Ameraucana Forum
The Official Ameraucana Forum => Housing, Health & Hatching => Topic started by: Mike Gilbert on March 16, 2015, 05:26:25 PM
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Here is information for anyone shipping chicks, eggs or poultry. The state of Louisiana is now closed to all poultry imports from an area designated as a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) infected zone until the official quarantine has been released. See the message below.
Press Release: Louisiana Takes Precautionary Measures Against Avian influenza-- New Case Confirmed in Arkansas Louisiana Takes Precautionary Measures Against Avian Influenza New Case Confirmed in Arkansas Baton Rouge, La. (March 12, 2015) – Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said, “In an effort to safeguard our commercial producers and backyard poultry enthusiasts, we’ve increased our surveillance of poultry in the state. We are also enforcing all Louisiana Board of Animal Health entry regulations.†Louisiana is taking precautionary measures following the recent confirmed presence of the highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (AI) in commercial turkey flocks in these six states: Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Washington and most recently Arkansas. All poultry entering Louisiana from a state affected with AI must meet the following entry requirements: - includes chickens, turkeys, quail, pheasants, peafowl, guineas, chukars and other partridge, grouse, ratites and domestic ducks. - Poultry products include hatching eggs, chicks, poults, table eggs, litter, and offal, but do not include processed poultry meat for human consumption. - All poultry entering Louisiana must originate from a National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) AI clean flock or must be tested negative for AI within 7 days of entry (by antibody or antigen capture methodologies recognized by NPIP). - All poultry shipments into Louisiana must be accompanied by an Interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (ICVI) and proof of NPIP certification for Salmonella Pullorum/Typhoid (P/T) clean status with NPIP Form 9-2 or NPIP negative testing within 30 days of entry - ICVI must state origin of shipment Late Wednesday, the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission confirmed the infection of H5N2 AI in a commercial turkey flock in northern Arkansas. The flock is currently quarantined. The Arkansas Livestock & Poultry Commission will follow strict U.S. Department of Agriculture protocols to depopulate the affected flock so that no affected birds will enter the food supply. Additionally, surveillance and testing procedures will be implemented at properties near the affected facility to insure that the virus has not spread. The virus is not known to cause disease in humans. These virus strains can travel in wild birds without them appearing sick. People should avoid contact with sick/dead poultry or wildlife. If contact occurs, wash your hands with soap and water and change clothing before having any contact with healthy domestic poultry and birds. All bird owners, whether commercial producers or backyard poultry enthusiasts, should continue to practice good biosecurity, prevent contact between their birds and wild birds, and to report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to state/federal officials, either through your state veterinarian or through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593. Additional information on biosecurity for backyard flocks can be found at healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov
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The state of Louisiana is now closed to all poultry imports.
I didn't read I that way. It talks about "All poultry entering Louisiana ".
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True. I modified my message. They just made it a lot tougher, as now birds originating from the A.I. infected areas must be tested for A.I. upon entering the state or originate from certified A.I. free flocks. Unless the state of LA is paying for the testing, I doubt too many birds will be imported.
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Ick! I guess sticking our collective heads in the sand is no longer working :(
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This only applies to imports from those 6 states, right? Commercial poultry is huge in NC so they're pretty jumpy about AI, too - I think they have to be tested w/in 21 days from clean areas and we can't import at all from any area that has had a positive AI test in the last 6 weeks.
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As much as some like the idea of free range chickens and the TV commercial with one sending photos home to the farmer is cute, they are most susceptible to AI. My birds go in and out from inside coops to outside pens. The outside pens are where the droppings from the wild birds flying over are potentially the bigger problem areas. All of my outside pens have some steel roofing (part steel - part wire) and a couple are completely covered with steel. I wish I'd covered all of them from the start. My original reason for going with the steel roofing was to keep the pens dry, because the young birds that got cold and wet were the ones that got sick and died.
Here is a photo of one of the last pens I put up, about 4 years ago. It may help give some design ideas...
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Damp, warm ground or litter that doesn't have a chance to dry out within a relatively short period of time is an open invitation to coccidia. Chickens need a place to be dry and out of the wind.
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As much as some like the idea of free range chickens
I personally don't get the popularity. I tried it in the beginning and chicken poop on my front porch, the hood of my truck, etc. just doesn't appeal to me...
I love your setup! Covered runs are a goal of mine, but like everything else around here, it's a work in progress, and not progressing very fast. ;)
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I'm with you Beth. Stepping in chicken poop on the doorstep gets old real fast! Lol
Love your setup John. I use partially covered runs year round, and have plans to build range pastures to use in season. Free range is nice and all, but there are times when it's just not safe or practical. And now with the migratory birds returning, one can't be too careful imo...
I should add that British Columbia was cleared of AI around the beginning of March. But not without much loss and heartache. Many commercial flocks were culled, along with a few backyard flocks in the same area. Sad business all around. :(
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Call me "Chicken Little" but I'm getting the "sky is falling" feeling. Some One please fill me in with your more experienced or studied opinions. Should we be going to shows? What do you think the possibilities of contracting it at shows would be? For instance, last show I went to promised "any sick birds will be removed immediately". 2 cages were marked with either "sick" or "has cold" by the judges. I and another exhibitor complained to the organizers but the birds stayed there throughout the show. They were bantams and far from my birds but I feel for the bantam people as the judges may have taken those birds out of the cages, handled them, put them back, marked the card and then went on to the next cages. Isn't that how it's spread? Aren't I right to be very concerned? Or is the little voice in my head just screaming, without justification, "the sky is falling! the sky is falling!"?
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I went to several shows and seen sick birds, why are not they screening these birds. The judge don;t even notice or just ignore them. I went to one show and they were checking all the birds but a small amount still got by. I think the APA and ABA need seminars to identify the symptoms of possible contagious birds. I never seen a cage bird show allow sick birds into the show hall. This has been an ongoing situation that does not seem to be corrected, perhaps if a serious outbreak happens and all the shows are shut down they may take notice.
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The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in additional four flocks in Minnesota and South Dakota. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time. CDC considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low.
USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed HPAI H5N2 in the following counties and states:
· Cottonwood County, Minnesota (April 20, 2015)
o 30,000 turkeys
o 2nd detection in this county
· Wadena County, Minnesota (April 20, 2015)
o 301,000 turkeys
· Kandiyohi County, Minnesota (April 20, 2015)
o 61,000 turkeys
o 8th detection in this county
· Spink County, South Dakota (April 20, 2015)
o 33,300 turkeys
The affected premises have been quarantined and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flock will not enter the food system.
The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world. As part of the existing USDA avian influenza response plans, Federal and State partners as well as industry are responding quickly and decisively to these outbreaks by following these five basic steps: 1) Quarantine – restricting movement of poultry and poultry-moving equipment into and out of the control area; 2) Eradicate – humanely euthanizing the affected flock(s); 3) Monitor region – testing wild and domestic birds in a broad area around the quarantine area; 4) Disinfect – kills the virus in the affected flock locations; and 5) Test – confirming that the poultry farm is AI virus-free. USDA also is working with its partners to actively look and test for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations.
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Here's some more while I await answers on the first:
I'm an NPIP tester (State of Illinois). I spoke with our head vet and he told me that there are no plans at this time to train and equip testers like myself to help combat this virus.
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Hi Denise
I'm a NPIP/Poultry Technician licensed in the Commonwealth of PA and we get trained and equipped at time of licensing. Don't you?
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Avian Influenza has now been found in a fourth county in Wisconsin, this time affecting an 87,000 bird turkey farm. It's not looking good folks.
http://datcp.wi.gov/news/Index.aspx?Id=1276&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
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This is another one of those reasons we talked about in earlier posts why our backyard flocks should not free range and outside runs/pens should be covered. There may seem to be little we can do, but there are things we can do. Meanwhile I need to get more roofing over more pens...just need some $.
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In Illinois we are given a set a parameters for our testing kits. We go to classes and are tested on our knowledge. .After that our kits we put together ourselves are approved or not. If approved we are given our license. We're trained to perform the test and read it too. So that's a plus so that they can get a clean bill of health right away. If we find a sick bird, we double ( and I have triple checked on the 1 I found) then tag it with a metal, non-removable leg band we have issued from the state, leave the premises and call the state vet hotline immediatelyWe are only certified in NPIP for Salmonella Gallinarium (Fowl Typhoid), Salmonella Enteritidis, Mycoplasmas (M.Gallisepticum, M.Synoviae and M.Meleagridis). We are not certified for AI. We must buy our own antigen from the state of Illinois ONLY.
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Here is the latest and greatest on Bird Flu. It may already be somewhat dated, but it does answer many important questions. I'm asking each of our Coulee Region Poultry Club members to read this article prior to our April 30th meeting when we will decide whether or not to proceed with our June 6th show.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-bird-flu-questions-and-answers-20150423-story.html
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Thank you Mike! That explains a lot for me. 1 Question remains bothersome: If the bird flu is not contagious to people, and the meat & eggs are not dangerous to people, then why are these meat birds being composted instead of feeding people?
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Thank you Mike! That explains a lot for me. 1 Question remains bothersome: If the bird flu is not contagious to people, and the meat & eggs are not dangerous to people, then why are these meat birds being composted instead of feeding people?
My opinion is it is about money. Dead and dying birds cannot feed people and the producers affected by AI are only reimbursed for live birds.
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Well that's just wasteful! Why not feed the hungry, the poor, the soup kitchens!???????
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Here's the USDA update for Wisconsin. Mike is in LaCrosse, but I do not know about other members nor the county for the club meet.
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The show is in Trempealeau country and I am in La Crosse county, both at least 2 counties away from the nearest HPAI flock that has been discovered.
The problem for the show is that some of our regular exhibitors are from the four affected counties, and they are not allowed to take birds off their premises so can not show. Our local club is meeting tonight to make our decision on whether or not to proceed with this year's show.
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Waiting for the PA State Ag/USDA to decide what actions will be taken probably this week.
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The Southern Ohio Poultry Associations show in Lucasville Ohio is debating about cancelling this spring show. Apparently there is an outbreak in Indiana. I am glad i decided not to send my entry in. Sitting here in Ohio and trying not to panic.
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Apparently there is an outbreak in Indiana. I am glad i decided not to send my entry in. Sitting here in Ohio and trying not to panic.
Jensen, if you figure out how not to panic please pass it on. Illinois checking in here. I'm not showing the rest of this year and have implemented such strict bio-security that my husband now asks for permission to enter the chicken yard as I must inspect what footwear he has on. :-\
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Well the panic button was hit here in Pa. Wasn't sure if they were going to close all the auctions or not this week so I took my spare hens to the auction to reduce my flock. Well seems everyone was anticipating the auctions to close this week and the birds were selling for up to $4 per pound. So far they have not declared the auctions to close by the State Ag but people panic and there was a bidding frenzy at this particular auction. Buyers from several states were there running up the birds with fear this may have been the last one. Good for the sellers and probably the buyers.
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We started poultry and showing 4 years ago when my son started 4H. We have been full steam ahead since then traveling all over the country from Colorado with our Ameraucanas. Five to 9 shows per year.
Having said that... In Colorado there are no requirements for testing to enter a bird show for either in-state or out-of-state birds. However, at EVERY bird show (county fair, state fair, poultry clubs etc...) and for you NPIP certification, they screen every entry for Avian Influenza. This is not optional. This has been going on for at least five years. You receive a notification a couple weeks after the show that your test results are negative and no ones thinks a thing about it. The assumption was if your flock tested positive then it would be destroyed. AI has so far never been found here.
Now that the virus is getting closer I finally called the State Vet's office to ask what would happen if our test was negative but another entry was positive. My thought was surely they cannot destroy all 80+ flocks which had entries in a show! They told me there is no policy about that yet and they have not discussed the ramifications of the upcoming show season where birds are getting together at fairs and shows...
Most of these flocks belong to kids and depopulation would be extra devastating for everyone. Our family has decided not to show until we know what risk we are really putting our flock under. It seems even controlling our bio security may not be enough.
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Denise I wish I knew how not to panic. I think I may be *locking down* my farm until stuff blows over and we are given the all clear. I don't think I will be going to any shows as well. I have had some sickness in my flock the other year and that really set me back. A few ribbons isn't worth the life of my flock. I read somewhere on a homesteading blog about hanging old CD's in the barn to keep out wild birds. I am going to put that up asap cause i think there is a starling nest in the barn O.o. hurray. Also am I correct in that it daily is spread by wild waterfowl? I just bought day old ducklings 4 weeks ago and they are housed next to my chickens. I am wondering now if i need to put them at the other end of the property asap. They are just meat ducks and hybrid layers. This is all just so depressing and scary. I don't know what I would do if i lost my flock. It's not like any of us can just go out and buy more. Prayers for everyone this is resolved quickly and no one here is affected directly.
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On the bright side...well maybe there is no bright side to this, but doom and gloom has been around forever and will continue in one form or another. Decades ago I had to depopulate my entire flock and the place was quarantined by the state, after my show birds brought home LTI from a show. I vaccinated for that and other diseases for many years after that. I even vaccinated chicks for Marek's disease for a couple years. I'm at the point that I don't vaccinate at all and feel Pullorum testing is pretty much a waste of time and money, yet required. If one of those don't get your birds some form of MG will.
They say AI kills about 60% of the chickens that get it. Maybe breed from the survivors instead of destroying them. I know we aren't animals, but we humans live with many diseases and viruses.
Now the disclaimer...I'm not suggesting you don't vaccinate your birds if you want to and your biosecurity should be as strong as you want.
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Absolutely John, & that way they will have natural immunity, a basic tenet in immunology. or to paraphrase Nietzsche "what does not kill them, makes them stronger" it's a breeders duty to cull and not just palm off their weaklings. but to be honest I think this fear is overdone & really only affects the mega-hatcheries. closing things down makes sense so there is less for the regulators to watch so they can focus on the real issues
so forget this nonsense & enjoy the beauty out there. the weather is fantastic and everything here is in bloom.
-brownie
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I agree with John overall. However right now it seems the reaction is kill everything that MAY have been exposed to an AI positive bird. On the one hand I get that the huge commercial operations cannot take a chance as they only get reimbursed for live birds. On the other hand AI is here to stay and we cannot just kill every domestic and wild bird. I feel backed into a corner here in Colorado where screening is mandatory at every bird show. Since the test takes 72 hours, by the time results come back it is too late to avoid exposure. If they want to continue screenings maybe they should require birds to be tested before the show instead of at the door or develop an instant test.
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Thank you, John. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that feels that way. Only your biosecurity is probably a lot better than mine. Mine is pretty well non-existent.
I too stopped medicating/vaccinating my birds years ago. When I first started out with Barnies, everybody was having health problems with their birds. More than a few were telling me they were getting out of them for having to constantly treat them for CRD and losing many to Mareks. I was constantly treating for CRD here. So one day I read an article by Kenny Troiano that talked about not breeding any birds that got sick. Made since to me. I culled down to one male and 2 females that never showed any sign of CRD. The next year I had few sick birds. Subsequent years resulted hardly ever a sick bird.
This year I just got my first 2 Ameraucanas that got CRD. Not sure why. I should say that I do put bleach in the water and I think that has helped prevent the CRD too. I debated on whether to cull the 2 Ameraucanas but I'm thinking if they get better on their own maybe their offspring will be more resistant to it. Haven't decided yet whether I should breed the pullet or not. The other is one of my BW cockerels and he's already been in the breeding pen for 2wks. Trying to decide whether to toss all those eggs or not. Thinking I won't and will just cull any birds that show CRD from him. If none of them get CRD that may tell me something.
Lastly, as for AI, one might say I've been playing Russian Roulette. My birds free range over a couple of acres. Plus I have ducks, geese, guineas, and peafowl AND on top of that I have wild ducks that come and go from my ponds everday. In fact, during the winter months I think I might be feeding half the North American flock of mallards! Some might call me wreckless but I've just put it all in God's hands. If I get AI and they put all my birds down, I guess that'll be a sign that it's time to be done with chickens and buy that RV I've been eyeballing.
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From the venerable Money Magazine website
http://time.com/money/3857188/egg-chicken-prices-bird-flu/
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Here is a chart of what is killing people. https://www.yahoo.com/health/death-in-your-state-whats-the-most-distinctive-119022157667.html
Check out the green areas, look familar to a flight path for wild fowl.
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https://www.morningagclips.com/pennsylvania-puts-quarantine-on-poultry/?utm_content=articles&utm_campaign=NLCampaign&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_term=newsletteredition&utm_medium=email
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Ah, but does the post office know? If they don't it's all moot.
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Perfect, now it's not just poultry shows and swaps. Hopefully this doesn't catch on, is there any states not affected by a ban left?