Small-scale poultry farms are failing on biosecurity
A “webinar” aimed at small producers and those with back-yard chickens earlier this week is only part of major effort to improve hen husbandry, biosecurity and welfare amongst keepers who do not view themselves as part of the poultry industry.
Professor Nick Sparks, head of the animal and veterinary sciences (AVS) group with the SRUC, said that despite many in this sector feeling disconnected from major egg and poultry production, the disease control measures on such units could have considerable implications for commercial operators.
“And because of this it is important that we can make contact with such producers to help them understand the importance of health and welfare measures,” he said.
As those keeping fewer than 50 chickens are not required to register with the authorities, Sparks said it was important not only to be able to locate and contact such producers but also to have an idea of their attitudes and degree of knowledge.
To this end two surveys had been commissioned by the Scottish Government – one into those keeping a handful of chickens, and another into small and medium-scale producers, those keeping between 50 and 32,000 laying hens.
The survey of 200 backyard producers revealed considerable gaps in knowledge about disease control practices.
“The survey showed that while there are some very good keepers, there are others who have much to learn,” said Sparks.
And while the survey showed that almost 80 per cent did not consider themselves to be part of the Scottish poultry industry it also highlighted a lack of understanding about biosecurity and disease risk which Spark said required more “proactive engagement” on the topic.
As an example, he said that while some were aware of the need to have dead birds disposed of properly through a knackery company, some individuals believed that feeding the carcases to wildlife was an acceptable method of disposal.
In the parallel survey of 79 small to medium-sized egg producers, around a quarter said their poultry had never been seen by a vet, while more than 80 per cent said they kept other livestock alongside their hens – a factor which Sparks said could increase the likelihood of disease transmission.
“While targeting information to both groups of producers is key, the information gathered in the surveys can also be fed into any future modelling systems used to plan the likely progress of any disease outbreak,” he concluded.