INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[kittydoc]

For those not following the avian flu news out west, over less than a month's time, highly infectious avian flu has spread from Canada to Washington state to Oregon and Utah. It has mostly been backyard flocks in contact with wild waterfowl, if or when this crosses the Rockies, things will get very serious for all of us. A flock with one infected bird has to be 100% culled then quarantined. The entire commercial poultry industry is potentially at risk. So far, only small flocks (mostly free ranging) have been infected and destroyed. This is something we all need to he concerned about.

 

[hanakimi]

Has anyone had any experience with tapping maples and if so what equipment would you recommend. i'm wanting to try it this year but i don't want to waste my money on bad equipment and the places i find to purchase either have good reviews or none at all. making it difficult to decide what to get.

 

[Faraday40]

For those not following the avian flu news out west, over less than a month's time, highly infectious avian flu has spread from Canada to Washington state to Oregon and Utah. It has mostly been backyard flocks in contact with wild waterfowl, if or when this crosses the Rockies, things will get very serious for all of us. A flock with one infected bird has to be 100% culled then quarantined. The entire commercial poultry industry is potentially at risk. So far, only small flocks (mostly free ranging) have been infected and destroyed. This is something we all need to he concerned about.

Has this type of illness ever crossed mountains before? The Rockies are kind of like a natural road block, but yes, birds can fly.

Prevention: Does it mainly affect farms with small ponds or those that keep waterfowl? Can it be transmitted by any common bird - like a robin - that happened to rest in your backyard? Do the birds have to share food or water to pass it or could a chicken get it by simply walking near an area where an infected bird previously sat / maybe pooped? (My plan, if it gets closer, is to stop free ranging & use chicken tractors. It would prevent the sharing of food, but not be free of possible wild bird poop.)

Quarantine: For anyone adding new chicks, eggs, etc this spring, what is the incubation period for avian flu?

Sorry for all the ?s. If anyone has a link, that would be great too.

 

[kittydoc]

I forgot to add Idaho to the list of states that have had cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Here's that article:

http://www.capitalpress.com/Idaho/20150120/highly-pathogenic-bird-flu-strikes-idaho-for-first-time

And here's an article about the third case being reported in Washington State, the first state in the US to experience cases of this strain of avian influenza:

http://nwpr.org/post/new-case-avian-flu-confirmed-washington-state

So far, these North American cases are not dangerous to humans, but highly contagious to other birds. Transmission is thought to be through wild waterfowl. Affected domestic birds have included backyard chickens, geese, wild waterfowl, and falcons.

There is a lot of info about this online, and fortunately this is not a strain that makes people sick, but it sure as heck is extremely bad for birds!

The "funny" thing is that now China won't allow import of our chicken (for processing and returning back to us, mostly). China is a country where the avian flu strain that sickens and kills people has been problematic for several years, resulting in many huge flocks being destroyed plus continued monitoring.

It's hard to stop migratory water birds. How many can cross the Rockies? I don't know. I'm only really familiar with the midwestern flyway region, which of course is mostly flat as a pancake. We are dealing with a lot of unknowns.

 

[ellymayRans]

I forgot to add Idaho to the list of states that have had cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza.  Here's that article:

http://www.capitalpress.com/Idaho/20150120/highly-pathogenic-bird-flu-strikes-idaho-for-first-time

And here's an article about the third case being reported in Washington State, the first state in the US to experience cases of this strain of avian influenza:

http://nwpr.org/post/new-case-avian-flu-confirmed-washington-state

So far, these North American cases are not dangerous to humans, but highly contagious to other birds.  Transmission is thought to be through wild waterfowl.  Affected domestic birds have included backyard chickens, geese, wild waterfowl, and falcons.

There is a lot of info about this online, and fortunately this is not a strain that makes people sick, but it sure as heck is extremely bad for birds!  

The "funny" thing is that now China won't allow import of our chicken (for processing and returning back to us, mostly).  China is a country where the avian flu strain that sickens and kills people has been problematic for several years, resulting in many huge flocks being destroyed plus continued monitoring.

It's hard to stop migratory water birds.  How many can cross the Rockies?  I don't know.   I'm only really familiar with the midwestern flyway region, which of course is mostly flat as a pancake.  We are dealing with a lot of unknowns.

Lots of good info kitty! I read it when it came out in Oct I think and I don't worry because I don't have any natural water source or waterfowl of any kind. Not 100% if that matters but I usually memory bank important info like that.

 

[mrsblanchard]

I don't have my notebook on hand, but here's the link to the recipe where it was originally posted: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...reat-brownie-recipe-and-it-uses-a-lot-of-eggs I recommend doubling the recipe as it says in that post. They are AMAZING.

Thanks for this, I'm a brownie nut! Especially served warm with vanilla ice cream!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I'm almost sure that if there was a price for their heads instead of a law limiting hunting the migratory waterfowl, they could be stopped. The question is at what cost. It could be horrible if ALL migratory birds became extinct. I like watching them fly overhead as much as the next person. And I'm sure they eat a lot of bugs.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Dishwasher is now repaired. The repair man was just over 5 hours late. I was thinking he would not be coming after all.

 

[ellymayRans]

Dishwasher is now repaired.  The repair man was just over 5 hours late.  I was thinking he would not be coming after all. 

I always wash my large cooking pots/pans by hand but really do not like it ! I would die without my dishwasher! Glad for you that you got yours fixed! Relief I'm sure. Our garbage disposal got stuck a few days before Thanksgiving and it took me a few weeks before I had the time to dedicate to it, but I succeeded after a few failed attempts by my DH! He has good intentions but just doesn't have the patience or thought process for troubleshooting mechanics of certain things!

 

[iamfivewire]

@hanakimi : theres a place up my way that sells the maple syrup supplies
www.sugarbushsupplies.com