After a notifiable disease or endemic disease outbreak, it is recommended all external structures of the shed be decontaminated first, before the same happens for internal structures. Structures such as the outer shed walls, mini vents, gutters, rodent baiting stations, silos, conveyor belt, egg collection room, control room and other structures present outside the shed should be thoroughly washed and sanitised as per the instructions above. Cleaning and sanitisation of these structures is crucial after a disease outbreak.
It is essential all mortalities from the batch of birds are removed from the farm site and disposed in a biosecure manner before wet cleaning commences. This includes BiobiNs (see Appendix 8), and the commercial owner of the BiobiNs must be informed of the potential risk of the composting material and the requirements for cleaning and sanitising the BiobiNs before reuse.
For free-range farms, decontamination of the range area must not be ignored, especially post disease outbreak. Vegetation in the range area must be trimmed, and the trimmings and other organic material must be securely disposed either in BiobiNs (see Appendix 8) or composted. In addition, feathers, dead leaves, hay bales and other organic material must be removed from the range area. Particular attention must be paid to the area around the pop holes – there is usually a build-up of organic matter around that area. If there are concreted areas around the perimeter of the shed, consider washing and sanitising the concreted perimeter.
Feathers on non-flammable surfaces that are hard to remove, such as fences, can be burnt using a flamethrower provided it is safe to do so (e.g. not during total fire ban season). Next, fences and gates must be washed and sanitised. Ensure all surfaces are thoroughly soaked with the sanitiser. Careful consideration should be given to ensuring any equipment burnt is fire resistant.
The range area can be decontaminated using quicklime (slaked lime) or calcium oxide. To use quicklime, the range must be dampened with water. About 0.25 kg of quicklime will be required per m2 of range area. In addition, 0.5-1 L of water per m2 will be required to wash the ground covered in quicklime. See Alphin et al. (2009).
A step-by-step decontamination guide for routine end-of batch cleanouts and a separate guide for post a disease outbreak are included in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2.
