Visits of wild waterfowl, which are a potential source of avian influenza, to the surroundings of a poultry house can be almost completely prevented by the use of a laser. This is shown by research by Wageningen Bioveterinary Research.
For the study, a laser was installed in the winter of 2019-2020 on a 6-meter-high mast in the part of the outdoor run that was directly connected to the barn. In that part of the range, 8 widescreen video cameras were installed on 4 meter high poles, so that visits of wild (water) birds could be recorded with a video recorder.
The laying hen farm has been regularly infected with bird flu virus in the past. In the winter period, the laying hens were present during the day in the outdoor range between 10:00 and 17:00. When they were inside the barn, between 5:00 PM and 10:00 AM, the study run was illuminated with a laser. Between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. during the day, grass meadows around the study area were illuminated by the laser.
The visit of wild birds to the study run was recorded for a month without laser use, followed by a month with the laser in use. Without the use of the laser, several mallards arrived on all days examined between sunset and sunrise. Using the laser, wild duck visits to the range were almost completely prevented. In addition, the visits of other wild birds to the range between sunrise and 10:00 am was severely restricted.
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