Ovy_Vetcare, Abuloma Road (2024)

12/05/2023

Dates: One of the Sweetest Fruits in the World. Are They Safe for Your Pet?

Dates look like a bigger version of raisins, but they are not toxic to pets. However, they are also not the healthiest fruits to share with your pet because of their high sugar content. 📈 A single date can contain 5.07 grams of sugar. This is why pitted dates should only be shared with pets in very small amounts and infrequently.

Visit our new website to learn more about dates and how to serve them to your pet: https://bit.ly/3Lw6Jjk

12/05/2023

Are you a farmer in Port Harcourt?
Are you seeking to maximise your profit in agribusiness?
Then, this meeting is for you.

25/01/2023

Where are my Port Harcourt poultry farmers?

Gather here biko👌👌

We are opening a new branch at God's Grace Plaza, 138, Abuloma Road, Port Harcourt.

📞08168039689

23/01/2023

Hello Furry parent,

It's Another blessed and beautiful week.

Ensure you check your pet's card to know if you have any appointment with your vet this week. An appointment kept can be a life saver.

Do have a great week.

20/01/2023

Have a beautiful weekend

20/01/2023

Respiratory infections are one of the common challenges poultry farmers come across.
Respiratory infections can be caused by:
1. Mycoplasma
2. Bacteria
3. Viruses
4. Fungi

Sometimes, these respiratory infections are stimulated and aggravated by the following factors:

1. Poor ventilation in the pen.
2. Overcrowding of birds.
3. High ammonia level in the farm/pen.

Dear farmer, to reduce the risk of your birds coming down with respiratory infections, you might want to take a look at these factors and address them properly.

Check comment section below for more info on the above

We do hope this is helpful 🙂

Have a beautiful weekend ahead.

Ovy_Vetcare
182, Abuloma Road,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State,
Nigeria 🇳🇬.
📞08168039689.

16/01/2023

Did you know?

It works like magic, by just doing this, your dog gets relaxed.

A good morning and a beautiful Monday to our Pet Owners✌.

15/01/2023

Just because they are also part of the family...

Happy Sunday to our furry parents 💕

01/01/2023

Have a blessed and beautiful 2023

27/12/2022

Merry Christmas and have a prosperous 2023

12/12/2022

For more than three weeks now, we've had cases of Canine Parvovirus disease in our clinic back to back. Infact, it's one of the reasons for our inactivity for a while now. In all the stress, one thing we are thankful for, is that all dogs so far, have recovered.

With the number of cases that have been presented to our clinic, it's very important we educate our dogs owners on what to do to prevent Parvovirus in their dogs or puppies. Hence the reason for our today today:
👇👇👇👇👇👇

TIPS TO PREVENT PARVOVIRUS INFECTION IN YOUR PUPPY OR DOG:

Canine Parvovirus disease commonly known as "PARVO" is a highly contagious and fatal disease of puppies and dogs. It can be transmitted by persons, animals or objects that come in contact with an infected dog's faeces.

Unvaccinated puppies, adolescent dogs and even adult dogs are highly at risk of contracting this virus. Hence, vaccination is key to protecting your puppy or dog with emphasis on "complete vaccination" as puppies and dogs that have not fully completed their vaccination are still at risk.

Therefore, keep your dogs away from the virus with these tips:

🐶 ENSURE YOUR DOG IS PROPERLY VACCINATED
Puppies should receive their first vaccine shot between 6-8 weeks of age. Booster doses should be administered 2-4 weeks intervals. In this region, 3 shots/doses of the vaccine is considered good enough to produce good immunity.

Also, note that previously vaccinated adult dogs need annual booster doses.

Ensure that you employ the service of a veterinarian for the vaccination.

You can visit Ovy Vetcare Services Limited for this if you are within Port Harcourt. Our address and contact number is below 👇.

🐶🐶 AVOID PLACES WHERE YOUR PUPPY OR UNVACCINATED DOGS COULD BE EXPOSED TO PARVOVIRUS:
Until your dog is fully vaccinated, avoid places that your dog could be exposed to unvaccinated. These places may include dog parks, playgrounds, public areas, pet stores, etc.

🐶🐶🐶 LIMIT YOUR PUPPIES OR UNVACCINATED DOG'S EXPOSURE TO OTHER DOGS.
Except you are sure of the other dog's vaccination status, limit your dog's exposure to other dogs especially unvaccinated dogs until your dog is fully vaccinated.

🐶🐶🐶🐶 CARRY YOUR PUPPY IN YOUR ARMS OUTSIDE AND LEAVE HIM ON YOUR LAP WHILE WAITING IN LOBBY WHENEVER YOU VISIT YOUR VET FOR WELLNESS CHECK-UPS AND VACCINATION:
The veterinary clinic or hospital is one of the places parvovirus and even other diseases can be picked up. It is wise not to allow your puppy roam around the clinic or hospital. Therefore, dear puppy owners, carry your puppy in your arms outside and leave him on your lap while waiting in the lobby.

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶 DISINFECT YOUR ENVIRONMENT:
If you suspect your house has been infected or you previously had a dog who suffered from Parvovirus infection, ensure you clean with a dilution of half cup bleach into a gallon of water. REGULAR SOAPS AND WATER DO NOT KILL PARVOVIRUS. Also remember to disinfect objects that have been contaminated.

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶 VISIT YOUR VET immediately you notice these signs:
🪛 vomiting
🪛diarrhoea
🪛Your puppy/dog is not eating
🪛Your dog/puppy is lethargic.

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶 ENSURE YOU CLEAN UP PROPERLY BEFORE TOUCHING YOUR DOGS:
If you work or spend time in a place where you have contact with dogs, change your clothes and shoes and clean up properly before returning home to your dog or puppy.

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶 AGAIN, DON'T FORGET TO ROUTINELY VACCINATE YOUR DOG.

We do hope these tips will be helpful to you.
Like, share and follow us at Ovy_Vetcare .

Thanks

Ovy Vetcare Services Limited
182, Abuloma Road,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State,
Nigeria 🇳🇬.
☎️08168039689

02/12/2022

Apologies for the break, poultry farmers will say "it's season" and we have been so engaged leaving no time to do anything online. Our sincere Apologies 🙏.

We will continue our discussion on "Heat Stress" with emphasis on the management. If you missed the earlier discussion, here is the link 👇👇

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=477535271050598&id=100063823877027

MANAGEMENT OF HEAT STRESS

1. SUFFICIENT WATER:
During heat stress, birds increase their water intake by 2 to 4 times their normal intake. Sufficient water is needed to be available. Not only that the water is sufficient, also ensure sufficient water drinkers and that the water is cool as birds do not like hot water and usually avoid it. You can put ice blocks or water coolant into the water to cool the birds body temperature. Flush water lines and waterers routinely to keep water fresh and cool.

2. USING ELECTROLYTES:
During heat stress, birds loose electrolytes which can equally lead to death. Therefore, it is important to replace the lost electrolytes by adding electrolytes. Some multivitamins come with electrolytes. You can also make use of them. Infact, it is advised to start providing electrolytes prior to heat Stress period.

3. USING SODIUM BICARBONATE :
Sodium bicarbonate can be added to feed or water as carbonated water especially for birds in egg production. The acid-base balance in bird's body is affect during panting and carbon dioxide release. Also, bicarbonate is needed in egg shell formation. Therefore, replacing the lost carbonate during heat stress can help lessen the effect.

4. SUPPLEMENTING VITAMINS:
Vitamin A,D,E and B-complex are effective in tackling heat stress mortality in broilers. Vitamin C is also effective in tackling the decrease in egg production associated with heat stress.

5. FEEDING :
Avoid feeding birds in the afternoon. Withdraw feed before the peak temperature. Feed birds as early as possible in the morning and re-introduce feed after the peak temperature have started to decline.

6. PROPER HOUSING AND VENTILATION :
Airflow at the birds' level is key to removing birds' heat. Therefore, it is important to improve ventilation. The orientation of the pen is also important. It is advised to build a pen in the east-west orientation. This is to avoid direct sunlight on birds during the sunny period. Provision of air coolants is advised but caution should be taken when the humidity is high.

Also, as regards the housing, the side wall should be 1-1.5ft high and the rest should be net. This will also help with proper ventilation. The nets should be free of cobwebs as cobwebs will prevent proper ventilation to the birds even if all other things are in place, posing a risk of heat stress.

7. AVOID OVERCROWDING:
High stocking density can also cause heat stress and can lead to increased mortality during heat stress. Therefore, ensure your stocking density is optimum.

Ovy_Vetcare
Ovy Vetcare Services Limited,
182, AbulomaOvy_Vetcaret Harcourt,
Rivers State.
📞08168039689

05/11/2022

HEAT STRESS IN BIRDS

Hello Doctor, please, I am confused,

I don't know what exactly is happening. I don't know if this is bird flu.

I left my farm earlier today and my birds were doing perfectly fine. I just got back this afternoon and 11 are dead already, some are dying too. I am confused, please help.

It's almost Christmas, why will this be happening to me?

This was a call we received from Mr Barry(Not real name) last December. We carried out a postmortem and alas, what killed the birds was heat stress. So many farmers suffered loss like Mr Barry especially during the dry season.

The season/weather will soon change so that the environmental temperature will start increasing, posing a risk of heat stress to birds. Hence, the reason for the topic today.

HEAT STRESS IN BIRDS
Heat Stress in birds occur when birds cannot achieve a balance between body heat production and body heat loss and this can occur in all types of poultry and at any age.

The thermoneutral zone is a range of environmental temperatures that an organism can maintain their body temperature. For poultry, the thermoneutral zone is usually between 15⁰C and 25⁰C. When the environmental temperature begins to increase above the thermoneutral zone, especially above 30⁰C, birds begin to find it difficult to balance the body heat production and body heat loss.

Also, high humidity decreases poultry heat loss from the lungs which makes the birds more prone to heat Stress.

The ideal temperature and humidity range that is assumed comfortable for birds is between 25⁰C to 30⁰C and 45% to 75% respectively (Check comment section below for diagram 👇).

SIGNS OF HEAT STRESS

1. One of the key signs of heat stress in poultry is "PANTING". Birds do not have sweat glands. When their body temperature is high, their physiological way to balance it, is by "PANTING", in which heat lost as moisture is evaporated from airways in the birds. Unfortunately, excessive panting creates more heat through muscle activities.

2. During heat stress, birds open their feathers.

3. Another sign of heat stress is increased water intake which unfortunately might not be enough to keep up with the losses through respiration and urine excretion.

4. In laying birds, egg production is reduced

5. Feed intake is affected.

6. Heat Stress can lead to death of birds, infact mass mortality if not managed as soon as possible.

It is quite unfortunate that some farmers don't notice these other signs of heat Stress until their birds start dying.

Next week, we will continue on the management of stress in birds.

Keep checking this space....

Ovy_Vetcare
182, Abuloma Road,
Port Harcourt
Rivers State
Nigeria 🇳🇬
☎️08168039689

05/11/2022

Apologies to our Pet Owners, it's been a while but we are back now ✌

Dear Pet Owners, we will discussing something important that most dog owners have done and probably lost their dogs which of course wasn't intentional, infact, they were probably done out of love and care.

HUMAN FOODS THAT ARE TOXIC TO YOUR DOGS.

The economy isn't smiling and so is the cost of dog foods. Most dog owners have been left with no choice than to feed their dogs human foods. However, it is important for dog owners to know that not all human foods are okay for dogs to eat. Infact, some could be so toxic that they can lead to death.

The list is inexhaustible but here are a few:

1. CHOCOLATE:
Chocolates contain a toxic substance called "Methylxanthines" which are stimulants that can stop a dog's metabolism. A large amount especially dark Chocolates can cause seizures, irregular heart function and even death.

2 ONIONS AND GARLIC
They can destroy your dog's red blood cells thereby leading to anaemia which can also lead to death. Onions and garlic are almost always in our foods especially party and restaurant leftovers which some dog owners give their dogs. Therefore, it is important as dog owners to take caution and moderation when feeding their dogs these foods.

3. AVOCADOS
Avocado contains a strain of fatty acids called "Persin" which in large quantities is toxic to your puppy.

4. GRAPES AND RAISINS
When dogs eat these whether in the fresh or dried forms, it can cause kidney failure. So avoid it like a plague for your dogs.

5. CAFFEINE
This is toxic to dogs

6. YEAST DOUGH
If eaten raw can cause bloating in dogs. So while baking, don't throw that raw dough to your dog.

7. SALT
Too much salt can cause dehydration and even sodium ion poisoning. Therefore moderation is needed when using salts in dog foods.

8. MACADAMIA NUTS
Is toxic to dogs. It affects the muscle and nervous system leading to weakness, swollen limbs and panting.

9. XYLITOL (ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER)
Some sweet treats, chewing gum and drinks contain this. Be sure to check before giving your dog any of these. Ingestion of Xylitol by your dog can cause hypoglycaemia leading to liver failure and blood clotting disorders.

10. ALCOHOL
Dear dog owner, giving your dog alcohol will not make your dog aggressive or more aggressive. What alcohol does to your dog is to destroy your dog's nervous system and even other organs such as the liver, kidneys etc.

Ovy_Vetcare
182, Abuloma Road,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State,
Nigeria 🇳🇬
☎️08168039689

28/10/2022

Sometime ago, we received a call from Mrs A( Mrs A is a poultry farmer who has some pullets of about 2 months). Mrs A just called casually to inform us that she noticed something strange on her farm. She said she noticed her pullets were passing out bloody faeces and she has been noticing it for about 3 days but she just wants to know if it is okay because she noticed that day that the birds which have been active all the while started behaving weak .

The moment she mentioned "she noticed blood in the bird's faeces", we asked her to come down to the office immediately to get medications for her pullets.

Unfortunately, before she got back to her farm to commence medication, she started recording mortalities which continued for about a day or two. We perform postmortem on the dead birds to be sure there were no complications asides what we had earlier suspected, of which there was no other complications. She continued the medications for the birds and the birds got stabilised and recovered soon.

This brings us to the part of :

-ONLY IF "MRS A" KNEW THAT BLOOD STAINS IN BIRD'S FAECES IS VERY FATAL.

-ONLY IF "MRS A" TOOK THE STEP SHE TOOK THAT DAY THREE DAYS AGO WHEN SHE NOTICED IT AT FIRST.

-ONLY IF MEDICATIONS HAD BEEN ADMINISTERED THE DAY SHE NOTICED IT.

SHE MIGHT NOT HAVE RECORDED ANY MORTALITY.

DEAR POULTRY FARMER, KINDLY REPORT TO/VISIT YOUR VETERINARIAN WHENEVER YOU NOTICE BLOOD IN THE FAECES OF YOUR BIRDS OR ANY CHANGE IN THE COLOUR OR CONSISTENCY OF THEIR FAECES SO THAT THE RIGHT MEDICATIONS AND ADVICE CAN BE RECOMMENDED

Ovy_Vetcare
182, Abuloma Road,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State,
Nigeria 🇳🇬.
📞 08168039689

21/10/2022

WHEN SHOULD I GIVE MY BIRDS GUMBORO VACCINE?

In the last few posts for our poultry farmers, we have discussed vaccination and how to properly administer vaccines orally to birds. If you missed any of these, kindly refer to this post
👇👇👇👇

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=461389865998472&id=100063823877027

Having discussed the above, we want to attend to questions we receive often from poultry farmers.

Most times, poultry farmers ask these questions especially as regards Gumboro vaccine.

1. How many times should my birds take Gumboro vaccine?

2. When should I administer Gumboro vaccines to my birds?

👇👇👇👇

First, Gumboro vaccine is the vaccine given against Infectious Bursal Disease or Infectious Bursitis.

1. The number of doses given to your birds is dependent on the prevalence of the disease in your region/farm. But, at least two doses of Gumboro vaccine should be administered to your birds.

2. The first dose should be given between the 1st and 2nd week of life of birds and the second dose given between the 3rd and 4th week of life.

Ovy_Vetcare
182, Abuloma Road ,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers Ovy_Vetcareria 🇳🇬
☎️08168039689

17/10/2022

VACCINATION IN DOGS

Over and over, we have heard dog owners say they lost their dogs especially puppies to "Parvo". It's parvo here, parvo there, such that there is hardly a dog owner who doesn't know of "Parvo" but unfortunately only a few know that the disease can be prevented alongside with some other fatal diseases by vaccination. Vaccination against "Parvo" and these other diseases is by use of the "DHLPP VACCINE".

DHLPP vaccine is a combination or polyvalent vaccine that contains vaccines against five diseases whose names are acronyms in the word "DHLPP".

"D" stands for canine Distemper disease
" H" stands for canine Hepatitis disease
"L" stands for canine Leptospirosis disease
"P" stands for canine Parvovirus disease
"P" stands for canine Parainfluenza diseas e.

In this region of the world, puppies should take at least 3 doses of the DHLPP Vaccine.

The first dose of DHLPP vaccine should be given at 6 weeks or earlier at 4 weeks given the maternal antibody titre has been checked.

The second dose of DHLPP vaccine should be done 2 weeks after the first dose and the third dose, 2 weeks again after the second dose.

Dear puppy owners, it is important to note that the complete vaccination, which is at least 3 doses in this region is what assures you of a good immunity. Giving just one dose or two doses is as good as not giving at all. This is because over the years, we have realised that puppies not completely vaccinated still come down with the diseases when they get exposed to them.

So, get your puppies protected. As soon as they are six weeks, locate a veterinarian close to you for the vaccination of your puppies.

Some persons because of cost have patronised quacks who end up giving the puppies something else. Some of these quacks who are able to access the vaccine know little or nothing about the vaccine, its storage and the likes. They inject the pup and there is a vaccine break/failure and the pup comes down with these diseases, most times, leading to death.

Ovy_Vetcare
182, Abuloma Road,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State,
Nigeria 🇳🇬.

14/10/2022

HOW TO ADMINISTER ORAL VACCINES IN DRINKING WATER TO BIRDS.

Last week, we started the discussion on vaccines, what they do and the different routes of administration of these vaccines. Over time, we have realised some farmers who know about vaccines do not know how to properly administer these vaccines to their birds which have consequently led to vaccine failure.

If you missed this last week, click on the link below 👇👇👇
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=455405943263531&id=100063823877027

ORAL VACCINES in poultry are vaccines that are administered to birds via feeds or drinking water.
So today, we will be discussing how to properly administer oral vaccines to birds via drinking water.

Drinking water is an appropriate method of administration for most vaccines especially live vaccines. Live vaccines, because of their nature have a limited lifespan that must be taken into consideration during administration. The estimated time over which live vaccines should be administered is between 1½ and 2 hours. So the aim while administering vaccine in drinking water is that all birds in the colony should drink the vaccinated water over this period of 1½ to 2 hours.

Live vaccines are also susceptible to antiviral agents so it is important to ensure that the vaccine does not come in contact with disinfectants, chlorinated water, water sanitising agent materials commonly used on farms.

Hence, dear poultry farmer, it is important you take note of the followings for oral administration of vaccines via drinking water.

1. Buy your vaccines from reputable sources who maintain the proper measures in storing these vaccines. It is advised you buy from veterinary stores that have veterinarians who ensure these measures are kept in place.

2. Always go with your cooler and ice packs to buy your vaccines. This is to ensure that while transporting your vaccines to the farm, the cold-chain is not broken. If vaccines will not be used immediately, vaccines should be kept in the refrigerator.

3. Wash your hands thoroughly and ensure you rinse off soap thoroughly.

4. Ensure you mix your vaccine in a clean area and all containers used for this are clean.

5. Ensure that your vaccines vials are not placed on surfaces that can carry trace of disinfectants and consequently contaminate water during reconstitution.

6. To ensure all birds drink the vaccine water and that the water is consumed within 1½ to 2 hours after reconstitution, birds should be deprived of water 2hours averagely but not more than 3 hours . Deprivation of water for more than 3 hours can lead to stress which is not good for vaccination. Also, some birds might not get to drink the water because other birds have rushed and finished up the water before them.

7. Provide enough drinkers so that all birds can easily access the vaccine water if drinkers is not automatic.

8. To calculate the amount of water to reconstitute the vaccine, it is advised that the farmer puts a check and calculate how much water was consumed within 2 hours a day or two before administration of the vaccine and an extra 5% added to quantity of water calculated. You can also consult your veterinarian to know how much water is needed for reconstitution. It is also important to note that the quantity of water for reconstitution differs with the bird type and age of the birds.

9. Vaccination is preferably done in the morning to prevent stress on the birds. Stress on birds during vaccination can affect the level of immunity that will be conferred so that the immunity that should be conferred on the birds as a result of the vaccination is reduced.

10. For farms that their water is chlorinated, it is important that skimmed milk powder is added to the water 20 minutes before adding the vaccine. Skimmed milk is used to neutralize the chlorine in the water. Skimmed milk should be used at the rate of 2-2.5g per litre of water. Some vaccine protectors/stabilisers are also available to neutralize chlorine and some of them come with dyes to help you know which of the birds have taken the water or not.

11. The vaccine vial should be lowered inside the water before the stopper is removed. This is done to ensure all doses of the vaccine is reconstituted.

12. Stir the vaccine in the water with a plastic paddle and serve the birds.

13. Dear, poultry farmer, It is worthy of note that vaccines come in different doses and the number of birds you have is what determines the number of doses of vaccine you should give to your birds. So it is very important you consult your veterinarian to advise on the number of doses of vaccines you should administer to your birds.

Ovy_Vetcare
Ovy Vetcare Services Limited
182, Abuloma Ovy_Vetcareoma,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State,
Nigeria 🇳🇬.

07/10/2022

TGIF💃💃💃💃💃💃

Several times, we have received calls from farmers about how much losses they have recorded, some even lose all their birds, all investment gone and when we try to get to the root of the losses, we realised it has to do with vaccinations. Some didn't even know they should vaccinate their birds, some that know they should have little or no knowledge about vaccination and end up doing the wrong thing leading to severe economic loss.

So, today, we will starting this very important series for poultry farmers.
👇👇👇👇
VACCINATION IN POULTRY

Vaccination plays a very important role in the health management of poultry flocks. Vaccination is done against a particular disease, so that the vaccine for that particular disease is used to vaccinate against that particular disease. This is why we have different vaccines for different diseases.

Therefore, vaccination against a particular disease is done to prevent the disease from infecting your flock. A vaccine for a particular disease is used to vaccinate against that disease and what the vaccine does is to trigger or boost the bird's immune system to produce antibodies that can fight the causative organism for that particular disease. So, vaccination can be likened to preparing enough soldiers that can fight a particular enemy before the enemy comes, so that when the enemy comes, they will be able to overpower and destroy that enemy.

Vaccination in poultry is administered through different routes or modes of administration and this is dependent on the vaccine.

Also, different vaccines have their period of administration i.e they are age-dependent.

THEREFORE, IT IS STRONGLY ADVISED THAT YOU CONSULT YOUR VETERINARIAN BEFORE PURCHASING OR ADMINISTERING ANY VACCINE TO YOUR BIRDS.
.....Next week, we will be shedding more light on how to vaccinate your birds properly......

WATCH THIS SPACE

Ovy_Vetcare
Ovy Vetcare Services Limited
182, Abuloma Road,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State,
Nigeria 🇳🇬.

05/10/2022

Dogs are susceptible to intestinal worms which includes roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms,whipworms and heartworms.

Puppies are highly susceptible to worms as they can pick up worms from their mother's milk.

Dogs get in contact with worms in several ways , from digging in dirts through their constant desire to investigate or sniff at or eat most times what they come in contact with.

Fleas also carry the infective stage of tapeworms so that while dogs are grooming themselves, they swallow the fleas carrying the infective stage of tapeworm leading to worm infestation.

Also, mosquitoes can transmit heart worms to dogs as they carry the larva stage of heartworm. They do this when they bite the dog and inject the heart worm larva into the dog. Heartworms affect the heart and can lead to congestive heart failure.

Worm infestation can be fatal if not attended to on time, that's why it is recommended that puppies are dewormed every 2 weeks from birth until 12 weeks of age, afterwards every month till they are 6 months and then every 3 months.

Ovy_Vetcare
Ovy Vetcare Services Limited
182, Abuloma Road,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State,
Nigeria 🇳🇬

30/09/2022

Many poultry farmers make the mistake of bringing in new birds into their farm without proper cleaning and disinfection of their farms which has led to serious losses.

When you don't clean up and disinfect your farm properly before bringing in new birds, you expose the new birds to diseases which the previous birds have left in that pen. Now, if they are chicks whose immune system is just developing, they come down with these diseases and the farmer begins to run from pillar to post looking for how to treat these diseases. The farmer begins to pump in drugs into the birds and the birds of course end up not performing optimally and for a broiler farmer, the weight gain is affected, some birds might even dies and the farmer begins to count losses.

Dear Poultry Farmer, proper cleaning and disinfection of your pen is very important. Infact, it is one of the determinants of success in poultry farming.

Another error that some farmers make is that they think cleaning up their pen means to just sweep and pack the litter and at most wash with soap and water.

Dear poultry farmer, proper clean up and disinfection of your pen, goes beyond just sweeping and washing the pen with soap and water. A proper clean up and disinfection involves the following steps:

🐔 Remove all birds from the building to be cleaned. The best system is an "All-in, All-out system". This means you bring the birds in all at once and you remove all of them at the end of a cycle.

🐔 Sweep or blow loose dirts, dust off all surfaces, ceiling, walls, cages and nest-boxes. Ensure you remove all cobwebs.

🐔 Soak the pen with water to the level where you can see faecal stains. This will help soften caked faeces for easy cleaning.

🐔 Wash all surfaces in the pen including the windows and roof (You can use a high pressure sprayer for this).

🐔 Rinse all washed areas to remove any harmful residue. This also ensures that the house is completely clean.

🐔 After rinsing, allow the pen to get dried. Drying is important as it ensures better absorption of the disinfectant. It also helps remove micro-organism.

🐔 Disinfect the pen, get a suitable disinfectant and follow the recommended dilutions and administration. Disinfectants can be applied by sprays, aerosols or fumigation. If using a standard sprayer, direct your spray to the ceiling, pay attention to corners and cracks. Ensure you continue down the walls and cover the floor too.

🐔 Disinfect the equipment but ensure you follow the manufacturer's guide for mixing and dilution for disinfection of equipment.

🐔 Allow the poultry house to dry before replacing the equipment.

🐔 It is advised that the clean-up and disinfection of pen and equipment is done at least 7 days before arrival of chicks.

Ovy_Vetcare
Ovy Vetcare Services Limited,
182 Abuloma Road,
Port Harcourt,
Rivers State,
Nigeria 🇳🇬

Monday	08:00 - 18:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 18:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 18:00
Thursday	08:00 - 18:00
Friday	08:00 - 18:00
Saturday	08:00 - 18:00

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