Poultry & Bird

Biosecurity in
Our Hand

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 Biosecurity
SECTION ONE

BIOSECURITY

BIOSECURITY GUIDE
for Poultry and Bird Owners 5
Biosecurity
Biosecurity:
The Key To Keeping Your Birds Healthy
If you deal directly with poultry or pet birds, you have
the responsibility to protect them against disease. By
practicing biosecurity precautions, you can reduce the risk
of disease-causing germs going to or coming from your
farm or home. Understanding the importance of biosecurity
can help you take the necessary precautions to avoid
spreading disease among your poultry and livestock.

In this section, you will find information about

• Biosecurity,
• The importance of biosecurity, and
• Economic impacts of disease outbreaks.

As a bird owner, keeping your birds healthy is a top priority.

What Is Biosecurity?
Biosecurity means doing everything you can to keep diseases
out of your flock. “Bio” refers to life, and “security” indicates
protection. Biosecurity is the key to keeping your poultry
healthy. It is what you do to reduce the chances of an infec-
tious disease being carried to your farm, your poultry yard,
your aviary, or your pet birds by people, animals, equipment,
or vehicles, either accidentally or on purpose.

Biosecurity is
• Using common sense practices to protect your poultry and
birds from all types of infectious agents—viral, bacterial,
fungal, or parasitic;
• Doing everything possible to protect your birds from
infectious diseases like exotic Newcastle disease (END)
and avian influenza (AI); and
• Preventing disease-causing germs or microbes from
entering your premises.

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 Biosecurity
Why Biosecurity Is Important
“Biosecurity” may not be a common household word. But for
poultry and bird owners, it can spell the difference between
health and disease. Practicing biosecurity can help keep
disease away from your farm and keep your birds healthy;
healthy birds produce better and increase your profits.
Biosecurity measures are important for you as a poultry
owner, for your neighbors, and for the U.S. poultry industry.

Biosecurity measures decrease the risk for

• Diseases such as END and AI on poultry farms;

• Loss of export markets; public concern; and cancellation

of poultry shows, auctions, fairs, and exhibits as a result of
disease outbreaks; and

• Quarantines resulting in financial losses due to

disease outbreaks.

Why Be Concerned?
Economic Impact of a Major Disease Outbreak

Diseases such as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)

and END can strike poultry quickly—without any warning
signs of infection—and cause major economic losses. So it
is important for you as an individual bird owner, and for the
U.S. poultry industry, to be alert to this disease threat.

In 2012, the value of the U.S. poultry industry was

$38.1 billion. Therefore, a major outbreak of HPAI or
END would be costly to poultry owners, consumers, and
taxpayers. (See Section Three, which starts on page 19
of this guide, for information about HPAI and END.)

• T o eradicate END during the 2002–03 outbreak in

southern California and other Western States, more than
3.2 million birds were euthanized at a cost of more
than $170 million. That figure does not take into account
the personal loss of pets, which cannot be measured in
dollars and cents.

• A
 n outbreak of HPAI occurred in 1983 through 1984 in the
Northeastern United States and resulted in the destruction
of more than 17 million birds at a cost of nearly $65 million
in today’s dollars. This outbreak also caused retail egg
prices to increase by more than 30 percent.

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 SECTION TWO

PRACTICING
BIOSECURITY

BIOSECURITY GUIDE
for Poultry and Bird Owners 9
 Steps to Disease Prevention
Disease Prevention

As a bird owner, prevention is an important step you can take

to keep disease from reaching your premises. Good bird
Practicing Biosecurity

management and strict biosecurity precautions will protect

your birds against most infectious diseases and keep them
healthy. Biosecurity is also important for your neighbors
so that you don’t spread illness from your birds to theirs
or bring home diseases from their birds after visiting. And
finally, biosecurity is important so our country’s poultry
industry is not at risk.

Biosecurity: Make It Your Daily Routine

Consistent biosecurity practices are the best way to prevent

bird diseases like END and AI from spreading in the United
States if we have an outbreak. These viruses can be carried
to poultry in multiple ways—people, animals, equipment,
or vehicles—either accidentally or on purpose, increasing
the risk of healthy birds becoming sick birds. By practicing
biosecurity as highlighted in the six steps shown below, you
are keeping your birds safe from potentially deadly diseases.
Making biosecurity a part of your daily routine while caring
for your birds will decrease the chance of END or AI showing
up on your doorstep.

How Biosecurity Can Prevent the Spread of Disease

Proper biosecurity can prevent the spread of infection from

• Humans (hands, hair, clothing, footwear);
• Vehicles (contaminated vehicles and equipment);
• Animals (domestic and wild, including rodents);
• Carcasses (those that are improperly disposed of) and
manure, litter, debris, and feathers; and
• Flocks (other people’s backyard flocks, particularly if the
birds are housed outside).

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Biosecurity Tips:
6 Ways To Prevent Poultry Disease
If you are a backyard or pet bird owner, you know your birds
depend on you to keep them healthy. There are some basic
practices you can follow to prevent poultry disease.

Practicing Biosecurity
1. Keep Your Distance.
Restrict access to your property and your birds. Consider
fencing off the area where your birds are to form a barrier
between “clean” and “dirty” areas. The clean area is the
immediate area completely surrounding your birds. The dirty
(or “buffer”) area is the immediate adjacent area—consider
this area to be infected with germs, even if your birds appear
healthy and disease free.

Allow only people who take care of your birds to come into
contact with them. Your caretakers should not attend bird
shows or other events where birds are present. If visitors to
your property want to see your birds, be sure they wash up
first and clean their shoes. Better yet, keep clean boots or
shoe covers for visitors to wear. If your visitors have birds
of their own, do not let them enter your bird area or have
access to your birds.

Game birds and migratory waterfowl should not have

contact with your flock because they can carry germs and
diseases. If your birds are outdoors, try to keep them in
a screened area.

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 2. Keep It Clean.
Since germs can be picked up on shoes and clothing, moved
from one area to another, and can potentially make your
birds sick, you need to protect your birds’ home by keeping
it clean.
Practicing Biosecurity

To keep your birds “germ-free,” have a pair of shoes and

a set of clothes to wear only around your birds. Many
people store these clean clothes in a covered pail at the
entrance to their bird area. Or, clean and disinfect your
shoes and launder your clothes before you check on or
work with your birds.

Scrubbing your shoes with a long-handled scrub brush and

disinfectant will remove droppings, mud, or debris. Wash
your clothes with laundry detergent. Wash your hands thor-
oughly with soap and water before entering your bird area.

Keep cages clean and change food and water daily. Clean
and disinfect equipment that comes in contact with your
birds or their droppings. That includes tools such as feed
scoops, shovels, rakes, and brooms. All manure must be
removed before disinfectant can work, so clean surfaces with
soap and water first. Properly dispose of dead birds by burial
or incineration or take them to a landfill. Check on local
ordinances for acceptable disposal methods.

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3. Don’t Haul Disease Home.
Car and truck tires, poultry cages, and equipment can all har-
bor “germs.” If you travel to a location where other birds are
present, or even to the feed store, be sure to clean and disin-
fect these items before you return to your property.

Practicing Biosecurity
Taking some of your birds to a fair or exhibition? Keep
those birds separated from the rest of your flock and watch
them for at least 2 weeks after the event to ensure that they
didn’t pick up a disease. New birds should be kept separate
from your flock for at least 30 days before putting them
with the rest of your birds. To prevent disease, it is best not
to mix young and old birds or birds from different species
or different sources.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

Cleaning and disinfecting is one of the most important parts

of backyard biosecurity. But you need to make sure you do it
correctly to inactivate disease.

1. Thoroughly clean and scrub objects before applying

disinfectants. Disinfectants cannot work on top of
caked-on dirt and manure, so wash surfaces thoroughly
before disinfecting them.

2. Apply disinfectants using brushes, sponges, or

spray units. Allow adequate contact time (follow
manufacturer’s instructions).

3. Dispose of used disinfectant according to local regulations.

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 Below are some examples of disinfectants available on the market.
Follow the directions on the label carefully for the best results.

 occal : Mix one-half fluid ounce (oz) of Roccal per

• R
gallon of water.

• N
 olvasan (chlorhexidine diacetate 2 percent):
Mix 3 fluid oz of Nolvasan per gallon of water.
Practicing Biosecurity

• H
 ousehold bleach (sodium hypochlorite 6 percent):
Mix three-fourths of a cup of household bleach per gallon of water.

• Lysol spray for footwear.

• Purell hand pump for hand disinfection.

Making an Easy Footbath

A footbath is a handy tool to help you practice backyard

biosecurity. You can easily make one yourself. You will need:

• A
 low plastic pan or bin, wide enough to fit an adult’s foot
and shallow enough to step into easily.

• A plastic doormat (the “fake grass” mats work well).

• A
 disinfectant that works well for most situations, such as
Tek-trol or One Stroke Environ.

• Water.

Mix the disinfectant with water according to the label instructions.

Put the doormat in the plastic pan. Add disinfectant so that the bot-
tom of the mat is wet.

Ask visitors to walk through the footbath, wiping their feet on the
mat. The mat scrubs their shoes a bit as they wipe them and applies
the disinfectant.

When the liquid starts to get dirty, empty it and put in

new disinfectant.

Using “fake grass” in a Mix disinfectant with water and cover the
footbath helps scrub shoes. “grass” mat in the bottom of the pan.

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4. Don’t Borrow Disease From Your Neighbor.
Do not share birds, lawn and garden
equipment, tools, or poultry supplies
with your neighbors or other bird
owners. If you do bring these items
home, clean and disinfect them

Practicing Biosecurity
before they reach your property.
And remember to clean and disinfect
borrowed items before returning them.

Never share items such as wooden pallets or cardboard egg

cartons because they are porous and cannot be adequately
cleaned and disinfected.

5. Know the Warning Signs of Infectious Bird Diseases.

Many bird diseases can be diffi-
cult to diagnose. The list below
includes some of the things to look
for that signal something might be
wrong with your birds. Early detec-
tion of signs is very important to
prevent the spread of disease.

• Sudden increase in bird deaths in your 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, comb, and legs (AI)
• Tremors, drooping wings, circling, twisting of the head and
neck, or lack of movement (END)

6. Report Sick Birds.

Do not wait to report unusual signs of disease or unexpected
deaths among your birds. Call your agricultural extension
office/agent, local veterinarian, local animal health diagnostic
laboratory, the State veterinarian, or USDA Veterinary
Services office.

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 USDA operates a toll-free hotline
(1-866-536-7593) with veteri-
narians to help you. (For specific
contact numbers, please see the
contact information section on
page 31 of this handbook.)
USDA wants to test sick birds
Practicing Biosecurity

to make sure they do not have a

serious poultry disease. There is
no charge for USDA veterinarians
to work with you to conduct a disease investigation. Early
reporting is important to protect the health of your birds.

An outbreak of a bird disease such as END and HPAI could

not only harm or kill your birds, but also spread so quickly
that it could kill other neighboring birds.

A Note About Vaccines

Vaccination is another tool to protect your birds against END.

Your local agricultural extension office, veterinarian, or feed
stores that sell vaccines in your area can give vital informa-
tion on the proper vaccines for your birds. Good health for
your birds benefits everyone.

In the United States, vaccination against AI is not routine, nor

is it our first choice for dealing with an outbreak. HPAI is not
common in our country—it is considered an exotic disease
here. If HPAI is detected in U.S. poultry, APHIS will work
with the States to respond and quickly eliminate it.

While AI vaccines reduce outward signs of the disease in

birds, they do not prevent birds from becoming infected.
If used, vaccines can help slow the spread of AI to protect
healthy birds outside a quarantine area. But vaccines cannot
eliminate the disease itself.

Vaccination is, therefore, one tool we can use as part of our

overall eradication strategy, along with many other actions
needed to stop an HPAI outbreak: quarantines and animal
movement restrictions, emergency humane euthanasia and
depopulation of animals, cleaning and disinfection at affected
locations, surveillance to detect any disease spread, and
proper biosecurity.

If approved for use during an outbreak, vaccination would be

directed by Federal officials.

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Biosecurity Tips for Pet Bird Owners
Biosecurity doesn’t apply only to backyard chickens.
It’s important to practice biosecurity when you have pet
birds, too.

Here are some basic tips you can follow to help protect your

Practicing Biosecurity
pet birds’ health:

• W
 hen buying a pet bird, request certification from the seller
that the bird was legally imported or came from U.S. stock
and was healthy before shipment.

• Separate new birds from your other birds for at least 30 days.

• Restrict access to your birds, especially from people who

own birds that are housed outside.

• Keep your birds away from other birds.

• Clean and disinfect your clothing and shoes if you have been
near other birds, such as at a bird club meeting, bird fair, or
other venue with live poultry.

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap, water, and a

disinfectant before handling your birds.

• Keep cages clean and change food and water daily.

• Remove feed from bags; place it in a clean, sealed container;

and throw bags away.

• Do not borrow or share bird supplies. If you must do so,

clean and disinfect the items before bringing them home.

• Know the warning signs of infectious bird diseases.

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 Biosecurity Tips for Handling Wild Birds
Wild birds can carry several diseases, including avian influenza.
It’s best to observe wildlife from a distance. That way, you are less
likely to disturb the animal or pick up any germs it may carry.

If you do come into contact with wild birds, here are some basic
Practicing Biosecurity

precautions to take:

• Do not handle dead or obviously sick birds.

• Avoid contact with bird droppings and nests.

• W
 ash hands with soap and water, hand sanitizer, or alcohol wipes
immediately after handling bird feeders or bird baths.

• I f you have contact with wild birds, wash your hands with soap
and water before you eat, drink, smoke, or rub your eyes.

• T o dispose of a dead bird, pick it up with an inverted bag or

disposable gloves. Place it in another plastic bag, and dispose of
it in a trash can that is secure against access by children, pets,
or animals.

Hunters should also follow routine precautions when handling

wild birds. These include:

• D
 o not handle or consume game animals that are obviously sick
or found dead.

• Do not eat, drink, or smoke while cleaning game.

• Wear rubber gloves when cleaning game.

 ash hands with soap and water, or alcohol wipes, immediately

• W
after handling game.

• W
 ash tools and working surfaces with soap and water and then
disinfect them.

• K
 eep uncooked game in a separate container, away from cooked
or ready-to-eat foods. Cook game meat thoroughly; poultry
should reach an internal temperature of 165 °F to kill disease
organisms and parasites.

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 SECTION THREE

AVIAN INFLUENZA AND

EXOTIC NEWCASTLE
DISEASE

BIOSECURITY GUIDE
for Poultry and Bird Owners 19
 Avian Influenza and Exotic
Newcastle Disease
Today, raising poultry of all kinds is growing in popularity.
You need caring, perseverance, and a good deal of
knowledge to breed and raise birds, including awareness
of diseases that can potentially affect your flock.

In this section, you will find information about

• How a virus can spread,
• Avian influenza (AI),
• Exotic Newcastle disease (END), and
• The interconnectivity of the global marketplace and
avian diseases.
AI and END

What Is Disease?
In common terms, disease is an abnormal condition that
is the result of infection, genetic defect, environmental stress,
or sickness in general. Disease prevents normal functioning.
Its effects in birds can range from reduced production
and loss of energy to death. Disease can be infectious
or noninfectious.

In poultry, there are four main classes of disease-causing

agents: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Viruses
cause disease, such as AI (“bird flu”) and END.

How a Virus Spreads in the Environment

1. Directly
• As a result of contact between a sick or infected bird
and a healthy bird or between carrier birds (those that
already carry the disease but show no signs of illness)
and healthy birds;
• Contact with infected manure, litter, debris, or feathers; or
• Aerosol transmission through respiratory droplets.

2. Indirectly
• V
 irus-bearing material picked up on shoes, clothing,
hands, and vehicles is then carried to healthy birds.

3. Other Pathways for Disease Spread

• Wild animals, rodents, and insects

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Avian Influenza (AI)
AI—also known as bird flu, fowl pest, or fowl plague—is a
respiratory disease of birds. AI viruses can infect chickens,
turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl, as
well as a wide variety of other birds. Migratory waterfowl
seem to be a natural reservoir or host for AI viruses. Type A
influenza viruses are classified according to the severity of ill-
ness they cause. AI viruses are divided into two groups: low
pathogenic (LPAI) and highly pathogenic (HPAI).

Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI): Most AI strains

are classified as LPAI and cause few clinical signs in infected
birds. Birds with LPAI may appear healthy and without signs
of sickness; however, LPAI can cause mild clinical signs,
such as slight facial swelling and some respiratory signs.
LPAI is monitored because two of its virus strains—the H5
and H7 strains—can mutate into highly pathogenic forms.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI): This is a AI and END

very infectious and fatal form of the disease that, once
established, can spread rapidly from bird to bird or flock to
flock. HPAI typically causes severe illness with high death
losses. See next page for clinical signs of HPAI.

How AI Spreads
AI spreads quickly by bird-to-bird contact. AI virus can
travel on manure, egg flats, crates, other farming materials
or equipment, and people who have picked up the virus on
their clothing, shoes, or hands. Migratory waterfowl can also
carry the disease.

Diseases spread easily from infected waterfowl to domestic birds and poultry.

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 Survival Period of the AI Virus
HPAI viruses can survive for long periods at low temperatures.

Know the Signs of HPAI

HPAI can strike quickly and spread rapidly without any
warning. When infected birds do show signs, here’s
what to look for:

• Lack of energy and appetite

• Decreased egg production

• Thin-shelled, soft-shelled, or misshapen eggs

• Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks

• Purple discoloration of the wattles, comb, and legs

• Nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing

AI and END

• Lack of coordination

• Diarrhea

• Sudden death without any clinical signs

Birds with HPAI may show swelling of Nasal discharge may indicate HPAI.
the head, eyelids, comb, and wattles.

Purple discoloration of the comb may indicate HPAI.

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Exotic Newcastle Disease (END)
END is a contagious and fatal viral disease that affects all
bird species. It is one of the most infectious poultry diseases
in the world. END is so deadly that many birds die without
showing any signs of disease. In unvaccinated poultry
flocks, a death rate of almost 100 percent can occur, and
END can cause death even in vaccinated poultry. Poultry
hobbyists and owners of pet birds should be especially
careful—birds illegally smuggled into the United States are
not quarantined and tested by USDA and, therefore, may
carry the END virus.

If you buy a pet bird, be sure to request certification that the

bird has been legally imported or is of U.S. stock. Also, be
aware that smuggled pet birds, especially Amazon parrots
from Latin America, pose a great risk of introducing END to
poultry flocks in the United States. As carriers of the disease,
Amazon parrots do not show any typical signs of infection
but are capable of shedding the virus for more than a year. AI and END

Exotic Newcastle Disease

• Is a contagious and fatal viral disease,
• Affects all species of birds, and
• Is so deadly that many birds die without showing any
signs of disease.

How END Spreads

END spreads when healthy birds come in direct contact with
bodily fluids from sick birds. The disease affects almost all
birds and poultry, even vaccinated poultry. The END virus
can travel on manure, egg flats, crates, other farming mate-
rials or equipment, and people who have picked up the virus
on their clothing, shoes, or hands.

Birds raised in close confinement may spread diseases such as END.

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 Survival Period of the END Virus
The virus that causes END can survive in a warm and
humid environment for several weeks. This environment
could be birds’ feathers, manure, and other materials. In
freezing temperatures, the virus can survive for extremely
long periods. However, it is destroyed quickly by severe
dryness or sunlight.

Know the Signs of END

• Sudden death and increased death loss in flock

• Sneezing, gasping for air, nasal discharge, coughing

• Greenish, watery diarrhea

• Decreased activity, tremors, drooping wings, twisting of

head and neck, circling, complete stiffness
AI and END

• Swelling around the eyes and neck

Twisting of the neck is one of the Birds with END exhibit swelling
signs birds may show when END has of the tissues around the eyes
affected their nervous system. and neck.

END can result in sudden death and a high overall mortality rate.

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AI and END