Keeping Warm Thoughts in Cold Weather

Taking Precautions When the Forecast is South of Freezing.

A reminder to all poultry and livestock caretakers and food processors to monitor building and other environmental spaces that would be sensitive to cold. 

• Temporary windbreaks surrounding nursery areas should be considered if in high wind velocity area.  Smaller animals are more temperature sensitive.  Heat Lamps and other hanging heaters should be hung by a chain or cable to prevent falling into bedding.

•  Water meters should be checked closely to spot broken or plugged (frozen) plumbing. 

• Product refrigeration equipment needs to be checked to ensure continued operation even when exposed to outdoor conditions if product needs to be cooled. 

•  Rod conveyors and other non-heated areas of egg farms should be cleared at the end of day to eliminate thermal checks. 

• Diesel supplies on farm should also be checked for jelly formation, most especially backup generators and tractors.  

• Heaters, clothing, hand warmers, and other safety equipment for workers should be considered in areas with frostbite exposure warnings

•  Product holding areas should be monitored so that product awaiting processing is kept at optimal temperatures. 

• For small flock enclosures partial wrapping with plastic film may help prevent wind from penetrating the coop.  Be sure adequate ventilation takes place after the wrap.  Loose hay and straw may help birds survive cold environments by burying themselves partially into the bedding. 

On-Farm Biosecurity a Layered Approach

Attitude is the prime ingredient

Graphic: G. Martin

With cooler weather we begin to close housing and reduce ventilation levels. This allows moisture to build up in houses, and sickness can ensue if you don’t double your efforts in biosecurity. The key to becoming a bio-secure location is adopting an attitude of following good biosecurity protocols; every time, every day on the farm. Cutting corners or simply not following a biosecurity protocols opens up an opportunity for disease to invade your location.

To have a good biosecurity program, think about a layered approach. I like to define that as Physical, Chemical and Logical layers to the program. Physical barriers like personal protective equipment (PPE) and solid housing helps keep us from being a vector to flocks we visit. Chemical barriers include detergents and germicides that assist in cleaning and disinfection that help us reduce the chance of a fomite (inanimate objects) from spreading disease on the farm. Logical barriers are steps we take to help partition and reduce exposure time to birds. So the old adage of “visit young animals to oldest animals, sick animals last” will still work for a good biosecurity program.

As with any poultry management program, good documentation is an important part to never pass up on. To log exposures to your flock, document all visitors to your location. Small farms can use a “guest book” to help log visitors. This will give you a running history over time since some diseases take time to develop from exposure. Log all shared equipment that enters your housing as well. This is very important for farms that are not cleaning each brood in meat type birds. Biosecurity is up to you.

Reference: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/birdbiosecurity/biosecurity/