Skip to: main navigation | main content | sitemap | accessibility page

 

 

Call +44 (0)1392 872932
 
 

Managing free range layers during a housing order

by Helen Errington BVMS CertSHP MRCVS

With a mandatory housing order now in place for some parts of England to help control the spread of avian influenza, here’s a reminder of some of the challenges that housing flocks can bring and what producers can do to overcome them.  

As a reminder, when there is a housing order, it is a legal requirement to have good biosecurity in place and there should be no non-essential visitors coming onto your site. Having regularly replenished foot dips made up to the correct concentration, is essential and the disinfectants used must be those recommended on the DEFRA list.

You should make yourself familiar with the clinical signs of bird flu and if you have any concerns regarding the health and welfare of your birds, or if you suspect AI, please get in touch with your St David’s vet, your local APHA office or call head office on 01392 872932.

Below are 6 key areas of risk and our recommendations to avoid them:

1 – Ventilation

This can be a problem in the winter months when the pop-holes are closed, especially in naturally ventilated buildings, which can adversely affect litter quality. Ventilation systems can be adjusted in automatically vented buildings to prevent deterioration in litter quality, and you should contact your ventilation company for advice if required. Badly capped litter should be removed from the house and the bedding material replenished.

2 – Injurious Feather Pecking

This can start because of the stress of being kept indoors and once this behaviour is established it can be very difficult to control.

  • Reducing the lux level of lighting within legal levels can be a useful tool in calming the birds and preventing bullying.
  • Adequate enrichment should always be in place, especially of the destructible type such as alfalfa bales and pecking blocks. We would recommend PECKstone or Well-Bird pecking blocks.
  • Grit given at 7g/bird/week sprinkled on the scratch area keeps the birds occupied and can also help keep litter friable as the birds scratch about to find the particles.

3 – Common Respiratory Diseases

Keeping the hens housed increases infection pressure for diseases such as Infectious Bronchitis (IB) and Mycoplasma and can exacerbate the clinical signs and the spread of disease among the birds. The majority of flocks in the UK are vaccinated with live IB vaccines in lay and this should continue. If your flock is vaccinated, then we would advise that you continue with your vaccinations during any housing order, administering it by your usual method of either spray application, or via the drinking water.

4 – Smothering

Flocks should be monitored around the usual times of pop-hole opening and crowds of birds broken up by walking the scratch area. The placement of ramps or other objects which stop hens crowding in certain areas can also help prevent this.

5 – Pressure on gut health

Your chickens’ gut is the engine of your birds, without optimal health the bird cannot extract the vital ingredients needed to fight off diseases, keep general body functions going or to produce high quality eggs. Using nutraceutical products such as ABC pH can help reduce detrimental bacterial load.

Eggshell quality issues can be exacerbated during enforced housing periods, especially if the birds are stressed about being kept in. For older flocks, products such as 50 Weeks Plus, are specifically designed to support hens in the second half of the laying period and will reduce the risk of increasing shell quality issues that may occur with birds that are under increased stress. Herbivit Plus is also a great supplement for younger birds and helps with weight gain in recently placed pullets.

6 – Parasites

Finally, it is also important that you continue to monitor any worm and parasite issues during the housing period. Worm Egg Count testing, as well as necessary worming, should continue during this time. Birds can still succumb to worm infestations even when indoors. If birds are being kept inside then it is easier to dose wormer through the drinking water as this is their only water supply, and there is no risk of them consuming non-medicated water from other sources. Please discuss what product would best suit your system with your local St David’s vet.

Red mite is also another problem to keep an eye on as increases in house temperatures may occur when the pop-holes are closed, which will subsequently encourage more mite activity and reproduction than we would usually see in the winter months. If mites do become a problem for your birds, please do get in touch with your local veterinary team who will be able to advise on which mite solutions and products would work best for your farm.

If you have any concerns about the health and welfare of your laying birds during the housing order, please do not hesitate to contact your St David’s vet, call 01392 872932, or by emailing info@stdavids-poultryteam.co.uk

Browse by category