Expert tips for healthy backyard poultry

Saturday, August 1, 2015

If you own poultry, this information is for you. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering a free webinar and Twitter chat to help new and veteran poultry owners learn more about maintaining healthy flocks.

While good biosecurity is always a good way to protect the health of backyard poultry, it is even more important right now. Highly pathogenic avian influenza cases were confirmed in some areas of the country earlier this year. Proper biosecurity is essential to prevent this disease from entering a flock or spreading to new flocks.

The hourlong webinar will occur on Thursday, Aug. 6, at 6 p.m. To guarantee a place at the webinar, register now at healthybirdswebinar.com and then enter the password: Chickens. A Twitter chat will run alongside the webinar. Join the Twitter chat using #Chickenchat 2015 to get answers to your questions. To submit advance questions for either event, post them on Healthy Harry’s Facebook page.

Andy Schneider and Dr. Jo Anna Quinn will host the event. Schneider, also known as “The Chicken Whisperer,” is a national media personality who serves as the Biosecurity For Birds campaign spokesperson. Quinn is a veterinary medical officer and poultry health specialist with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Dr. Megin Nichols, a health investigator from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will also participate.

These experts will share information and answer questions about raising backyard poultry, how to keep your flocks free from disease and predators, and how to protect your family from disease your birds might spread.

For more information about Biosecurity for Birds, visit http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.

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Media Contact: Taylor Bacon | Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator | 405-744-6728 | taylor.bacon@okstate.edu