Chicken growers follow strict on-farm food safety and animal care programs, including rigorous cleaning and disinfecting of chicken barns in between flocks.
Sometimes growers will want to go the extra mile and really scrub out grim… and disease. It’s inevitable that some harmful bacteria and viruses get into the barn. Some disease — like Inclusion Body Hepatitis — is particularly stubborn and can resist routine cleaning.
Growers heard more about this complication at the recent Forum on IBH. At the forum, responding with science-based, proven cleaning and disinfecting was emphasized. In some cases, as diseases change, we cannot rely on what’s always been done or what feels like enough.
In other words, a deep clean with the right stuff in is order.
The BC Chicken Marketing Board has collaborated with a team of veterinarians, most recently on responding to IBH in local flocks, to help chicken growers with crucial steps founded by farm trials and expert opinion. A summary document has been published. While these are suggestions and recommendations — not rules — growers are strongly encouraged to learn from and adapt their work based on this information.
The updated SOP lists methods and supplies for effective deep cleaning, specifically targeting farms that have had IBH. But, IBH or not, it’s main objective is “to reduce environmental viral load, improve biosecurity, and minimize the risk of disease carryover between flocks.” A resource absolutely worth heeding.
Thank you for your commitment to growing healthy chickens and supplying BC families with quality food.
A public thank you to the contributing veterinarians and their teams at: Poultry Health Services, Sunrise Farms, Canadian Poultry Consultants LTD, and Western Hatchery for their work on this resource.