Virulent Newcastle Disease or VND, Lots of Anguish, Little Solutions Offered

[HenOnAJuneBug]

If we were all chickens, that first introduction would be the end of it. Essentially, it would burn itself out. The same, btw, is also true of Ebola.

But we ourselves aren't chickens. The spread maps, particularly the interactive overlying month-to-month, look a lot like CIDRAP's Ebola maps: Scattered clusters, some with that "bullseye" pattern, all reflecting human intervention. Human-caused spread.

Like vNCD, they say ebola is highly contagious, but it never spreads outside of areas that have been heavily de-forested (think fruit trees) and/or are war zones, which suggests immuno-comprimised populations through lack of adequate nutrition. Early ebola symptoms are indistinguishable from malaria, and later stage symptoms are identical to chronic severe vitamin C deficiency. Monkeys (bush meat) are one of the few classes of animals that cannot synthesize vitamin C. Like humans, they have to get it fom their diet, and if the fruit is not there they won't get it. Same for humans who eat them as their source of nutrition.

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

Do I need to provide link after link of all the sick birds posted and taken to the vet from California? Treated for all kinds of diseases constantly? Gamefowl are generally healthier and more disease resistant than most of the commercial birds, layers and turkey. All the antibiotics consistently used to treat reoccurring respiratory diseases which weaken the immune system which leave the birds open and more likely to contract other diseases. I see the witch hunt is still going strong.

OK, but the major draw to gamefowl isn't for that reason. The demand isn't driven by people invigorating their flocks with gamefowl hens. The focus,demand, pricing are on gamecocks that, realistically, most people are not going to integrate into a typical flock situation.

Your argument--that basically you are breeding a hardier bird--may indeed be true. But the economics of the situation indicate that furthering a hardier breed is not why most people are buying them. As to a witch-hunt? Flocks >20, roosters>50%, presence of gamebirds were all identified as risk factors both in 2018 and 2003. A witch hunt? SoCal people are having SWAT and ag roll up to their house unannounced, and they're being told to be responsible and surrender. Responsibility also extends to the gamecock community. No one's saying you can't breed 'em, just NPIP 'em. Everyone's been saying, and for over a century, that you can't fight them. The macroeconomic consequences dwarf that of dogfighting. If anyone needs to be cracked down on, it's those guys.

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

Thank goodness we're on the cusp of what will likely be a long hot dry Summer. This will shorten the viability of the virus and, no doubt, slow the rate of infection.

Many of the hot spots in LA and Riverside Counties are particularly hot and dry. Don't know about San Bernardino County. They have as much mountainous terrain as flat dry plain.

The SB mountains (Crestline, out Big Bear) don't contain hot zones. Muscovy is one, however, and looks to be about 40 minutes out of Crestline.

Other than the mountains, RivCo and SBCO are basically desert foothills or the Mojave itself.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Like vNCD, they say ebola is highly contagious, but it never spreads outside of areas that have been heavily de-forested (think fruit trees) and/or are war zones, which suggests immuno-comprimised populations through lack of adequate nutrition. Early ebola symptoms are indistinguishable from malaria, and later stage symptoms are identical to chronic severe vitamin C deficiency. Monkeys (bush meat) are one of the few classes of animals that cannot synthesize vitamin C. Like humans, they have to get it fom their diet, and if the fruit is not there they won't get it. Same for humans who eat them as their source of nutrition.

Oh i forgot bats, another bush meat and supposed vector for ebola. They also cannot synthesize vitamin C.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I once looked at a property for sale that struck me at the time as being a former cock fighting and prostitution operation. It was located back up in the mountains out in the middle of nowhere. The driveway went for a ways through the woods until it opened to a large clearing. It was covered with grass, but you could tell it used to be a parking lot because of the large, lemon-sized gravel covering it. About 100 yards away was a steel building with a ring on the ground in its center. Next to that building was a 2-story building like a motel with really small rooms (no plumbing). Something like that couldn't have existed unless the local sheriff was being paid off. This was in the same neck of the woods that a former girl friend lived. She told me how in a former time the sheriff would show up at their door to get his payoff to let them keep selling pot. I suspect the same kind of thing is going on in CA.

 

[roosterhavoc]

OMG the wild assumptions. This has become a soap opera.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

OMG the wild assumptions. This has become a soap opera.

LOL!!

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

No one's saying you can't breed 'em, just NPIP 'em.

That only works if everyone follows the law. And it only takes one cock smuggled up from Mexico to undo all of that.

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

I once looked at a property for sale that struck me at the time as being a former cock fighting and prostitution operation. It was located back up in the mountains out in the middle of nowhere. The driveway went for a ways through the woods until it opened to a large clearing. It was covered with grass, but you could tell it used to be a parking lot because of the large, lemon-sized gravel covering it. About 100 yards away was a steel building with a ring on the ground in its center. Next to that building was a 2-story building like a motel with really small rooms (no plumbing). Something like that couldn't have existed unless the local sheriff was being paid off. This was in the same neck of the woods that a former girl friend lived. She told me how in a former time the sheriff would show up at their door to get his payoff to let them keep selling pot. I suspect the same kind of thing is going on in CA.

To be sure, such motives exist, but in this case I doubt it's all cronyism. The politicians minding the machine that be look bad enough with how this outbreak has been handled, and keeping around a potential infected bird would not be in their best interest.

Regarding ebola, I haven't heard the Vitamin C connection, but the reason I brought it up was to point out that this is a chicken disease with a human spread pattern. Evidence points to cockfighting and contaminated workers, which can be cracked down on now. Between now and the next time, research needs to center on these and other ways spread occurs, how effectively it occurs, and how best to mitigate it.

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

That only works if everyone follows the law. And it only takes one cock smuggled up from Mexico to undo all of that.

The more people follow the law, though, the less likely this is to happen. I'm not calling for making breeds illegal, but with a three-factor correlation and hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars, I think it is reasonable that more oversight be taken.