A key prerequisite for a healthy, productive goose flock – alongside optimal housing conditions and the best possible provision of feed and water – is to prevent, as far as possible, the introduction of pathogens and their spread within the flock. The measures required to achieve this on the farm are collectively referred to as ‘biosecurity measures’. These include hygiene (cleaning and disinfection) as well as structural measures (e.g. paved forecourts and access routes, fencing, maintenance of the facilities and building fabric of sheds, hygiene sluices) and various management measures (e.g. wearing protective clothing, order and cleanliness on the farm, control of visitor traffic, pest control, handling of sick and dead animals).
Biosecurity measures must be planned on a farm-by-farm basis and implemented consistently on a daily basis to ensure a good biosecurity status. It is advisable to draw up a biosecurity plan and coordinate it with the attending veterinarian. Where there is a high risk of infection, the biosecurity plan can be supplemented by vaccinating the geese to prevent clinical disease in the flock (see Chapter 4, Vaccinations).
The farm’s operational structure also affects biosecurity status: the more contact a flock of poultry has with other animals, the greater the risk of pathogens being introduced. Farms with multiple animal species (particularly cattle and pigs) should ensure strict separation of the housing and care of different animal species. Different age groups within the goose flock should also be strictly separated from one another to minimise the risk of pathogen transmission.
Further guidance on biosecurity measures can be found in the Friedrich Löffler Institute’s factsheet “Protecting poultry”.
(Image: Jule Schättler, LWK Lower Saxony)
Biosecurity measures to prevent pathogens from entering the barn
- Sanitisation station at the stable entrance (changing shoes, hand hygiene, protective clothing)
- Controlled visitor access (keep stables locked; enter stables only in protective clothing worn exclusively in that stable)
- Use of hygienically safe feed, water, bedding and enrichment materials
- Feed storage in closed, clean containers (inaccessible to wild birds and pests)
- Regular cleaning of equipment and vehicles used in the barn
- No manure storage near the stable
- Continuous rodent control
- Monitoring of pest infestations (e.g. flies, beetles, mites) and control where necessary
- Tidiness and cleanliness in the vicinity of the barn
- If well water is used to water the geese: regular (annual) microbiological testing of the drinking water
Biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction of pathogens into the open field
It is impossible to completely protect free-range geese from exposure to pathogens. However, several bird species are often susceptible to a particular pathogen, and other animal species can also transmit pathogens to geese, albeit less frequently. Measures that prevent geese from coming into contact with other animals therefore help to improve biosecurity, even in free-range systems.
- No open-air areas in the immediate vicinity of bird resting or breeding areas
- Fencing of the open-air area
- Wild bird-proof feeding (e.g. covered) and watering points
- Regular cleaning of feeding and watering facilities (to remove any potential contamination with pathogens from wild birds or similar)
- Entry into the animals’ living area only with protective clothing (minimum: boot covers or a change of footwear)
Even with the consistent implementation of the biosecurity measures listed, the introduction of pathogens can never be ruled out with 100% certainty. In addition to measures to prevent the introduction of pathogens, hygiene measures that prevent their proliferation and spread within the flock and its immediate surroundings are therefore extremely important for maintaining good health status in productive flocks of geese.