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Veterinary Medicine: Information on animal health, husbandry and disease.

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Avian – Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, and Game Birds

News Release from USDA

Virulent Newcastle Disease has been diagnosed in a backyard exhibition flock in Los Angeles County, California.  Remind your poultry producers to continue to “Defend the Flock” here in Colorado by practicing good biosecurity:

  • Keep Visitors to a Minimum: Limit who and what goes in and out of your chicken coop and be mindful of anything that could bring in damaging disease. Keep record of who is on the farm or in the coop.
  • Wash Hands and Change Clothes: In addition to potentially spreading disease from farm to farm or bird to bird, you can also spread germs such as Salmonella that can impact human health. So, make sure to wash your hands before and after working with birds. Also, wear proper protective clothing.
  • Clean and Disinfect Tools and Equipment: Anything that comes into the farm or coop needs to be properly cleaned and disinfected. Before allowing vehicles, tools or equipment (including egg flats and bird cases) to leave the farm, make sure they are cleaned and disinfected so as to not transport potential disease.
  • Keep a Close Eye on Your Birds: Sick poultry show many of the same signs that sick people do, chiefly lethargy. Early detection of avian flu or other infectious disease helps keep a small problem from becoming a significant crisis.
  • Communicate Early and Often: Contact the State Veterinarian’s Office at 303-869-9130 or CSU Avian Health Program at 970-297-4008 if you have questions or concerns about the health of your birds.
    Links:
    USDA Press Release
    Biosecurity for Birds
    Signs of Illness in Poultry
    Virulent Newcastle Disease Fact sheet

Additional Websites and Fact Sheets

USDA – APHIS

Colorado Department of Agriculture – CDA

Center for Disease Control – CDC

Colorado State University Diagnostic Lab

Colorado State University eXtension

  • The Small and Backyard Flock resource on eXtension has information on getting started as well as poultry anatomy, behavior, biology and management. The site includes more than 250 frequently asked questions and more than 350 terms in a glossary. And it’s not just chickens. There’s information on ducks, turkeys, geese and other poultry breeds.
  • Denver County Extension Poulty page has information on general health, eggs, chicks, and feeding

Food and Drug Administration – FDA

University of Florida IFAS Extension

Georgia Extension

National Poulty Imrovement Plan – NPIP

Merck Manual

Mississippi State University

Ohio State University Extension

OIE – World Health Organization

Purdue Extension

Penn State Extension

Washington State Department of Agriculture

A-Z Informational Sheets and Links:

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Animal Disease Traceability – USDA – AHPIS reports and updated
B

Biosecurity for Birds, USDA
Biosecurity self assesment, US Poulty and Egg Association
Colorado Bird Health has a brochure on The Bird Flu and You …….PDF from 06

C

D

Defend the Flock, USDA
Caring for Livestock After Disaster, by S. Cotton and R. Ackerman
Caring for Livestock Before Disaster, by S. Cotton and R. Ackerman
Caring for Livestock During Disaster, by S. Cotton and R. Ackerman

E

Eggs – laws and regulations, Colorado Department of Agriculture
Home-Produced Chicken Eggs, no 9.377, by M. Bunning and J. Avens

F

G

H

Home-Produced Chicken Eggs, no 9.377, by M. Bunning and J. Avens
I

J

K

L

Livestock Drinking Water Quality.pdf no. 4.908, Livestock Series by P.N. Soltanpour and W.L. Raley 1….pdf from 99
M

MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is a bacteria that is resistant to certian antibiotics.
N

O

P

Pandemic Flu official federal website.
Common External Parasites in poultry by Ohio State University Extension…. pdf
Q

R

S

Information on Salmonella at CDC
T

U

V
Backyard bird owners : Beware of Virulent Newcastle disease (vNC), by Ragan Adams

W

X

Y

Z