Poll: Are you free-ranging or not due to Avian Flu?

Are you free-ranging or not due to Avian Flu?

  • Yes, my birds have the freedom to be out and about exploring.

    Votes: 49 67.1%
  • No, I'm keeping my birds in a run.

    Votes: 14 19.2%
  • Other

    Votes: 10 13.7%

  • Total voters
    73
I do not free range for a number of reasons.

However my run is open.

I am currently allowing them into the run because I am risk-juggling with potential behavioral problems in raising some young cockerels and don't want to have 25 or so birds with 4 males (will soon choose 1 of 3 to keep), in the 16x16 coop only without access to the roughly 25 x 25 foot run.

A report of AI nearby would change this.
 
My 50 birds are 100% free range. The door on my coop is wide open all the time and not a single bird sleeps in there. They all prefer to roost in trees

I've never paid any attention to rumors of sickness and not once have my birds been ill. Nature is healthy and nothing to fear. Being caged in a small area is what makes chickens sick
 
My 50 birds are 100% free range. The door on my coop is wide open all the time and not a single bird sleeps in there. They all prefer to roost in trees

I've never paid any attention to rumors of sickness and not once have my birds been ill. Nature is healthy and nothing to fear. Being caged in a small area is what makes chickens sick
I tend to agree with this. There isn't much point in confining chickens in a run if it doesn't have a bird proof cover for a roof.
The recommendations for confinement are here in the UK at least to try and protect the big egg producing concerns, not your backyard chickens.
If you are near waterfowl migration routes or have an open pond or large water source close by then closing this off and keeping feed and water in a covered run is likely to be more effective than locking the chickens up with the stress it causes them.
 
My chickens don't free range but that's not due to AI. They hate snow and refuse to go out in their run if there is snow on the ground. But they have access to their run all the time. When the snow melts, that means my backyard will be a mud pit so I keep them in because of that. When the yard dries enough, I'll let them back out. AI is not a worry for me, even if it was around, I would still let them out. I'm in northern Ohio
 
I have all different types of game chickens from American gamefowl, to Sumatra gamefowl, from Indian Rampuri Asil gamefowl, to Belgian Game (Brugse type). I keep all of them confined during the late fall through the winter just for piece of mind, and because most of the free range goodies are gone come the cold parts of the year. Never had a problem with predation in the past (EVER!) do to my chickens being smarter, and more anti predator then most standard farm type breed because they are gamefowl chickens, that still retained their wild game instincts. During the spring, summer, and early-mid fall they have free rain of multiple acres in the country. I also have been a strong believer of preventative measures when it comes to keeping my chickens immune systems strong, and healthy by putting organic apple cider vinegar in their waterers (use plastic waterers not metal waterers when using ACV). I put 2 tsp ACV per gallon of water. I do it every water change. ACV has antibiotic, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal properties which keeps their system strong so not to catch these sicknesses that are going around. While everyone elses chickens are getting sick, and or dying from these sicknesses, and or running to get all different types of vet recommended chemical medications to treat them, my chickens have stayed heathy, and disease free for 30 years. Never had to worry like most do. I also put rosemary, oregano, and marigolds (more natural antibiotics) in their food. I also use organic coconut oil which I feed them (along with the organic ACV they drink in their water) to keep the internal, and external parasites away from them do to the acidity of the ACV they drink, and the luric acid in the raw organic coconut oil which rids the chickens of said parasites. Parisites don't like the raised acidic blood of the chicken and stay away, and out of them which also helps keep them healthy, and their immune systems strong (disease free). And your not going to find a lot of information on how well these holistic measures work except from holistic people who have studied these measures, and applied them with great success. Most vets, and farm supply store will tell you holistic measures won't work because they have to sell, or push the pharma chemical meds which in the long run are more harmful then good to the chickens. These chemical meds might work at curing the sickness, but its hard on their system, and you have a chance that a resistance can happen. And you have to throw away their eggs for 2-3 weeks (a waste), and it taints the chickens meat to eat. You might as well buy your unhealthy tainted meat, and eggs in the store because thats what your doing with your backyard Chickens, which in turns is not heathy for you, or your family.
 
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I'm in southern Connecticut and I let my 3 girls out for about an hour of supervised free in the afternoons. It's tough to stay out with them for much longer when it's cold and we have quite a few aerial predators in the area so I don't feel comfortable leaving them alone. In the spring/summer I plan to have them out for longer periods as long as there aren't any cases of avian flu nearby.

They're in a mesh covered run with a roof which prevents bird droppings from getting inside.
 
Recently, there have been cases of bird flu within 300 miles of here, including a human case. This is in South America under rainy La Niña conditions.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2023-DON434#:~:text=On 9 January 2023, WHO,the onset of her symptoms.

Due to pre-existing personal circumstances before this outbreak and also because of excessive rain in my local area which is terrible for chickens in general, especially young ones, I drastically downsized the flock around two years ago. This was before all this worry about H5N1.

So, basically no free ranging has been happening during 2022 or this year.

There are reports that a much drier El Niño weather pattern may come in June and July. As long as the threat of bird flu does not increase, I may consider increasing the number of chickens in the yard.

For right now, the yard is basically empty and I am coordinating some cleaning and organizing.

At least, this problem is around 270 miles away !
 
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