Preparing for this BirdFlu outbreak?

[chicknmania]

Short story on songbirds: Back in 2015, before we had domestic birds, a song sparrow slowly hopped up to our back door, clearly in pain and probably looking for a spot to rest. I didn't know much about birds at the time but called the local Audubon Society to ask if I should bring it in or what to do. The person I spoke to said that an avian flu was circulating and it was likely the cause of the sparrow's problem. They said there was nothing they could do to save it from death but if I brought it in, that they could put it down humanely to end its suffering. I followed their directions of using gloves to handle the little thing and placed it in a box, but as I was about to back out of our driveway, saw the sparrow sort of go into convulsions and die.

The person at the Audubon Society didn't insist that I bring the bird in either way for testing and again, I knew very little about birds and even less about AI at the time, so my husband took care of disposing it and that was that. Knowing what I know now, I definitely would've taken it in to see if it confirming AI was possible. All this is to say, that one wildlife professional thought it was likely that a songbird was dying of AI.

All I said was that this person, who is and has been a wildlife rehabber and educator of the public regarding wildlife, said that THIS AI has not been found in songbirds. Yes, they do test songbirds if one is brought in dead if it is in the midst of a pandememic of this magnitude. I'm sorry I mentioned it. Please forgive me. Regardless of whether songbirds do or do not carry the virus, we still clean and disinfect our feeders. As everyone should.

 

[sierraforest]

All I said was that this person, who is and has been a wildlife rehabber and educator of the public regarding wildlife, said that THIS AI has not been found in songbirds. Yes, they do test songbirds if one is brought in dead if it is in the midst of a pandememic of this magnitude. I'm sorry I mentioned it. Please forgive me. Regardless of whether songbirds do or do not carry the virus, we still clean and disinfect our feeders. As everyone should.

I didn't dispute anything you posted and am not trying to argue anything. I only replied to your comment since it was the most recent one that mentioned songbirds and reminded me of an experience I had.

 

[McChooky]

Wild birds don't have access to my run or feeders and my chickens have a covered run. I wanted to make them some chicken tunnels and a chicken tractor so they can "free range" in a protected area but it can wait until next year . Meanwhile I'm planning on making them a larger coop so they can spend more time indoors since they have a small coop .I don't know if just keeping them in covered runs prevents the spread 100% but we can only do so much.

 

[Peter_Rabbit_Farm]

Where do you test for that? I would love to do that for new chicks comming

Through the 4H, I am not sure about testing baby chicks, I only do 4 months and older, and only 30 birds on the property need to be tested at the minimum if you have over 30 birds, any less they all get tested

 

[AMarron]

I'm in North Carolina, and I got my first flock of chicks two weeks ago. Their coop is supposed to be delivered sometime this month, and then I plan to paint it and get it ready for when they're fully feathered and able to be moved into it.

I had planned on putting a thick layer of dead leaves in the run for them to scratch through, but there are a lot of songbirds and hawks in the area, so now I'm worried that even with the covered run, because it will be new, there might be infected fecal matter on the ground and in the leaves I was going to use, and I'm not sure how to make a new run biosecure when wild birds have had access to the area recently.

Should I put a tarp over the area where it's going to be? Dig down and add new dirt to make it level? Keep them in the coop itself until July to make sure any contaminated fecal matter has thoroughly decomposed into the soil? I've wanted chickens for twenty-five years, and now that I finally have them, HPAI shows up again. I researched everything but was somehow still not prepared for this big of an outbreak.

 

[chicknmania]

I'm in North Carolina, and I got my first flock of chicks two weeks ago. Their coop is supposed to be delivered sometime this month, and then I plan to paint it and get it ready for when they're fully feathered and able to be moved into it.

I had planned on putting a thick layer of dead leaves in the run for them to scratch through, but there are a lot of songbirds and hawks in the area, so now I'm worried that even with the covered run, because it will be new, there might be infected fecal matter on the ground and in the leaves I was going to use, and I'm not sure how to make a new run biosecure when wild birds have had access to the area recently.

Should I put a tarp over the area where it's going to be? Dig down and add new dirt to make it level? Keep them in the coop itself until July to make sure any contaminated fecal matter has thoroughly decomposed into the soil? I've wanted chickens for twenty-five years, and now that I finally have them, HPAI shows up again. I researched everything but was somehow still not prepared for this big of an outbreak.

There's a couple of resources that i would trust to ask those questions, and BYC is one of them, but probably the best one would be if you just called your State department of Agriculture and ask what they recommend. Since the zoos are now involved in the moving birds inside, you could call your local zoo too and see if you can find someone that might tell you how they're going to proceed.

 

[AMarron]

There's a couple of resources that i would trust to ask those questions, and BYC is one of them, but probably the best one would be if you just called your State department of Agriculture and ask what they recommend. Since the zoos are now involved in the moving birds inside, you could call your local zoo too and see if you can find someone that might tell you how they're going to proceed.

Thanks! I've read both the NCDA and the NC State extension websites on it, which have good info about most things, but nothing about the nitty gritty details. I'll try calling them and see what they say.

Update in case anyone else is dealing with similar questions: I called the Ag department and they said the county extension would have better information on the practical parts of chicken keeping during an epidemic. The county extension poultry person said that overall the most important thing is to keep them away from waterfowl and direct interaction with songbirds, and to follow biosecurity measures for the coop and for humans interacting with the chickens. So, coop shoes, no interaction with chickens from other places, don't track goose poop into your yard and then walk on it with your coop shoes, etc.

They said not to worry too much about the ground itself, because when the soil system is healthy the wild bird droppings decompose quickly with all the organisms in the soil. So I should be fine using leaves from my yard and installing a new coop even though there are lots of songbirds around. Whew.

 

[NanaK]

That sounds like very good advice.

To be sure, maybe bag up some leaves or rake them up and cover with a tarp so it would limit access to wild birds. Then they will be handy when you are ready for them too.

Wishing you much fun and success with you first chickens!
Also, Welcome to BYC! You have found a wonderful place to help you on your adventure. There are very knowledgeable and helpful people here. Never be afraid to just ask!

 

[Chickeeaholic]

There is so much overall turmoil & chaos...still reeling from cancer in my whole family 2000 to 2007, family member deaths 2006 to 2008, economic devastation 2008, cancer again, divorce, career loss & more family member & friends deaths, then a global pandemic with another career loss, stupid politicians, rising costs of basic food, medicines & gas, now we add juggling avian flu & possibly WWIII?
Yeah, can we pile any more on???
I'm thinking that we ALL appreciate our flocks so much, not just for eggs to eat, but for their ability to make us smile, their funny antics, their joy of discovering a mere worm or getting one little treat...their simplicity keeping us grounded, their companionship, their comforting clucking sounds, the goodnight song that sounds like letting the air out of a balloon, their happy good morning crows...
I just want to say thank you. With so much negativity, I am so very grateful to have chickens sharing my life, and you all here on this site to talk to about it!

I’m sorry for what you’ve been going through. I hope your cancer is gone. I’m much the same here. I bought my chicks for the purpose of a bright happy spot in my life since loosing my father to Covid and a divorce this past year. I say they are my therapy chickens. It’s been beyond difficult but the chickens make me smile even on the darkest days.

I was going to build a new coop anyway but now it’s going to be bigger and made to house them completely enclosed at all times. Im not taking chances. I’m sorry to say I think it’s going to be a bad, long road for us all. But I also think determination and diligence pays off.

 

[Chickeeaholic]

Found a few sites for info.
I found it interesting that they keep repeating
"this bird flu is not transmittable to people" Yet there are certain strains that are possibly transmitted to people.
I know we are all hoping for the best, we don't want to lose our birds or people to this virus.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-in-humans.htm

https://www.wattagnet.com/articles/...influenza-outbreaks-in-north-american-poultry

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/avian-influenza-surveillance

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-flu-summary.htm

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...e-information/avian/avian-influenza/2022-hpai

I read a man in UK who brought his ducks inside did get the virus but was not symptomatic . There have been rare cases it has, a woman in China and a worker in Russia. So far no one has became ill though. Saying many prayers myself.