Poultry Farm Biosecurity is Crucial

Recent cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in some of our northern-most Indiana counties have been devastating to poultry farms. Avian Influenza can affect both commercial and backyard poultry flocks. Considering this, poultry farms, large and small, should tighten up their biosecurity measures.

The most current national information on HPAI can be found on the United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (USDA-APHIS) website: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections.

In Indiana, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) provides information on HPAI at: https://www.in.gov/boah/species-information/avianbirds/highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza/.

Purdue’s Darrin M. Karcher, Marisa Erasmus, and Cora Reinbolt recently wrote that biosecurity is all about preventing disease from entering or spreading within your flock. They outline 3 main components of good biosecurity that are especially pertinent to backyard poultry flocks:

1. Traffic control – managing who and what enters your coop. If you visit places with birds, such as swap meets or bird shows, change your clothes and shoes before returning to your flock. Keep visitors out or provide them with clean coveralls and boots. And, use a bleach-water foot bath to disinfect shoes before entering the coop.
2. Isolation – keeping your birds separate from other animals. Keep your flock away from other pests, rodents, and wild birds. Remove dead birds daily and dispose of them properly. Quarantine new or returning birds for at least 21 days before introducing them to your flock.
3. Sanitation – keeping everything clean. Clean your coop and nests at least twice a year. If you have a dirt floor, turn over the top 6 inches between flocks. Wash and disinfect feed and water containers weekly. Do not share poultry equipment with others.

They go on to outline best practices for backyard poultry flocks that can help minimize the risk of disease and HPAI:

1. Pest control: keep grass trimmed and remove junk piles to deter rodents.
2. Airborne disease risk: some diseases can travel over a mile in the air, so be mindful of your flock’s location.
3. Food safety: store feed in a covered, dry area and buy only what you need for 3-4 weeks.
4. Water safety: Add chlorine (1 tbsp of household bleach per ½ gallon of water) to your birds’ drinking water to keep it clean.
5. Choring (daily tasks): always tend to younger and healthier birds first, then care for sick or quarantined birds last.

The experts suggest registering your farm with the Premises ID Program at BOAH. (https://www.in.gov/boah/traceability-and-premise-id/indiana-premises-registration/). This program helps ensure that in the event of a disease outbreak, authorities can quickly locate and manage affected farms.

BOAH advises the public on food safety, “Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk; cooked poultry and eggs and pasteurized dairy products are safe to eat.”

For additional information, see my January 2025 article entitled, “Check Official Sources for Information on Avian Flu,” at https://extension.purdue.edu/news/county/whitley/2025/01/check-official-sources-for-information-on-avian-flu.html.

Find the original information from Karcher, Erasmus, and Reinbolt entitled, “Understanding HPAI and Biosecurity for Backyard Poultry Flocks” at: https://www.purdue.edu/engineering/ABE/INPREPared/avian-influenza/.