Meet Flo

[Columbian]

Thank you, ellasflock.  Best wishes.

[mullethunter]

Thanks Ellasflock - really good news. I think ‘high risk’ areas tend to be where there are large populations of migratory birds - usually waterfowl so estuaries, large lakes etc.

[Columbian]

I haven’t been able to find any information about lifting restrictions other than that quoted in Vet Times; has anyone seen an announcement or can provide a link?  Thank you.

[Patricia W]

Nothing from DEFRA yet so don’t open the champagne ( and the run door!) yet.   Might still be wishful thinking.  Even if it happens, I suspect that bordering the Thames where I am will remain high risk.   

Edited February 23, 2021 by Patricia W

[ellasflock]

Yes I couldn’t see anything else but i thought I would share that just to keep everyone’s hopes up x

[Cat tails]

Maybe because the article is from 2017!!! 😒

So keep your chickens in people! 
@Columbian @ellasflock

[ellasflock]

Oh well that is annoying! 

I was looking for some indication about the Avian flu being lifted in April and came across this article so I’m sorry if I got peoples hopes up. Hopefully the gov will publish something soon. I certainly wasn’t going to let my chickens out before I was 100% certain.

[Columbian]

OH b****r!  I hadn’t spotted that.  No wonder I couldn’t find anything else about the end of Avian Flu restrictions.  Let’s hope that it will be soon.

 

[Patricia W]

It didn’t happen then either.  In the end it wasn’t lifted till April.   With the news of the H5N8 variant jumping the species barrier from Chicken to human I think we should expect much more stringent monitoring in the future 

[Cat tails]

A number of people in Russia are reported to have caught avian flu recently. There are still outbreaks in the Netherlands this week. 
Don’t expect any restrictions being lifted soon.

[Patricia W]

No, I think we’re looking April at the earliest.   

[ellasflock]

Yes I have heard of this too, Lots of Russian people have come down with it. However, I am not too surprised that Russia is the first because they are one of the top 10 countries in the world for keeping chickens, breeding them and for commercial reasons too.

[Cat tails]

10 minutes ago, ellasflock said:

However, I am not too surprised that Russia is the first because they are one of the top 10 countries in the world for keeping chickens, breeding them and for commercial reasons too.

China, Brazil and the US keep many times the amount of poultry compared to Russia. Compared population density and number of birds, the Netherlands tops all those easily.
The first person ever to die from avian flu was a Dutch vet

The reason Russia is more susceptible for outbreaks is that they are on most mainland migration routes of wild birds and Russia has year round avian flu pockets, because of those wild birds.

8 minutes ago, ellasflock said:

Yes I have heard of this too, Lots of Russian people have come down with it.

And it’s 7 people, not lots. I’m all for sharing information, but it is more important than ever to be careful with the information we share.

[ellasflock]

I meant because of the severity of Avian Bird Flu, 7 to me is a lot. 

But I certainly understand what you mean and yes information can be miss understood as I can’t see an article that says the exact amount. That is interesting about mainland migration routes!

[Cat tails]

www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-europe-56140270

It mentions the 7 workers here.

[ellasflock]

thank you, I will give this a read!

[mullethunter]

4 hours ago, Cat tails said:

Maybe because the article is from 2017!!! 😒

Oh no!!! I usually notice things like that 🙄😂

 

2 hours ago, Cat tails said:

And it’s 7 people, not lots. I’m all for sharing information, but it is more important than ever to be careful with the information we share.

Agree 100%

[tinkkletoes]

Yep, my girls have had enough as well,  one of my caged rescue girls started very friendly when all of the run was available, but recently has become a bully of one of my much loved old girls, so had to put a bumpa bit on her.    And only a small part of the run has been taken away, but it's the bushes & tree area they love being in as getting netting over was imposable.  but they do have a large net covered run still.

is there any news on the hen lockdown coming to an end ?  i remember when it all started March was mentioned but was that start or end of the month ?

also i cant get the the bush/tree area to do the spring pruning as well, but that's not so important to my 5 girls  health & safety......

[mullethunter]

I’ve had 4 escapes from the chicken tunnels today so I’ve had to go around re-fixing the edges. I think now they’re all coming into lay and hormones are kicking in they’re more eager to get back out than they have been over the last few months.

[Columbian]

I cannot find any references to an end date for the AF restrictions, so depressing.  I do hope that it will be soon.

Mine have been in lay for some weeks now and seem to lay an egg every-other day.  They are certainly keener to get outside as the weather is improving.  I’ve built a little extension and netted it so that they can be on grass otherwise I was cutting some turf every day for them to demolish.  I can see that in a couple of weeks the grass will be no longer and I haven’t many options for positioning the new fenced area.  I had one force its way out but it quickly went back in when I lifted some of the netting; now all pegged down.

The chicken at the bottom of the pecking order is getting very nervous as she is picked on by everyone.  I feel so sorry for her.  One of the bullies waits at the top of the steps when they go to bed and attacks her as she tries to go in.  I think that this behaviour has been exacerbated by their confinement for so long.  It really annoys me when the chicken at the bottom of the pecking order just lowers her head and waits to be pecked, all submissive.  This being shut in is not good for them.  I’ve had the feather-pecker confined to a separate part of the run since mid December but she is now in with the others since they can go outside a bit.  I’m hoping that she has forgotten her nasty habit; I saw one demonstration of this on two of the others but it was half-hearted and I’ve not seen it since.  Time will tell - as will bare heads.

[Patricia W]

It’s looking like April at the earliest. This is the worst outbreak for over 20 years.   If you’ve tried everything else for your feather pecker, fit a bumpa bit.  You can get them from Clare Taylor, The Handy Hen, plus a video on how to fit.  Go to www.claretaylor.com 

[Girly]

This article is out of date and so does not refer to the current situation.  Don’t let your girls out yet!   

[Patricia W]

It’s ok.  Eagle eyed Cat Tails noticed the article was from 2017.  Lockdown continues 

[mountainboarddude]

Hi all, the next Defra review on the housing order takes place on the 10th March. Given that there has been few cases in the last few weeks it is expected that the housing order will be lifted prior to the 16 week deadline that ends in early April (4th April for GB and 13th April for NI). So housing order very much still in full effect until the outcomes of the review. 

I work closely with the poultry industry so should be able to get a steer next week of the outcomes of the review and will share any updates then.

Edited March 5, 2021 by mountainboarddude

[Columbian]

I was fearing that this would be the case, Patricia W.  As to the feather-pecker; I’ve tried bumpa bits and blinkers to no avail.  They work while they are on but have to be removed from time-to-time and as soon as they are off the pecking starts again.  I’ve been hoping to give her to a friend to run with their bantams as they have a cockerel which may keep her in order.  Thank you for the suggestion.

 

Mountainboarddude, the sooner the better for my girls.  Thank you for the update and I look forward to the review results.