The Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board estimates
there are about 12,000 small flocks in the province, all of them with fewer
than 300 birds and therefore not requiring quota or membership in the marketing
board.
And it says its survey of small flock owners indicates they
pose only a low risk of starting a devastating disease outbreak in the
industry.
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| Growing flu vaccine |
The board has yet to decide how it will deal with the data
it collected. There was speculation from some that the board might use the
survey as an excuse to crack down on the small flock owners.
The board says in its current newsletter that:
The majority of small flock owners practice acceptable
production management including flock inspection, disposal of dead birds and
cleaning between flocks;
Approximately 40 per cent monitor barn temperature and test
water for bacteria;
Approximately one-third of survey respondents reported having
implemented new biosecurity practices as a result of educational materials
provided in the last two years, and
Few (3.2 per cent) have contact with commercial poultry. Those
who do primarily encounter them at provincially-inspected processing facilities.
Getting a
handle on small flocks in the midst of an outbreak of a highly-contagious
disease, such as a deadly strain of avian influenza, can be difficult, as
California officials learned in 2010.
Not only did
they have trouble finding the flocks, but also faced angry owners when they
moved to slaughter the birds. Among the owners were breeders of fancy strains
kept for many generations and illegal fighting cocks.
