How can the poultry industry effectively respond to the blizzard and freeze disaster and ensure production safety?With the frequent invasion of winter cold waves, some parts of China, especially the northern region, often face severe challenges from blizzard and freezing disasters. For the poultry farming industry, this extreme weather not only poses a serious threat to poultry facilities, but may also directly affect the health and survival of poultry, and then affect the stability of the entire industry chain and the economic benefits of farmers. Recently, the Shandong Provincial Animal Husbandry Station and the Jinan Comprehensive Experimental Station of the National Broiler and Layer Industry Technology System issued the "Technical Guidance on Emergency Response to Poultry Blizzard and Freezing Disasters" in the industry, providing valuable guidance strategies and emergency plans for poultry farms.
First of all, strengthening awareness of prevention is a prerequisite for ensuring that the poultry industry survives the blizzard and freezing disasters. Heavy snowfall can cause widespread power outages, water sources freeze, and heating systems to be paralyzed, which can quickly deteriorate the living conditions of poultry and even lead to major safety incidents such as shed collapses. Therefore, farmers must establish a strong sense of risk prevention and control, and pay attention to it ideologically, so as to take precautions in action.
Stockpiling materials in advance is an important part of disaster prevention and mitigation. Before the onset of bad weather, the farm should ensure sufficient food, drinking water and necessary anti-epidemic medicine reserves, and be equipped with generators and backup oil to start its own power supply in time in case of power supply interruption, and maintain the operation of basic lighting and insulation facilities. In addition, in view of the problem that water pipes are prone to ice and burst, it is necessary to use insulation materials to wrap the water supply pipes and set up water storage tanks in case of emergency.
The repair and reinforcement of infrastructure is even more urgent. For open-air or semi-enclosed poultry houses, it is important to carry out a comprehensive safety check, especially to reinforce the roof structure, add support points, and use materials with strong pressure resistance to prevent collapse due to heavy snowfall. Clean up the snow on the roof in time to reduce potential safety hazards; At the same time, the walls, doors and windows of the poultry house are sealed to improve their thermal performance.
Adjusting the feeding management method is also an effective measure to cope with cold weather. Poultry in a low temperature environment has an increased metabolic rate, decreased resistance, and is susceptible to disease. To this end, farms should adjust their feed formulations to provide energy and protein-rich feeds to enhance their bird's ability to withstand cold. Maintain the appropriate temperature in the poultry house, and balance the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the house through the positive pressure ventilation system, so as to avoid respiratory diseases caused by poor ventilation, and at the same time, it can also ensure the freshness of the air and reduce the concentration of harmful gases.
Pay close attention to the weather forecast information and develop a flexible contingency plan according to the actual situation. Once a blizzard warning is received, the farmer should promptly activate the emergency plan, reasonably evacuate the flock, and move to a more sturdy and warm shed; If possible, the stocking density can be reduced to reduce the risk of disease transmission. At the same time, personnel are strengthened on duty to ensure 24-hour uninterrupted inspections, and dangerous situations can be reported immediately and corresponding remedial measures can be taken.
In the face of the complex situation brought about by the blizzard and freezing disaster, relevant departments, industry associations and technical service institutions at all levels should also play an active role in providing technical support and policy guidance to help farmers reduce losses. Through training activities, we will improve the ability and level of practitioners to cope with extreme weather, and promote the development of the poultry industry in a more scientific and refined direction.
In the face of blizzard and freezing disasters, the poultry breeding industry must establish and improve the prevention mechanism, combined with professional guidance, fully mobilize its own resources, strengthen infrastructure construction, optimize the feeding management program, and form a joint force with the best departments and social forces to jointly build a comprehensive and multi-level disaster prevention and mitigation system. Only in this way can the poultry breeding industry protect the life safety of every poultry in the harsh winter, realize the sustainable and healthy development of the industry, and make important contributions to ensuring national food safety and increasing farmers' income. Let us work together to help the poultry farming industry survive the cold winter and welcome a new chapter of spring!