Let’s Talk About Bird Flu

[Bawkbok]

Yep. It follows the main flyways of migratory waterfowl. While it may look like the whole country is inna flyway the reality is some areas are much more congested with migratory waterfowl than others. Where I live in Chattanooga, TN we aren’t in a major flyway when you look at actual bird traffic. There are a few birds that overwinter in Florida that briefly cross over but not many. When I’ve traveled I’ve been really shocked to see how many ducks and geese migrate on the East Coast and West Coast and I’ve seen tons out in Arkansas as well. For example, I’ve never seen a snow goose in Chattanooga but I’ve seen a ton in the Northeast on the coast and out in Arkansas. So take this map for example. It looks like the whole US is in one flyway or another:
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So taking my area of Southeast Tennessee we are right on the border of the Atlantic and Mississippi flyway so you’d think we’d have tons of birds but look at where the concentrations actually are:
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So here you see that really most birds in the Atlantic flyway stay along the coast while in the US and birds in the Mississippi tend to follow pretty close to the Mississippi River. So while you do see a low concentration of waterfowl in Southeast Tennessee there are some. But where exactly do they actually go? Here in this map you can see that a few birds start out down south in Florida but break off and just pass right over Southeast Tennessee. They don’t seem to be staying, just passing over:
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The one thing we do have quite a few of are Sandhill Cranes and there are areas that get quite thick with them…just not very close to my house. Of course migratory waterfowl can infect local birds which in turn can infect other local birds but there are definitely areas where you should have a greater concern. The way this Highly Pathogenic Strain got to North America is because some migratory waterfowl from Europe that were infected spend the summer in the same Arctic areas where birds on the Atlantic Flyway spend their summers. At first it was confined to the East Coast but as you can see from the maps some birds that spend the winter in Florida cross over into the Mississippi Flyway and basically that’s how it eventually spread all the way out west and even down into South America.

Thanks for these maps - interesting indeed and very helpful. We do hear a lot of Sandhill Cranes migrating to FL - many flocks fly right over us. Fascinating birds and very loud. They tend to wander in neighborhoods and wander around on lawns, primarily where there are bodies of water, even retention water areas in communities.

 

[Peep_Show]

Strict biosecurity is a must. No free-ranging. No coop+run access for wild birds (roof over run.) No introduction of outside chickens to the flock. No visiting other flock locations and then entering your own chickens' home without changing shoes. (Better yet, don't visit other flocks inside their coop or run.) No outside visitors to your flock, period. (In other words, deliver any sold birds to new homes.)

Thus far this works.

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

Strict biosecurity is a must. No free-ranging. No coop+run access for wild birds (roof over run.) No introduction of outside chickens to the flock. No visiting other flock locations and then entering your own chickens' home without changing shoes. (Better yet, don't visit other flocks inside their coop or run.) No outside visitors to your flock, period. (In other words, deliver any sold birds to new homes.)

Thus far this works.

I was considering on buying a laying hen from the feed store but now, I'm a apprehensive because of this bird flu going around.

 

[TOMTE]

I was considering on buying a laying hen from the feed store but now, I'm a apprehensive because of this bird flu going around.

Check for detections in your state/area, maybe contact the feed store to ask where they get their chooks from, and then contact that place to ask about the conditions of their birds, how they're cared for, if they've been taking precautions with biosecurity etc. Make a decicion from there?

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

Check for detections in your state/area, maybe contact the feed store to ask where they get their chooks from, and then contact that place to ask about the conditions of their birds, how they're cared for, if they've been taking precautions with biosecurity etc. Make a decicion from there?

That is great advice! I will definitely do that.

 

[TOMTE]

I haven't had to deal with bird flu yet and I hope I don't have to, but I know someone nearby to me who lost her entire flock a couple months ago. Not sure if it was confirmed bird flu but it was very sudden and judging by that and the signs the birds were showing, bird flu is a strong possibility. I'm still so sad for her, she loved her birds. (ETA she's all set for incubating eggs this year! So while I'm sad about her losing her previous flock, I'm also so, SO EXCITED FOR HER! )

If you suspect bird flu in your flock and you lose any amount of birds, especially if you live somewhere highly populated, please report it. Keep dead birds refrigerated (NOT IN THE FREEZER) so that they can be tested and confirmed. I know it would be hard to have to cull your entire flock but you could very well be putting other flocks, other animals, and other families at risk by not reporting it. If testing confirms bird flu I think you're supposed to burn the remains (if able), or they might take them away for you... But I'm not 100% sure, someone else can probably give more info on disposal and sanitation.

Corporate factory farms keep making conditions worse for their livestock to increase productivity and profit, and unfortunately we family farms and backyard chicken keepers pay for it in many ways. This is just one of those ways. It might not be fair, but we still need to be responsible. Be proactive, learn the signs and symptoms of bird flu, take biosecurity measures, stay up to date on the latest news from official sources, not the media, and if it comes to it, make that hard decision.

 

[Bawkbok]

Be proactive, learn the signs and symptoms of bird flu, take biosecurity measures, stay up to date on the latest news from official sources, not the media, and if it comes to it, make that hard decision.

Can you explain what those signs and symptoms are? Assuming they never deviate in other words, they present exactly the same in every case in every breed, etc.? Also, if one bird has it, does it stand to reason that all in the flock would become infected and die suddenly if it's so virulent?

 

[TOMTE]

Can you explain what those signs and symptoms are? Assuming they never deviate in other words, they present exactly the same in every case in every breed, etc.? Also, if one bird has it, does it stand to reason that all in the flock would become infected and die suddenly if it's so virulent?

No, I can't. It's something to look into, and I'm not sure if they would display the same across all cases... Probably not, depending on the type of bird and which strain of the virus it is. I'm not an expert, these are just my thoughts from what I've gathered by reading about bird flu so far.

Here's a link to an article by the American Veterinary Medical Association about avian influenza in pets and backyard flocks

 

[TillyPeeps]

I believe my flock already had LPAI two years ago when there was an outbreak in our area. I found a dead sparrow in their run and then most of them got sick with runny nose and sharp decrease of egg production in late spring. Hopefully, the LPAI infection helped them develop antibodies to HPAI.

 

[Sally PB]

Hopefully, the LPAI infection helped them develop antibodies to HPAI.

Wouldn't that be wonderful if it did!