Contact: Fred Hall, 817-884-1946; fmhall@ag.tamu.edu
FORT WORTH – As we move into cooler temperatures this fall, backyard flock owners will step up biosecurity and best management practices to protect their flocks.
“Cooler temperatures mean a renewed concern for lots of poultry diseases, especially avian influenza,” said Fred Hall, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent in Tarrant County. “Plus, we change management from minimizing heat stress to bird comfort when we have high daytime temperatures and cooler nights.”
To help flock owners, the AgriLife Extension office in Tarrant County will join the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to present a Biosecurity for Birds webinar from 1-2 p.m. Aug. 11. The program will be held in the Fort Worth Room at the AgriLife Extension office in Tarrant County, 200 Taylor St. in Fort Worth.
Poultry experts will share biosecurity steps for keeping flocks healthy and disease-free along with tips for preparing for winter, Hall said.
There is no fee, but registration is required online at: http://agrilife.org/urbantarrantag/program-registration.
Hall said anyone can access the webinar online by registering but that the intent of the program is for backyard producers to attend the program in person to allow for more in-depth discussions on topics followed by a question and answer period.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reminds citizens that an ongoing salmonella outbreak has sickened at least 611 people in 45 states, including Texas, and that the outbreak has been linked to live poultry in backyard flocks.
Texas is home to one of the largest backyard chicken flock populations in the nation, Hall said. To minimize the spread of salmonella, the Texas Animal Health Commission emphasizes the use of proper biosecurity, which will be covered during the webinar.
For more information, contact Hall at 817-884-1945 or fmhall@ag.tamu.edu. .
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