Did you know that an entire poultry farm can be decimated by a sickness call Avian Flu?

Yep... this is very dangerous sickness that has been a problem since 1878 when it was first found in Italy.  This flu was identified as a Type A Influenza Viruses in 1955.  It is a problem throughout Canada, the US and all over the world.  Governments have created biosecurity measures to help stop the spread of avian flu, and this has been very successful for many years.  Now however, we are seeing a resurgence in the sickness and our farms are currently at risk.

This particularly concerns me with our Ostriches...they are not as easy to replace as chickens would be...

Biosecurity measures are crucial for protecting the health and well-being of livestock on farms.  This post will explore the significance of implementing strong biosecurity measures on farms to safeguard both large and small producers (like us).

Understanding Biosecurity on Farms

Biosecurity on farms refers to the set of practices and protocols implemented to prevent the introduction and spread of diseases among livestock. It involves implementing measures to minimize the risk of disease transmission through various pathways, including animals, people, equipment, and vehicles.

Maintaining a high level of biosecurity is essential for farm operations, as it helps protect the health and well-being of animals, reduces the risk of disease outbreaks, and ensures the sustainability of the farm.

On an Ostrich farm, biosecurity becomes even more critical due to the recent resurfacing of avian flu. Ostriches, like other birds, are susceptible to avian flu, which can have devastating consequences on the flock. 

Not only that, as a security measure, it is required that all birds on the farm be terminated if they find Avian flu on your property (to prevent the spread to other farms).  That scares the living (*&% out of me.  Losing your entire flock would be hard on anyone, but our Ostriches are from a British Columbia line, which I can't easily replace...

Implementing strict biosecurity measures can help prevent the introduction and spread of avian flu to our birds and ensure that we can still offer tours to our customers.  I do not want to shut down tours to the farm, and hopefully we will not need to...

Common Biosecurity Practices

Biosecurity Protocols range from absolutely no trespassing (with signs regularly) to sanitizing delivery van tires and shoes upon arrival.  Here is a summary of our Biosecurity measures we have put in place on the farm.

- Restricting access to the farm: This is the best way to ensure you know the risk when it comes to visitors.  You are welcome to visit the front of the farm on long weekends (when we are open) without an appointment, but in order to check out the back of the farm past the gate, we require that you do a tour with us as your tour guides.

- Sanitation and hygiene:  We also require that if you are doing a farm tour, you sanitize your shoes through our boot wash immediately after passing the gate (we even keep our farm boots past the gate).  We do have another option if you have running shoes and do not wish to get them wet.  You can place shoe covers (provided) over the bottom of your shoe.  As a slight warning, they are a tad more slippery than a standard shoe.  

We do not recommend sandals or open toed shoes when doing a tour to the back of the property.  Please bring appropriate footwear for the tour.

We ask that if you have been to a poultry farm recently (large or small) to please let us know upon arrival, so we are aware.

This plan will help us minimize the risk of avian flu on our property and ensure that we can continue to share our birds with the public.

- Quarantine and isolation: We isolate any new animals that come to the farm to make sure they are not exhibiting signs of sickness.  Should an animal show those signs, they are immediately quarantined to the best of our ability. 

Biosecurity is very important on all farms.  Many poultry farms do not allow visitors at all.  We've included some pictures of our farm set up below.

Biosecurity Challenges and Risks

While biosecurity measures are crucial for preventing disease outbreaks, there are several challenges and risks that farmers may face in implementing effective biosecurity protocols on their farms. These include:

- Lack of awareness and knowledge: Many people may not be fully aware of the importance of biosecurity.

- Compliance and enforcement: Ensuring that all those working on the farm and those visiting the farm follow the biosecurity measures will require extra monitoring.

- Disease introduction from neighboring farms: Even with strong biosecurity measures in place, there is always a risk of disease introduction from neighboring farms or wildlife, which may require additional measures to address.

We believe that we can make these security measures work for the safety of our farm.

The Economic Impact of Biosecurity

Farming is quite a different industry than most of us are used to.  It involves a lot of risk, potentially for a good reward.  But this risk is always at the back of our minds and we need to be pro-active to ensure we can continue to move forward into the future.

In the case of avian flu, which is currently resurfacing, the economic impact can be particularly severe for both large and small producers. Outbreaks of avian flu can lead to the culling of infected birds, trade restrictions, and loss of customer confidence, resulting in the potential of substantial financial losses for the farmer.

It is really important that visitors to the farm do their best to help the farmers maintain biosecurity by following their farm rules.

How can we help farmer's animals remain safe with biosecurity?

We have mentioned the rules on our farm.  These are integral to the protection of our farm animals and our farm business.  As a recap, here are the rules:

• Please let us know if you have been at a poultry farm (small or large) in the past month.
• Please stay at the front of the farm and do not pass the barrier to the back alone.
• To visit the back of the farm, you will require a tour guide.  This can be pre-booked by contacting us in advance.  We limit tours to twice a day to ensure less stress on our animals.
• Please use the boot-wash and/or put on a shoe cover if you are participating in a tour.  It really helps us maintain biosecurity while still offering visitors fun on the farm.
• Reducing stress for the animals is also a high priority, as animals that are stressed are more susceptible to getting sick.  Please follow the rules on the farm to ensure the animals and yourselves have a pleasant visit.

We are looking forward to having visitors at the farm.  We have always enjoyed sharing our farm with others, but we also need to ensure the health of our animals.  Thank you in advance for help us with our farm biosecurity!