Keep Small Flocks Salmonella-free

Take precautions to keep your small flock and their eggs free from salmonella.

The caged chicken versus free-range chicken debate seems to rage on even in light of the more than 500 million eggs recalled in recent weeks.

Most in the egg industry still insist that raising hens in battery cages is actually better for the hen and the safety of the egg. Just this year, the United Egg Producers, a leading U.S. egg industry trade group, announced that caging hens is better for food safety.

The U.K. egg industry takes the completely opposite stance. In the past five years, nine studies have been completed throughout the U.K., all of which indicate that egg operations with caged hens have higher incidences of salmonella. These studies were so convincing that the U.K. has enacted legislation making it illegal to cage hens anywhere in the U.K. beginning in 2012.

Even though U.S. studies seem to contradict those in the U.K., the U.S. stance that caged eggs are safe is starting to crack. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed state legislation to ban caged hens by 2015, and many food sellers, such as Wal-Mart, Safeway, Burger King, Wendy’s and Subway, have committed to decrease the number of caged-hen eggs purchased.

I don’t cage my hens. Do I have to worry about salmonella?
Does this let the small-flock farmer who free-ranges hens off the hook? Not hardly. All the studies in the U.S. and the U.K. found many other influences that increased the incidence of salmonella besides keeping the birds in cages. Darrell Trampel, DVM, a veterinarian and poultry expert at Iowa State University, says there are recorded cases of salmonella in all sizes and types of flocks, including those that are raised organically and free-range. It’s important, even in the small flock, to take steps to reduce your chances of salmonella infection.

Small Farm Biosecurity
Salmonella is transmitted among chickens through contact with fecal matter from infected birds or other animals. It’s often carried from flock to flock on the clothes and shoes of farm visitors or the people who care for the chickens. It’s important to restrict visitors to your flocks to limit the chickens’ potential for exposure.

Salmonella is fairly resilient and long-lived. Trucks and other vehicles that might carry the bacteria from another facility should be routed through the farm so their path doesn’t cross with that of the caretakers who might pick it up on their shoes.

Read about other tips for chicken disease prevention.

Rodent Control
Salmonella is usually spread by mice and other rodents. It’s important to keep the chicken feed in a sealed container. If hens feed outside, bring food in at night and store it in rodent-proof areas. Keep the coops in good condition and well-ventilated with tight construction to prevent mice from entering. Also eliminate weeds and piled debris that attract rodents in the chicken yard.

Clean Coops
Remove manure and damp litter as it accumulates in the chicken coop. Clean waterers weekly and feeders regularly. Hang the feeders and waterers high enough to prevent the chickens from defecating or digging dirt into the containers. Clean and disinfect any used equipment immediately upon purchase, even if you aren’t going to use it for a while.

Vaccinate Your Flock
In the U.S., vaccines are sold in doses of thousands to accommodate the factory farm, which can make it tough for the small-flock farmer. Bud Wood, from Murray McMurray Hatchery, talks about the dilemma facing the small-scale poultry farmer.

“To be fully covered for salmonella, the birds need to be vaccinated multiple times. We could vaccinate them once here at the hatchery, but the customer would need to vaccinate them again twice more,” he says. “The biggest problem is we can only get the vaccine in 5,000 or 10,000 dose units, and it needs to be used within hours of opening.”

Small-scale farmers could go together to vaccinate their flocks, but careful coordination would be required to ensure viability of the vaccine. Watch for updates in vaccination distribution, and encourage veterinarians and legislators to make small quantities of the salmonella vaccine available to small-flock farmers.

Good Egg Hygiene
According to Gail Damerow, author of Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, the first line of defense in keeping eggs safe to eat is to keep nests clean and lined with fresh litter. Eggs should be collected often and stored immediately after collection at 45 degrees F. Eggs that are seriously soiled, cracked or leaking should be discarded.

To be completely safe, eggs should be completely cooked with a solid yolk and firm white. For more information about egg handling, visit the Egg Safety Center and FoodSafety.gov websites.  

This summer, members of Maryland’s agricultural and environmental community launched the Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program, which recognizes farmers who are good stewards of their natural resources and are using appropriate best-management practices to protect the Chesapeake Bay.

Two Maryland farms were officially certified in the new program as part of the launch spearheaded by the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts: Ernst Grain and Livestock in Clear Spring and Rinehart Orchard in Smithburg.

The purpose of the Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program is to recognize farmers who are using best-management practices on their farm to eliminate significant erosion or nutrient loss, says Don Spickler, Maryland’s Washington County district supervisor. The farms undergo a regulatory inspection of their nutrient-management plan by the Maryland Department of Agriculture to ensure compliance with the state’s Water Quality Improvement Act.

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service supplies technical support within the FSCAP core partnership team and assist in the development of the Agricultural Conservation Stewardship Certification Standard.

“For 75 years, NRCS has worked with private landowners across the country to help design and implement conservation practices that meet sound technical standards,” says Jon Hall, Maryland’s NRCS state conservationist. “We welcome the opportunity to showcase farmers who have installed conservation practices to address natural resource concerns on their ag land.”

Speaking on behalf of the 30,000 farm and rural family members of Maryland Farm Bureau, Valerie Connelly, the bureau’s director of governmental relations, welcomed the new conservation program as a way for farmers to showcase the conservation efforts they have accomplished.

“Maryland farmers have worked diligently over the years to install best-management practices on their farms to manage farm nutrients and minimize any soil loss. This program provides a tool for farmers to be recognized for their past efforts,” Connelly says. “As we move into the next stage of Bay restoration activities, it is important that these past efforts be recognized and that farmers are assisted in determining if there are other opportunities for advancing conservation activities on their land.”

Farmers who become certified under the FSCAP programs will only undergo inspections every three years by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, as long as they submit farm reports on a regular basis, according to Buddy Hance, Maryland’s secretary of agriculture.

Recipients of the certificate Carlton Ernst and his son, Steve raise grain, hog and sheep at the 500-acre Ernst Grain and Livestock Farm. They have incorporated a variety of techniques on their farm to manage nutrients and minimize sediment loss, including the implementation of an animal-waste storage structure, filter strips, cover crops, crop rotation, residue management no-till, prescribed grazing and riparian forest buffers.

John Rinehart and his son, J.D., of Rinehart Orchard also received certification as part of the launch. They grow 200 acres of peaches and 300 acres of apples in their orchards. Among the best-management practices carried out on the Rinehart farm are an agrichemical handling facility, pest management, nutrient management and conservation crop rotation.