avian flu questions and answers

[As The Falcon Her Bells]

Dear all
There has been little or no information put out to bird keepers by DEFRA concerning the avian flu.
There should by now be some kind of leaflet put together and sent to us in what to expect in form of precations, actions from DEFRA if a outbreak where to happen. CULLING? QUARANTINE? STOPPING OF FALCONRY ACTIVETIES etc.

Could everyone out there pleas post all questions you can think of that you would like an answer on if the avian flu where to hit the Brittish Isles.
thank you all for your help.
Sara

[Gosman]

typical. nothing gets done here untill its too late

[Red-Devil]

: if an out break were to happen under 1 mile from me would a cull of my birds be ordered ?:cry: :cry: :cry:

[As The Falcon Her Bells]

Thank you, come on people, more questions, there most be lods in your heads that you want to know?
I read servel threads with people who have heard this and that, but no one really seems to know what is true and to expect? Do we know how it transmitt? If you had your chans on ask DEFRA themself, what would you ask???

[BrianM]

if your bird is kept in enclosed mews with no contact with wild birds,, would they still be culled????

[TheZuffler]

If it is kept in enclosed mews, what is enclosed. Four solid walls, solid roof, no daylight? If all birds are to be culled does that include parrots kept inside the home? Are riflemen going to be positioned at the outbreak source to shoot any bird passing overhead/sitting in a tree?

[Tomkuzma]

if your bird is kept in enclosed mews with no contact with wild birds,, would they still be culled????

don't know the answer...but what ddo you feed those closed birds on?? day old chicks?...see..there is always link to poultry, infected birds.....:-(


I'm travelling to the czech republic tomorrow (from UK). I'm taking three birds with me. I've been trying to find information on ban of imprort/export within EU but I can't any informtaion. Anybody knows???....

all I found is on poultry and meat.

cheers

[As The Falcon Her Bells]

If it is kept in enclosed mews, what is enclosed. Four solid walls, solid roof, no daylight? If all birds are to be culled does that include parrots kept inside the home? Are riflemen going to be positioned at the outbreak source to shoot any bird passing overhead/sitting in a tree?

Thanks, that was two valid questions I had not tought of myself, very helpfull!
Thanks

[K8i]

If you feed a bird a day old chick, if the mother of the chick had bird flu does that mean the chick would aswell?

[NewBird]

If you feed a bird a day old chick, if the mother of the chick had bird flu does that mean the chick would aswell?
I am not really sure any of the commercial day olds have seen their mother!
NewBird

[As The Falcon Her Bells]

don't know the answer...but what ddo you feed those closed birds on?? day old chicks?...see..there is always link to poultry, infected birds.....:-(


I'm travelling to the czech republic tomorrow (from UK). I'm taking three birds with me. I've been trying to find information on ban of imprort/export within EU but I can't any informtaion. Anybody knows???....

all I found is on poultry and meat.

cheers

Excellent about the chicks, what can we expect in form of food supply for our birds, noted that one down.
About the export, I heard movements within the EEC is still ok for raptors, but this is exactly the point I am making, no one really knows as there is no info out there, everyone (including me) has only "heard from someone who heard from someone" etc.

[NewBird]

I guess my questions would be the same :
1) What do I need to do to be sure I can save my girl from a cull ?
2) How do I do it ?
NewBird

[K8i]

I am not really sure any of the commercial day olds have seen their mother!
NewBird
i meant if it could be passed on genetically?
sorry i should hav been more clear:oops:

[As The Falcon Her Bells]

Very true, how does it transmitt?
If a chicken infected by bird flu lay an egg, will the chick be infected as well? It does not matter if she been in physical contact or not, will it be passed on inside the mother?

Imagen this:
Every day in a poultry place there is a lot of egg layers dying, by the time someone picked up that one might have been infected, the eggs would already have been mixed upp and left the factory to go to the hatchery. I know that it is at the moment a main threat against wild birds, but "I heard" they just had a case within domestic puoltry in France.

Also over 1000 birds are now dead from the virus in Germany!!
I AM NOT trying to stirr up fear, the media is doing their best with that one already, I am trying to put lods of questions together that demand answers so we know what to expect and can protect our birds.

[Tomkuzma]

Excellent about the chicks, what can we expect in form of food supply for our birds, noted that one down.
About the export, I heard movements within the EEC is still ok for raptors, but this is exactly the point I am making, no one really knows as there is no info out there, everyone (including me) has only "heard from someone who heard from someone" etc.

if I'm not on the forum on saturday night, I'm probably kept somewhere between UK and the Czech Rep. with my birds :-)....i'll let you know how it went...

[TheZuffler]

Dear all
There has been little or no information put out to bird keepers by DEFRA concerning the avian flu.
There should by now be some kind of leaflet put together and sent to us in what to expect in form of precations, actions from DEFRA if a outbreak where to happen. CULLING? QUARANTINE? STOPPING OF FALCONRY ACTIVETIES etc.

Could everyone out there pleas post all questions you can think of that you would like an answer on if the avian flu where to hit the Brittish Isles.
thank you all for your help.
Sara

Sara,

What are thinking of doing with these questions? Just considering peoples concerns or using them in some way?

Phil.

[NewBird]

i meant if it could be passed on genetically?
sorry i should hav been more clear:oops:
Sorry, I wasn't trying to be sarcastic, I have run through exactly the same thoughts myself but I think as the flu is a virus, passage that way is less likely - I tell myself if it is safe for us to eat eggs.....
My real fear was that DEFRAs response to Foot and Mouth was mass culls and they seem anti vaccines this time round. My problem though is that as the disease is being spread by wild birds how will mass cull be effective - its not like sheep which are fenced in, wild birds come and go at will and I don't want my much loved bird destroyed for the sake of it.

[TheZuffler]

...... I am trying to put lods of questions together that demand answers so we know what to expect and can protect our birds.

Answered in a cross post. ;-)

[K8i]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be sarcastic, I have run through exactly the same thoughts myself but I think as the flu is a virus, passage that way is less likely - I tell myself if it is safe for us to eat eggs.....
My real fear was that DEFRAs response to Foot and Mouth was mass culls and they seem anti vaccines this time round. My problem though is that as the disease is being spread by wild birds how will mass cull be effective - its not like sheep which are fenced in, wild birds come and go at will and I don't want my much loved bird destroyed for the sake of it.

i kno you wern't trying to be sarcastic :) but i should have made it more clear of what i meant.:) sorry for the mixup lol

[TheZuffler]

How will DEFRA know about/cope with the thousands of uncovered aviaries housing 10 or so budgies all around the country, chicken coops housing 5 or 6 chickens, small backyard keepers of ducks/geese? And don't forget the one keeper who has a pere/saker hybrid taking all precautions, listening and acting to the advise and the only one DEFRA has an address for!!:evil:
BTW. DEFRA phoned the wife this week, asking for a quote on a waterproof laptop, that could be sprayed down with disinfectant.

[As The Falcon Her Bells]

Sara,

What are thinking of doing with these questions? Just considering peoples concerns or using them in some way?

Phil.

Well, at the moment I cant really say, but I am planning to use them yes, not in any bad way, I will let you know in time.

[Kennelre]

Does anyone know what birds, apart from poultry, have been culled to date.? There must be falconers in the countries affected so far and this is an International Forum. Have they been asked to cull their BOPs?

[As The Falcon Her Bells]

In Germany there is only poultry within the effected areas that has to be culled, not raptors, they are only forced to keep raptors in enclosures (wich I hope anyone would naturally do anyway).
The problem is that UK has a habit of first obeying to the EEC laws, and then slapping on a few extra UK laws them self, also they are quite good at over reacting if we look back on the f and m.
Again, I dont even think it will be that much of a problem in the UK, but it must be better to know to much then to little?

[Goldie]

Slightly off topic, but there was a boffin on the radio the other day saying that chickens from the supermarket etc are perfectly safe provided they had been frozen or (if they were fresh ones) cooked properly as both would kill the virus. In that case i would assume that DOCs would fall into the frozen categorie ?

[Miguel]

Avian Flu cannot be transmitted by eating an infected bird... If it's dead and cooked / frozen it can't contaminate. That what they know so far, so there's still no reason to worry about that.
People that has been infected had close contact with live ill birds or their feces. Hope the virus keeps like that!

[Alpha40]

Sara, If the worst comes to the worst and culling of healthy birds in an infected area takes place, will WE be compensated £££££/$$$$$$$$ for the value of our birds.
If not, it may <encourage> people to lose or missplace valuable stock???
Terry

[Kentish Falconry]

Sara, If the worst comes to the worst and culling of healthy birds in an infected area takes place, will WE be compensated £££££/$$$$$$$$ for the value of our birds.
If not, it may <encourage> people to lose or missplace valuable stock???
Terry

If it came to culling our birds and even if the Government would pay compensation we would still be in the sh*t, lets say they culled all my stock or Mark and Sara's how would we replace them even if they gave us the money to do so. Some of our blood lines go back for years and years. We can't Import Gyrs and Peregrines from the USA because of the new CITES regulations and the USF&WS stance on documentation, then even if we could buy in fresh birds it would take years before they started to breed in the mean time there would be no young birds for sale because no one had any breeding stock, prices for available birds would go through the roof. It would just have a knock on effect for every one if the UK breeding stock were culled.
In a previous post I mentioned that a friend in Austria had an outbreak of H5N1 2 Kms from his Breeding Station, the Police visited him and told him that he was to put all his birds into chambers and that he was not to move or fly any of his birds they said the Health people would be visiting him last Sunday or Monday to decide what they were going to do and also to test his birds. He told me yesterday that they had not contacted him and that he had seen no one. So he is still up in the air as to what will happen but at least he still has his birds. So it may be possible that the Health Authorities are not looking to cull birds without good reason, if his birds were to start dropping dead then this would be a different matter but we will have to wait and see how it goes.
Terry

[Alpha40]

[QUOTE=Kentish Falconry
In a previous post I mentioned that a friend in Austria had an outbreak of H5N1 2 Kms from his Breeding Station, the Police visited him and told him that he was to put all his birds into chambers and that he was not to move or fly any of his birds they said the Health people would be visiting him last Sunday or Monday to decide what they were going to do and also to test his birds. He told me yesterday that they had not contacted him and that he had seen no one. So he is still up in the air as to what will happen but at least he still has his birds. So it may be possible that the Health Authorities are not looking to cull birds without good reason, if his birds were to start dropping dead then this would be a different matter but we will have to wait and see how it goes.
Terry[/QUOTE]

Terry, I see what you mean, what concerns me is DEFRA'S track record. If we look how the needless culling of stock <some rare breeds> took place during Foot & Mouth.
The authorities in Austria may well have a more practical approach.
Like you said we will all have to wait and see how the situation devolpes.
Regards
Terry H

[Falcon911]

Does anyone know if the Hawk Board is able to put a bit of sense to the powers that be on this one to prevent an unecessary cull of domestic raptors free of bird flu before it's too late????

Anyone from the Hawk Board on here??

Rgds
Andy

[Shaun Byrne]

One big question I would like answered is this:

Does anyone know if Birds Of Prey can actually get the virus?

I havn't seen any reported deaths in BOP due to the virus.

[Barbary Boy]

im sure ive read an attachment to a post on here recently that said the government would not cull zoo birds or rare and exotic birds in private collections? that means us surely? im more worried about shifting my 06 prodegy! if a movement ban or a ban on flying is introduced no one will be able or interested in a new bird this year? will i get compensated for the extra food bill while i sit on all these young for maybe a year or more? then have to sell them after its all over at knock down prices? thats assuming i can get the food to feed them of course, if movement of poultry products stops? im starting to get worried!

[Roberto]

Yes they can, There are already reported cases of infection with the virus.
http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=7440

[Shaun Byrne]

Yes they can, There are already reported deaths due to the virus.

Thanks Roberto, do you know of any info on the net?

[Falcon911]

I would imagine so and there must be a good few ducks etc getting taken by them.
Again we need help on all this but who do we ask?
Useless innit!