A Survey of Biosecurity Practices as Risk Factors Affecting Broiler Performance on the Delmarva Peninsula

A 10-page questionnaire on biosecurity practices was mailed to 187 growers on the Delmarva Peninsula in October 2000. The growers were selected by three broiler integrators on the basis of flock performance and were classified as cases (bottom 10% performers) and controls (top 10% performers). After two mailings, 71 growers (38%) responded to the survey, of which 47 (66.2%) represented good performers and 24 (33.8%) represented poor performers. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses revealed that increased frequency of sanitizing water lines was statistically significantly associated with good flock performance (P = 0.0449). The presence of wild birds inside poultry houses during grow-out showed a slightly statistically significant association with poor flock performance (P = 0.0633).