sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
By BROOKES MERRITT, Sun Media
Small-time farmers need to keep food and water sources for chickens away from wild ducks or geese who could be infected with bird flu.
?We have strict measures in place to stave off infection at commercial farms, but getting that information out to the smaller operations is tough,? said Lloyd Johnston, general manager of the Alberta Chicken Producers.
His organization represents about 290 commercial chicken farmers in the province, but has difficulty getting information out to the estimated 15,000 non-registered ?back-yard type? chicken farms.
?Small farms and acreages with chicken coops are where bio-security measures can break down most easily. People need to understand how to keep bird flu out, but also how imperative it is to keep their farms quarantined if there?s an outbreak.?
Rural areas that use dugouts to store water are at risk of a bird flu outbreak because wild water fowl will defecate in the open water.
?If it?s not treated before given to chickens, the virus could pass into the food chain. All a farmer needs is a small medicator to put chlorine into their water and they should be fine.?
Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development recently issued a reminder to farmers about how to prevent bird flu infection among chicken populations.
The recommended bio-security measures include common-sense techniques like washing hands and farm equipment and changing clothes and footwear when exiting or entering chicken coops.
One recommendation - to keep international visitors off farms for two weeks after their arrival in Canada - could be tougher to enforce.
?That one?s purely about education. Once enough people know about how the disease is spread they?ll begin to be more vigilant,? Johnston said.
Assistant chief provincial veterinarian Dr. Gerald Hauer said the best way to reduce contact between wild birds and domestic flocks is by using physical barriers.
?Infectious faeces can be carried to poultry yard by boots, pets and vehicle ? and dirty equipment. Keep flocks under cover by housing them indoors or in screened pens.?
Johnston allayed fears Alberta chicken stocks are likely to become infected with bird flu, saying even organic free-range farmers use netting to prevent wild birds from landing anywhere near flocks.
For the last three years The Alberta Chicken Producers have abided by legislation aimed at reducing the risk of bird flu outbreaks.
Commercial operators in Alberta - who move about 1 million birds a week into Canada?s food chain, enough to feed about 51,000 people a week - treat all their water sources and house fowl indoors, where every last vent is screened to prevent wild birds from entering the enclosure. bmerritt@edmsun.com
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/04/13/pf-4012637.html
Small-time farmers need to keep food and water sources for chickens away from wild ducks or geese who could be infected with bird flu.
?We have strict measures in place to stave off infection at commercial farms, but getting that information out to the smaller operations is tough,? said Lloyd Johnston, general manager of the Alberta Chicken Producers.
His organization represents about 290 commercial chicken farmers in the province, but has difficulty getting information out to the estimated 15,000 non-registered ?back-yard type? chicken farms.
?Small farms and acreages with chicken coops are where bio-security measures can break down most easily. People need to understand how to keep bird flu out, but also how imperative it is to keep their farms quarantined if there?s an outbreak.?
Rural areas that use dugouts to store water are at risk of a bird flu outbreak because wild water fowl will defecate in the open water.
?If it?s not treated before given to chickens, the virus could pass into the food chain. All a farmer needs is a small medicator to put chlorine into their water and they should be fine.?
Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development recently issued a reminder to farmers about how to prevent bird flu infection among chicken populations.
The recommended bio-security measures include common-sense techniques like washing hands and farm equipment and changing clothes and footwear when exiting or entering chicken coops.
One recommendation - to keep international visitors off farms for two weeks after their arrival in Canada - could be tougher to enforce.
?That one?s purely about education. Once enough people know about how the disease is spread they?ll begin to be more vigilant,? Johnston said.
Assistant chief provincial veterinarian Dr. Gerald Hauer said the best way to reduce contact between wild birds and domestic flocks is by using physical barriers.
?Infectious faeces can be carried to poultry yard by boots, pets and vehicle ? and dirty equipment. Keep flocks under cover by housing them indoors or in screened pens.?
Johnston allayed fears Alberta chicken stocks are likely to become infected with bird flu, saying even organic free-range farmers use netting to prevent wild birds from landing anywhere near flocks.
For the last three years The Alberta Chicken Producers have abided by legislation aimed at reducing the risk of bird flu outbreaks.
Commercial operators in Alberta - who move about 1 million birds a week into Canada?s food chain, enough to feed about 51,000 people a week - treat all their water sources and house fowl indoors, where every last vent is screened to prevent wild birds from entering the enclosure. bmerritt@edmsun.com
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/04/13/pf-4012637.html