Most disease agents cannot survive very long outside the chicken and their survival time is reduced by heat. So, how much heat does it take and how long should exposure be to inactivate various disease agents? The table below summarizes data on several important poultry disease agents and their ability to withstand high temperatures.

Heat, like any other method of disinfection, is not effective in the presence of organic material like feces, feathers, or egg material, probably because heat does not penetrate organic debris well. The practical application of heat as a disinfectant may require longer contact times than those indicated in the table above in order to completely dry the environment and heat-inactivate the disease agent.

Heat has been used effectively to disinfect poultry houses contaminated with avian influenza virus. The Minnesota Cooperative Control Program recommends heat to decontaminate poultry houses after the removal of infected birds. The procedures used for turkey houses are described below and may have features, which can be adapted to use in broiler and layer houses. They describe a program that can be used in the absence of complete

Procedure:

• Scrape litter and feces from the sides of the buildings
• Heat the building to 80-90ºF for one week
• Dry clean or wash the walls and ceilings with detergent
• Remove manure and dispose of it by burial or composting
• Wash entire house with detergent
• Clean up outside of house
• Disinfect inside surfaces
• Disinfect dirt floors and a 5-foot area surrounding the house with a 1:10 solution of formalin, one gallon per 10 square feet.
• Allow house to remain empty for 2-weeks after cleanout.

Alternative procedure:

• Scrape litter and feces from the sides of the buildings
• Rototill the litter
• Heat the building to 90ºF or higher. Make sure the heat penetrates all parts of the house.
• Dry clean or wash as above, disinfect walls and ceiling
• Leave the house empty for 2-3 weeks

Always consider the area outside the building contaminated, particularly if the previous flock had avian influenza. Set up your traffic pattern to prevent recontaminating the building from the area outside.