Crucial things to consider when building a new poultry shed
When expanding your flock every structure on a farm contributes towards its overall biosecurity profile. From the gate and perimeter all the way to the animal housing itself, every feature matters. We call it structural biosecurity.
What is structural biosecurity?
Structural biosecurity encompasses every physical structure on a farm including how staff, visitors and animals use them, the space and navigate the land. Understanding this can reduce the risk of pathogen incursion and is part of optimising the overall biosecurity of a farm.
Without effective structural biosecurity, farmers might leave their farm open to a disastrous disease incursion. And building a new poultry shed in the wrong place could increase the likelihood of a deadly disease entering a flock population.
Location, location, location
Where any new building is placed on a farm is vitally important. This is especially true for the poultry housing sheds themselves as their location in unsuitable areas makes disease prevention difficult.
Farmers should ensure they don’t build new poultry sheds near standing bodies of water. These are typically where wild and migrating birds – major spreaders of disease – gather and mix with commercial poultry.
Similar consideration needs to be given to vermin. If a shed is built too close to existing wood piles, refuse stores or feed, all of which provide attractive habitats to vermin, there is a much greater likelihood of them being attracted to the shed. Whilst new builds are more robust and harder to penetrate, keeping sheds further away from such vermin-appealing sites will reduce the risk of disease spread further.
Changing weather patterns and an increase in devastating floods mean that more thought than ever needs to be put into shed location, the risk of flooding on that part of the wider property, and taking appropriate mitigation measures including significantly improving drainage.
Of course, these concerns are not exclusive to farmers. Any poultry business is susceptible to these issues and so should make structural biosecurity a priority. Disease outbreaks result in commercial downtime. This leads to decreased profits and potentially reputational damage that might be harder to recover from.
Building new farm structures with biosecurity in mind
Farmers know that building a new poultry shed is a major financial commitment. However, it’s also the ideal opportunity to build biosecurity measures into the building itself, boosting protection from disease from the outset and saving money in the long-term.
As well as the sheds, a review of site properties should consider other structural facilities. For example, there needs to be clearly defined areas for disinfectant dips, changing rooms and washing amenities.
A new shed, a new opportunity
What farmers build on-farm matters and so does where it’s built. Livetec has the knowledge that can help farmers make the right decisions and choose the right locations.
Investing in a new poultry shed is a positive commitment to the future of a farm business. And we are here to guide farmers every step of the way before one brick has been placed on top of another.
Farmers can be confident that by working with Livetec they are creating the most biosecure environment possible. In doing so, they are safeguarding the future of their poultry business.
To find out more about Livetec’s Biosecurity Advisory Service and how we can assist with developing your structural biosecurity, contact one of our biosecurity experts here.
