We attended a friend's memorial service today & someone learned we had chickens asking about the AI threat & why they were paying the same price at a local egg farm for half the eggs they used to buy. People are unhappy about egg prices asking why AI is rampant as if I have the solutionFor my Vet. Assistant course I had to pick an animals disease and do a report on it - I chose AI. There was a study done in India a couple of years ago that found in high temps (I don't remember the degrees Celcius, but it was around 110 degrees F). At that temp, AI dies within 48 hours. They tested it at 4 different temps (in both wet and dry poop samples). at the lowest temp (4 degrees C, so around 39-40 degrees F), it lived and was viable (infectious) up through 8 weeks in both wet and dry samples. There is anecdotal evidence it can survive indefinitely at freezing temps ( no studies I found on this, though). So, this seems to be why it is so prevelant in colder temps. Sun and heat kills it. They also believe that waterbirds (ducks, geese, terns, gulls, etc) act as reservoirs for the disease year to year. Seems like it will not get better until the heat comes back.
Please all, keep your chooks safe. Unfortunately, with the huge pines (hence, no way to put a full roof/netting/etc), I can't keep wild birds out, and I am petrified.
I told them so far as I know wild waterfowl or wild birds are being blamed & that we haven't even put out Hummingbird feeders for the last 3 years.
If I beat myself over every regret in life I'd be bruised black & blue all over!
