Avian influenza found in South Carolina

[NanaK]

Has anybody come across anything about Hummingbirds and AI ? Specifically ruby throats? I have looked and looked and have not found anything.

I stopped feeding wild birds a while back. Have not put out hummingbird feeders either even though I've never had them by my chickens. I have a couple hummers checking out the hooks where they normally hang. They are looking for them.

 

[3KillerBs]

Tongue in cheek?

No, I have 7 chicks coming off heat that I need to change their ad tomorrow and then probably will sell half the Easter hatch as well.

 

[Dinoroar]

I’m in Georgia and We’ve had a ban on auctions, swaps etc since February but tractor supply has chicks still and Craig’s list as well. I interpreted the announcement to mean no sales or events where lots of flicks would come together but had to think way to hard about what the heck it meant. I’ve got chicks hatching & had planned on selling some but it makes me nervous I read it wrong even though clearly chicks are still being sold. I may just raise these out and try and sell them later when this has cleared.

 

[RubelliteRose]

So there shouldn't be any issues with me selling birds via Craigslist.

I assume that would be classified as a private sale. I haven't seen anything regulating private or retail sales.

We’re talking about open sales, auctions, swaps, poultry shows. Those types of things where we have a large group of people that are coming together with maybe a mixed group of birds.”

This is how I interpreted the ban. Needless to say, I will not be attending the large swap near me next weekend. We are just over the border from NC so I'm sure it will be even more crowded than normal.

 

[Iluveggers]

The State Vet is turning out these ambiguous statements. Then later he says "pet stores" are not included? Uhhh....how many pet stores sell chicks? I am sure some do somewhere but the vast majority are sold through feed stores not "pet stores". What planet is that guy on?

I also think this may include pets like parakeets & other caged pet birds found in places like PetSmart.

 

[Sydney65]

might it also - since they mention large gatherings- be about what a human might track in on their shoes?

 

[Sonya9]

Interesting study. H5N1 kills more chicks (and broilers) than laying hens in foreign studies (with only 11% of laying hens dying). This study showed that birds exposed to milder forms of the avian flu had a much higher survival rate (70-80%) in a lab when exposed to H5N1, and they suspect the very young chicks (including broilers) die at a higher rate because they have no acquired immunity to other strains. They also get antibodies from the mother hen so her exposure rate effects the results.

It also likely explains the 90-100% fatality rate the CDC cites -- in most all lab studies they directly inject the birds with very high levels of the virus. In natural farm/flock settings the birds are typically exposed to much lower levels. The age of the bird will also affect the fatality rate so if the clinicians actually *want* 90-100% morbidity results there are numerous ways to achieve that goal.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051933

 

[589205]

Has anybody come across anything about Hummingbirds and AI ? Specifically ruby throats? I have looked and looked and have not found anything.

I stopped feeding wild birds a while back. Have not put out hummingbird feeders either even though I've never had them by my chickens. I have a couple hummers checking out the hooks where they normally hang. They are looking for them.

I haven’t found any evidence of hummingbirds spreading AI either. I would assume that they’ve been exposed to it but are immune as well.

 

[Sydney65]

I haven’t found any evidence of hummingbirds spreading AI either. I would assume that they’ve been exposed to it but are immune as well.

Unlikely they have much opportunity for exposure- they migrate alone, live alone, antisocial,solitary birds. https://www.adirondackcouncil.org/p... fly alone, often,food supplies along the way.
Looks like the greater threats to them are salmonella & praying mantis. https://www.king5.com/article/tech/...ease/281-10b2cc56-ecda-41d2-a5ed-ab2787ebab2a

 

[NanaK]

Unlikely they have much opportunity for exposure- they migrate alone, live alone, antisocial,solitary birds.

They are very solitary. The other thing I thought about was when one dies they are so small, less likely to be found.