HEADS UP AVIAN INFLUENZA ALERT

[Briza]

Whether you hate them or not the USDA has a job to do and the only boneheaded move they have made is to not get on this faster and shut down interstate movement of birds until this is over. Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, etc.... are a few examples of states where grown birds, eggs or chicks were shipped and now have this devastating virus. As for my farm, I allow no visitation and never have, birds taken to shows are quarantined for weeks before reintroduction to the main population this is the only wise thing to do. I will not show nor will I buy, sell or otherwise until this as completely passed. While Oklahoma has yet to have a positive test for AI in this outbreak we have border states that have seen this come to pass and I do not want it here. Each person here is culpable for the decisions they make and have to live with them, if you wish to test the statistical odds then so be it, I will play it safe and continue to raise my birds as securely as I possibly can and when this is all over hope that shows are still allowed and that interstate shipping and moving of non-commercial birds is a reality.

Did I miss something? This map doesn't have any of those states on it. As far as I knew, there was no bird flu in those states.

 

[MrsBachbach]

This is just not true. Mutation can happen in any flock, big or small. It's not just about mutation in one flock, but spread to other flocks and wild birds. Remember that while low path AI may be a silent infection in wild birds, high path is deadly in ALL birds. It is also highly contagious. It only takes one mutation to go from low path to high. This is why AI can start out as low path and by the end of the week become high path within the same flock.

It is not just about individual flocks. As backyard farmers, many of us do not practice tight bio security. As another poster mentioned, we go to the feed store, to friends houses, etc. all it takes is ONE virus particle. ONE. To spread to other birds, both wild and domestic. A sparrow or mallard could pick that up and spread the virus to who knows how many other sources. THIS is why depopulation is so important. The AI virus may not be able to survive long outside the environment, but just because a flock comes up negative the day the tests are run, does not mean two days later there won't be a positive. The virus can still be spread via fomites (objects or people on which the virus can travel) a few days after the virus is picked up by that object.

I think there is a lot of misinformation or lack of understanding when it comes to the epidemiology of this virus. That alone explains why controlling this virus swiftly and efficiently is so important. It is not that the USDA does not care about small flock owners, but leaving this uncontrolled is a disaster waiting to happen. Look at what happened to the swine industry when the swine flu epidemic happened. The industry tanked and it was determined the virus had not even originated in pigs. In fact, it was a human virus transmitted by workers in swine barns that gave it to the pigs. That industry is still seeing the effects.

So yes, it is about money and te poultry industry, but it is not JUST about that. As another poster mentioned, this is about public health and wildlife health just as much as it is about preventing this illness in the animals. This affects every single one of us, whether we own chickens or not. The cost of chicken products (eggs and chicken can be found in so very many things!), the wildlife this will affect, as well as the keeping of chickens as pets. It is a very multifaceted issue, which is why the USDA is also monitoring wildlife. You cannot control disease without monitoring ALL sources, and right now migratory birds are a major issue. Biosecurity in wildlife centers is just as important as they are on poultry farms.

There are some great books out there describing the epidemiology of avian influenza, which I highly recommend. Many can be found right on the Internet as PDFs. I think it is important to understand these concepts fully in order to even begin to understand why these decisions are being made.

In the instance of the backyard flock owner on BYC who was originally ordered to depopulate his flock - yes, he originally tested negative, but the fear was that the virus could be still be present somewhere on his farm. It is much easier to depopulate a high risk negative flock than it is to take the risk of having that flock later test positive and then having to test and depopulate flocks around him. In that instance, he was the only one in the area that was high risk due to the shipment of eggs, but had he come up positive in the course of quarantine, the problem would have been so much larger and could have ultimately been prevented with depopulation in the first place. He was very lucky, but there is a good chance of any high risk farm not being so lucky. So to alleviate the response needed, depopulation of negative flocks is sometimes a necessary evil.

True, the virus can mutate at any time. I never said it couldn't happen in a small backyard flock. I said the chances were slim. The higher the density of birds, the greater chance the virus has of replicating.

You want to explain why this country has gone for years and years with low path AI without having to deal with the high path variety? Low path has been in the bird population for many, many years is my understanding. Seems like it would have mutated long ago. It certainly had the time and opportunity to do so. There have been many backyard flocks out there for generations with exposure to wild birds and yet, no high path epidemic until this past year. And it seems to show up mostly in commercial flocks.

 

[Gentry1350]

Does anyone have a CURRENT link to a map that shows confirmed cases? Someone posted a link about 4-6 weeks ago, but it is now "invalid". (Or a list of recent confirmed cases with dates listed?)

 

[chiques chicks]

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/porta.../sa_detections_by_states/ct_ai_pacific_flyway

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

This is the APHIS map.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/porta...DJ0MjDzdgy1dDTz9wtx8LXzMjf09TPQLsh0VAZdihIg!/

 

[mymilliefleur]

Following.

 

[TherryChicken]

Ok good news for here. The AG Department said they don't test them :/. So we called out vet. The vet said that it is most likely due to mommas picking up moldy dog food caused from our weather n feeding to the babies and them dying. They said even if it was AI, once it gets over 90 degrees, it kills the AI. So we're safe.

 

[chicknmania]

Ok good news for here. The AG Department said they don't test them

. So we called out vet. The vet said that it is most likely due to mommas picking up moldy dog food caused from our weather n feeding to the babies and them dying. They said even if it was AI, once it gets over 90 degrees, it kills the AI. So we're safe.

Hmmm.

 

[TherryChicken]

Hmmm. 

Yeah odd but they deal with birds and exotics

 

[TalkALittle]

Ok good news for here. The AG Department said they don't test them :/. So we called out vet. The vet said that it is most likely due to mommas picking up moldy dog food caused from our weather n feeding to the babies and them dying. They said even if it was AI, once it gets over 90 degrees, it kills the AI. So we're safe.

I don't understand. You were insistent that you'd never seen this many dead birds before. You were concerned that it was AI and were all "I need to know either way" and worried for the safety of your flock. But now you're okay with your regular vet giving you a diagnosis over the phone that points to moldy dog food? That's all it took to get you to decide your all safe? No USDA test? No examination of the birds? Not the word of a wildlife biologist or the AG dept? Given your earlier adamant arguments, I'm surprised you accepted that.