Avian Flu

We had a DEFRA e mail last week telling us that Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk are under flockdown restrictions again. It is going to be a long winter.
 
It just didn't recede at all this year, did it? Over here, I haven't heard anything about outbreaks on poultry farms, but a gannet colony on a reserve has been all but wiped out, and right along the coast people were reporting hundreds of dead birds.
 
The Broads are now reporting dead birds along the waterways, and first cases have been reported in Blackbirds.
It really is grim
 
We had already had an email from DEFRA telling us to keep our poultry indoors from 2 weeks ago. I haven't told my hens they have been locked down for two weeks extra
 
Who are these recommendations protecting?
They are not going to stop the spread in the wild bird population.
I very much doubt that they are there to protect the hobby keepers and breeders.
One might have thought we would have learned something for the Covid locksdowns but it seems not.
 
Shadrach said:
Who are these recommendations protecting?
They are not going to stop the spread in the wild bird population.
I very much doubt that they are there to protect the hobby keepers and breeders.
One might have thought we would have learned something for the Covid locksdowns but it seems not.
Click to expand...
 
The advice from DEFRA to nature reserves is report to them one dead owl or bird of prey, 3 dead Geese or Swans.
Ducks and small birds 5 or more dead. Otherwise don't bother. Wonder how they came up with these figures?

Apart from road casualties or shot, what are the chances of you coming across a dead owl or bird of prey.

When we had some dead geese on the reserve, we were still waiting for DEFRA after 3 days, by which time foxes, crows etc had had a field day
 
Marigold said:
This is sobering.
www.theguardian.com

Bird flu is a huge problem now – but we’re just one mutation away from it getting much worse | Devi Sridhar

If bird flu jumps into the human population and more dangerous strains emerge, it could set off a new pandemic, says Prof Devi Sridhar, the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
Click to expand...
Yes. And even though our current flu jabs don't work against this strain of flu, it's still important for anyone in regular contact with poultry or other birds to get their flu jabs. As it was explained to me, it's more to prevent one of the easily transmitted human strains of flu being transmitted to poultry and there mutating with bird flu, to give a deadly strain That's easily transmitted among humans.
 
They are now vaccinating industrial poultry here against avian flu, it said on the news last week. Haven't any more details about it. Our chickens are supposed to be registered at the town hall, but we haven't bothered.
 
Marigold said:
New rules in the offing on registering backyard chickens with DEFRA.

www.theguardian.com

Chickens kept in gardens will have to be registered under planned new rules

Changes in England, Wales and Scotland will also apply to pigeons and birds of prey in bid to tackle bird flu
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
Click to expand...
Here, anyone keeping even one or two chickens is supposed to be registered with Dept of Agriculture. It's been that way for years - definitely since early 2000's when I first started keeping chickens.
I know several people who keep chickens, but I know many won't register. Not sure why - it doesn't cost anything. Part of the general distrust of Government, I think.
 
On behalf of Holly, Hope, Nibbles, Repecka, Margot & Harriet, thank you for letting me know!! They'll be packing their suitcases & looking forward to wiping the mud off their feet on the lawn next Tuesday!

I didn't know that Scottish poultry had escaped flockdown altogether...
 
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