UK Bird Flu - All poultry must be housed indoors by 14th December

[Headhen3]

1/2 inch mesh also stops predictors from reaching through to grab a bird and tear off a wing or leg I think chicken wire is the perfect size for a hen to stick their head through, panic and break their neck. Anywhere I use mesh it is the small size

 

[Headhen3]

1/2 inch mesh prevents predictors from reaching to grab chicken parts. Chicken wire is weak and is the right size for a chicken to put its head through panic and break its neck And I assume 6x8 means feet not inches

 

[DustyDivas]

I get that the flockdown is a pain... but I have been super careful with my flock as it just isn't worth risking losing all my girls. They (6 hens) have been locked down in a 20 sqm run since the flockdown started... they aren't happy about it, but keeping them busy and distracted has helped them forget about the temporary lack of freedom.

To be honest, it is really disheartening when individuals don't take it seriously and the AI spreads as it has done, even after preventative restrictions

Thank goodness for those of you/us doing your/our best to slow down the spread

I believe the reason for the fine wire mesh is to discourage small wild birds and rodents who can carry the disease &/ poop etc into the coop or run and so contaminate the flock water or feed.

Please do keep on protecting all of our flocks in the UK by following the housing restrictions... hopefully won't be for to much longer.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Well I don't get why someone is saying it is a cage when it's 6x8?

Because a word can have different connotations and meaning depending on the native geography of the speaker. The commenter who used the term "cage" to describe a 6x8 area is from Ireland. Not everyone on BYC is from North America, not everyone in North America speaks English as their first language and even then there are different variations of each language including English. In Europe the English language in many ways is actually very different compared to American English.

 

[Perris]

small wild birds and rodents who can carry the disease

do you have any evidence for this assertion? The APHA report on H5N1 from last year does not support it.

 

[DustyDivas]

do you have any evidence for this assertion? The APHA report on H5N1 from last year does not support it.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu
On page 4 of the biosecurity advice booklet.
It's in a few of the APHA advice booklets:
Protecting your birds from wild birds
One way by which notifiable avian disease may spread to poultry is through contact with infected wild birds. Contact may be direct (through mingling), or indirect (through bird secretions, faeces, feathers, rodents (rats or mice) etc., contaminating anything that may then come into contact with poultry, such as feed, water, utensils clothing).

 

[DustyDivas]

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu
On page 4 of the biosecurity advice booklet.
It's in a few of the APHA advice booklets:
Protecting your birds from wild birds
One way by which notifiable avian disease may spread to poultry is through contact with infected wild birds. Contact may be direct (through mingling), or indirect (through bird secretions, faeces, feathers, rodents (rats or mice) etc., contaminating anything that may then come into contact with poultry, such as feed, water, utensils clothing).

Of course they need to come into contact with infected birds first, but the mesh should prevent small pests getting access.

 

[Perris]

with respect, that's not evidence of transmission of H5N1 from small wild birds or rodents to chickens.
Edited to add, this is the sort of thing I mean
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167587712002929

 

[DustyDivas]

with respect, that's not evidence of transmission of H5N1 from small wild birds or rodents

After reading the APHA advice, my understanding is that we are responsible for ensuring that rodents and wild birds do not contaminate any food or water sources. That can be achieved by preventing them entering the coop or run... for example by using wire mesh.

Have you interpreted the advice differently?

 

[Perris]

Yes, because this one disease risk does not trump all the other hen welfare issues, advice etc., which are outlined here
https://assets.publishing.service.g...f-practice-welfare-of-laying-hens-pullets.pdf

A lot of small domestic flocks are suffering a lot of misery and increased disease risk (there are a lot of other diseases, most exacerbated by confinement, especially in cramped conditions) because of simplistic headlines and sloppy reporting by ill informed media who don't distinguish between types of poultry. Duck shit is the biggest vector of AI transmission, by far. They carry AI without symptoms but spread it liberally. Obviously anything that walks in duck shit can move it - say, 10 meters max before it's all rubbed off? - but if you haven't got ducks and aren't on a duck migration flyway and don't let your chickens drink water that ducks have been shitting in, your chickens will almost certainly be fine.