Protecting Backyard Flocks
1 min read
Disease in backyard flocks can help be prevented by good hygiene and commonsense practices.
- Cover coops and runs.
- Wear dedicated clothing and shoes.
- Wash hands before and after entering coop.
- Lock all birds in coop and run.
- Change food and water daily.
- Remove birdhouses, feeders, and baths.
- Clean and disinfect equipment in contact with birds or droppings.
- Avoid feed stores, vet offices, and other places with small flocks, as much as possible.
What is avian influenza?
- Virus is carried by migratory waterfowl (ducks and geese).
- Domestic poultry (chickens and turkeys) are susceptible.
- Virus originated in Asia and spread into Canada through wild geese and ducks.
- Migratory bird flyways cross the United States.
How is the disease transmitted?
- Foot traffic.
- Secretions from mouth, nostrils, eyes, excrement.
- Contact with infected droppings.
- Movement of infected birds.
- Contaminated clothing and equipment.
Download a PDF of Protecting Backyard Flocks, ANR-2399, infographic.
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