[Anke]

Chickens kept in gardens will have to be registered under planned new rules | Bird flu | The Guardian




And no they won't stop bird flu... but it's what the poultry industry demands I guess....

[Womble]

Officials said a new register system could help owners, as................ they would receive important updates such as any local avian influenza outbreaks.

I get the APHA texts about every outbreak in the whole of the UK, and it got to the point where there were so many, I just ignore them....... and hence missed the alert for one four miles down the road.

I genuinely don't get why we can't only be alerted about outbreaks within our own regions.

[Perris]

Chickens kept in gardens will have to be registered under planned new rules | Bird flu | The Guardian




And no they won't stop bird flu... but it's what the poultry industry demands I guess....

who put the poultry industry in charge?

[Backinwellies]

.... bonkers!
and what about pheasant shoots?

[Richmond]

.... bonkers!
and what about pheasant shoots?

Exactly! Our land is covered in pheasants as they are bred for shoots in the woods just half a mile away. Seems daft they are all running about willy nilly while our birds are penned up.

[Anke]

I think there is this (irrational) belief that vaccinating ALL poultry will somehow magic bird flu away and prevent it being transmitted to humans while also turning nastier.




And it will probably be mandatory for everybody to vaccinate their chickens and it will be expensive... and maybe to be done by a vet?


And yes what about pheasants or other "wild" waterfowl in urban spaces - being fed by Jo Public?

[landroverroy]

As ever - another potential law that will probably never happen. It's only a proposal, so let's not panic. Furthermore it is unenforceable - as is the present one  to keep all poultry inside, and I shall certainly not be registering mine.     

[doganjo]

Isn't it still under consultation till tomorrow?

[Steph Hen]

It seems unlikely to me that garden poultry are acting as any kind of reserve for avian flu. The gov vets I spoke to said that if one in a flock of chickens contract avian flu the likelihood is that all will be dead within 24hours. It is hard for me to understand how the route from my hens to a commercial set up several miles away and how this presents a risk compared to all the wild fowl out there. It feels like controlling something for the sake of being seen to do something rather than because garden hens are a key part of controlling a pandemic.

[doganjo]

I agree to an extent, although the Government Vet who called me said I was low risk with only a few hens that I'd had for three years and were under cover, and using bio security.

She wasn't concerned about my quail at all

Some of them are sensible!