In the onslaught of highly pathogenic avian influenza, Farm Director KC Sheperd got in touch with Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, OSU’s Beef Cattle Extension Specialist, to find out what Oklahomans – and others – need to know.
Avian Influenza, or bird flu, has been confirmed in other species such as humans, dairy cattle, pigs, and cats. Last year, a case was confirmed in Roger Mills County, and recently, there have been two cases confirmed in commercial poultry in Northeast Oklahoma. Although both cases were in commercial flocks, Dr. Biggs advised people with backyard flocks to also be wary of the disease.
Some biosecurity measures that backyard chicken keepers can initiate are evaluating and limiting routes of potential exposure to wild birds, especially wild waterfowl, being very cautious of introducing new birds into an existing flock and implementing quarantines for new birds – at least 30 days – and washing and/or changing clothes between visiting a neighbor’s flock and ones own.
“There are lots of particulars that we can implement on all sizes of operations,” Dr. Biggs stated.
With confirmed incidences of bird flu in dairy cattle, the potential is there for it to be found in beef cattle, especially with waterfowl regularly visiting farm ponds and wild geese foraging on pastures. “Research on beef cattle has already been implemented,” Dr. Biggs commented. “They are also looking into companion animals being fed raw diets possibly being more at risk for contracting a variety of pathogens, not just avian influenza.”
She noted that of emerging diseases worldwide, 75% are zoonotic, meaning that they can pass from animals to humans. She said that the team at OSU is watching these diseases closely, especially with the fast-changing nature of influenza viruses, in particular.
“It is important to note that meat, milk, poultry, and eggs are safe because the virus is deactivated by cooking the foods to appropriate temperatures,” she said. “From a food-safety standpoint, we want to make sure that our consumers maintain their confidence in the products that we produce.”
She advised producers and consumers to be cognizant of the disease and educate themselves on the changes and any biosecurity measures that can be implemented to enhance safety for themselves and their animals.
Often, in a domestic flock, the death of an individual is the first sign of trouble. “We want to make sure that if begin to notice significant death losses in our flock that we contact our local veterinarian and/or the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture to get some diagnostics done on those animals if we suspect avian influenza,” Dr. Biggs advised. If a producer suspects cases of avian influenza, he/she should call ODAFF at 405-522-6141.
