Happymama Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Just seen it on the news. Suffolk? All fowl on site slaughtered today. Official conformation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Oh dear, that's dreadful news. Particularly worrying if you live in Suffolk. Suffolk County Council have put up a bird flu helpline: 08456 032 814. Here it is on the BBC site, and no doubt it will be all over the Sunday papers tomorrow, with dreadful "not bootiful" puns, putting the wind up all our neighbours. I have been taking part in the trials for the human vaccine for that strain, but don't have any feedback about whether it is going to be effective. I start testing a new strain in May. I imagine that Bernard Matthews keeps all his turkeys in a horribly confined area, and that may help contain it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley-Jean Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Benard Matthews Keep an eye on the DEFRA site. I have a friend with 180 freerange chooks inside the surveillance zone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahbowyer Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Hi chaps, Last time H5N1 was confirmed, DEFRA said that keeping the hens under the winter shade (and not letting them out) would be sufficient to keep them "under cover". Is that still the case? Sarah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 A reminder that all the vital info from Defra last time can be found in stickies in the clinic section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happymama Posted February 3, 2007 Author Share Posted February 3, 2007 Hi chaps,Last time H5N1 was confirmed, DEFRA said that keeping the hens under the winter shade (and not letting them out) would be sufficient to keep them "under cover". Is that still the case? Sarah. What else can you do? Make sure the food/ water is under too, so overflying birds can't contaminate it. Tesco sell cheap shower curtains for under a quid. Two bungees cheap from a sunday market - and sorted! I used plastic tablecloth sold by the metre (clear with butterflys!) and it's gone rock hard in the winter so it does still work. This all highlights the problems of keeping upward of 2000 birds in one tight shed. How the heck can you spot one bird panting and 'off' among them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Apparently 2,600 turkeys died initially from the outbreak. This disease is very very fast. If you think your bird might have it today and it is still alive tomorrow, it hasn't got it. But it is very unlikely to have it anyway. Bernard Matthews farms 8 million birds every year in the UK, so his odds are much much greater. I've just looked up Bernard Matthews in Wikipedia, and it's quite interesting. I didn't realize that he was responsible for the infamous turkey twizzler. So he is to blame for three abominations: intensive farming, turkey twizzlers, and now bird flu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 my husband is a Chicken catcher and works in a team catching 100,000 chicken a night. He is very up to date with "bio security", bird flu etc etc. He does not understand HOW these turkeys got the flu from a wild bird as they are never let out, all the food is inside and no wild birds could get in one of those houses... so how would a wild bird contaminate them?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 He does not understand HOW these turkeys got the flu from a wild bird as they are never let out, all the food is inside and no wild birds could get in one of those houses... so how would a wild bird contaminate them?? That's what I thought too karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyDaizy Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Is there any problem about letting the chickens out? We live in a tiny garden in the middle of a housing estate, Is Cilla and Daisy in any danger and are any other pets i Danger??? Personally I think Bernard Mattews had some turkeys from abroad becuase if he keeps them inside then they probably wouldn't catch it and there isn't even any migrating birds at this time of year. And I did't now he invented Tucky Twizzler?? From Us here in Wombourne and Daisy Cilla and smudge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 He does not understand HOW these turkeys got the flu from a wild bird as they are never let out, all the food is inside and no wild birds could get in one of those houses... so how would a wild bird contaminate them?? That's what I thought too karen x Me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Anyone who is worried, there is a sticky in the Chicken Clinic section - here where there is information from Omlet and links to the DEFRA website with all the information you need. Don't panic . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conkers Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 The irony is, the culling of these turkeys at Bernard Matthew's farm means they will probably have a more humane death than they would have if they'd stayed alive. Did anyone watch the undercover programme about his farms a few years ago (shown at xmas)? Absolutely awful viewing. Why is this (and intensive chicken farming) still allowed to go on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 OH initial view was that it was industrial espionage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I have to say that I do feel sorry for the employees - they must be worried that teh backlash of all this will be a contraction in the company and loss of jobs. Whilst Bernard Matthews as a company makes me they employ about 4000 people in the area and whilst some of the employees are you cant tar them all with the same brush. I do hope that for their sake the situation is quickly resolved (as well, of course, for us chook owners that are going to have to face the ignorance of some people at work on Monday ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I have to say i was annoyed with the BBC yesterday morning when i came to, to the breakfast show announcing tabloid style scaremongering that BIRD FLU had been found. At that point it wasn't even known if it was H5N1. I do wish the media didn't feel the need to make this into something it's not The BBC interviewed 'a professional' along the lines that we were all going to die and the professional just kept saying that there wasn't any risk to humans, that the only way to get it was 'prolonged intimate contact' with poultry and even then it would still be hard to get as it just does not easily pass to humans. Ah ha i thought........ a voice of reason - just a shame his interview was cut short Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 That's why you should never trust the media Killer birds Killer dogs wonderful tony blair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 I've just been reading the BBC News website Have Your Say section on bird flu. Someone has written: I am in complete shock over this story, I wasn't aware that Bernard Mathews used real turkeys! Sorry, it made me chuckle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 I've just been reading the BBC News website Have Your Say section on bird flu. Someone has written: I am in complete shock over this story, I wasn't aware that Bernard Mathews used real turkeys! Sorry, it made me chuckle Well, you can understand it....after all they do look and taste synthetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 I've just been reading the BBC News website Have Your Say section on bird flu. Someone has written: I am in complete shock over this story, I wasn't aware that Bernard Mathews used real turkeys! Sorry, it made me chuckle You could not make that up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Surely it was someone being facetious. Never tasted it myself but it looks like plastic or rubber. Many years ago (about 20) a friend of mine filmed in one of the Bernard Matthews units. It prompted him to go vegetarian immediately - I was a lapsed vegetarian and suddenly remembered why I had been vegetarian in the first place. No meat has passed my lips since, although I appreciate that it is easier now to get meat from better sources now. Nothing new on Defra or Food Standards Agency websites this morning, which is good news, unless a newspaper decides to fan the flames, so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 ..............I think there has been talk in the media today about the possibility that it may have been a deliberate contamination of the Bernard Matthews plant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 I find that idea incredibly scary, but I also believe it is a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 It was my first thought when I heard about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
