[ColinS]

The government chief vet said -  “Everybody should do what they can. Pet bird keepers should do their best and take sensible measures to separate them from wild birds, while looking after their welfare. I don’t want people putting them in a box in the dark and keeping them there for weeks on end.”

While it would be good to have him elaborate on this it does not sound like he is expecting anyone without the facilities to keep all their poultry in a dicky-bird-proof barn to run around snapping their necks at this stage.

[Eve]

Why has everyone housed their geese?  Welfare states they need to graze ... and the flu regs just says they have to be fed away from wild birds ... cant you feed them and let them out ?  ..... or are you in the east where wild water fowl are arriving?

When they graze they are eating where wild birds are.
Not only water fowl migrate.


We're already 9 days in of the 30 days, it'll be over soon - if we're lucky and escape the disease, of course, but I'm hopeful. 
Luckily it's the darkest and hence sleepiest time of the year.
I thought this would be a good time to worm them, then realised that mine are eating lots of cabagges etc right now to keep them occupied. Maybe not, then   

[davet]

Hope you didn't get those cabbages from the outside world where the wild birds go...

But really, I have some old cabbages left growing outside -- am I allowed to feed those to the confined birds? 

I have piles of woodchip I was going to put in with the chickens, but they're stored outside.

How far is one meant to go?

[Womble]

How far is one meant to go?

We have to take all "reasonably practicable" steps.

That's going to vary from situation to situation, but I think we each know it when we see it.

[lord flynn]

Why has everyone housed their geese?  Welfare states they need to graze ... and the flu regs just says they have to be fed away from wild birds ... cant you feed them and let them out ?  ..... or are you in the east where wild water fowl are arriving?

they expect small numbers of geese to be housed. Mine live in a small shed in a paddock-I've tried to feed them in their tiny shed but it doesn't work. The paddock is too exposed to put up netting and tarps-I know this form experience. I can't give them water thats protected from wild birds out there- so they are in a run in the back garden which is far more sheltered. I am not in the east but do have a problem with corvids-especially large flocks of starlings.




Eve is right, its a good time to worm all of your fowl.

[Eve]

Hope you didn't get those cabbages from the outside world where the wild birds go...

Luckily the supermarkets wash them very nicely 

[lord flynn]

Hope you didn't get those cabbages from the outside world where the wild birds go...

as long as they don't come back outside again and the birds are quarantined, its not a problem is it.

[Jethro Tull]

Pleased to report the hens love the polytunnel, lots of light and daytime warmth, those off lay have come back into lay. Ducks don't mind the barn, they have plenty of water and light. But the poor old geese, they swim on a large natural pond all the year round and we lock them up at night. Now they can only gaze at the pond from a distance, and pine.

[Penninehillbilly]

I still say, in the biosecurity PDF,  if it is not practicable to keep geese in (and other species normally out), they can be out but all reasonable steps taken to prevent wild birds congregating round feed areas. I feed mine under cover in the evening, water is in deep buckets. I would add we are up in the Pennines,  i would be more worried down the east side, I have signed up for alerts. Not many migrant species up here.
The hens are under cover.

[ColinS]

I still say, in the biosecurity PDF,  if it is not practicable to keep geese in (and other species normally out), they can be out but all reasonable steps taken to prevent wild birds congregating round feed areas.

I think you are right. Simply making provision for the wild birds in a different area may do the trick. My wife effectively runs a wild-bird fast-food restaurant/deli near the house with countless feeders of every sort stocked with fat-balls, sunflower hearts, peanuts, - you name it they have it. There is a constant racket of bird activity around the house but out in the field near the pond it's as empty as a politicians head. Just the two resident moor-hens on the pond but that's about it. I guess wild birds don't waste time in winter pecking about in a damp field when they have food literally on a plate 100 yards away.

[Womble]

Fair enough. Let's all be aware of one thing though - if your geese contract bird flu, all your other poultry are going to be culled too, as a precaution.

When you think about it, even the prescribed measures aren't actually all that good. For example, many folks have runs covered in scaffold mesh. If an infected bird poops on top of that, won't rain wash it through onto the birds underneath anyway?  Just because it's impractical to do anything better, doesn't mean it's going to be 100% effective IMHO.

[Penninehillbilly]

I was quite pleased to see someone elses geese out this morning, not just me then :-).
interesting point ColinS, I've noticed robin isn't in the barn as much since we put a feeder in front of the house, other side from the barn.

[ColinS]

I have been badgering the RSPB for days for some kind of response on the current outbreak and they have now posted something (though it's probably just coincidence):-

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/b/birdflu/archive/2016/12/16/avian-influenza-spreads-throughout-europe.aspx

Not sure what to make of it myself and would be interested what others think.

[Fleecewife]

<<< However there is no evidence of any wild bird species being able to carry this particular strain on a long-distance migration without it causing die-off in the birds themselves, making it unlikely that wild birds are the primary source of avian influenza spread. ”>>>
[/size][/color]
[/size]From your link [member=166759]ColinS[/member] :  This is one of those loose , unsupported statements which mean absolutely nothing.  No use to us RSPB.[/font][/color]
[/size][/color]
[/size]I've mentioned above that many of the more dangerous avian flus which threaten people originate in the far east, where people mix much more closely with their poultry and pigs than most of us do here.  Also live birds are taken to market from all around and are a likely source of spread.[/color]
[/size]I had wondered about the likelihood of sick birds making the long migration, but we need far more evidence either way before we can just accept the RSPB claim.[/color]
[/size]No point in creating factions - one where everyone is blaming poultry keepers, and the other where everyone is blaming wild birds.  This is far too important for us all not to work together to prevent H5N8 arriving here, if we possibly can[/color]

[Penninehillbilly]

Ive be wondering what bio security measures are in place for importing poultry/products for the Christmas markets ?