H5N1 found in South Carolina

[Reiki Rooster]

I just saw this and wanted to share so people are aware

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-identifies-bird-flu-strain-found-south-carolina-duck-2022-01-18/

 

[Tonyroo]

Thanks for the post, it's good to know.

 

[speckledhen]

There have been numerous bird flu scares in the 16 years since I've had chickens. IMO, they are mostly fear-mongering. Your well-managed flock in the U.S. is most likely not going to ever encounter this and people cannot contract it unless they handle dead or live birds that are infected. If you see a dead wild bird, be sure you don't touch it, just burn the body or bury it deeply after sprinkling with hydrated lime, which is always a good practice anyway. My chickens have free ranged among wild birds for the entire time I've had them, through many of the bird flu scares and never contracted a contagious illness. I hope folks don't panic. I even did a video about it on my Youtube channel if you're interested Stop Panicking Over Bird Flu and Ice Age Farmer also has a good one up. I know from all these years that much of this is being used to begin curtailing the keeping of backyard flocks so just be cautious, take what they say with a grain of salt.
I am in N. Ga at the NC line, by the way.

 

[theoldchick]

Always good to be aware and take measure to protect your flock.

 

[swamphiker]

Always good to be aware and take measure to protect your flock.

What do protection measures look like for backyard flocks? All of the resources I've found on the USDA website are for production flocks or waterfowl hunters. I've seen people saying to keep chickens indoors for 30 days, but that would be pretty challenging for most of us and I'd like to learn more about the specifics.

 

[speckledhen]

Always good to be aware and take measure to protect your flock.

True, but how can you really protect your flock from something like this other than normal biosecurity? Can't really put a bird-proof dome over your property. I've seen so many folks in utter panic on YouTube, folks that literally know nothing about poultry, thinking they'll contract this themselves out of thin air. Just want to keep down unnecessary panic.

 

[speckledhen]

What do protection measures look like for backyard flocks? All of the resources I've found on the USDA website are for production flocks or waterfowl hunters. I've seen people saying to keep chickens indoors for 30 days, but that would be pretty challenging for most of us and I'd like to learn more about the specifics.

There really are none unless you can dome over your property. Regular biosecurity stuff like don't buy started birds, etc. is what everyone should do all the time. I've free ranged mine for 16 years among wild birds without any issues at all. Unless a bird that literally has the virus flies into your coop battering itself against the walls and dies and yours eat it, there isn't as much danger as they are making it out to be, IMO. These scares come and go. Many state vets do not believe we should even have backyard flocks and this feeds into that, lots of misinformation out there. There isn't even any danger from eating eggs or meat from an infected bird. Looked it up awhile back when I made my YouTube video about it, just to be completely sure.

By the way, is this a new thing on BYC, that every time I reply to any random thread, they automatically subscribe me to it? I've unsubbed quite a few lately that I wasn't wanting to follow. Seems a new thing. Not a fan, personally. NVM, I see what happened. Somehow that was checked in my preferences without me actually doing it. Fixed.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

Thanks for the heads up, @Reiki Rooster. I’m near Savannah now so this is very relevant to me.

I’d like to share my experiences with Rabbit Hemorhagic Disease from last year. There was an outbreak out west and the advice was to implement strict biosecurity for your rabbit barns, as RHDV2 could be passed easily, even by flies. Well, my rabbits were in a closed colony on the ground and I would not put them in cages or a barn because of ethical considerations. My rabbits did catch RHDV2 (from a stray cat, probably) and I lost 7 out of 12. I was the only reported domestic case in the state of Wyoming at the time. Did I do the right thing? I don’t know. My rabbits led the best lives that I could provide and I didn’t let them suffer if they got sick. I believe they would have mentally suffered if I put them indoors in cages, completely opposite of how they had been raised.

I feel the same about the poultry. The regulations I’ve seen in the UK seem reasonable and I am willing to restrict my birds to a run if necessary, but I won’t go further than that. I’d rather have no poultry than keep them indoors all the time.

The only change I would advise for anyone near the outbreak area is to think about culling early if you have any meat chickens. It is a really bummer to be waiting for an animal to reach “just the right size” and have a disease kill them instead. Then you have heartbreak on top of empty freezer space.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Back yard flocks can engage in mitigation- things they should already be doing. Don't put wild bird feeders in or close to your run. Don't leave accessible uneaten food out to attract the wildlife, Don't leave pools of standing water to breed mosquitoes, etc.

It's life, there are no guarantees, just pick a reasonable place to draw the line in modifying your chances with mitigation efforts, and adjust as needed as information helps you better evaluate risk.

 

[Reiki Rooster]

I am also in ga by the sc/ga line, I’ve had chickens free range and also penned for the past 8 years. Thankfully the only issues I’ve had have been stray dogs (having my male mark his territory around my pens and property solved that prob)

I believe all knowledge is valuable to have and that’s why I posted this. I am so grateful for all the YouTube to watch now and all the advice. Just bc something has worked for me for the past 8 yrs doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way. Thank you to everyone who’s replied