Basic Biosecurity For Your Backyard Flock
Biosecurity is the procedures and tasks that are done to protect people and animals from harmful biological agents. Biosecurity as it relates to backyard poultry is used as a catchall term for the tasks and precautions you can take to prevent diseases, pests, parasites, bacteria, and viruses from impacting your flock. The absolute best practices for your specific flock situation are going to be heavily influenced by things like your region, the purpose of your birds, and your maintenance practices.
This is only going to be broad strokes, very basic information to get you started learning ways to protect your flock and keep them healthy. I’m going to try and share methods that apply to most situations. Disclaimer.* I’m not a veterinary professional or an agricultural professional. The information I share is not meant to replace or be a substitute for livestock care professionals of any kind. Please always do your own and additional research and consult a veterinarian when necessary.*
Daily health management and sound care routines are the support a healthy flock needs to maintain their overall health, happiness, productivity, and general wellness. A sound, basic care routine will preemptively thwart many common backyard chicken ailments. Begin with healthy birds from a hatchery or a reputable breeder whenever possible. When purchasing chickens from a poultry swap or a box store or any external source whatsoever be sure to observe an isolation period of minimum 2 weeks but preferably 30 days if at all practical or possible to ensure new birds are healthy before introducing them to your existing flock. Provide your backyard chickens with adequate and proper nutrition for their purpose. Make sure your chickens have access to fresh water daily. Protect your chickens with a predator proof, well-ventilated environment in the form of the infrastructure that is most appropriate for your flock. In the case of our backyard flock this means a predator proof coop and a spacious run with enough square feet of space for the whole flock.
Avoid overcrowding. Inadequate space creates stress and exacerbates the conditions which lead to cause disease. Maintain good sanitation and cleaning habits by removing excess droppings as they accumulate and keeping both your ground cover litter and nesting box lining fresh as appropriate for your chosen care method. Regularly monitor the areas your flock has access to like their run and your backyard for signs of harmful debris and garbage. Remove any carcasses left by wild animals or outdoor working animals for your chickens so they don’t come into contact with them.
One of the best things you can do to protect your flock from potential harm from contagious poultry diseases is to observe the recommended isolation period whenever introducing new members whether they are fully feathered chicks or new adult chickens. This isolation period is critical to be sure you are not inadvertently introducing disease or pests into your flock. The isolation space for your new chickens should be as far physically removed from your existing flock as possible. A tarp divide is not adequate protection between new and existing flock members.
When you visit other people’s flocks or they visit yours, don’t walk in their chicken area. This is one of the hardest ones to observe. It is impossible to track unwanted pests and other diseases by physically touring someone else’s’ chicken facility and then walking in yours. You can use disposable shoe covers when viewing other people’s chicken facilities and ask others to wear them when viewing yours. In light of the concern over communicable poultry diseases I just simply don’t allow visitors to walk inside my chicken facilities anymore. Dealing with their disappointment is much better than dealing with sick chickens.
Have dedicated livestock shoes or boots that you only wear when working in your yard with your chickens. Don’t wear these boots in your home or out in public. Having dedicated livestock footwear ensure you don’t track germs into your home and that you don’t bring germs back from public areas. Wash your hands with soap before and after doing maintenance of your chicken area.
Don’t attract wild birds to your chicken area. If you do have things like wild bird baths or feeders on your property, make sure they are as far away from your chickens as possible. Unwanted pests and diseases can be spread from wild bird droppings so if you are feeding wild birds just make sure those accessories are far away from any areas your chickens have access to. Don’t touch or refill wild bird equipment before tending to your own flock, tend to your chickens first then touch those wild bird accessories. Never ever mix wild bird equipment and chicken equipment. Thoroughly wash your hands after handling anything that touches wild birds.
Thoroughly disinfect your own chicken equipment regularly. If you acquire any used equipment, make sure it is thoroughly cleaned and dried before using it with your own flock. You can use a mild soap like Dawn dish soap or an all-natural castile soap to clean equipment. Remove all soap residue and dry thoroughly before using the equipment.
Keep insects and rodents away from your flock. General good sanitation will discourage the presence of insects and rodents in and around your chicken area. Depending on the severity of the pest pressure in your area it may be necessary to store your chicken food and water in a weatherproof container overnight and hang it in the morning for your flock to access to avoid inadvertently feeding rodents and other pests.
When caring for chickens of different ages always care for younger birds first. Chicks don’t have the developed immune systems that older birds do and caring for the flock before you care for your new chicks can expose them to too many biological elements too soon. Germs that are totally harmless to adult birds can be harmful or deadly to chicks. Always wash your hands before and after you handle chicks or any medically fragile flock members.
Only medicate when necessary and consider milder, natural treatments first. Refer to the above disclaimer. Use your judgement for your personal situation but consider remedying other possible causes before resorting to harsh medications. Some medications require an egg withdrawal period which means some of the medicines you can use with your backyard make the eggs unusable for a certain amount of time. I have used both natural and harsher chemical remedies when needed with my backyard chickens. Sometimes the best thing you can do for a chicken is to place them in isolation and allow them a few days of isolation with their own food, water, and grit while you explore the particulars of their issues. Help restore your chickens gut health after being medicated with a mild probiotic or by mixing in a spoonful of plain yogurt and honey into some fermented chicken feed. Always consult a veterinary professional when necessary.
Reduce stress. Diseases are devastating and rampant in industrial food environments because the animals in these environments are being kept in overcrowded, stressful, and profoundly unnatural conditions. Provide your chickens with a safe predator proof environment. If you don’t have the option to free range, you can provide your chickens with a spacious run or chunnel to give them access to fresh air, sunshine, and areas to explore. Boredom is a form of stress for chickens. Provide enrichment, adequate perches and nesting boxes, and as much space for your flock as you feasibly can. Meeting your flock’s basic needs for protection, food, water, and space allows their bodies to stay strong and naturally prevents many common ailments.
Much of the information for this post originated from the book below. APA citation provided here for your further research. I am not affiliated with the book, author, or publisher in anyway whatsoever. The book below is just one of my favorite and most frequently used resources.
Damerow, G. (2010). Storey’s guide to raising chickens: care, feeding, facilities. 3rd ed. North Adams, MA, Storey Pub.
Check out Chuck’s other social media for more backyard chicken and homesteading content.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6CjdDVs4qN1xxxJXAH6sOg?sub_confirmation=1
Chuck and the Chicks 