In December 2020, poultry farms in the United Kingdom experienced a lockdown due to the growing threat of bird flu. Farmers are having to keep their birds shut inside buildings that just aren’t designed for poultry to be housed in 24/7.
Pruex work with farmers to FIND the cause of disease, FIX using our toolbox and TELL the good story being done by farmers. Here is a bit about what we have been finding on poultry farms over the last few months.
1. FIND
What we have found during the bird flu lockdown is that professional free range systems and even back yard poultry keepers have sheds and buildings that are not designed for birds to be housed in 24/7.
We are discovering that ventilation is being affected by pop holes having to stay closed and this subsequently effects the airflow, temperature, humidity and gases within poultry sheds.
Birds are having to be kept in closer proximity than they usually would be, resulting in faeces and moisture building up quickly and litter becoming wetter.
E.Coli and other disease causing bacteria are found naturally in livestock environments, however by keeping animals housed 24/7, we are removing them further and further from their ‘natural’ environments. This is where we experience problems. Increases in moisture within buildings can lead to increases in the build up of harmful disease-causing biofilms dominating our animal environments. Biofilms can develop beneath litter, on cladding and within the water systems, which we ultimately see resulting in increased disease and reduced production in animals.
We use bacteriology and sensor analysis to identify the causes of disease on individual farms.
2. FIX
In the unprecedented times poultry farmers are experiencing, Pruex work to bring some nature back inside the poultry shed.
When birds are able to range on pasture, they get contact with soil bacteria on their feet and beaks. When they are housed, the litter they stand on and scratch in is often dominated with harmful bugs which are challenging their immune systems.
Pruex work to add beneficial bacteria INSIDE poultry sheds to dominate the environment with non-infective bacteria and reduce the risk of harmful biofilms dominating. This can be done using our varied toolbox to fix the problems we find on our initial visits.
We spray bacteria in to sheds and dominate water with beneficial bacteria, this can be done manually or using automated equipment. We supply enrichment bales which have added Pruex bacteria, to replicate scratching in the soil. We are able to reduce the risk of harmful biofilms dominating whist the birds are still in the shed!
3. TELL
The farmers we work with tell us of the benefits they see in their animals, including reduced need for antibiotics, reduced mortality and increased production. Litter stays drier, last longer and air quality improves. This also improves the working environment for staff.
It is our role to spread this good message within agriculture, and to consumers of food raised with optimum levels of animal welfare.
Please get in touch for more information. 01558 509025. www.pruex.co.uk
Adding some nature inside poultry sheds during the bird-flu lockdown
In December 2020, poultry farms in the United Kingdom experienced a lockdown due to the growing threat of bird flu. Farmers are having to keep their birds shut inside buildings that just aren’t designed for poultry to be housed in 24/7.
Pruex work with farmers to FIND the cause of disease, FIX using our toolbox and TELL the good story being done by farmers. Here is a bit about what we have been finding on poultry farms over the last few months.
1. FIND
What we have found during the bird flu lockdown is that professional free range systems and even back yard poultry keepers have sheds and buildings that are not designed for birds to be housed in 24/7.
We are discovering that ventilation is being affected by pop holes having to stay closed and this subsequently effects the airflow, temperature, humidity and gases within poultry sheds.
Birds are having to be kept in closer proximity than they usually would be, resulting in faeces and moisture building up quickly and litter becoming wetter.
E.Coli and other disease causing bacteria are found naturally in livestock environments, however by keeping animals housed 24/7, we are removing them further and further from their ‘natural’ environments. This is where we experience problems. Increases in moisture within buildings can lead to increases in the build up of harmful disease-causing biofilms dominating our animal environments. Biofilms can develop beneath litter, on cladding and within the water systems, which we ultimately see resulting in increased disease and reduced production in animals.
We use bacteriology and sensor analysis to identify the causes of disease on individual farms.
2. FIX
In the unprecedented times poultry farmers are experiencing, Pruex work to bring some nature back inside the poultry shed.
When birds are able to range on pasture, they get contact with soil bacteria on their feet and beaks. When they are housed, the litter they stand on and scratch in is often dominated with harmful bugs which are challenging their immune systems.
Pruex work to add beneficial bacteria INSIDE poultry sheds to dominate the environment with non-infective bacteria and reduce the risk of harmful biofilms dominating. This can be done using our varied toolbox to fix the problems we find on our initial visits.
We spray bacteria in to sheds and dominate water with beneficial bacteria, this can be done manually or using automated equipment. We supply enrichment bales which have added Pruex bacteria, to replicate scratching in the soil. We are able to reduce the risk of harmful biofilms dominating whist the birds are still in the shed!
3. TELL
The farmers we work with tell us of the benefits they see in their animals, including reduced need for antibiotics, reduced mortality and increased production. Litter stays drier, last longer and air quality improves. This also improves the working environment for staff.
It is our role to spread this good message within agriculture, and to consumers of food raised with optimum levels of animal welfare.
Please get in touch for more information. 01558 509025. www.pruex.co.uk