Update to Sudden Death of My Flock

[coach723]

Florida Fish and Wildlife has put out that bird flu has killed off many muscovy ducks in Florida, and says they are highly susceptible to it.

https://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/health/avian/influenza/

I would send a report of the findings to the local Fish and Wildlife people. There is a link in the article above to report. Maybe there are just so many cases now that they are overwhelmed and aren't paying so much attention, I don't know.

 

[MROO]

I read somewhere that bird flu isn’t fatal in ducks. They carry it but don’t show symptoms. Found this article quickly but I’m sure there’s something more exhaustive:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/ot...lu-what-to-know/ar-AA1Sxh9s?ocid=BingNewsSerp

In this article, the KC area is noted as a stopover on a major flyway. Some waterfowl, like juvenile Snow and Canada geese, were dropping like flies. Others, like the Mallard ducks, were not showing symptoms at all - but were confirmed carriers.
Muscovy ducks are genetically different from Mallards. While the specific influenza strain did not produce symptoms in the Mallards, it devastated the Muscovies.
So yes, bird flu is still fatal in ducks, it just affects some breeds differently - often more slowly - than others. Regardless of whether the ducks actively have it or just carry it with them wherever they go, the issue is huge for our domestic poultry. We need to keep our guard up to protect our flocks!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Oh dear!