Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Mother of Chaos]

The only conn so far: little sparrows can go through. Do little songbirds spread bird flu?

From what I've read, research on the current strain indicates that waterfowl, rather than songbirds, are the AI vector.

And I used to enjoy hearing and seeing migrating geese fly over.

 

[Perris]

Do little songbirds spread bird flu?

Basically, no, they don't.

Here for the very interested, from a paper in preprint stage:
"Among potential high-risk host taxa, abundance index of Aythyini had the highest average importance in period B models... Other taxa had predictive effects with different annual lags e.g., breeding populations of Anatidae and migratory populations of Ardeidae and Anserinae affecting later seasons ... we expect risk to be associated with proximity to coastlines, low elevations, low temperatures, and presence of high-risk waterbirds ... Our risk projections point to an increased risk of HPAI presence in northwest Europe, particularly around the North Sea coast, associated with the emergence of the H5N1 genotype of clade 2.3.4.4b... This shift in geographical burden of risk appears to be driven by differing importance of climate, geography, and abundance of specific bird taxa (Anatinae, Anserinae, Ardeidae, and Aythyini) at different calendar times and with different seasonal lags ...highlighting the association between both temperature-driven waterbird movements and congregation of waterbirds at the zero-degree isotherm and the distribution and spread of HPAI... Among host taxa we explicitly modelled, relative abundance of Anatinae (dabbling ducks) was the most consistent predictor of HPAI presence, followed by Aythini (pochards), Anserinae (swans and geese), and Ardeidae (herons). Except for Ardeidae, these taxa are generally considered maintenance hosts of avian influenza as part of the Anseriformes... Mallards within the Anatidae appear to be effective carriers as they may experience only mild disease, even when infected with H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b ... we did not detect any association between abundance of Charadriiformes hosts (Laridae (gulls), Arenaria (turnstones), or Calidris (sandpipers)) and HPAI presence. This suggests that while gulls and shorebirds have experienced unprecedented infection and die-offs, they may not have driven the precise spatial dynamics of HPAI clade 2.3.4.4b in Europe.... birds with specific diets and foraging behaviours showed varying and highly localised trends in risk... faecal-oral transmission primarily occurs through viral shedding into water. However, studies looking at viral shedding of HPAI including clade 2.3.4.4b viruses have reported high levels of additional shedding via the respiratory system. We find a somewhat unexpected importance of scavenging and predation behaviour in both modelled periods. Combined with the high reported rates of cross-species transmission to predatory birds such as owls and raptors, this indicates the role of predation in spatial transmission should not be ignored." https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.17.603912v2.full

 

[BDutch]

For who likes to see ‘Chicks vaccinated for bird flu pilot’. Transcription in English below the video.
Source Nieuwe Oogst
March 11 2025

On Monday, the day-old chicks were vaccinated for the bird flu vaccination trial. After rearing, the hens will go to a commercial laying farm, and a sales channel for the eggs has been found in the Netherlands. The pilot is necessary to gain experience. Together with good hygiene, vaccination should ensure that bird flu becomes a common poultry disease, without major outbreaks. Trials with vaccination were already underway, but this is the first time that eggs from vaccinated chickens have been marketed.

The pilot will end in 2027.

 

[Shadrach]

Do little songbirds spread bird flu?

Depends who you ask. The current state is bird flu is mainly transmitted by migrating waterfowl. Wild birds have been found dead and infected with bird flu so a proportion of the wild bird population can and has contracted the virus and in that case while they are alive, they are transmitters of the virus.

A view held by some but for obvious reasons not under consideration by DEFRA is the spread in wild bird population is likely to be minimal compared to the spread in backyard groups and commercial enterprises, purely because the the keeping conditions; pack them in, carry them out.

 

[Shadrach]

Warmer then yesterday but it rained all day on and off.
They came out from under the coop to eat when I arrived. Having bolted some food down they went back under the coop and that was it for the afternoon.

The rat. It looks like measures of extreme prejudice are going to be necessary. Having bodged up a guard for what little remains of the door opener mounting board, the rat has started to try to chew through the door.

It's pissing me off. The pop door runes up and down the rails and the plastic the rat was spitting out was falling in the rails and the door was sticking. I've got a sheet of 2mm thick aluminium to replace the plastic door and make a new mounting board for auto door control.
Really I just want to shoot the rat. So much easier.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Warmer then yesterday but it rained all day on and off.
They came out from under the coop to eat when I arrived. Having bolted some food down they went back under the coop and that was it for the afternoon.

The rat. It looks like measures of extreme prejudice are going to be necessary. Having bodged up a guard for what little remains of the door opener mounting board, the rat has started to try to chew through the door.
View attachment 4255560
View attachment 4255561

It's pissing me off. The pop door runes up and down the rails and the plastic the rat was spitting out was falling in the rails and the door was sticking. I've got a sheet of 2mm thick aluminium to replace the plastic door and make a new mounting board for auto door control.
Really I just want to shoot the rat. So much easier.

View attachment 4255562

Rat trap for overnight when the chickens are closed up? Or is he too smart for that?