Feeding advice for bantams (one broody, one moulting)

[buffie]

Had no idea about this but let's hope it soon passes, sure it will

 

BBx

[Lesley]

I'm sure it will - especially as it is the H7 strain and not the H5 strain.

[Gallina]

There was a lot of information on Radio Oxford this morning: their North Oxfordshire reporter spent the night there.

 

The farm in question was a dairy farm until last year, and I imagine it is still building up, so perhaps it is importing birds regularly? It is not a free-range farm, but the hens were allowed out to graze (according to Radio Oxford).

 

The Oxford Mail today has some information:

http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.2316676.0.vets_slaughter_chickens_on_bird_flu_farm.php

 

It's very much to the north of the county, so it's the Banbury area and the edge of Warwickshire that is affected. This is the nearest it has been to Oxford, but is still quite a distance; and it doesn't feel as scary as the deadly Bernard Matthews version of bird flu.

[Lesley]

Thanks for the links Gallina.

 

Shenington is only just over the Warks/Oxon boundary - quite close to us.

[lisa33]

It's very much to the north of the county, so it's the Banbury area and the edge of Warwickshire that is affected. This is the nearest it has been to Oxford, but is still quite a distance; and it doesn't feel as scary as the deadly Bernard Matthews version of bird flu.

 

Is anything as scarey as Bernard Matthews.

[Lesley]

[Gallina]

I always forget that Stratford-on-Avon is so near once you get up to Banbury. This wretched farm is so central that a lot of people will be in its radius -- and of course it is in the Omlet area too.

 

Lesley: are you able to cover your huge (new collective noun needed here -- network?) of Eglus?

 

You can listen to the latest news online on Radio Oxford:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/

(link in the box down on the right)

but I expect Warwickshire local radio is covering it just as much.

[The Dogmother]

Thanks for the links Gallina. i'm being cautious and the girls are inside their run, which is covered. So no contact with wild birds. This is on advice from my poultry vet, but I suspect that it won't get outside the sheds on that farm.

 

I added some logs and branches for them to play aon and to provide covers for th smaller bantams, they have cabbages and apples to peck at and seem happy enough.. until they see me

[Christian]

Glad you have it covered Claret. I'm sure they will be fine until it blows over.

[Willow]

The reason for the caution on avoiding contact with wild birds is they can have Avian flu (either H7 or H5N1) without necessarily showing symptoms. This means if it spreads from the sheds to wild birds it will be much harder to detect and contain and at that point other flocks are at risk.

 

However imposition of exclusion zones always leads me to thinking about how far wild birds fly

[The Dogmother]

Here's the latest from local press

 

http://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/bird-flu/Bird-flu-outbreak-in-Shenington.4147687.jp

 

With definitions on the exclusion zones:

Temporary Control Zone Part A (3km inner zone)

-Poultry and other captive birds should be housed or otherwise kept isolated.

-Poultry and other captive birds should be housed or otherwise kept isolated from wild birds

- Ban on movements of poultry, other captive birds or mammals, unless under licence (exceptions apply).

- Record keeping of any person, poultry or egg movements within the zone.

- Movements of eggs, poultry meat or carcasses are banned.

- Bird gatherings (such as fairs, markets, shows, or exhibitions) are not permitted.

- Biosecurity measures should be implemented to reduce the risk of disease spread.

- Ban on the release of game birds.

- Poultry can only move to designated slaughter houses under specific controls.

 

Temporary Control Zone Part B (10km outer zone)

-Ban on movements of poultry, other captive birds or mammals, unless under licence (exceptions apply).

-Record keeping of any person, poultry or egg movements within the zone.

-Bird gatherings (such as fairs, markets, shows, or exhibitions) are not permitted.

-Biosecurity measures should be implemented to reduce the risk of disease spread.

-Ban on the release of game birds.

-Restrictions on the movement of poultry and eggs

[AMO]

 

I drive past the farm in question on the way to/from work everyday and only realised this morning what was going on!

 

There was a huge amount of police and press activity there this morning - think I will take the long route home tonight

[surferdog]

Just seen this pic. Definitely battery girls - poor little mites

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/46989/Bird-flu-strain-highly-pathogenic-

[..lay a little egg for me]

 

I drive past the farm in question on the way to/from work everyday and only realised this morning what was going on!

 

There was a huge amount of police and press activity there this morning - think I will take the long route home tonight

 

Better go via the car wash too, eh?

[The Dogmother]

It will all be over in the next couple of days AMO.

 

I've spoken to a couple of friends locally, who also keep chooks; theirs are also under cover.

 

Jude at Cotswold Chickens is local, but in the other direction. I wonder how she's faring

[Guest]

you'd wonder how battery hens could catch bird flu! Couldn't have been a very bio secure place to start with

 

RIP to all those poor little girls, god bless all those wasted lives.

 

xxxx

[ChookieCaz]

Oh dear, I hope this doesn't make neighbours get hysterical and make us get rid of our chooks! Defra are pretty good though, I doubt it will spread...

 

I hope your chooks will be OK, Claret!

 

We didn't have any problems from our neighbours when Avian Flu hit Norfolk or the Weymouth areas. In some other threads, I think there may be answers that can be given to worried neighbours.

[The Dogmother]

I don't get any problems with the neighbours - it's the lads at work that do it... they think it's funny to post plague zone signs on my office door. Whatever amuses them

[Mel (& Paul)]

I don't get any problems with the neighbours - it's the lads at work that do it... they think it's funny to post plague zone signs on my office door. Whatever amuses them

 

 

Little things and little minds Clare.

 

I get the same reaction from some of the people at work.

 

I just give them my best Paddington Bear stare

 

(funny how they still want to have the eggs though )

[Lesley]

I always forget that Stratford-on-Avon is so near once you get up to Banbury. This wretched farm is so central that a lot of people will be in its radius -- and of course it is in the Omlet area too.

 

Lesley: are you able to cover your huge (new collective noun needed here -- network?) of Eglus?

 

You can listen to the latest news online on Radio Oxford:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/

(link in the box down on the right)

but I expect Warwickshire local radio is covering it just as much.

 

We're six miles south of Stratford Gallina, so close to the county boundary. The zone extends 6.3 miles..... and we are about 10 miles by road but a bit shorter as the crow flies.

 

We installed 5 protection pens last year - 2 Eglus to a pen, the pens each open into a long run so all we have to do is shut the door to the open run and all our layers will be under cover. All the table cockerels will be despatched today and the table hens will go into the spare pen.

 

The DEFRA site says it will be contacting all registered poultry keepers but we haven't heard anything yet.

 

edit: the cockerels are far too big and should have been despatched a couple of weeks ago - nothing to do with this outbreak except that it makes caring for the remaining hens easier, and safer for them until we have time to do all the plucking.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Guest

[Gallina]

People are already asking me what I will do, and I am not even in the exclusion zone! The tempting answer is "Put the price of my eggs up."

 

Chicken farmers need to be more vigilant. It said in The Times yesterday that the farmer in question had the disease in his flock for three weeks and had lost ten per cent of his birds before he raised the alarm.

 

Now if we lost ten per cent of our birds, it is likely to be just one hen and that is forgiveable; but he had a flock of 25,000, so he must have had 2,500 dead birds before he (or the vet in attendance) was suspicious. I find that very worrying:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4066462.ece

 

Radio Oxford said it is not a free-range farm, but the Oxford Mail says that it is; so how much you can trust the media is in doubt.

[The Dogmother]

I understand from my vet that it's not free range Gallina. I saw the quote about the chooks being outside too and checked it out.

 

I've just been on the DEFRA site and the zones have changed slightly in terms of the measures imposed within them:

 

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/pdf/declaration-pzsz-080604.pdf

 

http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2008/animal-0603.htm

 

I have a hen party due for Saturday 14th June and am not worrying unduly about it - I will wait to see what happens as I hear that restrictions may well be lifted by then. According to the DEFRA regs the people attending will need to leave me their addresses and disinfect their feet, neither of which is a problem. I have checked with Johannes and he is fine about this; I will email the attendees next week once I know what is happening regarding biosecurity measures.

 

Omlet are luckily outside the zones and their birds are now kept in s"Ooops, word censored!"y bio-secure pens anyway.

[little chickadee]

My thoughts are with everyone affected. We had the outbreak nr Diss shortly after we got our girls and they were not very happy about being kept under cover. I hope you don't have to keep them under for as long as we did.

[The Dogmother]

The latest review of the statement at 11.30am today has changed it slightly and my girls are allowed out

 

Here are links to:

The map of the zones

 

Measures to be taken within thoe zones

[Lesley]

We are right on the edge of the surveillance zone - just about on the right side of it

 

There are restrictions on the movement of eggs if you are within the zone

 

We have a footbath ready - and we're not having a 'Visit your Pig' day this weekend........ and I suppose we can let our hens back out as well now then.