P3070
Help prevent avian influenza in Mississippi
Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease of birds that can strike domestic poultry without warning and could prove devastating to the Mississippi poultry industry. AI in any of its forms is a serious threat to all commercial poultry farms.
CRITICAL PRECAUTIONS
- Have strong biosecurity practices in place to protect your farm.
- Wear dedicated footwear or plastic boots in each individual chicken house to prevent tracking AI inside.
- Develop and maintain a “line of separation” (clean vs. dirty) at your farm.
- Change clothes and boots before checking chickens if you have visited any location where other chicken growers may have been.
- Maintain a good rodent control program on your farm.
- Use footbaths (i.e., dry bleach) at control room and chicken house entrances.
- Know how to recognize disease symptoms and chickens that are not thriving.
- Avoid wild birds (especially migrating waterfowl) and their fecal material.
SYMPTOMS
- Sudden and extreme increase
in mortality - Coughing and sneezing
- Swollen sinuses and watery eyes
- Nasal discharge
- Twisted neck
- Stumbling/falling down
- Watery or green diarrhea
- Lethargy
- Decreased feed/water intake
- Purple discoloration of wattles, comb, and legs
- More than 10 percent of flock shows symptoms
M3070 (03-23) • Produced by Agricultural Communications
