# Bird Flu - It's Back



## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

Avian influenza, or ‘bird flu’, has been in the news in Canada for weeks. It is spreading across the country. I have not heard what is happening in the US, but assume it is similar.

The SPCA is asking people to remove bird feeders and bird baths to reduce the spread. Avian flu can affect many different bird species. On rare occasions, this virus can also spread to humans.


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

In Oklahoma they are stopping all sales of birds in auctions, swaps, and sales on CL,or FB. Due to the threat of spreading the flu.


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## brigieboo (Apr 8, 2021)

In WI all poultry shows are on hold until at least after May 31st, and im guessing it'll be for the rest of the summer too. Chicken, (live) and egg prices are going way up and there is an egg shortage in stores cuz a poultry farm with 3 million chickens had confirmed cases so all their eggs and chickens were disposed of.


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## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

brigieboo said:


> all their eggs and chickens were disposed of.


I wonder, can the bird flu be spread by the eggs once they are cleaned for public consumption?


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

We have been keeping an eye on this. We do have a decent enclosure for ours but I hate to have them locked up.
We do not put out feeders but our yard is always full of thieves in the gardens.
I hate this!


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## brigieboo (Apr 8, 2021)

luvmyherd said:


> We have been keeping an eye on this. We do have a decent enclosure for ours but I hate to have them locked up.
> We do not put out feeders but our yard is always full of thieves in the gardens.
> I hate this!


We still have ours free ranging. The thing is, a bird can catch the flu, fly around, poop, and then another bird gets it from the poop. Chicken wire doesn't stop a lot of birds, we always have some kinda bird flying around in our coop, (we have a big coop/run) it doesn't make sense to keep them locked up and going through way more feed, when they could still just as easily get it as they could from free ranging. 

But yea, it's all up to the individual owner to decide what preventatives they want to take. A lot of people around me still have their chickens free ranging, even tho there was a confirmed case in a backyard flock in the next county over, but other people tell us we're crazy for not keeping our birds locked up.


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## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

It is a matter of probability or risk. The more area they roam around in, the greater the risk of exposure. So being kept in a coop or small run is a smaller risk than free ranging. However, how much smaller the risk is is unknown.

The risk is never zero unless the chickens are resting in the freezer.

Then there is the whole - how much do you trust the media reports - thing. If there is any political component to the news topic then a certain amount of skepticism may be warranted.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I dont watch the news so have not heard of an issue. Guess i better check our area. Hopfully this blows past quickly. Hens are laying like crazy and I'm about to put the "eggs for sale" sign out. 😒


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Yes. Supposedly the bird flu is sweeping the US. Interesting how it only seems to be small backyard flocks. Funny how there is all this bird flu and quite a few accidents with large shipments of bees and most of the bees dying.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Yup. ^^^ makes you wonder what's truth and what's hype. I'm just going to keep in keeping on. And keep an eye on the health of my birds. We have chicken, geese, turkey and ducks


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## brigieboo (Apr 8, 2021)

ksalvagno said:


> Interesting how it only seems to be small backyard flocks.


I mean this is where I first found out Abt it in WI..









Jefferson County egg farm composting millions of chickens after bird flu outbreak


An egg farm in Jefferson County is now composting around 2.75 million chickens after an outbreak of Avian Influenza.




www.google.com





That's when people around here started freaking out and we got an egg shortage.


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## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

As many of you may know, if you have one die from it, and call it in to report it, they will come out and kill every single bird on your place. Most of you probably know this, it's just a heads up.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Yup.


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## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

This flu is a big threat to us as we have over 150+ birds.


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## brigieboo (Apr 8, 2021)

we have somewhere in between 30-45ish i think, so it wouldnt be super bad but at the same time it would lol



Lil Boogie said:


> This flu is a big threat to us as we have over 150+ birds.


since u have so many, are you taking more precautions with it?


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Ours are still free. I mean, they just got big enough to be let out. I would hate to lock them back up. But we will keep our eyes on it and keep our options open.
We had no problems the last time it swept through and our flock was free ranging.


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## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

brigieboo said:


> we have somewhere in between 30-45ish i think, so it wouldnt be super bad but at the same time it would lol
> 
> 
> since u have so many, are you taking more precautions with it?


Not really. Not much of anything we can do to prevent it.


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## brigieboo (Apr 8, 2021)

Lil Boogie said:


> Not really. Not much of anything we can do to prevent it.


yea same here. my dad says if they get it they get it and theres not anyway we can keep them from getting it cuz our coop always has birds flying around in it.

do ur birds free range?


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## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

brigieboo said:


> yea same here. my dad says if they get it they get it and theres not anyway we can keep them from getting it cuz our coop always has birds flying around in it.
> 
> do ur birds free range?


Some of them do some dont.


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Yikes, that sucks.  I’ve seen a few dead recently. Going to have to take the bird feeder down….


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

It’s not even close to being out here, not saying it won’t but it’s not this far yet, and people around here are going nuts! They are building solid roofs and walls in coops and basically putting them on lock down already. I don’t know, I would be absolutely heart broken if my poultry got it, but I can’t put them in jail like that. That can’t be healthy not getting sunshine and fresh air. Maybe irresponsible of me but unless it gets close I’m letting them live their happy life, even when it does get close I’m not sure I could totally put them on lock down like that.
I’m curious though if anyone knows the answer to this:
We had Newcastle here in California. Say my flock got it, they would go around and any poultry within X miles from me they would automatically kill them. Are they doing the same thing with this? If so then Even housing them in a air tight cell might not save them.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Yes. They are killing the whole flock. I would think that if your birds are healthy, they have a better chance of not getting it. I used to feed wild birds, but I stopped. More due to the cost of bird seed. But I'm not locking up my chickens. I have to believe fresh air and sunshine are the best for them.


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## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

Jessica84 said:


> It’s not even close to being out here, not saying it won’t but it’s not this far yet, and people around here are going nuts! They are building solid roofs and walls in coops and basically putting them on lock down already. I don’t know, I would be absolutely heart broken if my poultry got it, but I can’t put them in jail like that. That can’t be healthy not getting sunshine and fresh air. Maybe irresponsible of me but unless it gets close I’m letting them live their happy life, even when it does get close I’m not sure I could totally put them on lock down like that.
> I’m curious though if anyone knows the answer to this:
> We had Newcastle here in California. Say my flock got it, they would go around and any poultry within X miles from me they would automatically kill them. Are they doing the same thing with this? If so then Even housing them in a air tight cell might not save them.


The answer is yes. But I'm pretty sure it's just your birds only that they kill, not anyone else that's close to you unless they see them and go test them.


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## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

Sorry, not locking them up. This thing is a virus. Kinda like Covid. It's not JUST spread by wild birds stool. A person in TN proved this. They are a chicken farmer and have over 800 birds. They asked how to prevent them from getting it. They ( the people who will come kill your birds, can't remember their name.) said "lock them up in an building where no birds can get in. That's the only way to protect them." so, they did. Guess what? Still got it. It is a virus, not JUST spread by poo, therefore there's no reason to lock them up and make them be miserable. There's really only so much you can do for things like this. Unfortunately all we can do is let it run it's course, just like we have every single year. And yes, it IS here every year. We just don't hear about it til it gets bad. Why? Because they don't consider it bad enough to tell us about .

Also, remember that just because you have a or two birds die of it does NOT mean your whole flock will die too. I personally, my opinion, I don't see a reason to put down all your birds just because one came down with it, as this virus is here every year and there's no way of stopping it, and there's no reason to put down an animal who might not even get it and is perfect health. That's kinda like saying I'm gonna kill something just because it has a chance of getting sick, etc.. It will be here no matter what we do/ try to do. All we can do is pray for our birdies and hope God will have mercy in them. So, with that being said if you DO have one die from it but don't want those people to come kill the rest of your birds, put layers of clothes on and gloves then go burn the body (s) of those who died. Even if your not sure what it died from, as for now I still advise doing this, and burning those clothes, and gloves too. Maybe even burn your shoes, too.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Jessica84 said:


> It’s not even close to being out here, not saying it won’t but it’s not this far yet, and people around here are going nuts! They are building solid roofs and walls in coops and basically putting them on lock down already. I don’t know, I would be absolutely heart broken if my poultry got it, but I can’t put them in jail like that. That can’t be healthy not getting sunshine and fresh air. Maybe irresponsible of me but unless it gets close I’m letting them live their happy life, even when it does get close I’m not sure I could totally put them on lock down like that.
> I’m curious though if anyone knows the answer to this:
> We had Newcastle here in California. Say my flock got it, they would go around and any poultry within X miles from me they would automatically kill them. Are they doing the same thing with this? If so then Even housing them in a air tight cell might not save them.


I don’t know if this is state specific, but what I read was they destroy all your birds and fertile eggs and immediately go test any other flocks in a 6 mile radius.

My state has found a few wild birds with it, so it’s where I live. Like you, I’d be devastated if my flock got it but I also am not going to put them on lockdown as a precaution as I believe that leads to a different myriad of health issues.


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## littleheathens (Apr 27, 2019)

brigieboo said:


> I mean this is where I first found out Abt it in WI..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


@brigieboo HI! We must be neighbors. We live in Dane, not far from the Jefferson Co border. They've slaughtered millions in JeffCo before for this. 

Zero concerns over the bird flu on my homestead. We have about 10 dozen eggs on the counter and another 10-12 dozen in the freezer. Keep on keepin' on is right!


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## littleheathens (Apr 27, 2019)

Lil Boogie said:


> therefore there's no reason to lock them up and make them be miserable. There's really only so much you can do for things like this. Unfortunately all we can do is let it run it's course


Wait...are we on a hamster wheel? Are we talking about locking up living things, depriving them of sun, nutrition, interaction and good health for the sake of making them "healthy," aka "stopping" a virus? I call bologny!


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

There have been some cases here in my state of MO. I haven't been following all that closely. Most auctions/swap meets are banning the sale of waterfowl. The thinking is that they're more susceptible, I guess. I don't buy my birds from those sorts of places, anyway, because it just seems like a great way to bring all kinds of potential problems home. I'm not locking my chickens up. I know that would cause a host of other problems for them.


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## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

littleheathens said:


> Wait...are we on a hamster wheel? Are we talking about locking up living things, depriving them of sun, nutrition, interaction and good health for the sake of making them "healthy," aka "stopping" a virus? I call bologny!


There is a solution:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)




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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)




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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

I just want a you tube video on..
How to make the chicken mask
How to put the mask on!😂🤣😂🤣


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

It's always interesting to me to sit back and watch small producers force the introduction of legal regulations and government oversight. Then they invariably turn around and complain that it was the commercial producers fault lol.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

goathiker said:


> It's always interesting to me to sit back and watch small producers force the introduction of legal regulations and government oversight. Then they invariably turn around and complain that it was the commercial producers fault lol.


Care to elaborate on that?


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

I am of the feeling since there’s not much to be done about it anyway, I just let them continue to free range. It’s gotta be healthier for them to be out grazing and eating bugs than being kept cooped up. And I’d have to be cleaning the coop 2x a week if they were in there the whole time and I don’t have time for that 😅
I am trying out water glassing eggs this year. See if I can preserve some from these abundant months to tide us over thru the winter when laying slows. I don’t want to have to buy grocery store eggs at $6 a dozen or how ever much they go up to!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Mike at Capra Vista said:


> There is a solution:


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## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

Apparently 1,700,000 birds culled in Canada. Mostly in Alberta.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Ugh. That’s horrible.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh my. 😮


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Gosh that’s so sad. Are they doing it to stop the spread or do they already have it? Now poultry will probably go up…… I hope everyone’s birds stay healthy!


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## Daniel O'Rourke (10 mo ago)

Mike at Capra Vista said:


> It is a matter of probability or risk. The more area they roam around in, the greater the risk of exposure. So being kept in a coop or small run is a smaller risk than free ranging. However, how much smaller the risk is is unknown.
> 
> The risk is never zero unless the chickens are resting in the freezer.
> 
> Then there is the whole - how much do you trust the media reports - thing. If there is any political component to the news topic then a certain amount of skepticism may be warranted.


Exactly, on point with the skepticism of the media. 👍 I think this 'bird flu outbreak' may be linked to creating food shortages. Many farms have had livestock culled on the 'threat' of disease


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

I also just heard that they are using the same kind of test that they used for COVID - the one that they know has issues with false positives. Can you imagine if all those birds got killed due to a false positive? 😑


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You know that is happening. Unfortunately.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yep. 😔


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## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

Oh oh. Avian influenza virus is on Vancouver Island. A small poultry flock has tested positive about an hour north of me.

Domestic and wild birds have tested positive for the virus in over a dozen locations around the province.

There is a provincial order requiring commercial operators to keep birds indoors until June 13, 2022.


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## littleheathens (Apr 27, 2019)

Nature always wins.


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

I’ve been thinking about getting bulk garlic powder and mixing on my chicken feed for a immune booster. I’d read about it for a de worming for chickens, but figured it would help them stay healthy along with the vit D sunshine and benefits of grazing freely 🤷🏼‍♀️


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I heard American Elderberry (not European variety) is great to feed and boost the immune system and to help protect against avian flu was even mentioned. I think as with anything virus threat..boosting the immune system is key to have a good stand against it.


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## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

Very cool interactive map showing the avian flu across the US









Reporting for Bird Detections across the United States.


HPAI A(H5) viruses have been detected in U.S. wild birds, commercial poultry and backyard flocks.




www.cdc.gov


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I guess I need my elderberry bushes to hurry up and bloom. 

Where I live, TN, so far (knock on wood) they’ve only found a few wild birds with it but no commercial or backyard flocks have been infected. I also think, where I live, people with backyard flocks would be hesitant to report and would instead cull their own flock the way they see fit if they suspected a case. We also have a lot of wild elderberry. I wonder if that helps things at all. Probably not much for migratory birds as the blooms usually happen in June and the berries come in July.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Texas has one location hit..and it's near me..so we are keeping close eye on things. We don't have Elderberry growing here. I have plain syrup and freezdried berries to make my own syrup. So I could add a few drops to water sources we have set out for the birds. We like to add B12 during hit weather too and acv. Not all in one bucket lol. All in all. We do what we can.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

We had a sick chicken yesterday so of course we panicked. But there have not been any cases reported near us.
We rarely do much to save poultry and my son said he was going to put her down but I later found her in a cage with food. So we watched her and I gave her water. She loved a little cayenne and chipotle and perked up.
At first she was on her side but was then back on her feet. Anyway, she is improving and we think the others were picking on her and keeping her away from the food.
Nobody else is off at all so I think we are safe.🥵


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

[mention]happybleats [/mention] you have a water buffet. I bet your chickens love it! How scary that it is close to you. Hope your flock stays safe and healthy. 

[mention]luvmyherd [/mention] I hope your hen recovers. Sounds like she’s doing much better. I have a feeling a lot of us will be thinking the worst anytime a chicken falls ill.


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## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

I have not come across much avian flu news in a while, but this caught my attention this morning:

*Highly pathogenic avian influenza believed to be killing seals in Quebec*

_Quebec researchers have detected avian flu in at least two species of seal, and they fear the virus is to blame for the unusually high number of dead seals reported on the province’s shorelines.

... about 100 harbour seal carcasses have been found since January along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in eastern Quebec — almost six times more than in an average year._


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

😱😢


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## The Goat (8 mo ago)




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## littleheathens (Apr 27, 2019)

So, is Trudeau planning to kill all the seals to prevent spread?


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