Avian Flu.

[speckledhen]

If I recall, the beef industry was decimated in Great Britain when they pre-emptively slaughtered herds of cattle, millions of head of cattle, to supposedly prevent the spread of mad cow disease back in the mid-80's. It was a long, long time before it recovered and I don't know if it fully recovered, was not clear on that. They did not test herds prior to the slaughter, either. Of course, chickens don't get "mad chicken" disease and I am not at all clear how killing healthy backyard flocks within a certain area of a discovered hot spot is supposed to stop the spread of any disease if it's wild birds spreading it. Let's just say I will not be registering my flock, whether they make it a law or not. None of their business what's here.

I hope this uproar vanishes as fast as the West Nile stuff did. We get "the sky is falling!" then, nothing comes of it.

 

[JRNash]

Your right.

 

[JRNash]

Have to admit,I hope nothing EVER comes of any if it. In any case blind panic won't accomplish anything. Another thing to add to the mix, with the way the government (U.S.) reacts,typically a day late and a dollar short. Anything they do will be to appease a panicked public. It will be much to late to stop by the time they act

 

[JRNash]

And with the way influenza mutates and spreads I just don't believe we have the ability to stop it.

 

[speckledhen]

And with the way influenza mutates and spreads I just don't believe we have the ability to stop it.

As in, they always have the vaccine for past years' flu? I never get flu vaccines. I never get the flu, or haven't since my kids were little (and my oldest will turn 40 in April). I can't remember the last time in my life when I had it, but it was a very loooong time ago. In fact, I refuse vaccines altogether now, but that's another story for another time. Maybe if we had folks building their immune systems as much as they pamper their chickens, they wouldn't have to be so worried. I'm not at all worried about my own health as far as this avian flu stuff and my birds are currently healthy as well, just waiting for the next shoe to drop on the backyard flock regulation stuff.



By the way, Kentucky just issued a ban on swaps/flea markets/auctions/shows (in-state birds only), though individual farm sales are not included. There is no way they could regulate that anyway. They've already been through this before, about a year ago.


Here is the Kentucky ban:

Quote:

The Georgia memo says NOTHING about eggs, nothing, and why folks are saying hatching eggs are included is beyond me. Part of the memo says "join the National Poultry Improvement Plan". WHY? WHY? WHY? What the heck good will that do my chickens? NO good is what. They'd love for everyone to sign up scared.

see this?

Quote:

Enroll in the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP)

Um, no.

 

[JRNash]

I do get the the flu shot and pneumonia shot each year on docs orders. Lungs are scarred from previous bouts of pneumonia. The vaccines are a throw of the dice. Sometimes they work,most times they don't. (In my case) Just got over pneumonia AGAIN. I don't really medicate my birds. Ive wormed them once in the last 3 years. I generally dispatch weak or sickly birds and feed them to my catfish. Now that I think about it, I have no way of knowing if the vaccines have helped or if I've been LUCKY.

 

[JRNash]

I hope my comments haven't put anyone off. I dearly love to argue even when I'm wrong.lol

 

[speckledhen]

I hope my comments haven't put anyone off. I dearly love to argue even when I'm wrong.lol

Not at all. I am just more than a little suspicious of government programs that are for our "protection", so some probably think I'm paranoid. Well, it ain't paranoia if they're really out to get you! And I do believe many of these state vets are against backyard flocks altogether. I wish I could remember who it was, but someone told me she spoke to a state vet thought folks should not keep chickens at all, that they should all be commercial. That attitude can lead to some hefty restrictions and any hint of disease will give them an excuse, IMO.

People are still talking about hatching eggs being restricted when the memo from GA says nothing of the kind. Also, it says nothing about being NPIP or you don't sell anything. If you call them, they'll tell you whatever they want, but if it is not written, it doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned. I know the health of my birds so I'm going to conduct business as usual. I never get birds at swaps/auctions/flea markets nor do I go to poultry shows.

 

[Kiki]

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/06/bird...e-chicken-flock-on-tyson-contracted-farm.html

This "flu" didn't just happen according to this article..

 

[JRNash]

Speckledhen, Winston Churchill said,"Even paranoids have enemies." And I agree with every word!!