INTEGRATING POULTRY

INTO YOUR

PRODUCE OPERATION

Dr. Jacquie Jacob

University of Kentucky

jacquie.jacob@uky.edu

ARE YOU THINKING OF EXPANDING YOUR

OPERATION WITH POUTRY?

WHY?

Diversify ?

Meeting requests from current clientele ?

ARE YOU THINKING OF EXPANDING YOUR

OPERATION WITH POUTRY?

HOW?

Start small as funds allow ?

Go in big using a loan?

o Kentucky Ag Development low interest loans

• Especially if your farm has ever grown

tobacco

ARE YOU THINKING OF EXPANDING WITH

POUTRY?

Things to think about:

What product?

POULTRY PRODUCTION POSSIBILITIES

Poultry includes many domesticated birds that can be raised for food

Chickens for meat and eggs

Turkeys for meat

Ducks for meat and eggs

Geese for meat

Guinea fowl for meat and eggs

Japanese quail for meat and eggs

Bobwhite quail for meat

Pigeons for meat

Pheasants for meat See second talk

ARE YOU THINKING OF EXPANDING WITH

POUTRY?

Things to think about:

What product?

Type of management?

Confined

Pasture

PASTURE PRODUCTION

Nutrition

Chickens are not cows

Need to receive a balanced

diet

HOOP PEN

Can hold

50 meat chickens

20 laying hens

HOOP PEN

ARE YOU THINKING OF EXPANDING WITH

POUTRY?

Things to think about:

Costs of production?

Development of a business plant?

ARE YOU THINKING OF EXPANDING WITH

POUTRY?

Things to think about:

Legal issues:

o Including liability insurance?

o Location?

o Product handling?

o Waste management?

• Manure and dead birds See third talk

ARE YOU THINKING OF EXPANDING WITH

POUTRY?

Things to think about:

Disease prevention and control - Biosecurity

DISEASE

“Departure from health”

Conditions that impair normal body functions

Direct causes of disease

Infectious

Bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, internal parasites, external

parasites

Non-infectious

Nutritional, chemical poisons, traumatic injury, excessive stress

DISEASE: RESERVOIRS Chickens and other domestic

poultry

Exotic and cage birds

Wild birds

Wild animals (including rodents)

Livestock

Household pets

Humans

Earthworms, snails, slugs

Arthropods

Fleas, mites, ticks, and mosquitoes that bite

Sow bugs (woodlouse), crickets and grasshoppers that chickens eat

DISEASE: RESERVOIRS

Feed

Fungi or bacteria

Water

Using stagnant and rich in organic matter

Bacteria, fungi, or protozoa thrive

Litter, soil and dust

Harboring spore-bearing organisms

Get into wounds

Fomites

Can be contaminated by disease-causing organisms

Examples:

Crates

Incubator

Brooder

DISEASE TRANSMISSION: VERTICAL

DISEASE TRANSMISSION: HORIZONTAL

DIRECT CONTACT

INDIRECT CONTACT

1. SEPARATION

Restrict access to poultry property and the

flock.

Owners should consider fencing off the area

where they keep their birds and make a barrier

area if possible.

Allow only people who take care of their birds to

come into contact with them.

If visitors have birds of their own, they should not

go near the flock.

Game birds and migratory waterfowl should not

have contact with the flock because they can

carry disease-causing organisms.

2. KEEP IT CLEAN

Caretaker should wear clean clothes, scrub their shoes with disinfectant, and wash their hands thoroughly before entering the bird area.

Clean cages and change food and water daily.

Clean and disinfect equipment that comes in contact with the birds or their droppings, including cages and tools. Remove manure before disinfecting.

Properly dispose of dead birds.

3. DON’T HAUL DISEASE HOME

If flock owners have been near other birds or bird owners, such as at a feed store, clean and disinfect car and truck tires, poultry cages, and equipment before going home.

If they take their birds to a fair or exhibition:

Keep them separated from the rest of the flock for at least 2 weeks after the event.

New birds should be kept separate from original flock for at least 30 days.

4. DON’T BORROW DISEASE

Do not share lawn and

garden equipment, tools, or

poultry supplies with their

neighbors or other bird

owners.

If they do bring these items

home, clean and disinfect

them before they reach their

property.

5. KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS OF DISEASE

Sudden increase in bird deaths in the flock

Sneezing, gasping for air, coughing, and nasal discharge

Watery and green diarrhea

Lack of energy and poor appetite

Drop in egg production or soft- or thin-shelled misshapen

eggs

Swelling around the eyes, neck, and head

Purple discoloration of the wattles, combs, and legs (AI)

Tremors, drooping wings, circling, twisting of the head

and neck, or lack of movement (END)

Early detection is important to prevent the spread of

disease.

6. REPORT SICK BIRDS

Don’t wait.

If their birds are sick or dying,

they should contact your

local veterinarian

DISEASE PATHOGEN SURVIVAL OUT OF BIRDS

Avian influenza Virus Days to weeks

Avian pox Virus Months

Avian TB Bacteria Years

Chlamydiosis Bacteria Hours to days

Coccidiosis Protozoa Months

Erysipelas Bacteria Years

Fowl cholera Bacteria Weeks to months

Infectious bronchitis Virus Week or less

Infectious bursal disease Virus Months

Infectious coryza Bacteria Hours to days

Laryngotracheitis Virus Days

Marek’s disease Virus Months to years

Newcastle Virus Days to weeks

Mycoplasmosis Mycoplasma bacteria Hours to days

Salmonellosis Salmonella bacteria Weeks to months

CLEAN AND DISINFECT

Soap and detergent during cleaning: Removes debris but does not disinfect

Disinfectant

Bleach

Chlorine dioxide

Vinegar (acetic acid)

Iodine

Phenols

Quaternary ammonium

AVIAN INFLUENZA

Avian Influenza in the US

is NOT the same Virus as

“Bird” Flu in Asia

AVIAN INFLUENZA

Influenza virus A

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DomesticPoultryShorebirdsDucksEquineSwine

Mammalia Aves

Host of Origin

H1H2H3

H4/6H5H7H8H9

H10/11H12H13H14H15

HumanHA

Subtype

Poultry FAD 2005

Highly pathogenic

Severe disease

High mortality (95% in 5 days)

Usually H5 or H7 types

Low pathogenic

Mild disease

Low mortality (secondary bacteria)

H1, H3, H5, H6, H7 …

HPAI LPAI

SOURCES AND SPREAD OF AI VIRUSES

Can survive at the bottom

of ponds at 63F for 100

days

SOURCES AND SPREAD OF AI VIRUSES

Attracted to puddles

Intermediary bridge between

where waterfowl have been to

where poultry flocks are

SOURCES AND SPREAD OF AI VIRUSES

Dust and feathers may be vectors

Prevailing wind direction, speed, and temperature

are important

SOURCES AND SPREAD OF AI VIRUSES

Shared equipment

Visitors to flocks

Cold temperatures / freezing

Fresh, brackish water

Waterfowl: Numbers plus natural host

Grain fields / Water near poultry houses

Strong winds

Warm weather

Dryness / sunshine

Salt water

Most disinfectants

No susceptible birds

Frozen lakes/rivers (no migratory waterfowl)

Surveillance and stamping out programs

High level biosecurity

HELPS HURTS

174Detections reported

38,946,573Birds affected

12/19/14First detection reported

5/19/15Last detection reported

AS OF 05/21/2015

SYMPTOMS

Sudden death

Little or no energy or appetite

Little or no eggs produced

Eggs are soft or deformed

Nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, or trouble breathing

Swelling around the head, neck, and eyes

Purple discoloration

Loss of muscle control

Drooping wings, twisting of head and neck, or inability to move

Diarrhea

NEWCASTLE DISEASE

RESOURCES:

www.smallflocks.com

http://poultry.extension.org

www.facebook.com/poultryextension

jacquie.jacob@uky.edu