Biosecurity? REALLY?

[TeamChaos]

I think about this a lot too- I get in a thought loop of: "My birds like being outside, there are predators and disease risks outside, better lock birds up, but there are health risks to being locked up and birds like being outside..."
So yeah, I just try to stay vigilant. We've got wild birds all over the farm- fortunately(?) my roosters don't appreciate the little ones trying to mooch seed and they chase them off (although I'm positive the little birds are right back in after the seeds as soon as a rooster turns his attention elsewhere).
Sure there are flies and mosquitoes, just like every other spot on the farm.
I've seen a few pheasants moving through the pasture next door to the coop and of course I was immediately worried about my chickens' health but at some point I kind have to throw up my hands and figure things will have to balance out somehow.

 

[CityChicker]

As several people have said, domestic birds definitely can be infected with various things by wild birds. In fact, if you call your state vet's office or sometimes even a county extension office or the Division of Wildlife, they will usually be able to tell you what diseases are common among the wild birds in the area. HTH.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Now I'm intrigued.....how could you know this? I'm curious how you found out the source. I've seen millions of wild bird droppings in my life and have never seen tape worm segments of any kind. Did a vet site this source or was this an educated guess?

I've been free ranging for years and have never seen worms of any kind in my chicken's stool...I'm wondering why some flocks get them, some do not, if its convenient to site wild animals as the source or if this has truly been isolated as the primary source. If so, by whom? And scientists paid for by agribiz funds don't count in my book.

According to the vet tech I gave the poop samples to be tested, she said there has to be an intermediate host that gets infected eating the eggs of tapeworms and are passed in it's feces. That's how she explained it to me.... that being infected birds deposting eggs in their poop and my chickens pecking and apparantly getting them like that. Edited to remove flaming

I know that dogs and cats get tapeworms, are they species specific or can chickens get the same type of tapeworm? Also, a vet once told me that tapeworms are somehow connected with fleas....still don't know how that can be.

I'm sorry if my earlier question sounded aggressive...it wasn't. I'm just truly curious and want to know. I've read this over and over on this site about wild birds giving chicken flocks diseases but I've never met anyone in real life that this has happened to...at least, not that they could confirm for absolute certain that it came from a wild bird source. My family has been raising chickens for generations and I can honestly say they were never treated for worms nor came down with any diseases or illnesses, especially nothing that could be attributed to wild birds.

I know that birds can give other birds mites, lice, etc. but usually this is from continual close contact, not just walking on the same grass or from small and occasional dropped feces.

 

[Ema]

I was just looking up this topic just last night as I sat with my sick son watching treehouse :-/

well I came to the conclusion there isn't much I can do to be honest. in the area I live I have tons of birds from wild ducks, to grouse, pheasants, herons, geese, ravens, hawks, owls, whiskey jacks, blue jays just to name a few I could go on forever with this list, but it doesn't end at birds we got bears, and moose, fox, bobcats, lynx, weasels, darn chipmunks, skunks galore. Each and every animals is a potential threat.

but its not like I can ban every animal off my land. But if it sounds odd, sorry, I prevent my friends who have chickens to enter the coop and run cause you never know. they already know why but if they want to see my chickens they can look from outside of the run

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
THANK YOU!!!

 

[woodmort]

I'm very conscious about biosecurity primarily by not allowing anyone that has chickens to enter my coop or chicken yard nor will I add birds from another flock--all additions come in as day-olds from a hatchery or eggs to be incubated. I also try to limit contact with wild birds by normally feeding my chickens inside the coop--I toss the scratch and BOSS on the coop floor as a way to minimize major contact. However, when free ranging the birds do hang out under our feeder picking up anything that falls and we have migratory birds through here all the time-- a big flocks of robins has been hanging here all week--since we're on a major flyway. I always figure that since there aren't any other chicken flocks near me, wild birds probably won't transfer diseases from them to me. It is kind of a crap shoot that way. I worry less about wild mammals--many times our back yard looks like a scene out of Bambi with wild turkeys, deer and rabbits mixed in with the chickens.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
THANK YOU!!!

In the old days birds were local and not exposed to flocks from all over the country. If a flock in one town came down with a deadly disease it would die off or be culled, even if it infected the other flocks in town. Today with the exchange of birds we have and the exposure during shows and swaps things are very different from the old days. It's globalization of our chicken population along with all the diseases too.

You both obviously don't seem to to take this very seriously and I can relate with that. I never took it seriously either until I lost an entire flock due to lack of biosecurity. I hope neither of you suffer the same thing.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
THANK YOU!!!

In the old days birds were local and not exposed to flocks from all over the country. If a flock in one town came down with a deadly disease it would die off or be culled, even if it infected the other flocks in town. Today with the exchange of birds we have and the exposure during shows and swaps things are very different from the old days. It's globalization of our chicken population along with all the diseases too.

You both obviously don't seem to to take this very seriously and I can relate with that. I never took it seriously either until I lost an entire flock due to lack of biosecurity. I hope neither of you suffer the same thing.

I think that NYREDS is a show judge??

*i may be wrong though..*

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
In the old days birds were local and not exposed to flocks from all over the country. If a flock in one town came down with a deadly disease it would die off or be culled, even if it infected the other flocks in town. Today with the exchange of birds we have and the exposure during shows and swaps things are very different from the old days. It's globalization of our chicken population along with all the diseases too.

You both obviously don't seem to to take this very seriously and I can relate with that. I never took it seriously either until I lost an entire flock due to lack of biosecurity. I hope neither of you suffer the same thing.

I think that NYREDS is a show judge??

*i may be wrong though..*

So then it appears we have a show judge downplaying biosecurity or was simply agreeing with the statement "we overthink things too much". Everyone has a right to their opinion.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I worry about my flock and coop. BUT I have squirrels and wild birds in the coop and run everydat...Then I have my closest neighbor's guineas come thru my yard at least once a month. They scratch and peck around for hours and roost on my chairs....poop everywhere and then leave!! Then I go out = rake and wash down everything before I let my girls out... But I have quarantined all my new birds...