Preparing for this BirdFlu outbreak?

[jBabychickn]

Has anyone else been keeping up with the positive cases of H1N1 over on the East Coast?

What types of things are you doing to prepare and protect your flock?

— I just saw an Instagram post where someone made a Coop inside their Attic to keep their chickens safe… Interesting??

— Here it is:
Attic Coop

———————————
The UK has had to keep their flocks under cover/inside their runs and enclosures for awhile now due to the high prevalence of H1N1 there. But, I haven’t heard of any cases here until January this year. And now, most recently. A turkey farm in Indiana suddenly lost 150 birds. They tested them and they came up positive. It looks like the wild bird population is spreading it thru the Atlantic Flyway and now they’re saying it’s in the Mississippi Flyway as well. - Which includes my homestate of Kentucky…

I’m panicking somewhat, since I free range my birds quite a bit. Plus, their coop, right now, is on the smaller side, due to the fact that I get to free range them. However, we do have plans to build a nicer, bigger coop and run addition this Spring. — I just hope we can get it done soon enough now that all this is happening!



Click here for more Information. (Scroll to Bottom)

Aphis USDA

Click here to check the States and the States Counties that have active positive cases reported and confirmed. (Scroll to Bottom)

Aphis USDA
Focus

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Everything I've been reading says it's H5N1 HPAI. I need to figure out which one it is. Many of us are keeping a close eye on it. I'll try to link the other threads. It's definitely got my attention, along with MANY other folks here

 

[jBabychickn]

Everything I've been reading says it's H5N1 HPAI. I need to figure out which one it is. Many of us are keeping a close eye on it. I'll try to link the other threads. It's definitely got my attention, along with MANY other folks here

My last link, labeled “Focus” has a filter where you can search different strains as well

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Thread 'Avian influenza found in South Carolina' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/avian-influenza-found-in-south-carolina.1507893/

 

[jBabychickn]

Thread 'Avian influenza found in South Carolina' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/avian-influenza-found-in-south-carolina.1507893/

Yes! It’s on the APHIS USDA website.

It’s now confirmed in NC & SC, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Indiana. — The site was just updated and they added those last 3 States…

 

[HeatherKellyB]

H1n1 is swine flu. The current HPAI that's moving through the USA right now is h5n1

 

[RubelliteRose]

— I just saw an Instagram post where someone made a Coop inside their Attic to keep their chickens safe… Interesting??

— Here it is:
Attic Coop

To be honest, I would not recommend that. They live in Richmond and normally it would get way too hot in the attic for birds in just a few weeks. We are only 2 hours south of Richmond and our high today will be 72.
Their set up actually looks more like a room over the garage though and it looks like someone has an office set up in the same space so I assume it is temperature controlled. However that brings up a second point - dust and lots of it! We had our first group of chicks in the house way too long while we were trying to finish their coop. The first month was fine, but after that everything was coated in a very thick layer of dust from their bedding and dander (and I am assuming dry poop, but we try not to think about thatFortunately, it was in a room that we were gutting and refinishing anyway. I can't even imagine how much dust will be produced by full grown hens inside even in a short amount of time.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

FYI - Testing will begin in the Central and Mississippi flyways - was announced Friday. Mentioned about half way down in the article.

 

[Peter_Rabbit_Farm]

That would be a very good preventative measure. I would get a bucket of water mixed with disinfectant soap and wash your feet in that every time you go into the coop. Keep that bucket next too the coop. Change the water every few days. Or you can have a pair of boots in the coop, and only use that pair in your coop.

Also keeping your run covered helps too. Preferably a solid top, but a mesh top may work too.

If you add new birds in to your flock quarantine them for a minimum of a month.
I personally quarantine for a month, then do a blood test on both flocks to ensure no disease transmission. I test for:
- Avian influenza
- coryza ( I think I spelled that wrong)
- Salmonella

To prevent wild bird coming in your yard don’t put bird suet or seeds out for them, also adding owl or hawk dummies around help

I show my poultry, and they need a clean blood test to be able to show. So I have bio security measures already in place.

PS - I am in south eastern Pennsylvania, so I too am worried about the outbreak of Avian influenza.

Also I would get that larger run built ASAP. Because the poultry most at risk are ones that are free range.

 

[Opiumbrella]

That would be a very good preventative measure. I would get a bucket of water mixed with disinfectant soap and wash your feet in that every time you go into the coop. Keep that bucket next too the coop. Change the water every few days. Or you can have a pair of boots in the coop, and only use that pair in your coop.

Also keeping your run covered helps too. Preferably a solid top, but a mesh top may work too.

If you add new birds in to your flock quarantine them for a minimum of a month.
I personally quarantine for a month, then do a blood test on both flocks to ensure no disease transmission. I test for:
- Avian influenza
- coryza ( I think I spelled that wrong)
- Salmonella

To prevent wild bird coming in your yard don’t put bird suet or seeds out for them, also adding owl or hawk dummies around help

I show my poultry, and they need a clean blood test to be able to show. So I have bio security measures already in place.

PS - I am in south eastern Pennsylvania, so I too am worried about the outbreak of Avian influenza.

Also I would get that larger run built ASAP. Because the poultry most at risk are ones that are free range.

This whole thing is terrifying g. I’m west coast, Oregon. And hoping it doesn’t came here again. I have a giant flock of wild turkeys that use my property as a through way and the neighbors who have lived here 47 years say they’re have been watching the turkeys since they moved in. I feed them sometimes, when there is an injured one. This year it is a lil hen named limpy who fractured her leg. (I feed them up at the edge of my and my neighbors land, they roost in his trees, I don’t feed them where my girls are, in fact started feeding up there gimping they would avoid scratching around with my chickens) It would be near impossible for me to keep them away from anywhere my chickens go without an absurd amount of money. Ahhhhrrgh. I miss 2020. Imagine that.