Interesting study -- Non-waterfowl bird species that are most or least likely to spread AI to domestic flocks

[Sonya9]

Really interesting study. As we all know, wild waterfowl are considered the "reservoir or maintenance hosts". Since most chicken flocks are not in close contact with wild waterfowl the study looked at species that commonly visit/forage in areas with waterfowl and also at farms/chicken coops thereby infecting poultry flocks.

A lot of species were ruled very "low risk" because of their habits and rates of infection. Examples are birds like raptors (while they do get AI with some frequency, if they came in contact with chickens they would typically be killing/eating them and are unlikely to infect a flock) or tiny finches that rarely carry it and shed a very low viral load even if they do have it etc... Study found that sparrows and starlings are probably the most likely to transmit it to backyard flocks based on their habits and infection rates.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7690888/

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Thank you for sharing! nice read

 

[BDutch]

I read that rats (who don’t get sick of AI ) probably transmitted the AI from wild dead birds to chicken farms. That was the conclusion for some of the infected farms where they had a very strict hygiene protocol.
Another problem with rats is that they go from one farm to another and are a high risk for further contamination.

 

[RoyalChick]

Really interesting study. As we all know, wild waterfowl are considered the "reservoir or maintenance hosts". Since most chicken flocks are not in close contact with wild waterfowl the study looked at species that commonly visit/forage in areas with waterfowl and also at farms/chicken coops thereby infecting poultry flocks.

A lot of species were ruled very "low risk" because of their habits and rates of infection. Examples are birds like raptors (while they do get AI with some frequency, if they came in contact with chickens they would typically be killing/eating them and are unlikely to infect a flock) or tiny finches that rarely carry it and shed a very low viral load even if they do have it etc... Study found that sparrows and starlings are probably the most likely to transmit it to backyard flocks based on their habits and infection rates.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7690888/

Thank you for finding and posting this.
I am going to remove the nest box that was intended for Eastern Bluebirds but is always used by sparrows. Silly I didn’t think of that before.

 

[Sonya9]

I read that rats (who don’t get sick of AI ) probably transmitted the AI from wild dead birds to chicken farms. That was the conclusion for some of the infected farms where they had a very strict hygiene protocol.
Another problem with rats is that they go from one farm to another and are a high risk for further contamination.

I would think the amount of space birds have factors in a lot too (just like chicks and coccidia). Cramped conditions means they ingest a lot more infected poop once it begins to spread, and a higher dose usually leads to a more severe illness.

Studies also showed birds that were exposed to milder forms of AI develop immunity and are much more likely to survive a hot form like H5N1.

Don't know if the stats have changed this year but I read on average 15% of wild waterfowl carry it whereas only 2% of most other birds like finches, songbirds carry it etc...