Biosecurity and your permacuture poultry and waterfowl

I came upon this article below on bird flu being suspected to rise to pandemic levels and it gave me pause to think how I can design biosecurity measures into my poultry and waterfowl raising shoudl I need to incorporate it , and do so utilising permaculture type ideas for this as well as making planted perimeter areas function as herbal supplementation and give some aesthetically pleasing and discrete landscaping effects to contained poultry coop areas . Anyone have any thoughts on actually incorporating biosecurity into their systems ?

http://richardalanmiller.com/blog/?m=201301

I found this site with a little bit of informational links on backyard flock biosecurity :

http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Biosecurity.html

Personally, I believe that these stories get blown out of proportion simply because they make 'sensational news'.
(And they kill millions of birds when they do happen.)

The problem is real in the commercial poultry business because of the deplorable conditions under which most operate.
Overcrowding, unnatural diets, synthetic inputs, to name just a few.
Pandemics are a sign of an out-of-balance system.

The permaculture methods of raising poultry bypass many of the health issues that plague BigAg.

BigAg does practice the "all-in/all-out" system, which helps them. As small growers, we should do the same, to an extent: Don't just add new birds to your flock at once. Keep them apart for a week or two to determine that they are healthy before stuffing them into your flock's coop.

Sadly, as small growers, our biggest threat is the State/County Poultry Inspector. He wants to 'help' you by examining your flock. But, he just left somebody else's coop with chicken shit, bugs, and who knows what else on his boots and cuffs. Your healthy flock could be at risk, after his 'help'.

Sunshine, fresh air and a natural diet of insects and fresh greens should put you far ahead of the commercial grower.
Be cautious when adding new birds. If you do have a sick bird, quarantine it apart from the healthy birds.

I know this is an old thread but i just wanted to add to the already great information.

When I first started with chickens, a friend of mine gave me great advcie. "Once your flock is established, never introduce new adult chickens." The one time I didn't listen, the whole flock was nearly wipped out. So, we only bring day(s) old chicks and start them separate from the main flock (just like John mentioned), whenever we need to add to our flock. Not very scientific, but its field proven!
NJ

THE BIRDS !
You have to worry about what is flying in....

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/19/us-usa-birds-idUSBRE91I16Y20130219

You have to worry about what is flying in....

True. Wild birds can introduce lice, mites and disease to your healthy flock.

Try to set up wild bird feed stations well away from where your birds roost.
If the wild birds observe a dozen hens filling their gullets in the run, they will try to do the same.
Having ample feed stations far enough away may act as a lure.
(Don't forget WATER for them. In many areas they have ample feed, but lack water.)

You may also wish to learn what disease are local to your environment. Some you can live with, some you can breed resistant birds for.
Also you may wish to learn which birds are locals and which are not. Flu can travel a long way but generally during migration periods and along migration paths.

Joel Salatin's approach is to basically say, "My animals are so healthy, you cannot make them sick. Feel free to roam around my farm."

Bird flu is spread from bird to bird, isn't it?

My birds are now kept in a run with a roof, which keeps the varmints out. This year I am trying for 2 rows of wheat, in a modified Fukuoka style, and I think that wheat is too large for the local birds to eat so when I cut it and feed it there should be no illnesses passed to my poultry.

I think.

The best biosecurity is as John Polk describes...fresh air flow in your coop~can never have too much good air flow, sunshine, fresh soils. Overstocking the land/soils with birds for extended periods of time will saturate those soils with nitrogen, will render them barren and unable to cleanse and filter themselves and will make a breeding ground for all the bad bacteria and pests you don't want.

We've been raising chickens for three generations and have never had biosecurity measures other than these. We've never had any illnesses in the flocks and we've free ranged..right along with all those wild birds...all those years. The only flocks I've known to contract parasites and illness were those confined to and living in/on coop/run and soil conditions that were not in proper balance.

Another good biosecurity management step is to not give broad spectrum antibiotics to your flocks, do not deworm using chemical dewormers on a scheduled basis and do not "sanitize" or treat your coop with anything that will kill the beneficial organisms that, when allowed to proliferate, will hold all the harmful bacteria and pests in check. That heavy handed approach to animal husbandry is what created the monster that is the ag big biz and all their myriad of horrible diseases they pass on to us and call food.