Biosecurity is a set of practices designed to reduce the risk of spreading infectious disease from sick animals to healthy ones. Disease prevention steps vary between diseases and species. Special care must be taken to decide what methods are right for protecting your animals.
Biosecurity basics
- Keep your distance: Isolate your animals as much as possible from visitors and other animals. Restrict access. Isolate new animals.
- Keep it clean: Keep pens clean. Clean and disinfect equipment and tools.
- Don't haul it home: Don't share equipment, tools, or other supplies. Use rigorous cleaning and disinfecting if you must share. Isolate livestock that have been to shows, fairs, or other gathering activities for 4 weeks.
- Know warning signs of disease: Signs might include increased mortality, respiratory or gastrointestinal signs, poor appetite, or production drop. Early detection and reporting of disease is very important to prevent further spread of disease.
General resources
USDA Defend the Flock webpage
Information on biosecurity practices you can use in your everyday routine of caring for your birds. USDA information on biosecurity
Oregon Poultry Producer Seminar Presentations 2016
Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) Program video
Oregon Poultry Producer Seminar presentation CAFO Program video