in Oregon at this time that don't get the attention of END and avian influenza, but are still noteworthy.
"We have been seeing birds with laryngo-tracheitis, a respiratory disease that is easily passed from bird to bird," says Mueller. "Even if you vaccinate for it, there are carrier birds. You can go to an auction and bring home what looks like a perfectly normal bird. However, if you have a backyard flock- and it's not likely that flock has been vaccinated- the disease can easily spread to the rest of the birds."
Oregon is not considered a major poultry state, but its commercial industry is important. There are more than three million egg laying hens in Oregon and more than 20 million broilers are produced annually. The state's poultry industry was responsible for more than $130 million in sales last year. That's an agricultural commodity worth protecting. Both commercial operators and backyard bird owners have a mutual interest in observing Bird Health Awareness Week all year long.
For more information, contact Bruce Mueller, ODA, at (503) 986-4680.
Story of the Week pdf version
http://oregon.gov/ODA/docs/pdf/news/101027birds.pdf
Audio Story of the Week
http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/101027birds_audio.shtml
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|