Louise Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 There is a member listed near Perth which may be within 10km Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellcat Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Oh, poo! Really sad now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I'm panicking! Aarrgggghhhh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 As well as the 3km exclusion zone and 10km surveillance zone, there will now be a 2500 sq km wild bird risk area. This is being set up because there is a possibility the mute swan is from the resident swan population and not a migrant. I've made notes from the Chief Veterinary Officers statement, but you can listen to it from the video link on this site http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4882946.stm If I was hearing all the roads correctly (having a shamefully inadequate knowledge of the geography of that part of Scotland ) the wild bird risk area is delineated as Area east of M90 from Forth Road Bridge to Perth Area south of A90 between Perth and Dundee Area east of A90 between Dundee and Stonehaven The veterinary directive to owners in that area is to take their birds 'inside' or to separate them from wild birds - so for the eglu that means keeping them in their run with a winter shade or similar over the top of the run. There will also be no poultry gatherings allowed in this area and extra surveillance of wild birds. So the good news is that they are not requireing a UK wide separation of poultry from wild birds, but there are a number of free range farms in the delineated area and possibly some eglu owners. The DEFRA website hasn't been updated yet, but if anything comes on it I'll post the link. Suggest we all avoid the tabloids tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 There is a map of the risk area here http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/915/0026441.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 And the survellence and protection zones are here: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/972/0025828.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I am sure all steps will be taken to protect a spread they did the right thing not to mention this before they knew., So sorry if you are in the zone or near to it. It's a matter of taken the right precautions and no need to panic, a swan washed up on the shore is far better than a case inland. It's almost a sense of relief to not be wondering when and now we can all get on with dealing with it and for once in my life I have faith that the correct steps will be taken, BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Do we know of any Eglu owners in that area? I'm going to get myself a shower curtain off Ebay at this stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 There seems to be a few registered that live in Fife and Perthshire, none that i can think of offhand that post on here. We're on the other side of the Forth, but I would imagine the zones will be increased should tests on various other swans come back positive, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I have four lovely ladies who roam about my back garden by day and are locked in there bed by night for safety. I live in the middle of a housing estate and I am already getting comments from the neighbours such as what are you going to do with your chickens if bird flu gets here etc. In general "Ooops, word censored!"ody has ever complained about my chickens but I need a back up plan if they do. Should I keep them in there run until they all stop panicking. Should I cover them something. I just want them to feel that I am taking things seriously and would like to have some answers to the questions I know I am going to recieve soon. Your help would be appreciated. Kind regards, Tracy Witney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Hi Tracy Well you can tell them that the official DEFRA information is that only free range hens in the designated areas in Scotland need to be inside. If your area becomes designated in future you can tell them that DEFRA has approved the eglu run with winter shade or similar over the top as meeting all their requirements for the equivalence of taking birds inside. Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Tracy. I have just bought a big shower curtain off Ebay, so that if we become part of an exclusion zone, I can put the girls in the run and cover the run completely. The guidelines are that you would need to keep them somewhere where they cannot come into contact with wild birds, so, as long as the mesh on your run is too small for wild birds to get through, all you would have to do is put a cover over it to stop them pooing into it as they fly over. Something like tarpaulin would be fine, or a big plastic ground sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 That is great thanks for that. I am memorising it as I type Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannie Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Have just been sent a link from Henfield Poultry to this defra press release: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2006/060406c.htm - says about what to do if you find a dead bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aylana Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Well I suppose we knew it was going to happen sooner or later as much as we hoped that it wouldn't. I have already had one friend text me saying she is going to stop eating chicken! Never mind that I have already explained to her a hundred times you can't catch it that way. I think it is a good thing I am off work for the next week and a half so I can lock myself away from it all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Well, in support of the poultry industry (free range of course) I am about to start cooking many more chicken dishes than usual and we are having roast chicken this sunday - Yum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Good for you Jane. I feel exactly the same. I don't do misinformed hysteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 WHAT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I know you will find this strange Martin, but there are some people in this country who are not going to eat any more eggs or chicken in case they get AI from eating them They think that one swan with AI means that all eggs and poultry in the country will now be infected with AI and that the virus will survive normal cooking Apart from this being so ridiculous it defies belief, they even think that eggs and chicken already in the supermarkets will miraculously become infected overnight! This is the sort of thing that comes into the category of ignorant, misinformed scaremongering Enjoy your time on the forum with intelligent, well-read, informed sensible people Are you up to the magic 1000 yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I have just had a phone call from my sister (of all people) asking me when I am going to neck my chickens I replied the same time as you neck your dogs (she has 2 gun dogs which are always running off , catching and eating Pheasants and other small birds and animals). Told her I couldn't chat for long as I had to go and kiss my girls night, night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 That is actually shocking! I think people are making too much out of this swan death! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I have just had a phone call from my sister (of all people) asking me when I am going to neck my chickens I replied the same time as you neck your dogs (she has 2 gun dogs which are always running off , catching and eating Pheasants and other small birds and animals). Told her I couldn't chat for long as I had to go and kiss my girls night, night Perfect Ali, very clever response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Makes me chuckle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I have my answer ready for anyone who makes misinformed comments about AI. I will tell them that I know my girls are free of AI and so am not concerned but wonder how the very same people that are scared about AI are still busy attracting in wild birds that they don't know if they have AI or not. I don't expect or want people to stop feeding the birds but I think they need to get the priorities straight on what to be concerned about My girls are healthy, I don't know about the health of wild birds that are attracted by those that feed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Incredible isn't it? I had an argument with a very close, intelligent "friend" who wanted to know the same sort of thing. I responded to his question similarly to Ali: Are you going to kill your cats, who catch and EAT birds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
