Standard Poultry Biosecurity Plan

Proper biosecurity can prevent the spread of disease from

• Humans (hands, hair, 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
• Flocks (other people's backyard flocks, particularly if the birds are housed outside

Company Communications Plan Guidelines:

• Train employees with standard biosecurity polices
• Define trigger points to increase or decrease biosecurity
• Should have a notification system for communicating change in disease status to essential employees, suppliers, and customers

Employee Protocol Plan Guidelines:

• Park their vehicle in specified parking area only
• Report to work in clean clothes and dedicated footwear
• Wear clothing and footwear approved by the management
• Wash hands prior to starting work and before and after eating
• Use and maintain all footbaths they pass if applicable
• Are not allowed into poultry production areas unless scheduled to work
• Stay in designated work areas on the premises
• Service birds from clinically normal to sick
• Work with poultry before working with other species especially swine
• Report all abnormal bird mortality to their supervisor
• Will not bring visitors on farm without prior company approval
• Must have 72 hours between travel out of the country or to a high risk area before returning to work
• Not own birds, pet birds or have contact with birds outside of work
• Notify management if employees visit exhibitions or sales involving any class of birds, hunt or visit migratory bird sites
• Cannot hunt, fish, trap on a work day prior to coming to work and must have 12 hours downtime after hunting, fishing or trapping

Delivery Vehicle Guidelines:

• Truck drivers must stay in designated areas and cannot enter poultry houses
• Truck drivers must keep trucks and trailers visibly clean inside and out
• Feed spills should be minimized and cleaned up as required

Premise Security Guidelines:

• Entrances to premises will be secured
• Entrance policy should be defined for all types off traffic onto the premises
• Visitor policy will include stranger and intruder policies
• No pets or other types of poultry are allowed into the poultry house
• Do not loan to, or borrow equipment or vehicles from other farms

Flock Management Plan Guidelines:

• Keep an “all-in”, all-out” production method
• Do not bring birds from slaughter channels back to the farm, especially live bird markets
• Keep incoming poultry separate from unsold birds
• Avoid visiting other poultry farms, poultry shows and fairs.  After such a visit bathe, change footwear and clothing before working with own flock

Wild Bird Plan Guidelines:

• Protect poultry flocks from coming into contact with wild or migratory birds
• Wild bird nests must be removed as soon as they are discovered
• Will bird roosting sites and feed spill will be minimized
• Buildings should be maintained to prevent wild bird intrusion
• Keep poultry away from any source of water that may be contaminated by wild birds

Dead Bird and Manure Disposal Plan Guidelines:

• Daily removal and disposal of dead birds as performed: composting, burial, incineration
• Manure handling and disposal procedures

Cleaning and Disinfecting:

• Clean first before disinfecting
• Clean all dirt and manure off surface of equipment
• Laundry or dish soap works well
• Do tires and undercarriage of  vehicles
• Wash down with a good disinfectant to kill poultry viruses
• Shoes can be brushed or scrubbed off and then sprayed with disinfectant

• Easy footbath
• Low plastic pan or bin, wide enough to fit adult’s foot and shallow enough to step into easily
• Plastic doormat (fake grass mats work well)
• A disinfectant that works well for most situations, such as Tek-trol (from Bio-Tek industries) or One Stroke Environ (available from Steris Corporation)
• Mix the disinfectant with water following label instructions
• Put doormat in plastic pan
• Add disinfectant so that the bottom of the “grass” is wet
• Walk through footbath, wiping feet on mat
• When liquid starts to get dirty, empty and put in new disinfectant

For More Information Contact:
The North Dakota Board of Animal Health
701-328-2655
http://www.agdepartment.com/Programs/Livestock/BOAH/BOAH.html

or visit the USDA website: www.aphis.usda.gov