Expert: Backyard Farmers Should Suit Up To Keep Chickens Safe From Disease
By Molly Daly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The backyard chicken trend shows no sign of slowing.
Although experts say there's a low risk of their becoming infected with the strain of avian influenza devastating flocks in the Midwest, it's a good idea to adopt practices that'll help keep your chickens healthy and productive.
Dr. Sherrill Davison, who directs the avian medicine and pathology lab at Penn's New Bolton Center, says the pathogenic H5 viruses detected in 21 states are not the same ones that have sickened people in other countries:
"These particular viruses have not caused illness, and the Center for Disease Control has indicated these are low risk for people."
And she says it's important to remember that most wild birds carry viruses that don't make them or other birds sick, unlike the strain that's going around now.
Infected birds can shed the virus in a number of ways -- through saliva, nasal secretions, or feces. On a walk around a pond miles from home, you could unwittingly pick up a pathogenic present, so Davison suggests you dress like a farmer:
"You should have dedicated footwear, you should have dedicated clothes, so in case you have stepped in something, you don't bring it home to your birds."
Commercial poultry farmers test their flocks monthly or weekly, and Davison says although backyard chicken farmers are flying under the radar now, she'd like to see them get on a monitoring schedule too:
"We want to be able to know about them, so if there's influenza in their area, we can tell them how to protect their birds. We're here as a resource for them, for questions about influenza, or any type of management."
For more information, call 610-444-4282, and ask for Dr. Davison. A white paper on avian influenza can be found at New Bolton's website.
