Poultry

Temperature, ventilation, feed and water systems, litter conditions, stocking information, alarms, power interruptions, and equipment-maintenance records can help reconstruct the conditions under which a flock was housed. USDA APHIS poultry-industry guidance identifies feeders and drinkers, temperature, ventilation, litter conditions, mortality records, and bird distribution as relevant poultry-house observations and records. The significance of any particular condition should be evaluated in the context of the species, production stage, housing system, and event under review.

A suitably qualified poultry expert may review visitor and vehicle controls, cleaning and disinfection practices, facility access, wildlife exclusion, equipment movement, flock separation, written procedures, and records of biosecurity measures in effect during the relevant period. USDA APHIS distinguishes structural biosecurity, involving the construction and maintenance of poultry facilities, from operational biosecurity, involving the practices and procedures followed by people working with poultry. Whether a bird had a particular disease or why illness occurred may require Veterinary or other specialized animal-health expertise.

Useful materials may include flock-placement and inventory records, mortality and culling logs, feed and water records, body-weight data, egg-production information, hatchery or chick-placement records, housing diagrams, temperature and ventilation histories, alarms, utility records, litter information, equipment-maintenance records, biosecurity plans, photographs and video, veterinary records, incident reports, and communications. USDA NASS poultry data likewise distinguish production measures for layers and eggs, broilers, and turkeys, illustrating why the relevant records vary with the type of poultry operation.