destruction and disposal orders HELP

[seminolewind]

Thanks.

Aside from this article below, there is a thing called "animal rights", and mass culling is being looked at as a possible violation.

I do get most of my info from Engormix poultry website, and World Poultry. Engormix website is pretty small flock friendly meaning that they do mention impacts on small flocks more frequently than on other sites.

If you look for information anywhere, note the date. The internet doesn't care if you'll read 1986 material before you get to the 2015 material. It's best to always document your source instead of "I read somewhere"

The big picture to me included a real shocker. WE are the best source of small flock health and well being. There are no other websites that address the backyard owner and effects on small flocks. WE actually realized that Marek's was killing backyard chickens while the professionals were still saying "Marek's is a commercial chicken problem. Small flocks don't have to worry" And it's still that way. WE provide the best gathering of information anywhere for small flockowners. I think it's important to keep information as factual as possible.

​

This is an Engormix article:


Avian Influenza Update and FAQ
Published on: 3/25/2015
Author/s : Brian Fairchild and Brian Jordan (University of Georgia)

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With the recent detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (AI) in commercial turkey flocks in several states, this newsletter is being provided to answer questions regarding this disease. Since December 2014 there have been reports of Avian Influenza in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Minnesota, Missouri, Arkansas and most recently Kansas.

The virus was first detected in wildlife and backyard flocks. Thus far it has been diagnosed in turkey flocks in CA, MN, MO, and AR. This disease is easily passed among birds but it does not easily pass to humans. It is also important to remember that humans will not contract avian influenza through consumption of properly prepared poultry meat and eggs. The information below is provided for use when discussing the AI. It is important to emphasize that no AI has been detected in Georgia as of this date.

What is Avian Influenza (AI)?

AI is a highly contagious viral disease of birds. Its reservoir is wild birds, especially waterfowl. In many cases water fowl are simply carriers of the AI virus and they are not adversely affected. There are AI viruses of low pathogenicity (LPAI - causes mild disease), and other of high pathogenicity (HPAI - causes severe disease and death). Under the right circumstances, LPAI can mutate into HPAI. Avian influenza in any of its forms is bad news. It can make domesticated birds such as chickens and turkeys very sick and may cause high mortality.

Can humans contract Avian Influenza?

The risk of contracting avian influenza from birds is extremely low. AI viruses do not usually infect humans. Rare cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from very close physical contact with infected live birds or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds.

Can I contract Avian Influenza from eating poultry or eggs?

No. You cannot get avian influenza from poultry and eggs that have been properly cooked. Scientific evidence has clearly proven that the process of cooking poultry meat and eggs destroys the AI virus.

What can be done to prevent infection in my flock?

All commercial poultry flocks in Georgia are monitored for AI prior to being transported. If positive, they would not enter the food chain.

One of the most important things is to utilize good biosecurity on your property/farm.

1) Restrict access to your property/farm and flock.
2) Wash and clean clothes, shoes, equipment and hands routinely when working with your flocks.
3) Do not risk disease coming on your property/farm. Do not visit other poultry flocks. Do not share equipment between farms.
4) Do not allow wild waterfowl to have contact with your birds. Do not let wild waterfowl reside on nearby ponds. Do not water your poultry from open water sources. Do not come back to your flock after duck hunting without proper biosecurity precautions.
5) Know the symptoms of Avian Influenza.

• Sudden increase in bird mortality
• Nasal discharge
• Watery and/or green diarrhea
• Lack of energy
• Swelling around the eyes, neck and head
• Purple discoloration of wattles, combs and legs
• Paralysis in Turkeys
• Twisting of the head/neck down under the body in Turkeys

This article was originally published at UGA Cooperative Extension Poultry Housing Tips Vol. 27 no. 1, March 2015. Engormix.com thanks the authors for this contribution.

 

[drumstick diva]

x

thanks for posting that, I read it again!

 

[LaBella]

Rabies is not the issue that AI is. For rabies in the U.S.A. there is strict licensing of dogs and even door-to-door followups if the yearly licenses aren't renewed with absolute veterinary proof of rabies vaccination - therefore not an issue to kill all dogs at the risk of getting rabies - it's a moot point with rabies because of the strict licensing enforcement. AI and chickens only have the agricultural agencies to monitor the epidemic and depend on people who own birds to have the good sense to follow bio-security practices. Unfortunately there are many individuals we can't depend on to be careful about their birds just like there are people who wouldn't vaccinate their dogs if they weren't forced to by licensing laws. People are people and some are careful while some don't care or feel it's not important enough. It only takes a few to ruin it for the many.

Ummm.... This is not the case at all. I have NEVER heard of anyone getting a knock on the door for a rabies follow up. Best case scenario, you get a postcard from the vet, but then they send you a postcard to remind you to trim your animals nails.. And nothing is ever done about the lack of follow through if you don't set an appointment..
But thank you, you have reminded me my mom's dogs are two years past their rabies booster... Long story short my mother got ill and died last year and the dogs were due while she was dying and it';s not been another year, so.. yeah. And there wasn't even a postcard from the vet reminding me, I just remember 2013 I took her to the vet for shots and 2014 she was in the hospital dying, and here we are at 2015..
Where is MY door to door follow up? I almost feel disappointed!!! Just kidding.

I will say that rabies might not be the issue that AI is, but people are more likely to be exposed to rabies than AI especially when AI is not transferable to people and rabies is zoonotic. Bats pass it to cats, lots of cities have raccoon populations, I lived somewhere where the skunks came up to your door, INSIDE the city, and current location raccoons live deep in the inner city, there are plenty of opossum, which are not typically thought of as rabies transmitters because of their low body weight, but it's not ruled out as a possibility., then there are the sewer rats and to make things REALLY fun, there are fixes that live in a huge park that touches a large part of the city..

For the record I am a vet. I have been helping in the ER lists and I still stand by all my statements. This is the first time this strain of high path AI has been in this country, and the worst outbreak in the history of the United States. This is an especially virulent strain and there is great concern it will hit the east coast in the fall. I do not have stock in booties or tamiflu, but I do have friends in the USDA. I have heard how bad it is.

Nope. Don't believe you. Yeah, you probably have friends that work in the USDA, but I don't believe you're a vet. No vet I know of would have such callus disregard for animal life advocating for the destruction for animals that MIGHT have been exposed but thus far have tested negative. Especially when the eggs themselves tested negative.
But I like the boogy man specter... Oh we don't know how it's transmitted, it could have been on the egg packing material, it could have been on the box.. Lawdamercy!!! it could be ANYWHERE!!! No, that's not now empirical evidence works. There has been "mystery infections" where we don't know exactly how the animals contacted AI, but because of the presence of open water, the likely culprit is waterfowl.. There has been empirical evidence of the possibility of transmittance through feedlots but all of these are close to bird to bird transmission. There hasn't been any evidence put forth that not only can AI transmit on packing material or boxes, but with your belief that it's OK to kill animals that MIGHT have been exposed combined with the statements that it COULD be transmitted on dust, it would seem that you're perfectly fine with killing healthy animals on a farm down wind of of a known outbreak, justified by they MIGHT be infected.
And since we have no way of controlling the way the wind blows, based on that, you're fine with killing all the birds in a state with infected birds as well as any state that borders them based on they MIGHT have been exposed. And let's not forget about lateral transmission from humans. If you went to a store where someone that has been affected shops, all your birds need to be killed, you MIGHT have exposed them.
Please.
You can stand by your opinion all you want, it's scare mongering and not evidence based, when the RIGHT thing was done, which is quarantine and testing, which is what a vet worth their salt would support, especially, since again, no case of AI has been found in his birds, not even on the suspect eggs.

 

[allbirds4me]

Quote:

highly pathogenic and low

pathogenic avian influenza protocols were followed ?

this is very important for all of us to know, poultry enthusiasts arm yourselves with your state rules now !
this could happen to any of us at any time , very scary and sad for those who have to go through it.

Davids story is pretty much the same as Johns only with a different ending. He also bought eggs from the same place and was subsiquently tracked down and the eggs and birds were destroyed although the birds tested negative.

The state vet is coming back to haul off and destroy all bedding from the coops and to sanitize coops and pens after David cleans them out. Sorry I don't know how to do screen shots, even though there are over 150 replies to the thread.

Perhaps you can find the information you are looking for here; http://agriculture.ks.gov/AllNewsIt...events-exhibitions-and-sales-issued-in-kansas

thank you for the info.
he should have been given the quarantine period just as John was allowed , I feel there may have been some rules and regs. broke in David's case but not sure.
I found a little bit more thanks to the link you left, n/t to search through it but will later here :http://agriculture.ks.gov/search?in...chidx&searchQuery=avian+influenza&wordsMode=0
if the state did that to my birds I would hunt down the USDA APHIS rules and regs. like a dog ( I'm still looking )
and if I found the proper protocol was not followed they'd have a lawsuit on their hands, my birds mean the world to me not to mention I have thousands invested in them. Was he monetarily compensated for them at all ?

a screen shot may be too small to read but how to do it depends on your operating system. I have windows 7 , the way you do it with that is :
while on the page you would like to take a screen shot of hit the alt key and print screen keys on your keyboard then go to wherever you want to leave it then right click > paste.

 

[chickenvet97]

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&mid=zv94AJqgUct4.kB0Jt6F7NlIM
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?authuser=0&authuser=0&hl=en&hl=en&mid=zv94AJqgUct4.ktIjI0Pz2tn8


The above links are maps of the two strains that are currently infecting the US. To understand the disease a little better watch Dr.Niman's interview.

The USDA epi report

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_he...loads/Epidemiologic-Analysis-June-15-2015.pdf

And another link - Iowa has the most comprehensive website providing information for flock owner.
http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/avianinfluenza.asp

 

[chickenvet97]

​

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&mid=zv94AJqgUct4.kB0Jt6F7NlIM
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?authuser=0&authuser=0&hl=en&hl=en&mid=zv94AJqgUct4.ktIjI0Pz2tn8


The above links are maps of the two strains that are currently infecting the US. To understand the disease a little better watch Dr.Niman's interview.

The USDA epi report

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_he...loads/Epidemiologic-Analysis-June-15-2015.pdf

And another link - Iowa has the most comprehensive website providing information for flock owner.
http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/avianinfluenza.asp

 

[allbirds4me]

ok, this is the closest I have come to SOP... standard operating procedure-per usda guildlines. I know there is more detailed info. out there , written law, just can't find it for now.
maybe the chickenvet97 can enlighten us further ?

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth?1dmy&urile=wcm%3apath%3a%2Faphis_content_library%2Fsa_our_focus%2Fsa_animal_health%2Fsa_animal_disease_information%2Fsa_avian_health%2Fct_avian_influenza_disease

"The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world. As part of the existing USDA avian influenza response plans, Federal and State partners as well as industry are responding quickly and decisively to these outbreaks by following these five basic steps:
1) Quarantine – restricting movement of poultry and poultry-moving equipment into and out of the control area;
2) Eradicate – humanely euthanizing the affected flock(s);
3) Monitor region – testing wild and domestic birds in a broad area around the quarantine area;
4) Disinfect – kills the virus in the affected flock locations; and
5) Test – confirming that the poultry farm is AI virus-free. USDA also is working with its partners to actively look and test for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations

#1 QUARANTINE !!

 

[chickenvet97]

http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/AvianInfluenza.asp

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/downloads/animal_diseases/ai/QA-producerquestionsHPAI.pdf

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/downloads/animal_diseases/ai/ER-DepopDisposal.pdf

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/sop/sop_hpai_biosecurity.pdf

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwdp/pdf/wildbirdstrategicplanpdf.pdf

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/downloads/animal_diseases/ai/QA-MassDepopCarcassDisposal.pdf


The farm is quarantined until depopulation can occur. "Quarantine—restricting movement of poultry and poultry-moving equipment into and out of the control area;"

Federal law gives APHIS the authority to depopulate affected herds and flocks to contain or stop the spread of the disease.

 

[allbirds4me]

http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/AvianInfluenza.asp

allright then, so David in Kansas got the shaft, the DOA there did NOT follow SOP.

Zone Survey and Sampling

• The quarantine order comes from individual states. The USDA sets the specific zone according to the APHIS “Red Book” Response Plan. The minimum size of a State implemented Control Area is 10 km (6.2 miles). A control area is a 3 km (1.9 mile) infected zone + buffer zone. This is an example diagram for a hypothetical infected premise:
• A written quarantine order will be delivered in person to people living with the area. This is signed by the State Veterinarian. Any domesticated poultry identified within the area will be tested using a swab collected from the bird orally or on the cloacal vent.
• The ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Ames is authorized to conduct testing on submitted samples. When delivered prior to 11:30am, they are prepared to provide same-day results. If the owner of the sampled bird has provided their email address, they will receive automatic correspondence via email with the positive or negative test results.
• If the VDL returns a presumptive positive test result, the sample is driven to the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) where a confirmation test is performed to identify the subtype of the virus.
• Will there be a letter sent out informing the owner of the poultry?
  • After the initial sample, there will be a second sample taken two weeks later. After the results from this second test are completed and the quarantine is released, the owner of the poultry will receive a letter with the test results from the office of the State Veterinarian.
• What can be moved outside of the quarantine zone?
  • The State Veterinarian’s office will handle requests for transport of poultry, poultry products, feed, manure, wood chips and bedding from the premises outside the quarantine zone. A permit can be issued.

 

[chiques chicks]

I don't believe anyone here is questioning the severity of the AI issue, I certainly hope not.

The question is, how is the decision made which flocks are destroyed and which are quarantined.

If there is anyone here that would fight having their flock euthanized IF it tested positive, I'd be disappointed.

We understand the threat, both to the commercial industry and our heritage breeds.

That doesn't mean a government agency has the right, under the constitution of this country, to seize and destroy without cause.

I really didn't want to get involved in this, I understand the threat to the industry very well. They are my neighbors, they shop where I do, they contribute to my community. I actually try to limit my contact with farmers to "over the fence conversations" simply to protect their livelihood, not an easy task when surrounded by farms, poultry, cattle and pork, as well as a few exotic species.
That doesn't mean I'm going to deprive myself of animals for my own needs.

We must all do our part in stopping the spread of this diseaese while not giving up our own rights.

I believe John has done this in a responsible manner. It is unfortunate he had to go through what he did for what is right.