UK Bird Flu - All poultry must be housed indoors by 14th December

[DustyDivas]

Worried as well, the pen the coop is inside is pretty safe but ‘locking up’ 7 feisty large red hens for 24/7 when they are used to part free ranging? Aarrggh!
Is it the wild bird poop that’s dangerous to my girls? What’s minimum sq ft per hen when confined? With a pond and greenhouse I’m not sure iI can keep my girls for their own mental health( my girls are very opinionated and vocal when displeased, a neighbour said two of them howled for three hours when I’d locked them in the pen for a quick hospital visit! ) Covid 19 has meant I’ve been home and gardening so they’ve had loads of free range time for more than 6 months
Any advice pleeeese!!!

My 3 girls can be very screamy when they want something too
Good news is that they can be distracted... I give a few perches and chunks of tree in the enclosed run and change it around every few days. Just moving things around gets them interested & keeps them busy, especially if you do it after they have gone to roost for the night, then they can "discover" it the next day.
I also clear some of the run soil/mulch out of their run (use it on the garden) & give them a section of straw bale with some corn scratch through it. They go nuts for that, they don't eat the straw, but they adore scratching it to pieces and spreading it everywhere
Once they have spread it about, I pile it back up again & they makes lots of little squeals of joy
Hopefully that will work for your flock too.
The smallest of my girls cock-a-doodles if I don't come see her after she has seen that I am up in the morning!

 

[Cazook]

My 3 girls can be very screamy when they want something too
Good news is that they can be distracted... I give a few perches and chunks of tree in the enclosed run and change it around every few days. Just moving things around gets them interested & keeps them busy, especially if you do it after they have gone to roost for the night, then they can "discover" it the next day.
I also clear some of the run soil/mulch out of their run (use it on the garden) & give them a section of straw bale with some corn scratch through it. They go nuts for that, they don't eat the straw, but they adore scratching it to pieces and spreading it everywhere
Once they have spread it about, I pile it back up again & they makes lots of little squeals of joy
Hopefully that will work for your flock too.
The smallest of my girls cock-a-doodles if I don't come see her after she has seen that I am up in the morning!

Some great ideas Divas! Thanks

 

[ChickenFlamingo]

I did a lot of reading of official Defra and Government reports today. Whilst it was heavy going it was really useful. Sorry I didn't make a note of the websites but Google Avian Flu 2020 and find the official government reports.
The 'housing order' has to work with increased biosecurity measures, the two measures work together to minimise the spread (Think human lockdown plus masks and handwashing with Covid 19). However, the reports appear to be quite sympathetic regarding 'housing'. Yes, proper roofed runs are ideal, but outhouses, sheds, garages, greenhouses, polytunnels can all be used as emergency measures. And the reports also recognise that some birds will experience stress at being housed to the detriment of their health, so there is leeway. If birds cannot be housed in a 'physical' building, then netted areas can be used. It also recognises that some bird species such as geese and 'rarities' such as ostriches simply cannot be housed.
By law we, as bird keepers, have to make the most effort we can to prevent the spread, and to reiterate, this is not just housing, it's the biosecurity measures too.

And if you have the time I would urge you to read the official reports/recommendations.

 

[Andrew Sheffield]

Have they said how long the lockdown will last?

 

[woodworm]

I don't think so, just under 'constant review'

The government produce a report on avian flu in the UK and Europe each week here.

Although there are a low number of reports in the UK so far there are a lot in Western Europe (especially Germany).

The concern is that it will now start to rise in the UK as it is migration season which peaks during December and January so in my opinion it might go on until the end of January - but that's only my opinion on reading the report above.

When I wrote the above the latest report was from 1st December, I think another is due today.

 

[Rldad1]

I've settled on getting some timber posts, chicken wire and tarps to extend an enclosed run. Still kinda worried about them since I have 3 roos (which is usually fine if they scuffle since there is plenty of room to run and hide). 4x6m for 15 birds sounds small but I guess they're going to have to cope -.- No clue how long this order will be in place though?

The rule of thumb in the U.S. is 10 square feet per bird. You have approximately 25 square feet based on 4M X 6M run.

 

[BigFuzzball]

DEFRA website (Gov.co.uk) latest update 11th Dec 2020.

"In addition to the biosecurity measures currently required by the AIPZ, new housing measures will come into force across England on 14 December 2020, which mean it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers in England to keep their birds indoors, except in very specific circumstances."

I'd sooner be safe than sorry and see our chickens suffer what is an awful death..............

 

[Cazook]

I've ordered anti-bird netting for the run a week ago and it still hasn't arrived. Picked the best time for this to happen, huh? (christmas post delays)

I've got a tarp also but it doesn't nearly cover the whole thing. Eh.

 

[BigFuzzball]

We have a large tarpaulin permanently covering the double pitch roof on our galvanised run (shade in summer, shelter in winter rain/snow) but my son and I built a large circular extension to the run during lockdown, doubling the size (used 2 ex trampoline frames lol) so have had to now cannibalise an old IKEA patio umbrella to cover the extended roof as it's the only thing we have big enough.......what a year 2020 has been eh, Covid 19 & now Avian influenza - all humans and now all 'kept' birds under 'lockdown' !!
Good luck, hope sharing the umbrella idea helps someone !

 

[BigFuzzball]