HEADS UP AVIAN INFLUENZA ALERT

[chicknmania]

We just had a case on the next county, and one across the State, Looking forward to educating myself here as I'm new to chickens, Thanks for all the info!

Oh dear. Good luck to you. Are your chickens in a pen? Don't let them free range if you can help it. Please keep us posted!

 

[MiddleofMontana]

Mine are still in a brooder in the garage, I was reading about the Waterfowl, and we lived by ponds and Big Spring Creek, so I plan on being super careful,

 

[chicknmania]

Oh, that's good. Keep them in as long as you can. The director of the wildlife organization I volunteer with said that if it comes here, their birds will stay under roof for three to four months.

 

[HudokFarm]

I live in Minnesota in a county bordering Stearns, where three turkey farms have been infected (as of yesterday, 04/06/15). I have been actively discouraging waterfowl from landing on my property and have been making sure other backyard flock owners in my area are aware of the situation. If it gets any closer, my flock will be on lockdown inside their coop rather than having daily release into a run. It is a scary time, but so far information indicates that the infected sites are not believed to have been cross-infected, but rather new outbreaks close together (i.e. it is not traveling from farm to farm, but suspected to be from wild sources in all situations). Information on the Minnesota situation is best updated at http://www.mnairesponse.info. Good luck everyone!

 

[HudokFarm]

I forgot to add this from Mike, the Chicken Vet's blog: https://mikethechickenvet.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/avian-influenza-again/. Here is an older entry that deals with the concerns of this disease mutating to infect humans: https://mikethechickenvet.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/avian-influenza-how-scared-should-you-be/. And finally, Minnesota Public Radio had a segment with MN officials actively working with our outbreak sites last week. There is some great info here if you have 40 minutes or so to listen and it is not all specific to Minnesota (just click the listen button in the middle of the page: http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/04/02/bcst-avian-flu.

Sorry to overload everyone with links...I enjoy research so I just keep piling up links where I have gathered useful bits of info.

 

[chicknmania]

Great, thank you! You are brave, I think I'd be bringing my flock inside if I were you, even though I hate that thought, especially as we're finally moving into spring from another brutal winter. Best of luck to you and your flock, please keep us advised!

 

[chicknmania]

Is Oxine effective in killing this virus? I'm asking because we have been planning a trip to Lake Erie to view the bird migration through Magee Marsh. We have plans in place to change clothes and shoes before we set foot on our property here, following our trip, and I was going to sterilize our shoe bottoms with washing and oxine, but is that enough? and now I am worried about the car tires, though we will be taking a rental car. Maybe we should just not even bring the car home with us. Or is it safe to even go?

 

[chicknmania]

After listening to the NPR link, I'm pretty sure Oxine following hot soapy water wash would be effective, so I answered my own question. Thanks HudokFarm.

 

[chicknmania]

Now has moved into Des Moines Iowa.

Big chicken farm destroyed. Getting too close for my liking.

 

[enola]

Just tighten up your biosecurity, you should be fine. How close is the nearest commercial farm to you?