Anyone concerned about the Swine Flu that owns pigs???

[patandchickens]

Yes, exactly. 'Swhat I said.


Pat

 

[Hobbley_Farm]

What ever it is...it's spreading and it is worrying to me and my family.

 

[horsejody]

Well, I'm not worried about pigs getting it or spreading it. I'm worried about people spreading it. My daughter (who lives 3 hours away) just called me. She said she woke up sick and sweaty in the middle of the night and wanted to know what type of cold or flu meds she should get at the drugstore. She's all grown up but still always asks me these things. I told her to take some advil and a decongestant if she needs it. Then I joked that at least it isn't swine flu because she hasn't been around anybody that has traveled recently. She said, "Oh, that's not true. My boss just got back from Mexico, and he has been sick too."

I'm not one to panic or make wild assumptions, but it is in the back of my mind. I told her to monitor her temp and go to the doctor if there is a fever or she if she starts to get worse. She is one of those people that can't take most antibiotics so the flu can be hard on her if she gets any secondary infections.

 

[hollyk]

I refuse to let my desisions be based on what the media wants to sound the alarm on. We have had chickens in the family for years, never dealt with avian flu. Went to Florida in the "year of the shark attack" no one got eaten. Have been plannig on adding pasture pork to our farm and still plan to do it by years end.

The media machine is simply a fear monger. Any real news gets bumped to make room for things that people will get all excited about.

 

[farmgirlie1031]

There were some hogs at auction today so people actually left the place.

They were scared of the swine flu and didn't even want to stay to buy goats like they had planned on doing. So I guess today it even hurt the goat market some. I know it is going to hurt our landlord who is a pork producer. I would love a pot bellied pig but that is one of the animals I am not allowed to own here since there are 3 of his hog barns right up the hill from our house on the 10 acres we rent. I think it's going to be like when the beef market got hurt by mad cow.

 

[ChickBond 007]

Iowa is the leading pork producing state, and this whole thing has the farmers fuming because the media hype is leading people to avoid pork --- for no reason!

Smart people will go to the locker and buy a half or whole hog and have it packaged and put into the deep freeze this week. Pork prices will drop due to inaccurate thoughts by masses of tv-junkies who don't understand the facts.
Mmm-mmm, bacon-bacon-bacon.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Quote:
And with it being spring and a lot of pigs are producing piglets look for good deals....

 

[DuckyBoys]

Quote:
Yeah, the swine producers want the name changed because of bad publicity but the growing theory is that it originated from a Smithfield farm in the "ground zero" area of Mexico. We got an e-mail about it Wednesday. Apparently Mexican town was over run with flies, the vector that was breeding on the lagoons, and was shut down for "chemical spraying" earlier this month because people were getting sick. Sure would have been nice if they told someone about that BEFORE this all happened.

I'm inspecting a hog farm tomorrow, not a Smithfield, they are 2 weeks from now, so I'll tell ya what these guys say, if anything, about what is really going on. As far as catching it from the pigs, well I'm pretty darn sure that I'll be fine, but my boss did say I didn't have to do any inspections if I felt worried about it, which I'm not.

Smithfield was already in deep financial trouble and to be honest I don't know if they will survive this.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

we have two pot belly pigs and two large pigs at work.
Some of the guests have mentioned the swine flu and asked if we would be removing the pigs from the property. Our answer is "no. you are more apt to get the "flu" from other people and kids. Not from the pigs."
Add that the farm is a closed environment, no pigs going in and out of the gates.. and we are pretty sure that our animals and staff are going to remain healthy.

That said. One of my daughters classmates just returned from visiting family in Mexico. After the winter we had health wise I am not thrilled by this. however I will be taking her or myself to the doctor should we become ill just to be on the safe side. I do not need to be missing more work especially at this point in time with jobs already being hard to come by.

 

[kelliepulido]

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm interesting read