 |
| Biosecurity, Poultry and Pet BirdsWild birds can carry diseases and germs and there is a small risk that they could infect domestic poultry or even pet birds. Such risks include avian influenza, Newcastle disease and salmonella. A few basic precautions will minimise that risk.
- Make sure that wild birds cannot access your bird or poultry feed, otherwise they might contaminate that feed. If your birds are free range, it’s mostly a case of ensuring the feeder is not out in the open but is protected.
- Make sure that wild birds cannot access your bird or poultry water supply, as that can be a significant contamination risk. A protected water supply, straight from the tap, is best. If you have to use dam water, you should chlorinate it.
- Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling your birds, collecting the eggs, cleaning out their cages or bird baths or doing anything else that involves coming into contact with them or their droppings.
- If you attract birds into your garden with bird feeders, ensure that they are placed in areas where you are unlikely to be infected by anything from their droppings.
- Prevent your cat from killing and eating wild birds.
- If you spread old chicken litter onto your paddocks as fertiliser, do not graze with sheep, goats or cattle until there has been sufficient pasture growth to absorb all the litter – that’s around 21 days in good growing weather, longer if growth is poor.
We have produced a biosecurity checklist any bird keeper can use to minimise the risk of a range of diseases.
If you are a bird fancier (ie you take poultry to bird shows), there are some important biosecurity steps you should take to minimise the risk of disease.
| |
