Hippie Chick

Flockdown is over from the 2nd May 2022. Biosecurity is still important but chickens and other poultry can start to free range again. Update 25 April 2022 The UK Chief Veterinary Officers have announced that the mandatory housing measures for poultry and captive birds will be lifted across the UK from 00:01 on Monday 2 May 2022. The Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) will remain in force across the UK until further notice, with only the housing measures component being lifted from 00:01 on the 2 May 2022. This means all bird keepers (whether they have pet birds, a commercial or a backyard flock) must continue to take effective and precautionary biosecurity measures until further notice. While the risk levels have reduced infection may still be present in the environment. All bird keepers should take proactive measures to prepare outside areas in advance the lifting of the housing measures. See our guidance on the proactive steps you should take before the 2 May 2022 to prepare for when your birds can be let outside again to reduce the risk to your birds.

That's awful, I'm so sorry 😢 but I admire you very much for being able to do it, it must be a lot less stressful for the hen rather than having to travel to see a vet.

That's pretty much what I've been wondering over the last couple of months. Swooping in to cull birds that may survive and be valuable to promoting resistance in the wild - as it's not only poultry that end up being culled in some outbreaks may not be the brightest idea and is looking more and more in some instances like a knee-jerk reaction, especially as you can kill all the captive birds you want but you're not going to make an impact on the wild population carrying the virus. Where captive birds are being kept and there's an outbreak then I believe that the nature of the virus means that you know within a shockingly short period of time which birds are going to die and which are going to survive.

Well, this is a worrying development Animal health officials to go door-to-door in villages near Bird Flu outbreak poultry farm They will be looking for properties where poultry and other 'captive' birds are kept.

Worse news from a few minutes ago. Prevention Zone Declared Across UK It's for the larger flocks at the moment, smaller flock keepers are advised to take precautions but I expect most of us do now anyway.

It's been found in a bird rescue site in Worcestershire here in the UK several days ago too. Bird flu identified at a wildbird rescue centre in Worcestershire

+3 French Copper Black Marans girls (so now I have 'three french hens' 😆) added to my small flock. Rhiannon, Rosalind (Rose) and Ruby. 2385 + 3 = 2388

One of mine tends to go like this when she's moulting, could she be starting a moult?

Thank you Beantree

My 6 year old Araucana's comb has changed shape this laying season. I haven't had this happen with a chicken before, or if it has happened then I haven't noticed it, but Clara's comb is a pea comb so perhaps it's easier to see any change there. Normally her comb is a fairly small ridge, typical of the pea comb you'd expect to see. Now she has a raised bit, looking like a turret on top of a castle wall! It's the same colour, bright red, as the rest of her comb and the same texture and she seems her normal crazy self in any other way - she's still going broody every ten eggs or so! It seems to have grown as she came into lay and has now stopped getting larger. Is this something that can happen as a chicken ages? I'm struggling to find information on this. Thanks all x

+3 October 2020, three gorgeous Swedish Flower Hens -1 Brunhilde the Bluebelle, my flock leader 20/2/2021 = 2,377

My head chicken Brunhilde passed today. She was old and tired but very content to be with her flock and will be missed.

There's been an outbreak of bird flu near Deal in Kent at a commercial farm UK Gov News Site

Good to know!

I don't know, I haven't seen the Smallholder's Range ones myself but the Allen and Page website states that their organic ones are "2.5mm pellet size – suitable for bantams". I use the organic ones and they are very small pellets, much smaller than other layers' pellets I've seen. If you're still unsure I can take a photo against some kind of scale for you of the organic ones.