Avian Influenza east coast

[raingarden]

The migratory ducks are preparing to go north. But you also have resident ducks (muscovy, wood ducks and such) that may habve intermingled with the migrants.

Looking at the list of reports, it appears that the agency people doing the sampling have been hitting up the organized structured waterfowl hunts conducted by states on their wildlife management properties (Bear Island, SC for example). When hunting season ends their easy access to ducks for sampling dries up, So, there is a sampling bias that may make it appear that the virus is waning as we move into spring. Time will tell.

 

[Andrea PNW]

Do you know were the list of states its in is? I looked around but couldn't seem to find it.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...e-information/avian/avian-influenza/2022-hpai

 

[indianaducks]

Update from yesterday in Indiana. 5 total turkey farms. 3 in Duboid, 2 in Greene.

Situation Update #6​ As of: February 23, 2022

State of Indiana Response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza​ Note:  New information is highlighted in BOLD ITALIC type.  ​ State of Indiana Response to    Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza     ​ STATEWIDE SUMMARY:  ​ Total number of affected premises =5   Total number of affected counties = 2   Premises by County/Number of flocks  ​ Dubois: 3   Greene: 2   Total number of birds affected in Indiana   Commercial Turkeys: 154,781​

 

[KCNC06]

Does anyone know, from past experience with these outbreaks perhaps, if there's guidance on when we can kind of...relax on this? Not relax biosecurity completely obviously. I've always done things like keeping different shoes for when we visit people who have birds, and I do a full 30 day quarantine in a separate part of the yard when I brought new chickens home. (* Would do I suppose I should say as I haven't added new chickens in many years. I do "quarantine" when adding new ducks too even though I've read/been told this isn't necessary since ducks are apparently super creatures.)
But it appears that this virus has somehow not spread to other parts of NC (which is honestly quite perplexing to me...I don't understand how it's getting to States west of NC without crossing over/spreading through NC but that seems to be the case), and the most recent confirmed case in NC was on 2/17. I can't find anything that tells us if these waterfowl (various types of ducks) at the coast migrate inland as the season progresses or if these birds are migrating north and that's why it's spreading north so much now. I had a couple ideas on how I could potentially convert a couple areas to cover/enclose them so I'd be able to keep the birds closed up but I'm not sure if that's still needed. I'm still thinking I'll get stuff and come up with a plan so we can do it if needed, kind of like having our hurricane supplies ready for hurricane season just in case. But the plastic/tarps for a "roof" and additional netting/screen to wrap around fencing....I'm looking at $300+. If it's not urgent, it might be easier to buy the stuff over time rather than all at once.

 

[artsyrobin]

Does anyone know, from past experience with these outbreaks perhaps, if there's guidance on when we can kind of...relax on this? Not relax biosecurity completely obviously. I've always done things like keeping different shoes for when we visit people who have birds, and I do a full 30 day quarantine in a separate part of the yard when I brought new chickens home. (* Would do I suppose I should say as I haven't added new chickens in many years. I do "quarantine" when adding new ducks too even though I've read/been told this isn't necessary since ducks are apparently super creatures.)
But it appears that this virus has somehow not spread to other parts of NC (which is honestly quite perplexing to me...I don't understand how it's getting to States west of NC without crossing over/spreading through NC but that seems to be the case), and the most recent confirmed case in NC was on 2/17. I can't find anything that tells us if these waterfowl (various types of ducks) at the coast migrate inland as the season progresses or if these birds are migrating north and that's why it's spreading north so much now. I had a couple ideas on how I could potentially convert a couple areas to cover/enclose them so I'd be able to keep the birds closed up but I'm not sure if that's still needed. I'm still thinking I'll get stuff and come up with a plan so we can do it if needed, kind of like having our hurricane supplies ready for hurricane season just in case. But the plastic/tarps for a "roof" and additional netting/screen to wrap around fencing....I'm looking at $300+. If it's not urgent, it might be easier to buy the stuff over time rather than all at once.

Heat will kill it, summer will ease up. I am buying bird netting to wrap runs. In the UK it is seasonal.

Here is the current cases
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewe...965&z=4&mid=1E2wqF61M_F0pc9zOvoEs075hbeDW_Lot

 

[KCNC06]

Heat will kill it, summer will ease up. I am buying bird netting to wrap runs. In the UK it is seasonal.

Here is the current cases
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?ll=33.653751344289034,-86.18668221935965&z=4&mid=1E2wqF61M_F0pc9zOvoEs075hbeDW_Lot

Thank you for that map! Seeing the actual locations as pinpoints on a map helps see locations better than the just the county name provided on the APHIS list. It looks like the closest case was actually about 75 miles away from us but that was in early February. Also good to know that heat should kill it. Hopefully it starts to warm up around here soon. We're getting tired of this abnormally cold weather anyway!

I was planning to buy that screening stuff that they use on chainlink fences for privacy to attach to fences in a large (33'x40') area behind our deck to make that an "enclosure". We already have a duck house under our deck that we use as a nursery/"hospital". I thought I could probably use sunshades and tarps or heavy duty plastic sheeting to make a roof over that space. I could move all my girl ducks in there and then the boys could be closed up in the duck houses if I needed to close everyone up. I wasn't sure if the privacy screen fabric stuff was good enough to "enclose" the space. I had been reading trying to find an answer on that but got frustrated with not being able to find an answer. I wasn't sure if the enclosure just needed to keep wild birds from getting in and interacting with my birds, or if they could get sick from just breathing germs in if a bird happened to poo out virus in our yard. Since it can be transmitted in poo I assumed plastic/solid something over top was best to keep wild birds from dropping poop into my bird yard.

I'm still hoping it has passed its peak here in NC. I read an article with an interview from a woman in Maine who had to have her whole flock euthanized after a couple of her chickens died and others tested positive. I had a disabled duck who became my best buddy last year. She was with me inside all the time, slept next to me at night and everything. She died VERY suddenly in November (appeared that she had a stroke - I was holding her in bed when she passed), and that was extremely difficult. Which is putting it mildly. I had to have her cremated because I couldn't stand the thought of burying her and potentially leaving her behind some day if I ever get to move. (By the way...the cost to cremate a 4 lb duck is insanely expensive.) Anyway. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have to lose all your birds in one day like that.

 

[artsyrobin]

Thank you for that map! Seeing the actual locations as pinpoints on a map helps see locations better than the just the county name provided on the APHIS list. It looks like the closest case was actually about 75 miles away from us but that was in early February. Also good to know that heat should kill it. Hopefully it starts to warm up around here soon. We're getting tired of this abnormally cold weather anyway!

I was planning to buy that screening stuff that they use on chainlink fences for privacy to attach to fences in a large (33'x40') area behind our deck to make that an "enclosure". We already have a duck house under our deck that we use as a nursery/"hospital". I thought I could probably use sunshades and tarps or heavy duty plastic sheeting to make a roof over that space. I could move all my girl ducks in there and then the boys could be closed up in the duck houses if I needed to close everyone up. I wasn't sure if the privacy screen fabric stuff was good enough to "enclose" the space. I had been reading trying to find an answer on that but got frustrated with not being able to find an answer. I wasn't sure if the enclosure just needed to keep wild birds from getting in and interacting with my birds, or if they could get sick from just breathing germs in if a bird happened to poo out virus in our yard. Since it can be transmitted in poo I assumed plastic/solid something over top was best to keep wild birds from dropping poop into my bird yard.

I'm still hoping it has passed its peak here in NC. I read an article with an interview from a woman in Maine who had to have her whole flock euthanized after a couple of her chickens died and others tested positive. I had a disabled duck who became my best buddy last year. She was with me inside all the time, slept next to me at night and everything. She died VERY suddenly in November (appeared that she had a stroke - I was holding her in bed when she passed), and that was extremely difficult. Which is putting it mildly. I had to have her cremated because I couldn't stand the thought of burying her and potentially leaving her behind some day if I ever get to move. (By the way...the cost to cremate a 4 lb duck is insanely expensive.) Anyway. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have to lose all your birds in one day like that.

i read that article, it is heartbreaking and how fast it kills, and netting the pens in like they do in the UK might be the best option, just so birds can't get in. There are some webinars going on with current info too. I'm more visual and that map helps alot.

 

[raingarden]

i read that article, it is heartbreaking and how fast it kills, and netting the pens in like they do in the UK might be the best option, just so birds can't get in. There are some webinars going on with current info too. I'm more visual and that map helps alot.

Netting doesn't keep the poop out. If you have a sparrow/starling/dove problem now and put up mesh, the vermin birds are just going to sit on the roof and look longingly at their old feeding grounds below.

If the reinforced vinyl tarps are too expensive, then use inexpensive polyethylene sheet (Visqueen or something like that). At the corners and along the sides where the tarp would have a gromet, bunch a small rock up in the poly sheet and tie a line off around it.... like a sachet or something. Then use the line to tie the plastic sheet down tight. It looks ghetto and won't last for long, but the HPAI won't last long either.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Thank you for that map! Seeing the actual locations as pinpoints on a map helps see locations better than the just the county name provided on the APHIS list. It looks like the closest case was actually about 75 miles away from us but that was in early February. Also good to know that heat should kill it. Hopefully it starts to warm up around here soon. We're getting tired of this abnormally cold weather anyway!

I was planning to buy that screening stuff that they use on chainlink fences for privacy to attach to fences in a large (33'x40') area behind our deck to make that an "enclosure". We already have a duck house under our deck that we use as a nursery/"hospital". I thought I could probably use sunshades and tarps or heavy duty plastic sheeting to make a roof over that space. I could move all my girl ducks in there and then the boys could be closed up in the duck houses if I needed to close everyone up. I wasn't sure if the privacy screen fabric stuff was good enough to "enclose" the space. I had been reading trying to find an answer on that but got frustrated with not being able to find an answer. I wasn't sure if the enclosure just needed to keep wild birds from getting in and interacting with my birds, or if they could get sick from just breathing germs in if a bird happened to poo out virus in our yard. Since it can be transmitted in poo I assumed plastic/solid something over top was best to keep wild birds from dropping poop into my bird yard.

I'm still hoping it has passed its peak here in NC. I read an article with an interview from a woman in Maine who had to have her whole flock euthanized after a couple of her chickens died and others tested positive. I had a disabled duck who became my best buddy last year. She was with me inside all the time, slept next to me at night and everything. She died VERY suddenly in November (appeared that she had a stroke - I was holding her in bed when she passed), and that was extremely difficult. Which is putting it mildly. I had to have her cremated because I couldn't stand the thought of burying her and potentially leaving her behind some day if I ever get to move. (By the way...the cost to cremate a 4 lb duck is insanely expensive.) Anyway. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have to lose all your birds in one day like that.

This is such a wonderful idea! I need to go through and clean out under my deck first but this sounds like something that could be done in a weekend. This is one area that the wild waterfowl don't frequent, but I wonder if I should treat the ground with anything before moving them to that area. I would love to move my big ducks and Bantams together but with drakes, I think that's really risky for my ducks. I do think I could split the area under the deck to move all of them there but keep them separated. Thank you for such a wonderful idea! I'm so sorry for your loss

 

[KCNC06]

Netting doesn't keep the poop out. If you have a sparrow/starling/dove problem now and put up mesh, the vermin birds are just going to sit on the roof and look longingly at their old feeding grounds below.

If the reinforced vinyl tarps are too expensive, then use inexpensive polyethylene sheet (Visqueen or something like that). At the corners and along the sides where the tarp would have a gromet, bunch a small rock up in the poly sheet and tie a line off around it.... like a sachet or something. Then use the line to tie the plastic sheet down tight. It looks ghetto and won't last for long, but the HPAI won't last long either.

This is what I've been curious about regarding creating a "closed" pen area and haven't been able to get a clear answer on it. It seems like a good number of people say that bird netting over the top is enough because it keeps wild birds out, but if an infected bird poops while flying over, that infected poo could still fall into the pen. I guess that's a lot of "ifs" though. We don't have a sparrow/starling/dove problem here, not that I've noticed anyway. We do have some Carolina Wrens that nest on our front porch every year but they don't seem to go into the fowl yards to eat. The only bird feeders I put out around my house are my hummingbird feeders and I haven't seen anything about hummingbirds getting AI. My first two hummingbirds did arrive a couple days ago...I'm very much hoping that they're somehow a species that doesn't get AI for whatever reason. I've spent several years attracting a good size hummingbird swarm, I've had a good 60+ at my feeders at one time.

Anyway. I definitely understand what you're saying about the top needing to be some sort of solid material like tarps. That's what I had been thinking but then kept reading that bird netting is enough since the goal is to keep wild birds from interacting with the pet birds. I'll admit I have been hoping that the bird netting would be good enough because I'm concerned about the pens getting too hot if I'm using tarps as the covers. The area behind our deck that used to be a garden, the area that's big enough to have space for all my outdoor girls but still small enough to cover, is pretty much the only part of our property that gets full sun for most of the day. So it tends to be the hottest part of the yard. I personally couldn't care less about how ghetto it looks. We've had a new neighborhood go in next to us on land that used to be 100 acres of hardwood forest. The forest got cleared and now its a bunch of $800k+ houses in treeless yards. I'm not a people person...so a super ghetto white trash yard sounds like a great view for them. My view of a beautiful forest got ruined, I'd rather not give these new neighbors something pretty to look at...because I'm mean I guess.