The Poultry Keeper

poultry poofs · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:53 am Post subject: Keeping things in perspective

I know that people are very worried by the threat of a potetential flu pandemic but there is a balance needed between keeping abreast and informed of the FACTS and becoming hysterical.
The press has already hyped the story into huge proportions with their typical scaremongering and anecdotal 'facts' it does not help that so many people cluster around forum boards batting such anecdotal facts back and forth and creating their own band of hysteria.
Yes its going to cause problems for us outside the commercial arena whether we have 2 birds or a few hundred ,who have to keep our birds outside exposed to the wild bird population and the diseases they carry, but we have been doing that for years and continue to do so.Exactly why our poultry continue to suffer from Mycoplasma,Coccidiosis,Mareks,Infectious Bronchitis and many many more ailments and why we continue to spend shed loads of money to the vets and drug companies trying to control or get rid of it.
Avian Flu is just another problem, fortunately one that IF it arrives will be shortlived and once gone we can get on with things.We will still have the other ailments I mentioned previously.

IF in the circumstances it crosses the species barrier here or as is more likely its brought here by people travelling on airliners yes it will be a worrying and dire time for people but again its not going to be here to stay,we just have to hope that the authorities stay on the ball and act appropriately to deal with any outbreak of flu.

10,000 people a year die every year from flu from strains we have had around for decades and yes the avian flu variety may be more serious maybe it wont,wipping up hysteria in the home, on TV, in the pub or on forum boards is certainly not helpful constructive or particularly informative.

I find it completely absurd that people are abandoning their poultry because of avian flu or refusing to buy eggs or chickens or turkeys because they might catch bird flu from the products.
Or that poultry keepers get nastiness directed at them because they are a potential source of disease right next door.
I thought through the information society we live in we had progressed from the witchhunts, black death plague and burn them at the stake mentality.

It has to be pointed out that the lines of similarity with the deadly outbreak during the first world war which killed millions did so mainly because the spread from person to person was amplified many times by the huge troop numbers being moved around at the time of the outbreak throughout Europe and America.
We have similar movements going on daily today through air travel which is of far more concern than what might transpire from any potential threat presented via our poultry being infected by migrating wild birds.
The latest confirmation that 2 cases of bird flu in China in a population of over a billion people hardly constitutes an epidemic let alone a pandemic.
It may be of use that we watch what happens to the population of china and whether the flu becomes the mass killer there, since they apparently already have it ,before we jump to the conclusion we are all going to die here.

DEFRA have already stated they are happy on veterinary advice that so long as poultry are quarantined inside before and during any avian flu epidemic there is little threat to our poultry or us and IF there has to be any culling of birds domestic or wild it will be limited to 'pockets' rather than a national widescale extermination of all domestic poultry and wild birds.Sensible restrictions on world travel would be more appropriate.

We (me and wee g) have already made casual plans to contain our poultry inside if necessary (the chickens are moving into the cottage and we are moving into the chicken shed)but hopefully that wont happen and if we are ordered to have our 120 birds culled by men in white bio hazard suits there is little we can do to obstruct them,they know we are here because we are registered with Defra so there is no escape for us,but life goes on.
I would be more worried about going to the supermarket doing the weekly shopping,or even to the doctors surgery and catching something there than any threat my poultry MIGHT present to me.
At the end of the day the biggest threat posed to us all comes from ourselves and each other and the way we spread hysteria or germs than what might be on our way from migrating birds.
This is not a personal dig at anyone here or elsewhere just comments prompted by a few absurd articles or comments made by individuals who could have engaged a little more thought before opening their mouths or putting pen to paper(fingers to keyboard-whichever is appropriate)
Keep things in perspective guys and leave the hysterical rubbish to the tabloids where it belongs.

thewinkingtiger · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 936 Location: East Yorkshire, UK

I totally agree!

I have purposefully ignored (where I can) reading or listening to any of the media hype about bird flu.
I believe in the self fullfilling prophecy that if you believe it's going to happen - it will.
Therefore I am refusing to listen to the doom and gloom merchants and 'feeling' that my flock will be fine - as will the UK.

Debs

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

Rich,

I think I am safe in assuming that the indicators that prompted you to write this, very informative and actually comforting article, was due to some comments that you read on another forum and you copied it here also...as it rightly deserves to be stated here also.

I don't see the hysteria on this forum, as I do on others. We tend to post the facts as they are published and then snicker about it or analyze it a step further....but no family member in this group is/has gotten rid of their flocks due to the drummed up hype.

One family member did reduce the size of her flock, in preperation for having to house them indoors, but that is the only steps that I have seen being taken.

We are well aware that the media has hyped this up out of proportion. I am not even posting the articles coming out of Mr. Bush's mouth and from his pen, as they are out of control and only feeding the fuels to the fires on this side of the pond. Rolling Eyes

Thanks for sharing. Wink

CP · Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:16 am Post subject:

Sensible advice poultrypoofs. Totally agree.

On the whole, I think most people on this forum aren't panicking & we seem to take all the hyped up scaremongering with a pinch of salt!

We have contingency plans to house our birds inside should the need arrive, but will not be getting rid of our flock or stop eating chicken or eggs.

susyrosyworzy · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 45

I'm fed up with the scaremongering about avian flu, too. Thanks for the sane tones of voice on this forum, people. I only have four cute hens, so a compulsory cull wouldnt be financially devastating, but would be personally dreadful.

Sue B · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 361 Location: Lincolnshire

Thanks Poultry poofs, a very balanced view which certainly made me feel better about the whole thing.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6926 Location: isle of lewis

i think deb is talking about me ,i rehomed a few of my birds as ,i had around the 50 mark they have gone to a great home up the road ,as if they had to come indoors i didn't have the room to keep them happy .i certianly would not give up keeping chickens ,ducks ect and totally agree with what you've said poutry poofs
suz

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

well done, Rich, yet again. I totally agree with you. And I can see you've been trying the girls house out for size in your avatar!!

Chris · Joined: 15 Apr 2005 Posts: 6 Location: South East

Hello all. I work as a senior nurse in an Intensive Care Unit in London and I must say we are taking the potential 'flu pandemic very seriously indeed.
700,000 deaths are being predicted, 25% of us will be either affected by flu or have to take time of work to care for family/significant others.
At work we can ventilate 16 patients at the most (life support machines) and we are usually running at 90-120% capacity already. We are trying to find a further 30 beds (and this means at least another 100-200 nurses/doctors who can safely care for a critically ill patient. It's an impossible task.
We are expecting 25% of staff have to take time off work to care for family/significant others. The rest will work 12 hour shifts, and will work a maximum of 6 days/week. This will go on for months.
I'm bloody dreading it!!
I'm not trying to scare anyone, just telling you what the NHS is up to, and we really are taking this seriously. It's unlikely that the NHS will cope.
Chris

Chris · Joined: 15 Apr 2005 Posts: 6 Location: South East

By the way, only got six hens so moving them in the shed not a problem. Certainly won't be getting rid of them. And I'm not really concerned that I will catch anything from them. It's humam-human contact that will cause the pandemic, not a few white orpingtons. I eat an egg a day and can't see myself stopping.
Chris.

poultry poofs · Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:31 pm Post subject:

Having previously worked in the NHS I doubt if it would cope with such a pandemic it always almost fell apart during normal flu epidemics though hospital managers put out the message to the public that they were coping easily,we at the blunt end knew things to be totally different though.
It is good to know that things are being made ready for such an influx of ill people but as usual too little too late will be done to cope.
I dont envy people in the NHS who will have to sort the mess out but like I said its not here yet and may be years before it does.
Most likely it will come long after we have been prepared and decided we are safe and no longer any cause for concern.
The Veterinary advice we have had is that they are looking at years rather than weeks, but who is right.
Irrespective of who is right and what is being done people still need to keep a grip on reality and make informed judgements from information available, not read the garbage in the papers and rush down the supermarket to stockpile a years supply of groceries and petrol.
The rediculous programme last night was peddling the complete collapse of civilisation as we know it and leave us with a wreck of a society akin to a nuclear winter.
IF 125 million people die it would be a major disaster but with 2 billion people on the planet it does not equate to destruction of the human race or that "things will never be the same again".
With regard to poultry owners selling their birds I was not referring to those who were reducing numbers when it would be impossible for them to house all of them undercover in an emergency.I was referring to the plonkers who were selling their birds due to the risk of them catching flu from them or refusing to eat chicken and turkey at christmas because they might catch flu from their christmas dinner.
Defra veterinary service has an on call advice team who will screen anyones poultry who display the symptoms and conduct a simple test immediately and have it laboratory analysed to determine the cause of illness,and if necessary carry out the appropriate measures and its free.
The birds themselves usually fall ill and die within 24 hours of contracting the virus so there should be little doubt to anyone who has infected birds and that they need to summon Defra assistance immediately.
Leave the panic to the tabloids.

Cassie@Brigg · Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 2

I have been on the receiving end of the 'hysteria'. Got my house on the market and someone refused to come round for a viewing because I still had some chickens in the garden. This person is supposedly looking for "a place in a rural location with some land". Wonder if he would have expected my neighbour to remove the flock of 150 birds from an adjoining field so that he could buy my house?
I am rehoming my birds simply because I am moving back down South and may need to rent for awhile - I will certainly be buying more hens once we are settled in.
[Still got 2 Silkies if anyone is interested]

poultry poofs · Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 9:40 pm Post subject:

"a place in a rural location with some land". means they want the land for horses I expect which is OK.Your neighbour probably would be breathing a sigh of relief as if they think they can catch avian flu from your chickens when its not in the country, they will probably be complaining about the chickens clucking and the cows mooing and the tractors .......etc etc
Rolling Eyes