Keeping Bird Flu at Bay

By Chase Dobson, Multimedia Communications Specialist

For poultry farmers big and small, avian influenza or bird flu is a disease of significant concern. Avian influenza cannot be treated; following strict on-farm biosecurity practices is therefore key to preventing the disease and minimizing disease transmission.

Tiffany Martinka runs a grain and broiler chicken farm in northeast Saskatchewan, along with her husband and his aunt and uncle. With over 10 years of experience raising chickens, Martinka’s top priority has always been keeping her flock healthy.

“We constantly monitor their food and water intake, along with doing walkthroughs of our barns twice a day.”

Routine walkthroughs are a great way to monitor your flock and acclimate yourself to how your birds normally behave. Abnormal or changes in behaviour patterns may indicate disease. Symptoms of avian influenza can include:

• Sudden death of birds;
• Lack of energy and appetite;
• Decreased egg production;
• Swelling around the head, neck and eyes;
• Coughing, sneezing, or gasping for air; and
• Tremors or lack of coordination.

Taking proper measures to ensure biosecurity is another key part of maintaining a healthy flock. For Martinka, she changes her clothing and boots before entering the barn to prevent introduction of any outside contaminants. Viruses, such as avian influenza, can survive for days to weeks on the surface of clothing or equipment, so having clothing and equipment dedicated to your poultry barn reduces the risk of disease introduction. Barns, cages, feed troughs, water bowls and other equipment should be routinely cleaned and disinfected.

Even for small poultry producers, biosecurity is an essential part of raising healthy birds. It’s important to prevent contact between wild and domestic birds as much as possible. The best way to do this is to keep your flock indoors or within an enclosure where birds and other wild animals cannot directly contact your domestic poultry.

“Even if you have your birds outdoors, you can still change your boots whenever you enter their pen. It’s important that even if we can’t take all the steps, we must do what we can to maintain biosecurity.”

When asked if she had anything she wanted Saskatchewan farmers to take away, Martinka stressed the importance of biosecurity.

“No matter if we’re small backyard or large-scale producers, we can all do our part to stop bird flu. It’s not going away, and it impacts everyone. We can all take the steps we can to maintain biosecurity and minimize risk.”

If you notice any signs or symptoms of disease in your birds, it’s important to report these symptoms to your flock veterinarian. Avian influenza is a federally reportable disease and any suspected or confirmed cases must be reported to your local Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) office.