7 Health & Safety Aspects To Consider In A Backyard Chicken Coop
Sep 06, 2022
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Running a backyard poultry farming business is a lucrative additional income for families with a large outdoor space. While urban chicken keeping soon becomes a well-oiled machine that functions on routine, there is a lot of protocol and safety measures to set in place at the onset. If you are new to the world of backyard poultry farming, here are seven health and safety aspects you must imbibe before kickstarting your poultry farming business.
Exercise Restrictions Around The Coop
Set down some basic rules for those who access the coop regularly. Avoid wearing your regular footwear to the coop. instead, keep a particular pair of footwear that you wear only inside the coop. avoid kissing, snuggling or bringing chickens anywhere close to your face. Keep your food away from the coop and do not eat or drink anything in and around the coop. Also, avoid chickens entering your home, kitchen or any area usually occupied by humans. It is best to avoid children under the age of 5 years from accessing the coop.
Maintain Cleanliness
Maintaining cleanliness is of paramount importance in poultry farming. Decaying droppings, stale water/food and damp/dirty interiors are the perfect recipes for disaster in a chicken coop. It is important to maintain cleanliness in and around the coop by taking out stale food and water regularly, cleaning chicken droppings, wiping off accumulated dust/feathers and washing/disinfecting surfaces ever so often. All of this is possible by investing in the right chicken coop. choose a coop that is spacious and allows for easy human access for cleaning. Head to my chicken coop for a range of coop designs to choose what is most suitable for you.
Vaccinate & Disinfect Regularly
A chicken coop has several chickens clustered together in a warm and humid environment. It is natural for bacteria, dust, debris and droppings to collect very quickly indoors. Regular disinfecting of the coop is essential to maintain the safety and health of both chickens and humans. What's more, vaccinating chickens ensures they can fight seasonal chicken flu and common poultry diseases without it posing a risk to their life. It also prevents emergencies and disease breakouts among the flock, making things much easier for poultry farmers. There are several vaccinations for poultry based on their breed and region of dwelling. Approach a reputable vet to follow a vaccination schedule for poultry farms.
Close Burrows & Level Your Backyard
Earth-borne insects, worms and reptiles can pose a serious risk to the health and safety of chickens. Snakes, chameleons, scorpions, spiders and other poisonous reptiles can kill plenty of chickens, leaving your poultry farm in a wreck. What's more, this pandemonium can happen overnight or in a matter of minutes. This is why, it is important to keep checking the ground for signs of burrows, snake holes or any signs of reptiles festering in and around. Level and close off any open spots on the ground and check your fence now and then to keep common predators at bay.
Throw Away Cracked Eggs
Needless to say, it is important to collect eggs frequently to prevent them from hatching. Remember, chickens multiply quickly. So if you don't intend on growing your flock, ensure you collect eggs daily. Also, always wash your hands before and after handling eggs. As eggs are exposed to dirt, debris, feathers and more inside the coop, they carry plenty of bacteria on their surface. It is best to throw away any cracked eggs as the bacteria on the surface of the egg can easily enter the shell. Human consumption of such eggs can lead to serious health repercussions.
Handle Basic First Aid Well
Handling chickens can often lead to minor scratches and bites from them. Managing these situations promptly and smartly is necessary to avoid serious repercussions. Wash and clean the area of the incision followed by some basic medical disinfectant. If you observe any swelling or reddening, it is best to seek professional medical assistance. What's more, ensure anybody handling chickens or working in and around the coop takes regular tetanus shots to prevent infections from scratches or bites. Following these pointers ensure you do not contract any bird-borne viruses that can pose a serious risk to your health.
Stay Vigilant
Chickens can often get into scuffles and fights with one another, leading to scratches, bites and physical damage to one another. Keep a constant vigil on chickens to promptly attend to any fights or distress immediately. Also, it is important to stay vigilant with chickens in case they show signs of sickness such as sluggishness and leatheriness. Chickens can quickly spread illnesses to each other due to their proximity and sharing of food and water. Keeping a constant eye enables farmers to isolate chickens showing signs of sickness and prevent the rest of the coop from contracting the illness from that one chicken.
Wrap Up
We hope the above pointers give you good clarity on how to approach the health and safety measures around your coop.
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