29/10/2025
🐔💥 Why Do Salmonella Outbreaks Keep Coming Back?
By Dr. Ssekiwunga Rogers – The Chicken DoctorHimself
If you’ve ever lost birds to Salmonella, you know how painful it is —
poor performance, high mortality, and lost profits. 😞
Over 12 years of working closely with commercial farms across East Africa, I’ve seen one truth:
👉 Prevention is cheaper — and far more effective — than treatment.
Here’s my proven 10-step SOP every serious poultry farmer should follow 👇
🔒 1️⃣ Strengthen Biosecurity
Keep out rats, wild birds, and strangers.
Install footbaths and disinfect entrances — Salmonella often walks in on boots and rodents!
💧 2️⃣ Water Hygiene
Use acidifiers (like Selko pH) and chlorinate water at 3–5 g per 1000 L.
Clean tanks weekly — dirty pipes are a bacteria party!
⚰️ 3️⃣ Dispose of Dead Birds Properly
Burn or bury carcasses daily.
Never dump them near houses or water.
👷 4️⃣ Control Worker Movement
Assign workers to specific houses.
Avoid sharing tools or clothing between units.
🧼 5️⃣ Clean & Disinfect Between Flocks
Once birds are sold, clean, wash, and make the first primary disinfection in the first 10 days , and rest the house for at least 7 days before the second disinfection then final disinfection 3 days later followed by restocking.
💊 6️⃣ Culture & Sensitivity Tests
Don’t guess test!
Always confirm before treating.
💉 7️⃣ Vaccinate Layers & Breeders
This reduces outbreak frequency and severity,so as a commercial farmer, get chicks from proven sources.
🐥 8️⃣ Manage Stocking Density of 10 birds per square metre in broilers and 5 birds per square metre in layers .
Avoid overcrowding
stress = weak immunity.
💦 9️⃣ Misting With Disinfectants
Regular misting keeps environmental bacteria levels low.
🩺 🔟 Post-Mortems Matter
Every death tells a story.
Investigate early act fast.
🚨 If an outbreak happens:
1️⃣ Isolate affected houses.
2️⃣ Notify your vet + take samples.
3️⃣ Treat based on lab results.
4️⃣ Review your biosecurity before restocking.
💡 Remember:
> “When you protect your flock from Salmonella, you protect your profit and your brand.”
> Dr. Ssekiwunga Rogers (The Chicken DoctorHimself,Even Chicken recommendus)
💬 Have you ever faced a Salmonella outbreak on your farm?
What worked (or didn’t)?
Let’s share experiences and strengthen East Africa’s poultry industry together! 💪🐓
👉 Save this post for your next biosecurity review
👉 Tag a fellow farmer who needs to see this.
