Biosecurity practices in commercial chicken farms: Contributing factors for zoonotic pathogen spread

Objectives: Infectious diseases pose significant challenges to poultry production, with biosecurity measures crucial in disease prevention. This study aims to assess biosecurity practices across various commercial chicken farms in Bangladesh, offering valuable insights for improving disease prevention. Methods: Between July and December 2021, a survey was carried out across eight country divisions, encompassing 4846 commercial farms. A pre-structured questionnaire was used to collect data, and a biosecurity scoring system was developed to evaluate the level of biosecurity implementation on farms. Results: The overall mean biosecurity status of commercial chicken farms was 52.7. Layer chicken farms exhibited better biosecurity scores (mean score: 55.9) than Sonali (mean score: 50) and broiler chicken farms (mean score: 53). Internal biosecurity practices (mean: 57.9) were generally better than external biosecurity practices (mean: 47.5). Among internal biosecurity measures, flock management scored highest (mean: 90.4), while dead bird and waste management scored lowest (mean: 41.7). Regarding external biosecurity, visitor access control was relatively strong (mean: 86.4), whereas farm location, infrastructure, wild and domestic bird management, and vehicle access management were identified as poor. Layer chicken farms had better vaccination practices (mean score: 85) than broiler and Sonali farms (mean score: 29). Conclusions: This study's findings highlighted the biosecurity status of commercial chicken farms, providing useful insights for further improvement. Strengthening biosecurity in commercial chicken farms improves poultry health and farm productivity and is crucial for reducing the transmission of zoonotic pathogens.