Coop Wear – Why You Shouldn’t Wear Your Coop Boots to the Local Feed Store

Your feet can track nasty things into your poultry yard. Even though it may be a bit of a badge of honor to walk into the local feed & grain in your best pair of dirty muck boots, you really
shouldn’t. Well, you could get two pairs and save one for the feed and grain and one for your poultry yard. (You can’t help but feel like a truly authentic farmer when you don the
muck boots.)

But any place where lots of different poultry owners convene can be a hot spot for diseases. People can track various bacteria, viruses, and parasites into the store, and other people can pick them up on their foot wear and track them home. If you can’t wear a different pair of boots, then at least disinfect and thoroughly clean them before walking where you keep your chickens.

The same holds true for any place where poultry people are converging. Poultry Shows, State Fairs, Swap Meets, etc. all have the potential to expose your footwear to diseases. These are high-risk situations where you may want to change your clothes completely before you enter your own poultry facilities.

And don’t forget visitors to your poultry yard. Be cautious about allowing people who own poultry or are exposed to a lot of farms or poultry yards into your property. This includes people like cooperative extension agents and inspectors. I keep a box of disposable plastic booties that can be easily pulled over boots for such visitors. Sometimes people get a little put-off or insulted when I ask them to use the booties, but they really should understand simple biosecurity and be more considerate.

It is very hard to keep your poultry yard totally and perfectly biosecure, but everything you do makes the environment your birds are living in a bit safer. Check out our other Blog articles in our Biosecurity Series for more info.