My largest contamination potential seems to be from wild birds entering the pen to look for leftover scratch. I’ve considered netting the entire pen but I think they’ll just end up sitting on the poles used to support netting. I have a backyard flock of ten currently in 500 sq ft of space. Numbers have been as high as 35 but that was a lot of work and needed a lot more room. I do not free range because chicken poop everywhere is very unpleasant. I learned they very early in. I’ve kept chickens for about 14 years now. I do have a vet clinic who sees chickens if I need a professional assessment. I do morning and evening observations to see if anything is off.
Foot baths at the front of the store would be a great start. Tire wash on the way out. Signage telling people to change their shoes would even be helpful!
Getting seperate trucks that deliver to on farm v off farm...so from the feed mill trucks don't drive from a farm delivery to a feed store to a farm.
Trucks are a big way Foot and mouth gets spread in endemic countries
Wow. Okay, yes makes total sense and I don’t know of a single one in all of Texas who does this who sells to the small flock keeper. It does make me realize I need to take more of my own precautions before I come back to my place. I used to do all that when I was visiting poultry places. I don’t visit other places anymore but I do go to feedstores for chicks and feed. This is a serious crisis brewing so thanks for the huge wake up call on it.
I've refenced/fenced over my goose pen and the chickens and blocked the entrance more for my chickens and plan on covering my pigeon flight pens. It has already dramatically cut back on the amount of feed lost to the sparrows/starlings. Once it doesn't freeze everynight I am going to have foot baths for each of my enclosures.
My largest contamination potential seems to be from wild birds entering the pen to look for leftover scratch. I’ve considered netting the entire pen but I think they’ll just end up sitting on the poles used to support netting. I have a backyard flock of ten currently in 500 sq ft of space. Numbers have been as high as 35 but that was a lot of work and needed a lot more room. I do not free range because chicken poop everywhere is very unpleasant. I learned they very early in. I’ve kept chickens for about 14 years now. I do have a vet clinic who sees chickens if I need a professional assessment. I do morning and evening observations to see if anything is off.
Thank you! So important to write down or photograph type and lot number of feed
What kind of food security measures should a feedstore have? What is the goal? Simply to ensure the feed is not spoiled? What else?
Foot baths at the front of the store would be a great start. Tire wash on the way out. Signage telling people to change their shoes would even be helpful!
Getting seperate trucks that deliver to on farm v off farm...so from the feed mill trucks don't drive from a farm delivery to a feed store to a farm.
Trucks are a big way Foot and mouth gets spread in endemic countries
Wow. Okay, yes makes total sense and I don’t know of a single one in all of Texas who does this who sells to the small flock keeper. It does make me realize I need to take more of my own precautions before I come back to my place. I used to do all that when I was visiting poultry places. I don’t visit other places anymore but I do go to feedstores for chicks and feed. This is a serious crisis brewing so thanks for the huge wake up call on it.
What about contact with wild birds such as sparrows in the barn?
Clean up after them as best you can and try and get them to nest away from the other barn animals. It is hard.
I've refenced/fenced over my goose pen and the chickens and blocked the entrance more for my chickens and plan on covering my pigeon flight pens. It has already dramatically cut back on the amount of feed lost to the sparrows/starlings. Once it doesn't freeze everynight I am going to have foot baths for each of my enclosures.
Great advice our rabbity was destroyed when the buyer's truck brought a virus from OR up to our rabbits near the Canadian Border!
OMG that is awful. All my rabbits got pastuerella … I think it was my cats 🐈 sigh
How sad for you, also!
I Miss our chikens