high path avian influenza in the usa

[Poultryprincess]

Thanx JimW ~ Guess I'm going to have to invest in a mesh roof for their outside yard.
Is it also dangerous for sparrows to be around the flock? I saw it is mainly geese & ducks.
Guess it might be another rough year for "Chicken Fairs" At least we found out early,

[madison174]

We recently moved to a farm with no birds prior to us...so we get to start from scratch. We'll be building covered runs with small mesh sides so nothing can get in. The coop we're renovated (from a shed) was seriously disinfected before they moved in, and at least we can build something reasonably safe in case this type of thing becomes the 'norm'. Sigh.

[thegawd]

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

How to Prevent and Detect Disease in Backyard Flocks and Pet Birds

Diseases such as highly pathogenic avian influenza and velogenic Newcastle disease can cause serious illness and death in many bird species. Fortunately, you can protect your birds and keep them healthy.

Poultry Biosecurity

General Producer Guide - National Avian On-Farm Biosecurity

National Avian On-Farm Biosecurity Standard

Follow five basic rules in the day-to-day care of your birds to reduce the risks posed by harmful diseases.

1. Prevent contact with wild birds and other animals

Wild birds and other animals such as mice can carry a range of disease-causing viruses, parasites and bacteria. Make sure that your birds and their food and water are kept away from wild animals. Promptly clean up spilled feed and litter, and keep feed in sealed containers to avoid attracting unwanted guests.

Biosecurity Protection from Wild Birds
Avian influenza (AI) viruses are present in wild bird populations throughout the world. Typically, wild birds carry AI without being affected, but they can spread the viruses to domestic poultry. Specific AI viruses may cause serious and potentially fatal disease in domestic poultry.

AI viruses are transmitted through bird secretions or feces. The viruses may pass directly from bird-to-bird or indirectly through contaminated feed, water, equipment, boot or clothing.

Domestic poultry owners can implement several measures, collectively known as biosecurity, to protect their flocks from AI. Examples of ways to minimize the risk posed by wild birds include:

keeping domestic poultry indoors and covering all openings, including vents, with screens to prevent contact between domestic poultry and wild birds;
storing and using feed and water in an enclosed environment to prevent contamination;
removing spills of feed and standing water as quickly as possible to avoid attracting wild birds; and
cleaning potentially contaminated equipment with a commercial disinfectant or a solution of equals parts bleach and water.

The Canadian Food Inspection, in collaboration with a number of partners, monitors AI viruses in wild birds through an annual survey. All viruses detected through this activity are publicly reported.

2. Clean, clean and clean

Viruses, parasites and bacteria can live in organic matter such as litter and soil. Eliminate the risk of disease spread by routinely and thoroughly cleaning barns, cages, egg trays, gardening tools, and water and feed containers. No equipment should be shared with or borrowed from other bird owners. Always clean your hands, clothing and footwear before and after handling birds. Promptly dispose of dead birds, litter and unused eggs.

Cleaning and disinfection tips for small flock owners
Cleaning and disinfection helps to prevent the transmission of disease agents from contaminated equipment, such as footwear, tools and cages. Proper cleaning and disinfection procedures are a vital component of any biosecurity program for small flocks.

Most disinfectants will not work properly if there is a presence of organic matter. Therefore, all organic material must be completely removed before applying a proper disinfectant to the items that are being cleaned.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recommends a simple, three-step cleaning and disinfection process. The following procedures should be completed outside or in a well-ventilated room, wearing protective eyewear and gloves.

Remove all organic material from footwear, tools and other equipment with a brush or sponge, using detergent and clean, hot water.
Scrub again, using a solution of 50 millilitres of household bleach (sodium hypochlorite, 5%-6%) and 4 litres of water. Let stand until the surface is dry.
Lastly, scrub with hot water and common household disinfectant following the label directions.

3. Spot the signs and report early

Bird owners are legally responsible to notify authorities of serious bird diseases such as avian influenza. Call a veterinarian or a local office of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency if you suspect your birds are sick.

Signs to look for include:

lack of energy, movement or appetite;
decreased egg production;
swelling around the head, neck and eyes;
coughing, gasping for air or sneezing;
nervous signs, tremors or lack of coordination;
diarrhea; or
sudden death.

It is always better to be overcautious. Report any bird that you think may be sick. Early reporting can greatly limit the effect of a disease on the health of your birds.

What to expect if your animals may be infected.

4. Limit exposure to visitors

People can spread bird diseases, too. As a general rule, do not give visitors access to your birds. If someone must enter your property or handle your birds, make sure that their clothing, hands and footwear are clean and free of debris. Provide shoe or boot covers, or use a foot bath to prevent disease from entering or leaving your property. As well, the tires and wheel wells of any vehicles that have been around birds should be cleaned before entering your property.

5. Keep new birds separate when entering your flock

Avoid introducing disease to your birds. New birds should be segregated and monitored for at least 30 days before entering your existing flock. Make sure that new birds come from reputable suppliers that have strict disease controls in place. Birds returning from shows or exhibits should also be segregated for at least two weeks.

Heres a video from the CFIA, I cant seem to embed it...

http://active.inspection.gc.ca/wcms/video/animals-animaux/bacdoc_320x240_e.mp4

And heres a PDF poster from the CFIA.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/DAM/dam-ani ... 85_eng.pdf

[BobG]

Poultry princess , I go into full lockdown every November. Birds are in the coop fulltime . I have 16 2footby 2foot show pens if its very nice out they get a few hrs outside once a week . I do not allow visitors or buyers anywhere near my coops at all .

[Poultryprincess]

THANX so much "thegawd" for the Fabulous links & extra info!!!! GREAT reading!!!

Wow BobG & thegawd ~ No free ranging or sunshine...thats a rough road.

Guess my birds will have to stay indoors until we can figure out how much we want to barricade the flock.
Our past pleasure was watching them walk around doing what chickens do.
We always had ducks & geese, but I'm too nervous about it now.
We always noticed a random goose or mallard swimming in the pond, trying to attract our birds.
That was years ago, before anyone had to worry about these crazy things!

Thanx again!!!!

[Killerbunny]

Got a great free package from I believe OMAFRA? Sign and everything, useful poster too.

[thegawd]

Some people didnt change anything last year during to outbreak and were fine. kinda like rolling the dice... but common sense goes a long way... say if you walked or drove through a park filled with goose crap... clean and sterilize everything before going home ect....

I received a biosecurity kit from omafra as well... cant find it now though!

[modern17]

USDA Release January 15 2016 H7N8.pdf

(702.42 KiB) Downloaded 16 times

Sorry to be tardy in getting this up.. I got the unofficial word on this thursday PM ( awaiting test results) and got the official word on Friday AM ... Unfortunately I was on the road heading to Judge the ABA National in W Springfield MA and could not get signed on to post this here. I have been encouraged to spread the word of practicing " Heightened Biosecurity" in our flocks by both CFIA and OMAFRA. The infected premise was depopulated on Thursday ( Jan 14th 2016) and the decomp procedure was started on Friday Jan 15,2016. The additional premises ( 9 of them ) have the same stain of the virus but it has been determined it is low path in the secondary outbreaks . The strain found in Infected Premise # 1 has not been seen since 1920 and has officials stumped as this is far from the strain found in BC , Ontario and the Midwest last year. I will keep you updated as best I can with anything further as it becomes available

Troy

[Killerbunny]

Glad to see you made it to this site Troy, we appreciate it!