Give the chicken clean quality food. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]
Most people venturing into poultry production and processing are weary of the challenges this industry experiences from time to time. Disease outbreak is one of the big challenges. Here are useful ="https://standardmedia.co.ke/the-standard-insider/article/2001375733/thinking-of-poultry-farming-seven-things-to-get-right">strategies to keep commercial flock healthy:<
Farm location
Construct a farm away from other poultry facilities. These may include a similar farm or of a different species for instance ostrich, turkey, ducks etc. This is important because there are some airborne diseases that can easily jump from one flock to your chickens. Do not put your farm too close to a road with high traffic. About 200 feet from the nearest road is ideal. Keep your farm away from nearby pond or stream or in a swampy area. These water points attract wild birds that come to quench thirst and breed and in the process transmit diseases.
During construction of flock houses, avoid storey buildings. If you cannot, then keep flocks of the same age in each unit. Immune status of young and old birds differs and there are specific diseases prevalent among age groups, so if you keep multiage flocks in one site, you endanger the younger flocks more than the older flocks. ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/farmkenya/article/2001360524/10-key-areas-every-poultry-farmer-should-focus-on-to-stay-afloat">Strive to fence off the farm if you can to keep away intruders .
The single most important disease control strategy in a new poultry farm is having knowledgeable staff or attendant in-charge of the flock. The farm attendant should preferably stay on the farm and avoid visits to other poultry farms, slaughter houses or chicken markets. They should be provided with clean uniforms; boots and head covering.
The farm should also have showering facilities. Training on basic flock healthcare, feeding and watering techniques and ability to spot sick, isolated and depressed birds is a prerequisite for better performance. The four most important farm inputs that must be properly managed are quality chicks, clean water, robust feed and good working litter.
Cleaning, disinfection and downtime
After the initial crop of birds are disposed or sold, a thorough dry cleaning and removal of old litter, dirt, dust from units, equipment is important to reduce the bacterial and viral load in the chicken house. This is followed by a wet phase where the roof, walls, floor and equipment are cleaned with water and disinfected with appropriate chemical.
Wet cleaning with general purpose detergents will destroy 92 per cent of all poultry pathogens in a house while a good disinfectant will wipe out 3 per cent of the resistant microbes. Downtime is the period between the last disinfection and the first day of new chicks’ arrival. This period should not be less than seven days, and it allows for complete desiccation of any lingering microorganisms.
Pest control
Vermin are everywhere in a poultry farm. For this reason, you need a programme to control and deter movement of wild birds, mice, rats, flies, mites, fleas and litter beetles into where the chickens live. This can be done by use of chemical sprays, baits placed in strategic bait stations. Do this professionally to avoid poisoning your pets or children.
Vaccination
Most poultry diseases have been around, and scientists have developed appropriate vaccines to control incidences and spread of infections. Diseases like Mareks, Newcastle, Infectious Bronchitis, fowl pox and Fowl typhoid can now be vaccinated against at the hatchery and farm level. Vaccinate only healthy flocks, if they are sick, seek treatment first before carrying out this programme.
