How are you preventing Avian Flu in your flock?

[Brooks_]

Florida confirmed several cases today.

Also had a two positives a couple weeks back.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

KY, IN... It's getting close to me. . I would not want my birds culled either... but I'd make that sacrifiice to keep it from spreading, if that's what it takes. There's always next year. Or even sooner. 100 days? That's three months and ten days. One hundred days to a healthy flock. A small price to pay.

 

[saysfaa]

... 100 days? That's three months and ten days. One hundred days to a healthy flock. A small price to pay.

Where did you get 100 days from? How does it relate to getting to a healthy flock?

Since you can't hear my tone. I'm not challenging you. I'm trying to figure out how much risk to take.

 

[raingarden]

Killing the flock from an abundance of caution seems so barbaric. They have tests for this stuff. It seems reasonable to expect them to confirm the flock is infected before "depopulation".

They have agency people running around collecting wild birds and testing them. See the surveilance protocol linked last week at BYC. So, the technology and logistics for mass testing are there, they just have to apply it.

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/...n-influenza-diagnostics-testing-factsheet.pdf

Also, the federal program has a provision to indemnify owners for poultry that must be destroyed. It would be interesting to see how compensation would work for pets that provide emotional support for their owner. The federal program does not seem to address it.

My free COVID tests arrived from the govment today. Maybe Uncle Joe can send us HPAI tests too.

 

[Perris]

I would not want my birds culled either... but I'd make that sacrifiice to keep it from spreading, if that's what it takes.

it is spread principally by migrating wild birds, not by backyard chicken keepers, so your putative sacrifice would be in vain.

Too often ignored, people are one of the most important vectors - they spread it around on their shoes, tyres, clothes etc. when they visit e.g. a feed supplier, processing plant, or anywhere visited by lots of other poultry keepers. That's why you get clusters of cases in an area, and why commercial operations are more prone than small scale keepers to getting it. Research on an outbreak in France a couple of years ago established this. The housing regs are useful mainly because they make other biosecurity measures easier to implement, not because they stop interactions between domestic and wild birds, the vast majority of which don't have it and won't get it.

 

[igorsMistress]

If they come for my four spoiled chickens, I don’t have chickens. Screw the govt. If we’ve learned anything, two weeks to flatten the curve, is bs. I’m on the west coast, off grid in very, very rural area on a mountain. They can live in the garage if they have to. My chickens aren’t sick. These fascists aren’t getting them.

I

 

[igorsMistress]

it is spread principally by migrating wild birds, not by backyard chicken keepers, so your putative sacrifice would be in vain.

Too often ignored, people are one of the most important vectors - they spread it around on their shoes, tyres, clothes etc. when they visit e.g. a feed supplier, processing plant, or anywhere visited by lots of other poultry keepers. That's why you get clusters of cases in an area, and why commercial operations are more prone than small scale keepers to getting it. Research on an outbreak in France a couple of years ago established this. The housing regs are useful mainly because they make other biosecurity measures easier to implement, not because they stop interactions between domestic and wild birds, the vast majority of which don't have it and won't get it.

Migrating birds from one yard to the next to the next…They land in my yard, get sick from my flock and then go to several others spreading the disease.

I agree people spread it big time too. Wear their farm boots to work, the feed store, everywhere. There ya go. Although when is bio security too much bio security?

 

[Perris]

Migrating birds from one yard to the next to the next…They land in my yard, get sick from my flock and then go to several others spreading the disease.

I agree people spread it big time too. Wear their farm boots to work, the feed store, everywhere. There ya go. Although when is bio security too much bio security?

It's migrating waterfowl by and large, and I don't think waterfowl are likely to land in your yard unless you have a duck pond or other body of water that might appeal to them.

I think biosecurity needs to be in proportion to the threat, ideally.

 

[igorsMistress]

It's migrating waterfowl by and large, and I don't think waterfowl are likely to land in your yard unless you have a duck pond or other body of water that might appeal to them.

I think biosecurity needs to be in proportion to the threat, ideally.

True but I see a lot of other birds at the park with them. Not to mention that all the birds fly to areas in the south to congregate for winter, they don’t segregate the waterfowl and all birds need water. There is the potential for it to be spread by just about any bird. If it was just waterfowl then I doubt there would be lockdowns and the like. Plus, the flocks and birds found with it already got it somehow.

 

[Perris]

There is the potential for it to be spread by just about any bird.

That is just not true - it's like saying a disease suffered by one mammal can be spread by any other. The lists of wild birds found with the disease show clearly which species are at risk, and they are updated weekly in the UK. Have a look if you want to see the data
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-in-wild-birds