Keeping my birds healthy when neighbor has sick animals

[Oregon Blues]

[[[[[.......(I can't ban relatives from my yard!).....]]]]]]

Sure you can.

You have no obligation to stand politely by while friends, family, and strangers kill your poultry.

My suggestion: have a backyard area where all family can gather. Then have a good fence between the backyard area and your livestock. Firmly tell all visitors that it is a bio-security area and nobody is allowed in there. Be firm and make it stick.

What are they going to do? Complain that their kids need a place to run? They've got their own large yard for their kids to play in. Of course, it means you can't ask them to feed your birds while you are out of town, but honestly, do you want them to, anyway? They won't be less germy just because you want to go to Disney World.

I've lived on the same farm as a wolf, and that wolf was absolutely safe with any pack members, which included all livestock, all people, and all dogs that lived there.

Wolves are extremely timid, so don't depend on a wolf for protection, unless your invader is so grossed out by your wolf rolling over on his back and peeing on his own belly that the intruder leaves to go home and take a shower. Be aware that wolf pee really stinks.

 

[NYREDS]

Don't forget to tell the wild birds about your bio-security area too. They're much more likely to bring a disease or parasite into your flock than any person is.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, of course, I don't agree with NYReds. We live in the woods with wild birds everywhere and have never had any contagious respiratory illness here with our free ranging flocks in the going on 7 years we've had chickens. Sick wild birds tend to die quickly and the carcasses get eaten by predators rather than fly around ill. No one gives them antibiotics to try to alleviate their symptoms and keep them alive.

Humans on the other hand do treat sick birds and are careless or negligent or just plain dishonest and often sell sick birds to others.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I agree with speckledhen, my birds live in an old shed. They roost in the rafters with pigeons, sparrows and all different kinds of birds.

 

[BullChick]

Well, thank you to all. I still am seeing that common sense is the best defense. I need to stop worrying, keep my ducks (or chickens) in a row, and everyone out of the coop.