Avian influenza found in South Carolina

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I said VND not avian flu, which was what flocks in Cali had. Yes, if the authorities were coming for my birds I would kill them myself so I knew it was humane and when the state showed up I’d tell them where the bodies were so they could collect. It IS exactly what I meant. People need to stop thinking about me me me and consider the we. Instead, people tried to hide their birds or moved their “healthy” flocks to UT and AZ putting everyone else with flocks in those states at risk. Jackasses.

Yes I understand you said VND and not avian flu. I agree if my state was coming to euthanize my birds, I would do the deed myself. (Maybe. It would be heartbreaking to euthanize healthy chickens that I love, so in reality I'm not certain i could do it. I might have to call a veterinarian instead.) Neither would I move them out of the area. But most considered the actions taken by authorities in California during the VND outbreak to be heavy-handed and uneccessary. If you feel their actions were legit, that's ok; we can agree to disagree. Not looking for a fight here.

 

[igorsMistress]

Yes I understand you said VND and not avian flu. I agree if my state was coming to euthanize my birds, I would do the deed myself. (Maybe. It would be heartbreaking to euthanize healthy chickens that I love, so in reality I'm not certain i could do it. I might have to call a veterinarian instead.) Neither would I move them out of the area. But most considered the actions taken by authorities in California during the VND outbreak to be heavy-handed and uneccessary. If you feel their actions were legit, that's ok; we can agree to disagree. Not looking for a fight here.

Oh good cuz I don’t want to fight either. I don’t know how I feel about it actually. I understand why they did it but certainly don’t agree with the how. Although I do understand the heavy hands also based on the ridiculous responses from some people. I mean I get it, we love our animals. We have a responsibility to society though. If you want to enjoy the benefits you gotta follow the rules.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

. But most considered the actions taken by authorities in California during the VND outbreak to be heavy-handed and uneccessary.

With respect, *most* are unqualified to hold that opinion - or any opinion at all. The collective opinion of the ignorant is, in all likelihood, the most common ignorant belief.

Europe has been dealing with Avian Influenza for a few years now. There is a non-trivial possibility that our AI infection this year comes from infected European birds sharing seasonal grounds. We have one of the Eurasian clades, not the American clade of this particular AI variety. The numbers of birds they have now culled - of numerous species - makes CA's response look like a stumbling series of half measures. Its now found from the UK to Isreal. Our friends across the pond now have three different varieties in fact. AI in Europe continues to spread, and CA managed to contain it in just two years, culling fewer birds than in their prior effort about two decades before.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

View attachment 3002493

But But those sky divers think what they are doing is perfectly safe. ( I get your point.)

The issue is difficult (and potentionally very traumatic) for those who have emotional attachments to their poultry. And I think most who adore their poultry appreciate the lives of wild birds too. I know I do. You have stated you don't form emotional attachments to your birds, and I totally understand that. I feel the same about my goats. I keep mine for a specific reason, & if they needed to be euthanized to contain disease, i would be sad but ok with it. But chickens, chickens stole my heart and ran away with it long ago. The fact that many here on this thread are concerned for their bird's safety (and the lives of wild birds) doesn't make us collectively dumb idiots. But that's just my opinion, and I respect your alternate view. Again, I'm not looking for a fight. Simply following this thread (mostly silently) for awareness. I have appreciated your informative posts.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

But But those sky divers think what they are doing is perfectly safe. ( I get your point.)

The issue is difficult (and potentionally very traumatic) for those who have emotional attachments to their poultry. And I think most who adore their poultry appreciate the lives of wild birds too. I know I do. You have stated you don't form emotional attachments to your birds, and I totally understand that. I feel the same about my goats. I keep mine for a specific reason, & if they needed to be euthanized to contain disease, i would be sad but ok with it. But chickens, chickens stole my heart and ran away with it long ago. The fact that many here on this thread are concerned for their bird's safety (and the lives of wild birds) doesn't make us collectively dumb idiots. But that's just my opinion, and I respect your alternate view. Again, I'm not looking for a fight. Simply following this thread (mostly silently) for awareness. I have appreciated your informative posts.

Desisions based on emotion are rarely wise ones.

But my reference to collective ignorance was to the great unwashed masses of people with neither poultry ownership, nor poultry experience, who were moved by emotion to oppose culling in CA. The few owners who quietly "re-homed" or broke quarantine in an effort to protect their birds from potential culling were self-centered and irresponsible.

CA actually went to some effort to educate the public to reduce objection, and selected the most humane culling method they could do en mass (CO2 asphyxiation) in effort to keep their culling efforts from being blocked by the courts thru environmental laws in the State. There was a good article on it I was reading yesterday, from back in late 2019 or early 2020.

 

[3KillerBs]

Diseases ravaging farm animals, large-scale or backyard, are always a sad situation and there is never a perfect answer to the problem.

Unfortunately, policy is often made by people who have no real understanding of the problem and who not only emote rather than reason but who emote based on how they think the electorate will react -- which may have nothing whatsoever to do with actual risk-management (except for managing the risk of not being re-elected).

I would HATE to lose my flock -- especially after taking measures to prevent infection and while I have eggs in the incubator. But I would find it unacceptable to bear moral responsibility for failing to comply with a cull-order and thus enabling the spread to commercial flocks and damaging the economy of my county (I am not within several miles of a chicken house, but it's a major industry here), and compromising the food supply upon which I, ultimately, depend.

We can pray it won't get to that point.

We can take what measures we find prudent and are able to enact in order to prevent infection.

But all we can do is all we can do and there is little point to borrowing trouble and taking extreme positions based on hypotheticals.

 

[Weeg]

Gosh, this whole thing just started to feel real. Sending my best wishes to all of you on the East Coast, I hope this whole thing dissipates soon. We're all doing the best we can.
A thank you also to everyone continuing to post updates, it's much appreciated.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Me and my overconfidence (copied from their FB page):

FWC is currently investigating the deaths of lesser scaups (medium-sized diving duck), black vultures and other avian species in Brevard, Volusia and Palm Beach counties, believed to be caused by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) “Bird Flu”.

There is a low risk of HPAI transmission to humans and, to date, there have been no known human infections in North America. The H5 2.3.4.4 strain has been documented in the US since 2021 and was detected in Florida in January 2022 from a hunter-harvested blue-winged teal.

To prevent the spread of HPAI, the public should avoid handling sick or dead wildlife, prohibit the contact of domestic birds with wild birds, and report wild bird mortalities so die-offs can be investigated https://app.myfwc.com/FWRI/AvianMortality/
Please be advised that because HPAI is very contagious and not treatable in wild birds, some wildlife rehabbers may not be accepting these animals at this time.
For more: https://myfwc.com/avianinfluenza/

(still a LONG ways from me - but perhaps the Miami-area detections weren't the outliers I'd initially believed. This also puts GA back in play if confirmed, and means there could be another wave of infected birds migrating northwards thru the Carolinas, TN, etc...) Sorry to bring bad (potential) tidings.

 

[3KillerBs]

...

(still a LONG ways from me - but perhaps the Miami-area detections weren't the outliers I'd initially believed. This also puts GA back in play if confirmed, and means there could be another wave of infected birds migrating northwards thru the Carolinas, TN, etc...) Sorry to bring bad (potential) tidings.

Well, I hadn't let the birds out yet anyway -- waiting on some kind of confirmation of an "all-clear" instead of just doing the initially-recommended 30 days.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Delaware too, now.

(Apologies if someone posted this above. been a long day, I'm losing track of what I've read where.)