Secrets to help chickens fight disease through winter

HAI PHONG Full vaccination, flexible barn management and proactive disease prevention are the solutions of Hai Phong people to help chickens stay healthy through the harsh winter.

The cold and dry monsoons in the North are always a concern for poultry diseases of many households. The harsh weather not only affects the growth but also creates conditions for dangerous pathogens such as bird flu, Newcastle disease to break out,... which can cause serious damage.

Large-scale egg-laying black chicken farm with strict disease prevention process of Mr. Le Ngoc Khiem in Tan Minh commune, Hai Phong city. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

After many bargainings, Mr. Le Ngoc Khiem - Director of Le Ngoc Livestock Company (Tan Minh Commune, Hai Phong City), who has many years of experience with a farm of nearly 10,000 egg-laying black chickens, had to research and develop a comprehensive and scientific disease prevention process to help his chickens stay healthy and maintain stable productivity.

“With the climate characteristics of the North, winter is the most worrying period in terms of disease, especially bird flu. In order for the chickens to have enough resistance to fight, vaccination must be carried out from late autumn,” Mr. Khiem shared.

According to Mr. Khiem, the common mistake of many people is to wait until the weather turns cold before starting to worry about fighting the epidemic. However, the most effective measure is to proactively prevent the disease and be one step ahead.

He explained that such overlapping vaccinations would give the chickens enough time to build up strong antibodies. When winter comes, they will already have a strong immune “shield” to weather the harshest weather and the highest disease pressure.

To be successful, Mr. Khiem applies a disease prevention strategy throughout the year, corresponding to the weather characteristics of each season: In spring, he focuses on preventing humidity, in summer, he prioritizes preventing heat and ensuring backup power, in autumn, he maintains hygiene and prepares for vaccination, and in winter, he focuses on keeping the barn warm and covering it.

Mr. Khiem said that besides disease, the most worrying thing about raising chickens is subjectivity in disease prevention. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

Besides the scientific process, practical experience is also a vital factor. Mr. Do Van Huynh, a household raising 6,000-7,000 chickens in Tien Lang commune, said that the farmer must be like a "doctor" in the coop, always observing and adjusting the farming environment accordingly.

Although winter requires cold protection, the equally dangerous period is the change of seasons, when the weather is humid, lacks oxygen, and is most susceptible to disease. Therefore, applying the correct vaccination process from large breeding facilities and the ability to flexibly regulate the rearing environment according to the weather are two vital factors to keep chickens healthy.

“Raising livestock now depends a lot on experience. We have to pay attention to the difference in temperature between day and night. If it is hot, we increase the fan, if it is cold, we have to reduce it. If we just leave the machine running the same, the chickens will get heat shock,” Mr. Huynh shared.

Mr. Do Van Huynh, who is currently raising 7,000 laying hens in Tien Lang commune, said that breeders need to pay attention to the difference in weather between night and day to avoid damage to their flocks in winter. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

Hai Phong City currently has nearly 2,000 poultry farms and tens of thousands of households with a total poultry herd of about 27 million. Mr. Bui Van Luyen, Deputy Head of the Department of Fisheries, Livestock and Veterinary Medicine of Hai Phong, said that the changing of seasons is a sensitive period when poultry diseases are likely to arise.

Therefore, Mr. Luyen recommends that people pay special attention to good care and nutrition to improve the resistance of livestock, and must carefully cover the barns to protect against cold and moisture. Regarding specialty chicken breeds such as black chicken, he said that although they have better resistance, basically, the disease prevention process must still be strictly followed like that of regular poultry breeds," said Mr. Bui Van Luyen.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/bi-quyet-giup-dan-ga-chong-choi-dich-benh-qua-mua-dong-d782978.html