H5N1/HPAI on the rise

[ctrstandards]

Here in Utah we have had 7 reported cases of H5N1 in back yard flocks. At first the state vet had the owners cull the entire flock, but now if only one or two hens have symptoms they would test and if positive only cull the infected birds.

We have not yet taken measures to protect our chickens from wild birds feeding with our hens. We had a close call last summer, but the state vet said the hen in question had a respiratory cancer and tested negative for any pathogens. (The hen is question died just an hour before the vet arrived). A thread on X:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1799826622163632621

It will take a lot of work for us to secure our coup and hens from wild birds.

What measures have you all taken or plan to take?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Here in Utah we have had 7 reported cases of H5N1 in back yard flocks. At first the state vet had the owners cull the entire flock, but now if only one or two hens have symptoms they would test and if positive only cull the infected birds.

We have not yet taken measures to protect our chickens from wild birds feeding with our hens. We had a close call last summer, but the state vet said the hen in question had a respiratory cancer and tested negative for any pathogens. (The hen is question died just an hour before the vet arrived). A thread on X:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1799826622163632621

It will take a lot of work for us to secure our coup and hens from wild birds.

What measures have you all taken or plan to take?

I've done nothing. Mine all do rotational free ranging. I did suspect LPAI(Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza), went through my flock, but no more signs of it.
I did zero culling, unless the bird was really bad. I want to build immunity in my birds for hardiness.

But want to avoid if at all possible: MG, AL, & Marek's Disease. Those are a big no no.

 

[Perris]

It will take a lot of work for us to secure our coup and hens from wild birds.

What measures have you all taken or plan to take?

Garden birds are not a problem. Faeces from waterfowl (esp. ducks, which carry and spread H5N1 but don't suffer from it) and shore birds (esp. gulls) can harbour it, as can that from birds of prey that catch and eat birds that are sick with HPAI (e.g. buzzards, owls), so they are the species you need to look out for, and if they fly over your property, prevent them from using any pond or other water body near your flock.

Perhaps your state or federal govt monitor wild bird cases. For comparison, this is the sum total of species and cases in the UK in 2024, arranged from week 1 to week 52

Species (Positive)	Species (Latin)	Pathotype	Total
Whooper Swan (1)	Cygnus cygnus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Mute Swan (2)	Cygnus olor	H5N1 HPAI	2
Canada Goose (1)	Branta canadensis	H5N1 HPAI	1
Gannet (1)	Morus bassanus	H5N1 HPAI	1
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N1 HPAI	1
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Common Buzzard (1)	Buteo buteo	H5N5 HPAI	1
Sparrowhawk (1)	Accipiter nisus	H5N5 HPAI	1
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
Common Buzzard (1)	Buteo buteo	H5N5 HPAI	1
Red kite (1)	Milvus milvus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Peregine falcon (1)	Falco peregrinus	H5N5 HPAI	1
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
Sparrowhawk (1)	Accipiter nisus	H5N1 HPAI	1
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
Great Black-backed Gull (1)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	1
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
Great Skua (1)	Stercorarius skua	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great skua (1)	Stercorarius skua	H5N5 HPAI	1
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
Great Black-backed Gull (1)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Fulmar (1)	Fulmarus glacialis	H5N5 HPAI	1
Pheasant (20)	Phasianus colchicus	H5N5 HPAI	20
Herring gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Skua (3)	Stercorarius skua	H5N5 HPAI	3
Great Black-backed Gull (3)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	3
Great Skua (1)	Stercorarius skua	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Black-backed Gull (1)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (3)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	3
Common Gull (1)	Larus canus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Kestrel (1)	Falco tinnunculus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Black-backed Gull (1)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Black-backed Gull (2)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	2
Herring gull (2)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	2
Fulmar (5)	Fulmarus glacialis	H5N5 HPAI	5
Fulmar (3)	Fulmarus glacialis	H5N5 HPAI	3
Cormorant (1)	Phalacrocorax carbo	H5N5 HPAI	1
Fulmar (1)	Fulmarus glacialis	H5N5 HPAI	1
Gannet (1)	Morus bassanus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Black-headed Gull (1)	Chroicocephalus ridibundus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Skua (1)	Stercorarius skua	H5N5 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Black-backed Gull (3)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	3
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (3)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	3
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Black-backed Gull (2)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	2
White-tailed Eagle (1)	Haliaeetus albicilla	H5N5 HPAI	1
Gannet (1)	Morus bassanus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Greylag Goose (1)	Anser anser	H5N1 HPAI	1
Common Buzzard (2)	Buteo buteo	H5N5 HPAI	2
Gannet (1)	Morus bassanus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Mallard duck (1)	Anas platyrhynchos	H5N5 HPAI	1
Red kite (1)	Milvus milvus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Herring gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Common Buzzard (1)	Buteo buteo	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Black-backed Gull (1)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Black-backed Gull (1)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	1
White-tailed Eagle (1)	Haliaeetus albicilla	H5N5 HPAI	1
Pheasant (4)	Phasianus colchicus	H5N5 HPAI	4
Red kite (1)	Milvus milvus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Barn Owl (1)	Tyto alba	H5N5 HPAI	1
Pheasant (3)	Phasianus colchicus	H5N5 HPAI	3
Common Buzzard (1)	Buteo buteo	H5N1 HPAI	1
Common Buzzard (1)	Buteo buteo	H5N1 HPAI	1
Sparrowhawk (1)	Accipiter nisus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (3)	Larus argentatus	H5N1 HPAI	3
Red kite (1)	Milvus milvus	H5N5 HPAI	1
No positive birds reported	Not applicable	Not applicable	0
Herring gull (2)	Larus argentatus	H5N1 HPAI	2
Great Black-backed Gull (1)	Larus marinus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (1)	Larus argentatus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Common Gull (1)	Larus canus	H5N5 HPAI	1
Mute Swan (1)	Cygnus olor	H5N5 HPAI	1
Great Black-backed Gull (1)	Larus marinus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Peregine falcon (1)	Falco peregrinus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Greylag Goose (1)	Anser anser	H5N1 HPAI	1
Great Black-backed Gull (1)	Larus marinus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Herring Gull (2)	Larus argentatus	H5Nx HPAI	2
Greylag Goose (1)	Anser anser	H5N1 HPAI	1
Peregine falcon (1)	Falco peregrinus	H5N1 HPAI	1
Greylag Goose (1)	Anser anser	H5N1 HPAI	1

The threat from wild birds is liable to be exaggerated by people who do not look at the figures or the species involved.
The whole table - and those for years past - can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-in-wild-birds

 

[Perris]

further to the above, I now know that the US govt do monitor wild bird cases too. Here is the link for those who want to know which species, how many, and where exactly, cases of HPAI have been detected in wild birds in the USA
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestoc...an/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/wild-birds

 

[Debbie292d]

We've got our silkies all on the prevention dosage x2 of Chinese Skullcap/Biacalin (10.6g/50#).

If you desire further info, the group name on FB is at the bottom of the chart.

 

[Sylver Queen]

We've got our silkies all on the prevention dosage x2 of Chinese Skullcap/Biacalin (10.6g/50#).

If you desire further info, the group name on FB is at the bottom of the chart.
View attachment 4019036

Thank you for this!