H5N8(again)

 There has been an outbreak of Avian Flu on the Island of Sanday, one of the Orkney Outer Islands. So Avian flu is a bit closer.  We remain outside the exclusion zone - heres the map  .And the guidance is that  all poultry should be kept indoors, away from wild birds which might spread it around. And there are particualr problems with turkeys  and  ducks  because they can be carriers and show little in the way of symptoms. 

So its 'bring your hens inside ' time. 

We've had a bit of a move around.  Some surprise chicks were hatched in November  and as we had no other use for it , they had been growing on in one of the bigger runs . So they have had to be moved from their big run to something a bit more cosy

 And the chicks are growing -and all appear healthy. But the black one is about half the size of the others. We've no idea why .

So having freed up the 2 large hen runs, they have gone inside .

The advantage of getting them inside is that we can try adding some light to encourage them to lay. They should have started laying at the end of the  summer but for some reason they haven't.

 

 

We've got the turkey poults under cover as well. 

 We still have an excess of cockerels . So they are being managed as well. Its getting cold, so they will be hung for a few days before being gutted and  then either roasted or jointed and into the freezer.

 

And there are another 9 out in the field

 

H5N8

 Weve got poultry .And the regulations regarding biosecurity and Avian flu are UK wide.

So it doesn't matter that the nearest outbreak is 400 miles away  and that there isnt a recognised migration route between there and here .

And the official guidance is here .

We have to keep  keep chickens, hens, ducks and turkeys housed indoors where practicable (my emphasis) -this is often forgotten when people quote the guidance.

And we arent (yet)in an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone.

The bits that are relevant to us and 'practicable' 

 "Keep domestic ducks and geese completely separate from other poultry species as they often don’t show any signs of disease but can still pass it on to chickens, turkeys or other poultry species."

So  we need to separate  the  chickens and the geese that currently are in the big field. The geese eat grass and therefore will need access, but away from any chickens. 

So we  are going to move them to the Moorland field. The only problem is that some chickens are there. 

So step 1. Move the chickens. Ive constructed an  enclosed run - that can be extended if necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2 move the geese away from close contact with the chickens.

The ducks are more of a  problem. They have  an enclosed run

But weve had a lot of  rain recently and its become a bit (!) muddy.

The ducks are going to have to be kept in the pen full-time. So we cant leave them in the quagmire. 

So  several wheelbarrows of soil helps.

and several barrows of  old hay has made it a bit more habitable.

And the  other we can manage our poultry is by reducing the numbers.