 Video 5 Health and Biosecurity This video is part of a series developed for the sustainable wildlife management program to provide guidance for a successful family poultry production. It focuses on small extensive and extensive scavenging systems but will also be useful for semi-intensive production systems. To maintain a healthy and productive flock, you can adopt measures to prevent diseases, detect diseases early and treat the sick birds promptly. The prevention of diseases The main measures to prevent infectious diseases in your flock are good animal husbandry, effective biosecurity and vaccination targeted at specific pathogens. It will always be cheaper and more efficient to take appropriate preventive measures than waiting for the flock to become diseased to take action. Biosecurity refers to a set of good practices used to keep a disease away from poultry and to prevent the spread of disease once it occurs in a flock. These practices include the following. If you own different species of poultry, for example hens, turkeys, pigeons, ducks or guinea fowls, keep them separate. Clean the poultry house, feeders, drinkers and nests regularly with water and soap or detergent. Regularly clean out and dispose of manure and preferably compost it for at least three weeks. Do not buy animals at the market from uncontrolled sources, especially during periods when outbreaks of diseases are common. Keep new birds separate from the flock for two weeks to see if they become sick before introducing them in your flock. Birds that are taken to the markets but unsold should also be quarantined because they might have been infected at the market. Wash your hands with soap before and after handling birds. Use shoes or boots dedicated to the poultry house or install a foot bath at the entry of your poultry house with frequently changed water or water and disinfectant. Regulate who can come into contact with your animals and regularly clean farm equipment with disinfectant or detergent including cages, egg trays, etc. Ideally no visitors should be allowed in the poultry house except vets and household members who take care of feeding the chicken. Make sure that visitors also follow the hygiene rules. If children are helping with the chicken ensure that they do not hold birds near their face. Keep animal feed dry and stored safely away from potential sources of germs such as rodents, birds, insects and other animals. When slaughtering a bird for consumption immerse the bird in boiling water for a minute before plucking the feathers. This will make the feathers easier to remove and inactivate any infectious agents on the outside of the bird. Vaccines can protect animals from infectious diseases but they cannot treat a disease. Just like vaccines for people those for animals are disease specific and protect them against only a specific disease rather than all diseases. Vaccines are usually administered by injection but some can also be administered via eyedrops, drinking water or spray. They usually have to be transported under cold conditions. Refer to an animal health specialist to know what vaccines are recommended and to help you administer important vaccines at the right times. In many regions of the world new castle disease is the most deadly disease for chickens and vaccinating all birds is the only known way to prevent it. Sometimes depending on the type of vaccine it may be necessary to vaccinate a bird several times. Parasites which can live either on or inside the birds should also be treated with specific commercial or traditional treatments. For parasite prevention a tray for dust bathing with ashes and sulfur powder can be placed closely to the poultry house. The early recognition and treatment of diseases if you observe your flock carefully every day you will observe anything that is unusual. With some training and experience you will soon be able to recognize the symptoms of the most frequent diseases which include new castle disease, avian influenza and foul pox. In case of doubt reach out to a trained poultry health specialist. In case of unusual mortalities in the flock consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. Equally if any infectious poultry disease is circulating in the neighboring farms it is important to heighten biosecurity measures and prevent these neighbors from coming into contact with your chickens. There are a variety of products for treating poultry diseases. It is important to carefully follow the instructions and dose rate recommended for each treatment. Seek advice from your local veterinarian for a correct diagnosis and treatment because buying and using the wrong treatment is a waste of money and more importantly can put the health of your animals or even you and your family at risk. Antibiotics are not a prevention treatment and should only be given when necessary and at exactly the right dosage. Misuse of antibiotics contributes to the development of bacteria that are no longer resistant to the different classes of antibiotics. This is known as antimicrobial resistance. Never give antibiotics to your birds without the advice of a trained poultry health specialist. Medicines alone will not eradicate a disease. If you detect illness in your flock you should take the following steps to control the spread of the disease. As soon as chickens show signs of illness place them in a separate poultry house or cage up to at least seven days after they are healthy again. Clean this poultry house frequently and thoroughly and place wood ash or lime on the floor and walls. Remove droppings as often as possible to avoid further spread of the disease. Slaughter very sick chickens. Burn or bury dead chickens or the remains of a slaughtered sick bird immediately as well as eggs from the sick birds and manure from a sick flock. Never eat or sell for consumption a sick bird. If high losses occur in your chicken flock slaughter all of the birds and wait some time before restocking. For example, if birds have died from new castle disease wait 30 days after the last bird died before introducing new birds. Do not forget to inform your local livestock services. Always make sure to provide enough fresh water, feed and proper housing to sick birds to help them recover. Take home messages. Good animal husbandry, effective biosecurity and targeted vaccinations are key for a healthy flock. Never eat or sell for consumption a sick bird or bird that died from disease. Antibiotics are not a prevention treatment and should only be given if advised by a trained poultry health specialist. Carefully follow the dosage and period of dosing. Medicines alone will not eradicate a disease. Cleaning the poultry house, removing infected materials and providing fresh feed and water to the birds are also important.