Murray McMurray statement on Avian cases...

[DramaBrahmaMama]

If you have ordered and are waiting, or recently received a shipment, please listen!

 

[Kidwantschickens]

So are they culling the rare breeds and taking all the current hatches to be future breeders?

First guy said they could still ship chicks but the second guy said preserving the lines meant that they would call you and you could select other chick breeds or postpone your order for next year, or cancel order (or something to that effect).

Is that what happens? One positive and the full the whole barn?

 

[Callender Girl]

Thanks for posting this. I have several McMurray birds (Murray McMurray is located in an adjacent county) and I hope it weathers this crisis and can preserve the historic lines. It's a scary time to have chickens.

 

[Iluveggers]

So are they culling the rare breeds and taking all the current hatches to be future breeders?

First guy said they could still ship chicks but the second guy said preserving the lines meant that they would call you and you could select other chick breeds or postpone your order for next year, or cancel order (or something to that effect).

Is that what happens? One positive and the full the whole barn?

Yes. They have no choice. They have to cull the infected farm birds. I’m assuming any chicks that hatched from the affected lines will not be sold, and saved to create a new breeding line.

 

[Kidwantschickens]

Yes. They have no choice. They have to cull the infected farm birds. I’m assuming any chicks that hatched from the affected lines will not be sold, and saved to create a new breeding line.

But they said only one tested positive. Do they have to cull any that were near the positive bird? I sadly don't know much about AI, not how commercial farms operate.

Good news is the chicks should be fine. Sad it had to be in a heritage/rare breed barn.and apparently their largest barn.

 

[NatJ]

But they said only one tested positive. Do they have to cull any that were near the positive bird?

It is very contagious. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing they will cull the positive bird, all other birds in that pen, all other birds in that building, and all other birds that are tended by the same people on the same premises.

I don't think they tested every single chicken, so having only one test positive might say more about how many they tested, than about how many have the disease. Or it might mean they caught this really early, which is good (so it doesn't have as much chance to spread to other places.)

 

[Iluveggers]

Holy crap. I am almost in tears. I cannot believe how horrible this is. Here are the breeds showing as unavailable for the rest of the year at McMurray. Cockerels also, which makes me think they are part of the affected breeding stock. A few popular breeds always have roosters available.

Black Cochin
Black Langshan
Blue Cochin
Blue Laced Red Wyandotte
Buff Brahma
Buff Cochin
Buff Laced Polish
Buff Mincora
Buff Rock
Buttercup
Crevecoeur
Dark Beahma
Dark Cornish
Dominique
Dorking
Egyptian Fayoumi
Salmon Faverolles
FBC Marans
Gold Campine
Gold Penciled Hamburg
Gold Polish
Houdan
Lakenvelder
Light Brahma
Modern BB Red Game
Partridge Cochin
Red Leghorn
Silver Laced Cochin
Silver Phoenix
Silver Penciled Rock
Silver Polish
Sultan
Sumatra
Speckled Sussex
White Cochin
White Created Black Polish
White Faced Black Spanish
White Jersey Giant
White Laced Red Cornish
White Orpington
Yokohama

Feather Footed Fancies Special
Top Hat Special
Rare Breed Special
Rarest of Rare Special
Ornamental Layer Special
Collection Cockerels Special

All of their straight run breeds are sold out also, but they have low availability of those so it might not be related.

I did not check Bantams, but I would guess any top hat or feather feet would have been at the same breeder site. Wow. I’m speechless. How terrible.

Just posted this in the Avian Influenza Thread..I am at a loss right now.

 

[Iluveggers]

But they said only one tested positive. Do they have to cull any that were near the positive bird? I sadly don't know much about AI, not how commercial farms operate.

They have to mass-cull all birds on premises, regardless if they are housed separately or not, regardless if they are sick or not. It is an extremely sad event, and no one has a choice in the matter. They have to, so they can protect all other birds in the area.

 

[RoyalChick]

But they said only one tested positive. Do they have to cull any that were near the positive bird? I sadly don't know much about AI, not how commercial farms operate.

Good news is the chicks should be fine. Sad it had to be in a heritage/rare breed barn.and apparently their largest barn.

Yes - they had to cull all the chickens because one tested positive, but they were allowed to keep the hatchery eggs and chicks. So the only way to keep those rare breeds is to use the eggs and chicks they would otherwise be sending to customers and use those to restart.
So very sad of course for the chickens, but also for them and all the people who work there. It must be a huge set back for them.

 

[BlueBaby]

At this one site, they say that bird flu is up to 118 cases now, and they have now put up a map there of the 24 states that it is in.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...pai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks