LOS ANGELES county CA under bird quarantine :(

[HenOnAJuneBug]

This is not hobbyists v the industry or the state. This is All. Of. Us. v the virus.

No, it's the state/corporate power nexus vs. individual power. There are better and more humane ways to handle this, but this path is chosen by the powers that be for expediencies' sake. And btw keeping backyard chickens doesn't make owners hobbyists anymore than keeping dogs or cats make them hobbyists. That is the marginalizing language of the state/corporate nexus.

 

[Kathy Golla]

I think we all can agree, whereever there is outside of the interior of a commercial poultry operation, a large number of birds for whatever reason, and those birds are not being taken care of properly and/or there isnt good biosecurity, could be a culprit for spread.

I guess we would have to be there to see exactly, but a set of people geographically in San Bernadino and Riverside Counties are walking into a lot of places with chickens, then into a lot of other places with chickens.

 

[IamRainey]

And btw keeping backyard chickens doesn't make owners hobbyists anymore than keeping dogs or cats make them hobbyists. That is the marginalizing language of the state/corporate nexus.

Well, I can tell you I had no intent to marginalize anyone. I was looking for word to differentiate people like me from commercial operations.

If you've got a better word, please suggest it.

 

[BreanneRN]

Are they using them (people who keep fighting chickens) as a scapegoat? Wouldn't it be true that the process of raising and training fighting chickens involves much more movement and activity than most backyard pet owners would ever be involved in? Think about it. How often would a fighting chicken owner leave his property with a bird or 2? My guess (and yes it is a guess, but an educated and conservative one) is at least once a week, to a match where multiple birds are exposed to each others blood and body fluids in a major way, with birds showing up from up to a 100 miles away, maybe more. And training the chickens. Can't rehome roosters in my area because they will be used as training fodder for the up and coming fighting roosters (more activity and movement, exposure to blood and body fluids). You know you are passing a rooster farm when you see multiple little triangular structures with a rooster tethered to it. These chickens are bred to fight to the death and cannot be left loose to interact with each other. But there is still crowding because the tethers are at most 3 or 4 feet long, and they cram a multitude of the structures onto a small amount of land. Rows and rows of them. Chickens scratch and throw up dirt that can reach the other birds. Those people who raise these birds for money and don't care what happens to them contribute to the problem in the same way that those who grow marijuana and cook crank contribute to the drug problem. As long as there is a demand there will be a supply, as there are plenty of unscrupulous people around who will do anything for money. Meanwhile, where have my birds been? At home, ever since I got them, they have never left the property. I don't show my birds and except for attending the county fair once a year, am not around anyone else's birds. This is probably true of most of the healthy pet chickens that have been slaughtered in the name of controlling this disease whether sick or not. They may classify pet chickens in the same manner as gamefowl as so called "backyard exhibition chickens", but there is a huge difference in activity off the property and exposure to other birds and potentially infective body fluids. And yeah, few leave the property with birds they know are sick, but there is an incubation period where the birds appear healthy. It is also possible that some birds from Mexico, where nothing at all is done about the disease, are resistant, but may act as carriers of the disease, and though appearing healthy, would test positive due to previous exposure that they survived. From what I know about VND, it is an indiscriminant killer and how well cared for and fed the bird is has little effect on its susceptability to this disease, though may have a small effect on its survival of it.

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

Well, I can tell you I had no intent to marginalize anyone. I was looking for word to differentiate people like me from commercial operations.

If you've got a better word, please suggest it.

That corporate and individual interests are different doesn't mean either has to be marginalized.

I'm not especially mad at the commercial industry--chickens and eggs are the cheapest source of animal protein, and they provide it most efficiently. I've looked at the aviary systems that are supposed to replace cages soon, and what I see is a lot more potential for birds to get trampled on and more floor eggs. A lot of people can't do chickens, but everyone has to eat.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

We don't know how much higher, though. We don't know any specifics


You can't sell poultry or eggs within the quarantine zone, and as this has gone on since February with no end in sight, I suspect those businesses culled stock. It's the only thing that makes business sense.

And, USDA/CDFA have classified over 90 percent of infections as among "backyard exhibition chickens." If they wanted to deliberately lie, it'd be more in their PR interest to make up detections in "non-commercial layer chickens."

I am starting to doubt the validity that of the claims that backyard poultry are responsible for the vND outbreak. The media does vilify backyard chicken keeping when it does get a chance, claiming that backyard poultry are the cause of salmonella poisoning. Of course the factory farms aren’t condemned when the eggs they sell are the cause of salmonella.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

That corporate and individual interests are different doesn't mean either has to be marginalized.

I'm not especially mad at the commercial industry--chickens and eggs are the cheapest source of animal protein, and they provide it most efficiently. I've looked at the aviary systems that are supposed to replace cages soon, and what I see is a lot more potential for birds to get trampled on and more floor eggs. A lot of people can't do chickens, but everyone has to eat.

I am very interested in seeing these new plans for battery hens.
The reason factory farmed eggs and chicken is so cheap is because it’s all vertically integrated and they buy the cheapest feed by the truckload. When push comes to shove the majority of people, even those who know how bad the factory farming industry is, will always reach for the cheapest eggs on the shelf.

 

[BreanneRN]

I am very interested in seeing these new plans for battery hens.
The reason factory farmed eggs and chicken is so cheap is because it’s all vertically integrated and they buy the cheapest feed by the truckload. When push comes to shove the majority of people, even those who know how bad the factory farming industry is, will always reach for the cheapest eggs on the shelf.

Yeah, no way I can produce eggs or chickens with feed from the feed store (anyone notice how those prices have jumped to the skies) to anyway match grocery store prices... I don't sell my eggs because it is just too big of a hassle. Have to provide boxes and candle them, and even then, someone might complain if there is blood in one. I don't even like to give eggs away to anyone but family... If someone gets sick, they might complain and blame the eggs, even though they are really the victim of an outbreak of Noro Virus (stomach flu).

 

[roosterhavoc]

Are they using them (people who keep fighting chickens) as a scapegoat? Wouldn't it be true that the process of raising and training fighting chickens involves much more movement and activity than most backyard pet owners would ever be involved in? Think about it. How often would a fighting chicken owner leave his property with a bird or 2? My guess (and yes it is a guess, but an educated and conservative one) is at least once a week, to a match where multiple birds are exposed to each others blood and body fluids in a major way, with birds showing up from up to a 100 miles away, maybe more. And training the chickens. Can't rehome roosters in my area because they will be used as training fodder for the up and coming fighting roosters (more activity and movement, exposure to blood and body fluids). You know you are passing a rooster farm when you see multiple little triangular structures with a rooster tethered to it. These chickens are bred to fight to the death and cannot be left loose to interact with each other. But there is still crowding because the tethers are at most 3 or 4 feet long, and they cram a multitude of the structures onto a small amount of land. Rows and rows of them. Chickens scratch and throw up dirt that can reach the other birds. Those people who raise these birds for money and don't care what happens to them contribute to the problem in the same way that those who grow marijuana and cook crank contribute to the drug problem. As long as there is a demand there will be a supply, as there are plenty of unscrupulous people around who will do anything for money. Meanwhile, where have my birds been? At home, ever since I got them, they have never left the property. I don't show my birds and except for attending the county fair once a year, am not around anyone else's birds. This is probably true of most of the healthy pet chickens that have been slaughtered in the name of controlling this disease whether sick or not. They may classify pet chickens in the same manner as gamefowl as so called "backyard exhibition chickens", but there is a huge difference in activity off the property and exposure to other birds and potentially infective body fluids. And yeah, few leave the property with birds they know are sick, but there is an incubation period where the birds appear healthy. It is also possible that some birds from Mexico, where nothing at all is done about the disease, are resistant, but may act as carriers of the disease, and though appearing healthy, would test positive due to previous exposure that they survived. From what I know about VND, it is an indiscriminant killer and how well cared for and fed the bird is has little effect on its susceptability to this disease, though may have a small effect on its survival of it.

I understand what you’re saying but just because what you think is going on doesn’t make it true. I might wonder if 50% of the people on here even know how to take care of chickens based on the posts in the emergency section. I’m not that naive though sometimes stuff happens that’s beyond anyone’s control. A rooster tethered to a barre has more room and space to move about than most people’s bachelor pens. A pit bull owner doesn’t automatically fight dogs? Why would a gamefowl owner be lumped in the same way?

 

[roosterhavoc]

Here’s a *flighty* 5 yr old dirtbag gamehen taking care of her chicks. Unlike most laying hens that can’t manage to live past 3 yrs without going belly up. Multiple trips to the vet (moving birds around) just to prop up unhealthy birds.