Avian Flu

[BonnieBlue]

Apologies if all of this has been posted, as I didn't see any recent threads on this topic.

It appears that the Avian Flu is back, and commercial flocks are already being heavily hit. I have linked two articles with the information.

I am new to chicken keeping, so I am wondering what I can do to protect my flock? My run is covered, and the wire on it is .5 or .75 welded wire, so I feel comfortable no wild birds can get in, and no droppings can fall into it since covered. Are there other methods of spread I should be taking precautions against? I have a pair of rain boots I wear when I go into the run, that I only wear between the patio where I keep them, and the run, which is ~20ft away.

Thanks for any information to help keep my girls healthy and safe.

https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023...reading-through-commercial-flocks-in-the-u-s/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2023/12/14/cost-of-eggs-rising/71923687007/

 

[Tonyroo]

It's difficult to keep your flock safe. Don't encourage wild birds near your pen. So no foods out and area kept cleaned up.

 

[TooCheep]

Sounds like you are generally doing the right things. @Tonyroo is right. Don't encourage wild birds- no bird feeders, etc. in the area. Reality of life is you can't give them 100% protection, just do the best you can.

Also, there is a thread that you might want to bookmark on this topic. People post in there when there are new announcements of domesticated or wild birds found infected.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/avian-influenza-found-in-south-carolina.1507893/

 

[BonnieBlue]

It's difficult to keep your flock safe. Don't encourage wild birds near your pen. So no foods out and area kept cleaned up.

Thank you.

Sounds like you are generally doing the right things. @Tonyroo is right. Don't encourage wild birds- no bird feeders, etc. in the area. Reality of life is you can't give them 100% protection, just do the best you can.

Also, there is a thread that you might want to bookmark on this topic. People post in there when there are new announcements of domesticated or wild birds found infected.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/avian-influenza-found-in-south-carolina.1507893/

Thank you. I used "flu" as the keyword. I will bookmark the topic.

 

[Penpal]

Waterfowl carry avian flu without dying. When it is spread to non waterfowl, they die. Wild birds like cardinals and robins aren't going to give your chickens avian flu, but migrating geese and ducks might.

 

[mamajos]

I just go directly to the usda website to keep informed.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...pai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks

 

[BonnieBlue]

Waterfowl carry avian flu without dying. When it is spread to non waterfowl, they die. Wild birds like cardinals and robins aren't going to give your chickens avian flu, but migrating geese and ducks might.

We have a lot of waterfowl around here. Fortunately, none near my coop/run.

I just go directly to the usda website to keep informed.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...pai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks

I just book marked that. Really good resource. Thanks.

 

[Perris]

Are there other methods of spread I should be taking precautions against?

a lot of spread is caused by people going between places, carrying it unwittingly on the soles of their shoes, or tracks of their tyres (called 'fomites' in the literature). Feed stores are particular hubs, where one tyre or boot with infected poo on the tread can spread it when stepped or driven on by someone else stopping by for feed.

So keep a spare pair of shoes in the car just for feedstore visits, or get a boot wash and an appropriate disinfectant (most won't kill avian flu; there is a list of those that will on a UK gov website and I expect USDA has a similar list somewhere), and park in the least frequented bit of a carpark when out and about.

Many garden (and other) birds are not susceptible; waterfowl are the main threat, as Penpal said.

https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/can-wild-birds-spread-avian-influenza-domestic-poultry

 

[Molpet]

It's been found in Mammals also. usually predators that fed on sick waterfowl, last year an opossum about 40 miles away from me.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...n/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-mammals

 

[Waterfowllady]

Waterfowl carry avian flu without dying. When it is spread to non waterfowl, they die. Wild birds like cardinals and robins aren't going to give your chickens avian flu, but migrating geese and ducks might.

This is true, but it’s important to note they are not carriers forever. They only shed the virus for so long and then they have antibodies and are essentially immune to getting it again