Mainali Chunu, Houston Ilona
Animal Policy and Epidemiology Section, Animal Health Branch, Animal Health and Assurance Division, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, O.S. Longman Building, 6909 116th Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6H 4P2.
Avian Dis. 2017 Mar;61(1):46-54. doi: 10.1637/11460-062716-Reg.
The distribution, composition, and management characteristics of small "backyard" poultry flocks may have important implications in the spread of both avian diseases and zoonoses of public health concern. Although the prevalence of small poultry flocks has increased in Alberta, Canada, in recent years, there is minimal demographic information available for these populations. To gain initial epidemiologic insight into this growing population and potential areas of risk, a survey was conducted to characterize the sector. Information on flock demographics and bird health, as well as production and biosecurity practices, were gathered and analyzed from 206 surveys, representing respondents from 43 counties. These results revealed great diversity of both owners and flocks, characterized by wide variations in flock sizes and composition. Laying hens were the most commonly reported type of bird (93.4%), followed by ducks and geese (35.3%), turkeys, (33.8%), and broiler chickens (33.1%). Notably, 58.1% of owners reported having more than one type of bird in their flock, with many owners never, or only sometimes, separating flocks based on species or purpose. Personal consumption (81.8%) and sale of eggs (48.2%) were the most frequently cited purposes for owning a flock. Our findings suggest that owners in Alberta are predominantly new to production; most (73.1%) have kept birds for less than 5 yr and 25.6% for less than 1 yr. Flock health parameters revealed inconsistent use of medical interventions, such as vaccinations, treatments, and veterinary consultation. Data on the sourcing, housing, and movement of birds, as well as movement of people and visitors, reveal substantial potential for contact to occur directly and indirectly between flocks and humans. Additionally, basic husbandry and biosecurity practices were found to be inconsistent and often inadequate, highlighting important gaps and opportunities to improve the health of Alberta's small poultry flocks and mitigate risks to public health. These quantitative and qualitative results provide a baseline characterization of the sector and identify risks and challenges that may serve to inform the development and delivery of future study and interventions.
小型“后院”家禽群的分布、组成和管理特点可能对禽病和公共卫生关注的人畜共患病传播具有重要影响。尽管近年来加拿大艾伯塔省小型家禽群的数量有所增加，但关于这些群体的人口统计信息却极少。为了初步了解这一不断增长的群体及其潜在风险领域，开展了一项调查以描述该行业的特征。从206份调查问卷中收集并分析了有关禽群人口统计学、鸟类健康以及生产和生物安全措施的信息，这些问卷代表了来自43个县的受访者。结果显示，养殖户和禽群具有很大的多样性，其特点是禽群规模和组成差异很大。蛋鸡是最常报告的禽类类型（93.4%），其次是鸭和鹅（35.3%）、火鸡（33.8%）和肉鸡（33.1%）。值得注意的是，58.1%的养殖户报告其禽群中有不止一种禽类，许多养殖户从不或只是偶尔按品种或用途分隔禽群。个人消费（81.8%）和出售鸡蛋（48.2%）是拥有禽群最常提到的目的。我们的研究结果表明，艾伯塔省的养殖户大多是生产新手；大多数（73.1%）养殖禽类的时间不到5年，25.6%的养殖户养殖时间不到1年。禽群健康参数显示，疫苗接种、治疗和兽医咨询等医疗干预措施的使用不一致。有关禽类的来源、饲养和移动以及人员和访客流动的数据表明，禽群与人类之间直接和间接接触的可能性很大。此外，发现基本的饲养和生物安全措施不一致且往往不足，这突出了改善艾伯塔省小型家禽群健康状况和降低公共卫生风险方面的重要差距和机会。这些定量和定性结果提供了该行业的基线特征，并确定了可能有助于为未来研究和干预措施的制定与实施提供信息的风险和挑战。
