H5N2 Avian Flu in WI

[solargeek]

We looked at land in Jefferson County before we found our piece. Very sad. They (WI and MN authorities) are suspecting migrating birds are spreading it as the locations where it has been found are on the flyways.

datcp.wi.gov/news/?ID=1270



This YouTube by Oregon Dept. of Ag about bio-security to keep your chickens safe is very helpful for backyard chicken keepers (which I hope to be next year).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1mWR2pashY

[solargeek]

2 more locations hundreds of miles from the first! One is a backyard farmer

US: Wisconsin reports two more H5N2 outbreaks

Via the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: Avian influenza detected in Juneau and Barron County poultry. Excerpt:

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, in cooperation with the US Department of Agriculture is responding to the detection of avian influenza in an additional two poultry flocks in Wisconsin. There are now three cases in Wisconsin. These flocks are within the Mississippi flyway where this strain of avian influenza has previously been identified. While lethal to domestic poultry, the strain of virus detected is not known to have caused disease in humans and is not expected to pose a risk to public health or the food supply.
The affected flocks are in:
• Juneau County—40 mixed breed birds in a backyard flock
• Barron County—126,000 turkeys in a commercial turkey flock
The properties were immediately quarantined and neighboring properties with poultry will be notified about the situation. Remaining birds will be depopulated and will not enter the food supply. Following USDA protocols, surveillance and testing procedures are underway at properties near the affected facility to ensure the virus has not spread.
The H5 avian influenza virus was first detected in Wisconsin at a commercial chicken flock in Jefferson County on Monday, April 13, which will result in the depopulation of more than 180,000 egg-laying chickens. Multiple outbreaks of avian influenza have occurred most recently in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Arkansas, the Dakotas and Kansas leading to the depopulation of more than 1 million turkeys and chickens since January.

[bergere]

All I can do is hope for the best and keep my chickens healthy. No way to keep my chickens indoors all the time and only one has a hen house yarn, but it is so big... no way I could afford to put netting over it.

[Muller's Lane Farm]

MN is hurting bad. The health dept is sending out workers to test birds on backyard flocks and quarantining your flock if you don't comply.

No bio-security either.  I can only imagine how many flocks are being infected by these workers travelling from one farm to another

[solargeek]

Apr 18, 2015 17:42:12 GMT Muller's Lane Farm said:

MN is hurting bad. The health dept is sending out workers to test birds on backyard flocks and quarantining your flock if you don't comply.

No bio-security either.  I can only imagine how many flocks are being infected by these workers travelling from one farm to another

Cyndi, couldn't an owner make all the inspectors where booties and TYVEK suits when they are traipsing around?

I realize the owner would have to have them ready but you could purchase some online.

Certainly those blue booties we were forced to wear at Model Home open houses couldn't cost that much.

And if you couldn't afford the full suits, you could use plastic aprons and have gallons of hand sanitizer around. Just thinking out loud as this is terrible.

[Muller's Lane Farm]

I'm sure the owner could. Thankfully, I'm not in MN

Our farm vets carries their own booties that they put on right before exiting their trucks and then has some sort of boot wash they use before they leave.

[manygoatsnmore]

Heard on the news yesterday that Iowa has a big outbreak, too...20% of the egg laying chickens? I thought egg layers were usually cage birds...how did they get it?

[bergere]

Have a feeling some of this spread, is being done by humans.

[solargeek]

They are still saying by exposure to wild birds via the migratory flyways and stops.

An here is the latest on whether there is lateral spread (by foot, air or water)

Avian flu viruses do not spread easily through the air, he said, but added that some of the affected Minnesota farms are close to lakes, and winds in the region have been high recently. "Were talking about wind carrying potential feathers or dust or other things that could carry the virus and moving it into [poultry] houses," he said.

Full article is very very interesting. Much more widespread in USA than I thought.

Flyway crossover
In other comments at the briefing, officials noted the concern that the virus could spread farther east through summertime mingling of migratory birds that use different flyways. Thus far the virus has been found in the Pacific, Central, and Mississippi flyways.

Clifford commented that the virus has adapted well to migratory birds, has been found in three flyways, and has caused two outbreaks in Ontario, all of which suggest the possibility of eastward spread. Noting that with birds there is some "crossover and mixing" between the flyways, he said, "If we see it in the fall, we're likely to see it in more flyways."

Swayne added, "Once they [migratory birds] go in summer to their northern breeding grounds, we're not sure if they'll bring the virus back [in the fall] or if it'll burn itself out. But we have to prepare for that possibility."

www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2015/04/usda-hopes-weather-will-help-h5n2-outbreaks-mount

[solargeek]

Update and info on the Bird FLU in WI.

No EGGS at "Breakfast on the Farm" due to COST and fears.

www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/bird-flus-latest-victim-breakfast-on-the-farms-scrambled-eggs-b99510414z1-305617441.html

"Bird flu has been detected in 10 commercial poultry farms in Wisconsin, resulting in the killing of nearly 1.8 million chicken and turkeys since April.

Multiple outbreaks in several other states, from Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas to Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, have prompted the killing of more than 20 million additional birds."

Here is the WI DATCP (Dept. of Agriculture) latest on the bird flu, how to avoid it and what to do if you find it in your backyard flock. 

Disease Basics
Avian influenza (AI), or “bird flu,” is a virus that infects domestic poultry, such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks and geese, and wild birds, particularly waterfowl. Direct contact with infected birds, contaminated objects/equipment and aerosol (short distances) can spread the virus which is found in feces, saliva and respiratory secretions.

AI viruses are divided into two groups—highly pathogenic (HPAI) and low pathogenic (LPAI)—based on the ability of the virus to produce disease and the severity of the illness it can cause. HPAI spreads rapidly and has a high death rate in birds. LPAI causes only minor illness and occurs naturally in migratory waterfowl.

There are many strains of avian influenza, many of which show little or no visible signs of illness and pose no threat to public health. Each year new strains of AI may appear throughout the world.

Prevention

Biosecurity is a set of practices designed to reduce the risk of spreading disease from sick birds to healthy ones. We recommend adding these practices to your routine:

Restrict access to your property and keep your birds away from other birds.
Keep a designated pair of shoes to wear around your birds, wash clothing after visiting your birds, and use disinfectants correctly.
Clean and disinfect cages, poultry equipment and car tires after visiting a farm store, poultry swap, or other location with birds present.
Keep new birds separate from your flock for 30 days; quarantine returning birds from the rest of your flock after visiting a poultry swap, exhibition or other event.
Do not share equipment or supplies with others, but if you must, disinfect it first.
Wash hands before and after bird handling.
Clinical Signs of Illness

Many birds with low pathogenic AI may not show any signs of illness. Poultry affected by any type of avian influenza can show many symptoms, including one or more of the following:

Decreased food consumption, huddling, depression, closed eyes
Respiratory signs, such as coughing and sneezing
Decreased egg production, watery greenish diarrhea, excessive thirst
Swollen wattles and combs
High mortality and sudden death are specific to highly pathogenic AI infections.

Human Health

The avian influenza strain currently detected in the United States causes no apparent human health concerns. No one in the U.S. has become ill from this strain. Avian influenza has been found in other parts of the world, where there have been some cases of human illness from coming in contact with infected birds. It is safe to eat properly prepared poultry products, including meat and eggs.

datcp.wi.gov/Animals/Animal_Diseases/Avian_Influenza/

[tenbusybees]

Naive (maybe dumb?) question....are they killing all the birds exposed? As a safety precaution? Or are the numbers burds that have actually died from the flu?