SALISBURY, Md.- The Avian Bird Flu is driving some chicken owners on Delmarva to beef up their biosecurity efforts.
Martin Hutchison of Salisbury has a backyard flock of nearly 70 chickens. Hutchison says he is worried about the safety of his flock.
“As someone who has chickens living in the poultry capital of the world, it’s a concern. I really started to get concerned when neighboring countries reported cases. I haven’t heard of any Wicomico yet, but it’s only a matter of time,” said Hutchison.
Hutchison says he is taking extra precautions until cases calm down.
“I have dedicated shoes that I only wear with my chickens. I don’t wear them anywhere else. That’s a big thing. I don’t let anyone on the property near the chickens,” said Hutchison. “All the feed is inside and it’s in containers that wild birds couldn’t get into. You don’t wanna have anything that invites wild birds into the area where the chickens will be.”
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources posted a list of precautions for small backyard flock owners like Hutchison. The department recommends regularly disinfecting and cleaning boots, covering feed and limiting who comes onto the property.
Logan Field has a small flock in Felton Delaware. Field says she is not too concerned about the outbreak but is absolutely taking all of the necessary precautions.
“I’m not really too concerned about it because as always it’s our responsibility to take care of our flock and make sure that we are always upholding biosecurity standards. So we’re just doing the best that we can and we just wanna make sure everyone is aware of it and what we can do to prevent it,” said Field.
“We make sure that we are keeping our birds away from wild animals and birds, and we also are making sure we’re following any standards that the Delaware Department of Agriculture puts out making sure we’re keeping everything clean,” said Field.
Field says it’s important that everyone stay safe.
“Delmarva is a big poultry state so the better we do at following guidelines that they put out the more that we can secure food safety in our region,” said Field.
More information on the Avian Bird Flu from the state of Maryland can be found here.